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Even more reading

Wizard of the Nile - Mathew Green

Only published this year but luckily a local library had it and I snapped it up as it was a book I wanted to buy. I'm glad the library had as I would have wasted a lot of money buying the hardback copy. Yep I was disappointed. I started to enjoy it as I remembered places from my own travels that are mentioned in the book. Green traces Kony's life from his childhood and as the book goes on tries to get an interview with the leader of the LRA himself and only manages a few minutes with him a bunch of journos and the LRA's people from the UK in a bush clearing in the DRC. Disappointing indeed!

White pumpkin - Denis Hills

This book is really of its time so much so it would be pretty difficult to get it now (library again). Hills a lecturer in Makerere University at the time writes about his life in Uganda and about Amin who was in power when it was written, who managed to find out what Hills was writing before it got into print and for some reason Amin didn't like the bit about being called a black Nero; so banged Hills up and sentenced him to death by firing squad.

It took a letter from the Queen and a personal visit to Amin from James Callaghan the get poor old Denis's release. Great book I really enjoyed his accounts of Kampala expat life and of climbing some of the mountains of the North of UG.

Man with a Lobelia Flute - Denis Hills

More wanderings amongst the peoples and hills of my favourite and most least visited part of Uganda the north.

Most recent Ugandan read

The Settler's Cookbook - Yasin Alibhai-Brown

The Muhindi/Mugandan/British writer's memoir come recipie book

Lovely recipies.

Great story.

I've always enjoyed reading Alibhai-Brown's articels in the Independent but loved this book which I devoured like I did the 'Urad Dal' in a sunny weekend in my back garden.

Sipi di do da

I had seen Sipi falls a long time before I actually arrived at the 99m water fall on the Sipi River. I had seen the falls from a Gateway bus that I was on headed towards Nakapiripirit. The falls are all very nice but there was not a lot here that would keep me there much longer after I had seen the falls at close quarters.

I stayed one night at the Crow’s nest that has good views of the falls. As soon as I left the Crow’s Nest I was pestered by an opportunist “guide” who still followed me even when I told him I could find my way to a bar by myself in the sleepy trading centre.

Leaving Sipi it’s well worth getting up before dawn to catch the Kampala bound Gateway bus that leaves Kachorwa at 5.30 am. You’ll have to flag down the bus from the side of the road. The driver is half expecting passengers to board at this stage as he sounds his horn as he approaches the trading centre.

Learn a few words

Make an effort and try and learn a few words before you go or even when you get there.

The main languages apart from English in Uganda are Luganda and Swahili. Luganda is spoke mainly in the capital but widely understood throughout the country especially the west and south. If you are travelling to the East and north of the country Swahili is more of use to you.

The rough guide to Swahili phrase book is a neat little book that I use. I have also bought Luganda phrase books on the street in Kampala.

Click here to see a Luganda phrase book

Read about Uganda before you go

Abyssinian Chronicles - Moses Isegawa

I started to really enjoy this novel about 1970s Kampala but it lost me a bit when the lead character got to the Netherlands.

Last King of Scotland - Giles Foden.

You may well have seen the film loved this book and started to reread it straight away. You can tell Foden loves Africa. He's writtem 3 books that I know of about Africa, Zanzibar (not bad), Ladysmith (a complete stinker) and Mimi and TouTou (not read it yet).

Tribe, The Hidden History of the Mountains of the Moon - Tom Stacey.

Goes on a bit does Stacey and not everything he says is corect but I enjoyed this memories of his time with the bakonzo people of the Rwenzori.

Aboke girls – Els De Temmerman.

Temmerman the Belgium journalist tells the story of the abduction of 139 girls from a school in Lira District in northern Uganda by the LRA.

The Mountain People – Colin M. Turnbull.

This is a sad book beautifully written by Turnbull about the Ik people of north eastern Uganda.

The Lunatic Express – Charles Miller.

An excellent history of the building of the railway they called “The Lunatic Express” stretching from Mombasa on the east african coast to Lake Victoria and eventually to Uganda.

More Ugandan reading

Potent brews – Justin Willis

A social history of alcohol in East Africa. The part of the book concerning Uganda is from the Hoima area. A really well researched book perhaps too well researched when what I would like to read is stories of Ugandans getting shedded on traditional brews!

Footprint Ugandan guide book

Bradt Uganda

It’s probably a toss up between Footprint and the Bradt guide to which is the best Guide book with possibly the Bradt guide just edging it. The Bradt is big on wildlife while essentials like public transport and accommodation are pretty thin on the ground. If you are interested in traveling to the north of Uganda then you would gain nothing by reading these guides.

Lonely planet guide to East Africa

Don’t waste your time reading this out of date, badly researched book from possibly the biggest name in guide books. These people are living off their name.

Dark Star Safari – Paul Theroux

Theroux’s Journey from Egypt to South Africa in which on his way he returns to his old stomping ground of Kampala where he once taught at Makerere University.

Sir Vidia’s Shadow – Paul Theroux
The early part of the book is Theroux’s account of the visit of V. S. Naipaul’s visit to Uganda.

Fong and the Indians – Paul Theroux

An amusing novel about a Chinese shopkeeper in Uganda during the seventies.

The Seasons of Thomas Tebo – John Nagenda

A novel that I never managed to finish because it was so poor. Nagenda should have concentrated on playing cricket; he actually represented East Africa at the first cricket world cup in 1975.

Local beer drinking

It tastes nice and it gets you bladdered.

This is a fine way to waste a day in Soroti. Ajono tastes alright but it tends to get you full before it gets you bladdered. You can get this all over UG but the Ateso seem to be the specialists in bewing the stuff.

Address: In every town or village in UG you can get ajono.