City Sightings

I've never whipped my phone out and taken photos as we passed through the capital. Yet since I was in the photographer space because of safari, I decided to record common sights around Uganda's capital, Kampala. I hope you enjoy getting a peek!

A breath-taking sight of fields in a swamp-land on the way to the capital. (Compare the green shades in this photo from the brownness in every picture of the city!)

A side street off the main road

Unless the owner writes "no posters" on their wall, posters advertising political campaigns, concerts or a revival meetings being held by a visiting "prophet" will quickly fill the space. Of course, the posters aren't taken off once the advertised occasion passes; they're left for the elements to slowly peel them away.

Uganda has the world's largest population of entrepreneurs in the world. Many young people start up their own business, which may be as simple as selling bananas by the side of the road. Unfortunately, dozens of entrepreneurs open the same businesses, causing the commons scene of many banana vendors or chapati makers next to each other, lining a street.

Thus, I had to take a picture of this innovative shop. Artists are also common... but they usually sell in areas near craft shops. This art gallery was a colorful, random sighting down a back road.

Bumper stickers re-invented!

A whole stack of tires- who needs to go to the fancy, gas station mechanic shops? :)

A typical sight of a boy carrying food to sell in plastic buckets. Often the food is mandazi (sort of like donut holes), samosas, or grasshoppers.

Light traffic along a road outside the city.

Colorful umbrellas- or faded ones- shade produce sellers. One can buy bananas, pineapples, watermelon, jackfruit, onions, tomatoes, peppers, cabbages or even apples by the roadside.

The Uganda Crane's soccer stadium.

The city roadside is endlessly entertaining! There's bright colored posters, food stands, shops carrying everything imaginable, billboards, pedestrians, beggars, evangelists, traffic police... etc.

Boda-bodas, motorcycles taxis, are the most common means of public transportation. While waiting for passengers, bodas often congregate on street corners or outside of shops.

Stuck in traffic, often with several lanes going one direction because dozens of vehicles have tried to drive slightly off the road, around the halted cars. This simply ends up creating another lane of stand-still.

Hundreds of metal bunkbeds to be sold! Hopefully you don't want the one in the middle of the stack :)

This is a chapati and rolex maker. Chapatis are a local flatbread, much like a pita bread fried with oil. Rolex is a egg and chapati wrap, often with vegetables inside the egg.

Matatus are another form of public transport. 14 people (or more) squeeze into these vans.

People of all ages sell products on the road to those stuck in Kampala traffic. This man is selling newspapers. One can also buy maps, gum, balls, underwear, produce, bug nets, fan horns, notebooks, toys, and more.

Grace and I laughed at this display of the United State's pluralistic views captured in a sign at a Lebanese restaurant. Who would think of seeing a Catholic depiction of Christ next to a Hindu goddess? Can't lie, it made me upset. I'm thankful my Lord is powerful and living, not an image in a sign.

Grace was shopping for a hat, so we stopped at several hat shops. They have every style you could ever need!

The man in the neon green vest and brown pants in the center of the picture is a traffic police. Traffic police direct traffic in place of traffic lights.

My heart breaks every time I see a person living or begging on the street. Folks in wheelchairs, young girls, children, mothers with their babies... I've cried many times after having someone beg at our van window when we got stuck in traffic. These occurrences make me feel ashamed for having all the opportunities and material goods provided me. Hundreds of times I come to the Lord asking, "Why am I the one with provision and security? Why am I not on the streets? I've done nothing to deserve the life I live! How do I use these things to glorify you? The need is so overwhelming, Father!" Indeed, street children/people live in a reality more complicated than others realize. For example, women from an impoverished people group in north Uganda, the Karamojong, often migrate to the capital and other cities. Organizations who have brought these Karamojongs home found that they simply return to the city again, because begging (or, horrifically, exploitation) gain them more money than they'd get at home.

I'd like to share a few things I've learned from God's word and wise people about approaching the reality of people living on the streets. For one, don't give out money. Provide practical things, mostly food. If they refuse the food, they have provisions elsewhere. Secondly, refer people on the streets to any organization you know of which aids street dwellers. Additionally, recognize that it's appropriate to cry and grapple over this awful reality, because poverty due to living in a sinful world also breaks God's heart. Don't allow your heart to be hardened; accept the heart of flesh- along with its emotions- that the Spirit provides. Finally, bring every person you see living on the streets to God. He knows them intimately. Plus, He calls us to intercede for the people of this earth. Trust His goodness and power where you are inadequate to bring lasting change.

The view from a veranda at our guest house, located in a nice part of town. Kampala is a hilly city, creating breath-taking views from the hilltops.

Trucks are used to carry literally anything. This truck transports multiple cages of chickens. I've also seen trucks packed with cattle, people, mattresses, soda, pineapples, bunkbeds... almost always piled higher than a load the truck was originally designed to carry :)

A shop down the road where friends of ours live. Instead of cutting down the tree, these shop owners built their dwelling around the tree. I appreciated this, especially because trees are few in the city.

Menu painted on the outside of a butcher's stand. Offals, the intestines and stomach, are always sold- and bought!

This barber shop used an old sign for St. Thomas clinic to fence in their porch/veranda. I never stop admiring and appreciating the thriftiness of the Ugandan people!

A woman selling bath sponges. These sponges come from a heavy pod grown in large trees. The sponge material is removed, de-seeded and dried out.

More often than not, photos to advertise a business (or in a restaurant menu!) are taken randomly offline. This fitness gym broadcasted grossly and unbelievably "toned" men. Our family, stuck in traffic next to this sign, had a good laugh over it.

Market along the road!

A motorcycle loaded with jerrycans and full sacks- and trust me, this is not a rare sight! Motorcycles can carry unbelievable loads! We've seen a cow on a motorcycle once, an entire family on one another time, a bed on one, and a stack of mattresses on another.

No yard for a clothes line? No problem! Use your porch rail and hope the wind doesn't blow any clothes to the ground floor :)

Bodas always gather in front of cars at a stop light or place the traffic police has people stopping. When traffic is allowed through, a sea of bodas emerges before a single car.

Pepsi and Coke are super popular in Uganda!

Produce stands on the roadside on a cloudy day.

A truck unloading its pineapples.

Matatus always have a saying or message written on the back. Most are either Muslim (written in Arabic at times) or Christian mantras. However, there's also funny messages! This taxi decided to write a safety warning on its back windshield; ironic, because matatus are known for reckless driving!