'Out of Africa'- Part 1 - Uganda - The Source of the Nile
by Iain Buchanan
B&F January 2006
Occasionally a window of opportunity opens which far transcends anything you ever imagined possible. For a few luck musicians Scottish Dance Music has created such an opportunity with the chance to travel to far-flung destinations to ply their craft. This month and next we look at two such venues in East Africa, namely Kampala, capital of Uganda, and Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
Both cities sit at almost 5,500 feet above sea level, making them cooler than you would first imagine Africa to be. Nairobi in particular has an unusual origin in that it was founded as a supply depot by the British in 1899 on what was to be the Mombassa to Kampala Railway Line while they sorted out the many technical difficulties involved in crossing the Great Rift Valley (which is half a mile deep in some places). It was totally rebuilt in the early 1900s after an outbreak of plague and the burning of the original town. Thereafter the settlement continued to grow, becoming the capital of the British East African Protectorate in 1907 and the capital of the newly independent Kenya in 1963.
Kampala grew up around a fort constructed by Frederick Lugard in 1890 for the British East African Company. In 1962 Kampala replaced Entebbe as the national capital. Much of the city was destroyed after the 1979 overthrow of Idi Amin’s dictatorship and the subsequent civil war. Scars of that conflict can still be seen on some of the city’s buildings.
Kampala is less than a 50-minute flight from Nairobi and shares many of its social problems, customs and lifestyles. Entebbe international Airport is about 60km from Kampala and is synonymous with the fall of the regime led by the dictator Idi Amin as depicted by the film ‘Raid on Entebbe’. Entebbe now has a new airport serving the international community less than 500 yards away from the original which nowadays serves United Nations International Relief efforts. The car parks are filled with row upon row of white UN vehicles, earth moving equipment and supplies, all destined for places such as Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia etc.
This was the scene as The Andy Kain Band comprising of Andy himself on fiddle, Liam Stewart on accordion and Iain Buchanan on drums headed off on Tuesday 23rd of November, 2005.
CT
Day 1 – Arrived at Glasgow Airport just after 3.30am for the flight to Brussels and then on to Entebbe via Nairobi. This year the flights were sponsored by SN Brussels airline. Commence probmel number 1. As we tried to check in, we find that they have no record of us on the computer. However, thanks to the wonders of modern technology and a few brief but expensive phone calls between Glasgow and Kampala we were soon on our way, but not before we bumped into John Carmichael, Alastair McCulloch and Alan Kitchen, heading off to sunnier climes on their own trip (Hong Kong). By the time we arrived at Kampala it was after 11pm local time and we were met by two of our hosts James Macbeth and Colin Davidson with suitable transport to tackle the dreadful road conditions. An hour later and we arrive, shaken but not stirred, at the home of our good friends and hosts Gordon and Margaret Bell.
Day 2 – Rising at about 11am after a good night’s sleep we find breakfast is waiting for us. Just enough time to get that down our throats before our first appointment at the Music School of Uganda where it had been arranged for some of the students there to attend a fiddle master class with Andy. This year we managed to take over some sheet music, fiddles, shoulders rests, music stands and bows which we donated to the school. Everything they have has been donated and it’s great to see it being put to such good use. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm of the students for their music. No forced practice here, instead there is genuine desire to do what it takes to improve their ability on the violin and their technique on the piano is quite remarkable.
Day 3 – Collected by German state transport, we were off for a 90-minute drive to Jinja and to the source of the River Nile at Bujigali Falls. A place of breathtaking natural beauty but also the home of some of East Africa’s best all terrain adventures. Quad biking along the banks of the Nile was just superb! Dressed in mustard coloured overalls, green wellies, crash helmets and goggles we looked ridiculous as we thrashed through the bush. Andy could easily have been mistaken for the Crazy Frog! After several hours touring coffee plantations, villages and racing round the jungle we were off to the exclusive resort of Kingfisher for lunch overlooking the Nile. Spectacular! Unfortunately, none of us had taken our cameras so no pictures. But as our guide said, “Adventures like this are meant to be experienced”. How true! Then on our return to Kampala our hosts have organised an impromptu ceilidh attended by most of the members of the Uganda Caledonian Society. The venue was Gordon and Margaret’s house which is more akin to a dance floor with a house round the edges.
Day 4 – The day of the grand St Andrew’s Ball of the Uganda Caledonian Society, held within the Garden City Shopping Centre in the middle of Kampala. 12 noon was the appointed time for a set up and sound check. However things tend to happen when they happen in Uganda
Day 5 – Rising at 12 noon after a long night of playing, this was our day of rest, relaxing in the African sun at the side of the swimming pool in Gordon and Margaret’s beautiful garden. No sun cream, so we ended up a light shade of pink. In the evening it was off to Pavement Tandoori for one of the best Indian’s ever.
Day 6 – We had been invited to return to Bujigali Falls for a spot of white water rafting, however having seen the water rapids during our quad adventure we decided that none of us could afford to be injured, after all it is our busiest time of year. Instead we were treated to a relaxing boat ride on Lake Victoria which is apparently bigger than Scotland! After a 45-minute cruise we arrived at Paradise Island which I understand was once the exclusive property of Idi Amin during his reign. Today however there is only one inhabitant – Bob the baboon who receives two visits a day and is fed with bananas, mangos and various fruits. Following the cruise back to the mainland it was time to pack for our flight home.
Day 7 – Following the overnight flight from Entebbe, we arrive in Brussels. Since our connection to Glasgow was 12 hours away we headed into Brussels City Centre for a spot of shopping and sight-seeing including the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament and a visit to the Museum of Music which was extremely interesting, particularly for Andy as there were many rare and expensive violins on show.
Uganda is a country of immense beauty and contrast, full of sights which can barely be described. The people are very polite and generally welcome you warmly. Sadly however, Uganda’s democracy is once again under threat from a regime desperate to cling on to power ands civil unrest has returned to its streets as the people try to hold on to what little democracy they have. However, life goes on, and for some it is a daily struggle just to survive, for others its another day in paradise.
I.B.
Both cities sit at almost 5,500 feet above sea level, making them cooler than you would first imagine Africa to be. Nairobi in particular has an unusual origin in that it was founded as a supply depot by the British in 1899 on what was to be the Mombassa to Kampala Railway Line while they sorted out the many technical difficulties involved in crossing the Great Rift Valley (which is half a mile deep in some places). It was totally rebuilt in the early 1900s after an outbreak of plague and the burning of the original town. Thereafter the settlement continued to grow, becoming the capital of the British East African Protectorate in 1907 and the capital of the newly independent Kenya in 1963.
Kampala grew up around a fort constructed by Frederick Lugard in 1890 for the British East African Company. In 1962 Kampala replaced Entebbe as the national capital. Much of the city was destroyed after the 1979 overthrow of Idi Amin’s dictatorship and the subsequent civil war. Scars of that conflict can still be seen on some of the city’s buildings.
Kampala is less than a 50-minute flight from Nairobi and shares many of its social problems, customs and lifestyles. Entebbe international Airport is about 60km from Kampala and is synonymous with the fall of the regime led by the dictator Idi Amin as depicted by the film ‘Raid on Entebbe’. Entebbe now has a new airport serving the international community less than 500 yards away from the original which nowadays serves United Nations International Relief efforts. The car parks are filled with row upon row of white UN vehicles, earth moving equipment and supplies, all destined for places such as Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia etc.
This was the scene as The Andy Kain Band comprising of Andy himself on fiddle, Liam Stewart on accordion and Iain Buchanan on drums headed off on Tuesday 23rd of November, 2005.
CT
Day 1 – Arrived at Glasgow Airport just after 3.30am for the flight to Brussels and then on to Entebbe via Nairobi. This year the flights were sponsored by SN Brussels airline. Commence probmel number 1. As we tried to check in, we find that they have no record of us on the computer. However, thanks to the wonders of modern technology and a few brief but expensive phone calls between Glasgow and Kampala we were soon on our way, but not before we bumped into John Carmichael, Alastair McCulloch and Alan Kitchen, heading off to sunnier climes on their own trip (Hong Kong). By the time we arrived at Kampala it was after 11pm local time and we were met by two of our hosts James Macbeth and Colin Davidson with suitable transport to tackle the dreadful road conditions. An hour later and we arrive, shaken but not stirred, at the home of our good friends and hosts Gordon and Margaret Bell.
Day 2 – Rising at about 11am after a good night’s sleep we find breakfast is waiting for us. Just enough time to get that down our throats before our first appointment at the Music School of Uganda where it had been arranged for some of the students there to attend a fiddle master class with Andy. This year we managed to take over some sheet music, fiddles, shoulders rests, music stands and bows which we donated to the school. Everything they have has been donated and it’s great to see it being put to such good use. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm of the students for their music. No forced practice here, instead there is genuine desire to do what it takes to improve their ability on the violin and their technique on the piano is quite remarkable.
Day 3 – Collected by German state transport, we were off for a 90-minute drive to Jinja and to the source of the River Nile at Bujigali Falls. A place of breathtaking natural beauty but also the home of some of East Africa’s best all terrain adventures. Quad biking along the banks of the Nile was just superb! Dressed in mustard coloured overalls, green wellies, crash helmets and goggles we looked ridiculous as we thrashed through the bush. Andy could easily have been mistaken for the Crazy Frog! After several hours touring coffee plantations, villages and racing round the jungle we were off to the exclusive resort of Kingfisher for lunch overlooking the Nile. Spectacular! Unfortunately, none of us had taken our cameras so no pictures. But as our guide said, “Adventures like this are meant to be experienced”. How true! Then on our return to Kampala our hosts have organised an impromptu ceilidh attended by most of the members of the Uganda Caledonian Society. The venue was Gordon and Margaret’s house which is more akin to a dance floor with a house round the edges.
Day 4 – The day of the grand St Andrew’s Ball of the Uganda Caledonian Society, held within the Garden City Shopping Centre in the middle of Kampala. 12 noon was the appointed time for a set up and sound check. However things tend to happen when they happen in Uganda
Day 5 – Rising at 12 noon after a long night of playing, this was our day of rest, relaxing in the African sun at the side of the swimming pool in Gordon and Margaret’s beautiful garden. No sun cream, so we ended up a light shade of pink. In the evening it was off to Pavement Tandoori for one of the best Indian’s ever.
Day 6 – We had been invited to return to Bujigali Falls for a spot of white water rafting, however having seen the water rapids during our quad adventure we decided that none of us could afford to be injured, after all it is our busiest time of year. Instead we were treated to a relaxing boat ride on Lake Victoria which is apparently bigger than Scotland! After a 45-minute cruise we arrived at Paradise Island which I understand was once the exclusive property of Idi Amin during his reign. Today however there is only one inhabitant – Bob the baboon who receives two visits a day and is fed with bananas, mangos and various fruits. Following the cruise back to the mainland it was time to pack for our flight home.
Day 7 – Following the overnight flight from Entebbe, we arrive in Brussels. Since our connection to Glasgow was 12 hours away we headed into Brussels City Centre for a spot of shopping and sight-seeing including the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament and a visit to the Museum of Music which was extremely interesting, particularly for Andy as there were many rare and expensive violins on show.
Uganda is a country of immense beauty and contrast, full of sights which can barely be described. The people are very polite and generally welcome you warmly. Sadly however, Uganda’s democracy is once again under threat from a regime desperate to cling on to power ands civil unrest has returned to its streets as the people try to hold on to what little democracy they have. However, life goes on, and for some it is a daily struggle just to survive, for others its another day in paradise.
I.B.