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Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Dear Tourist

I have waited a long time to write this post so that it would not come off as snarky or butt-hurt. It may still come off as this, but I promise, I’m trying to help people who come to Uganda to respect and enjoy this beautiful country as much as I do.

Dear Tourist,

Welcome to the Pearl of Africa! I hope you are finding the weather beautiful here. It truly is gorgeous almost every day of the year. How are you finding the people? How are you finding the cultures? Did you know that by some counts, Uganda has more than 50 different cultures? It really is a beautifully diverse country. I want to help you to get to know a little bit about travelling around Uganda.
Welcome to Fort Portal! Many of the people here are Batooro. This means they are part of the Tooro Kingdom and follow the Tooro King. Some of the people here are Bakonzho who follow the Rwenzururu King. It makes for interesting conversation for sure. I hope you are finding my friends welcoming. I promise, they are honestly curious when they scream “MUZUNGU” at you. It sure gets annoying after a while, but you just have to remember that they’re genuinely excited to meet people from around the world.
Have you noticed the way people dress here? Modesty is an important part of every culture. You’ll find standards of modesty are different around Uganda, especially for women. I hope you know that women’s thighs and butts are sexualized here, so women wearing anything above the knee or tight around those areas is seen as sexualizing herself. I’m just trying to help you know the culture I have come to know and love this past year. Skirts are the norm for many women except in the north. As for men, you are seen as silly or childish when you wear shorts. Men wear trousers in Uganda, boys wear shorts. As tourists, of course you are given slack by some people, but others will use these standards to assume you are clueless as to the culture, easily overcharged and harassed.
Were you able to learn a little bit of language before coming? If not, that’s okay! Just ask the people you meet how to greet in their language. Sure, most Ugandans speak English, especially in touristy places, but there really is nothing that makes a Ugandan happier than greeting them in their own language. They might laugh, whether you get it right or wrong, but think about how funny it is trying to teach someone English for the first time and laugh along with them. There are as many different languages as there are cultures in Uganda, but many of the greetings are generally the same. Don’t forget to thank people for the work they are doing! It’s so important here.
If you are coming from a “Western” country, you will get a lot of “bang for your buck,” as we say in the US. Don’t get overcharged, though! Before you go anywhere, on any method of transportation, stop and ask people on the street, in shops around, anywhere but the place where you get transport how much your transport should cost. Ask several people if you don’t have friends yet in the place where you are. Getting overcharged by 500 shillings ($0.14) or 1000 shillings ($0.28) doesn’t seem like a lot, but it surely adds up when you keep getting over charged. Know that there is no such thing as a set price in Uganda. There are people and places which are much more difficult to barter with, but if you’re good enough at bartering, you can get the local price every time. Also know that in many place transport priced go up about half an hour before dark. This is because it’s not safe to travel in the dark. Please don’t travel after dark if you can keep from it. Most accidents happen in the dark, and roadside robberies happen almost exclusively in the dark.
I highly encourage you to buy some kitenge, the local fabric, garments! Make sure to ask your tailor for an appropriate cut if you’re going to wear it in country. Prices for kitenge vary across the country, and style vary across cultures, but make sure to be polite about asking. Use “traditional” or “cultural” instead of “tribal” when asking for traditional patterns, or really any traditional merchandise, dances, songs, etc. If you ask a Ugandan about their cultural songs or dances, don’t be surprised if they don’t want to do them for you in the middle of a bunch of people. Just like back home, people don’t randomly dance and sing in the middle of the supermarket…usually. In addition, not everyone thinks they are good at the songs and dances, just like back home.
In general, remember that things here are generally more similar than they are different. Sure, you won’t understand everything that’s being said all the time, but the same is true if you visit any other country where you don’t speak the language. Sure, the culture is different, and yes, the different cultures are much more densely packed than in other places, but I hope you can fall in love with the diversity and tolerance in this country. I know I have.

Have a wonderful trip!

An expat in Uganda

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