In 1903, Theador Herzl, the president of the World Zionist Congress, put forward a proposal for the Jewish state to be housed in a small African country. This was known as the Uganda Project. The proposal was rejected and the Jewish state was founded in the middle east in Israel. However, i had always marveled at this idea of a Jewish state in Africa and for Uganda has always appealed to me as this mystical and interesting country... And so it was that on this trip, i found myself leaving Kenya in search of mythical Uganda, the almost Holy Land.
However like most conquests of great social, political and spiritual importance; the journey was no easy feat. Yet the end prize was worth the journey. Here is a quick tale from an internet cafe in Jinja, Uganda about my quest for the Holy Land.
So the Wolf Pack returned from Safari and picked me up in Nairobi after a week of Scrabble, embassies and such sweet fun :) , and off we headed towards Uganda - about a 350km drive from Nairobi. Plans halted briefly when we decided to explore Hellsgate National Park; a safari done by bicycle riding next to zebra and giraffe through the canyon which (literally, but in animation) set the scene for Mufasa's death in the Lion King. We took that opportunity to reenact most scenes and songs from the film.
However it was the next day on route to Kisumu on Lake Victoria in which the real obstacles of this saga arose. About 55km after Hellsgate, Ian overheated. The drive to the closest town did the rest of the job, and Ian had to be checked into the mechanic for some serious re repairs. This would not have been such a serious problem if we were on the beautiful banks of Lake Victoria, but we weren't. We were in the not so beautiful town Nakuru - where smoke, trash and endless kids sniffing bottles of clue and petrol were of high priority. Each day we waited with bated breath for the car to be ready, and each day the list of problems grew longer and price grew higher.
In the end of the day Nakuru wasn't that bad of a time. We found things to entertain ourselves. A park to kick a ball around, free coffee at the mechanic, a bar with cheap beer and a good view of the bum-fights and dalla-dalla accidents on the street below. However, even with all this to offer, after four days in Nakuru, we were quite ready to leave Nakuru and finally hit the road again on route to Uganda, bypassing Lake Victoria.
We were only smiles and joy when we finally reached the Ugandan border. Not even the heavy rain or the $50, SINGLE ENTRY visa could get us down. And like that, we paid an obscene amount for car insurance, taxes and visas and crossed the border into Uganda, the Holy Land!
Now this whole tale of the Holy Land would stop here and be quite sweet and all, but it makes a lot more sense after reading the next part of this story. I had heard from David Marcus (a seasoned African explorer) and a guy in met in Kenya named Ari (he was traveling Africa in search of other Jewish communities) that there was a community of black Ugandan Jews not far from the town we were heading, and that he had stayed there, and that they made great chipatti. Bam, it was a sign. Holy land, Jews,coincidence, chipatti! It was all too much to ignore. So i packed my bags and headed for the hills in search of the Abayudaya community.
The bus dropped me in a small Ugandan town alone on Friday afternoon. I caught a bodaboda (back of a motorbike) up the hills and into the villages on the hillside. And there i was dropped in front of Shalom Supermarket, a small shop in the village with a big magen david (star of David) on the wall. This was either the twilight zone, or the right place.
This little adventure actually turned into one of the best shabbatot (sabbeth days) of my life. Its a small community with a school, a synagogue, quite a few families, a little hospital and a small guest house. To be honest, the whole experience was quite trippy, mostly because it was so familiar and normal. I don't know what i expected to find, but what i found was a shabbat much like any other of my life. The only difference was that all the people around were Ugandan and black. Which may seem like a weird difference, but its quite a big thing if you've been around many Jewish communities in your life.
The Friday night service was by candle light - mostly because the electricity was out. One of the younger boys had to lead the service as his eye sight in the darkness was the best. There was plenty signing and even some dancing. It was like listening to African music, but all of a sudden i was signing along and knew all the words. After shul (synagogue) we ate a big meal and Raphy (a really cool American kid who was also staying there) and myself stayed up till 2am sipping whiskey and explaining to each other the ins and outs of cricket and baseball; a good, but definitely inferior sport.
On Saturday morning we got up early for Shul, and everything was still remarkable similar. The service sounded the same. The young kids sat outside and played with berries. The teenagers came in late, wearing smart shirts and sneakers and sat in the back gossiping amongst themselves. The old men had their regular seats and sat engrossed in the text, half nodding away. It was amazing. I don't think i have ever followed a service so closely and with such interest.
After lunch i had a long sleep and woke up tired to find a game of soccer on the field next door. I headed down there and joined in on a game with the local guys, on a field overlooking hills and vallies of Ugandan greenery. It was actually quite a serious game - which can be high pressure for a Msungu in Uganda. Luckily i scored a goal, so i had some cred.
The whole thing was a magic experience. These are Jews in every sense. It makes me wonder about other Jewish communities in Africa, even the Lemba in South Africa. Why is there not more contact with the Jewish community of South Africa? Jewish communities are insular, even the Abayudaya are insular within their setting. Maybe Jews need to spend less time examining the rules of 'what makes a Jew' and more time examining the recipes of chipatti and goat stew. Both of which these guys did an incredible job of making.
After Shabbat, Raphy and myself headed back to Mbale to a local music festival and the next day on a trip out to Sippi Falls. A set of three huge waterfalls in the north east of Uganda next to another small electricity-less village.
Uganda is beautiful. Seriously beautiful. Its lush and green and the land reeks of fertility. The skys are blue and big grey rainclouds make the air wet and fresh. I don't want to say Sippi Falls was the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my life. But i will say that i cannot think of a more beautiful place off hand...or after four days of trying to remember one.
We did a 6 hour hike with a few other travelers up, through and behind the waterfalls. Through villages, over farm lands, past endless cows and sheep (the real definition of Free Range), and right to the top of the highest waterfall. I had a shower under a 95m waterfall. It was something else. I had a moment.
The next day i headed back to Jinja, on the Nile River, to meet up with the Wolf Pack. This was my first time seeing the Nile, and on arrival i walked straight past reception through the bar and thew my bag down in jubilation at my first sight of this river. I had another moment.
Tomorrow i go river rafting on the great Nile River. Its known as one of the biggest and best spots to raft in the world. Grade 5 rapids. I am a little scared, but also really excited. Yoni said he thought he almost died.
So thats about that. The journey for the Holy Land has so far turned into a success and a victory. Im not sure whether it was a good thing or not that Israel was not placed in Uganda. However what i do know is that this place is pretty amazing the way it is. Although the experiments of what could be put on a chipatti are endless. Humus for a start would be amazing. Right now im eating a 'Rolex' - omlette on chipatti.
Im starting to think i should not have jinxed myself saying that things were going great, the day before river rafting, but i think things should be fine. tu tu tu.
Missing everyone back home. Sending good vibes.
e
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