UgandAshis 2009 – 1. Viva la vida.
Kampala, Uganda
April 17, 2009
In Hindu mythology there is a figure called Ganesha. He is a mighty scholar who is the child of Parvati and Shiva. Yesterday when I visited the mandir (Hindu temple) I offered a flower to him. He is known as the remover of obstacles and the gatekeeper. It is in this same mandir when Idi Amin, dictator of the seventies in Uganda told all Asians to leave Uganda that 79 families took refuge. The mandir today, built in 1954 still stands tall in the heart of Kampala. Over the last 2 decades many families have returned and a diaspora of Eastern African Asians has formed as well, mainly in the USA, UK and Canada.
A snippet of the fascinating history of Uganda over the next blogs I am hoping to write about the history, the people, the mythology, the nature, the health care system, the stories, the dreams, the hopes, the injustice, the bliss, the joy and the children of Uganda.
Everyday merits a story. From the boda boda driver (motorbike driver) to the preacher, the salesman to the doctor, the cook to the police officer all share their stories with me freely. In common there is one thing a joy of living.
It is a pleasure to live in a country that despite immense pressure on people, stress, depression hardly exists. The resilience I talk and write a lot about my friends the Zaghawa you find here as well. As you do the humor and the dignity.
When you are making plans life happens to you. The plan for now is to stay here for 5 years and set up Phoenix Global Humanitarian Foundation Africa with Kampala, Uganda as a head office. You will be able to follow the ups and downs from this blog.
This blog will be made available in different formats; through twitter, facebook, blogger and as a list serve (www.ashis.org). Feel free to share, post questions, comments. Once my Internet issues are soundly resolved I shall also go back to vlogging. Currently through 12 seconds and twitter I have posted 5 posts (ashisbrahma).
For today there remain two plans;
1. Shave a huge part of the beard
2. Viva la vida
The second is a given, let us see if I can accomplish #1 as well.
Namaskar,
Ashis
What I appreciate the most about Ganesha is that he represents a "make do" ethic. Shiva cuts off his head not knowing Ganesh is his son, and he replaces Ganesh's head with that of the first animal they find, the elephant. It's much the same way you have had to practice medicine--voodoo, funky, bush. Ganesh's head is funky too.
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