The Weekend that Was

This weekend was LOADED with activities! Yiga picked me up at 11:30 on Saturday and we set off for the Uganda National Museum.  The museum isn't the largest I've ever been in but it was a fascinating walk through Ugandan history. My tour guide was both knowledgeable and patient with my numerous questions. Exhibits covering ancient methods of hunting, farming, architecture, clothing, politics, crafts, recreation and other topics line the walls.

There is currently a special exhibit on Idi Amin, who I was surprised to learn many Ugandans do not view unfavorably.  My picture of him was always as a dictator who tortured his own people, executed rivals, expelled Asians, and disrupted the Ugandan economy. But to some Ugandans he brought a sense of national pride and unity.  Part of the museum is outdoor where you can tour replicas of huts from western, eastern, northern, and central Uganda. There is also an outdoor exhibit of cars owned by former presidents, but I decided to skip that one.

We followed up the National Museum with another stop by Buganda Road and the National Theatre so I could complete my shopping list. My last stop of the day was at the Martyrs' Shrine, site of a minor basilica in the Roman Catholic Church. The 69 acre area was declared a holy site by Pope John Paul II. It has been visited by three popes over the years-- the only place in Africa to have such a distinction. The Martyrs were Christians who were killed between 1885- 1886 in truly horrific ways: decapitated, burned alive, drug on the ground, and bleeding out from amputated limbs. The youngest of the martyrs was only 14 years old. The Martyrs' Shrine is the site of an annual pilgrimage by Catholics.  Uganda celebrates the national holiday called Martyrs Day every year on June 3rd.
                                     
                         

                                   

                                          

On Sunday, I attended church with Diana. Christ Centered Ministry is a small local church, unlike the other two churches I've attended since I've been in the country. The population is small, as is the building, but the people have a praise and worship service unlike any I have attended before.   After church we walked the brief distance to Diana's home where I met her mother and two sons. Lunch was excellent-- the typical Uganda fare of rice, beans, English peas, matooke, binyebwa, greens, pumpkin, and sweet potato.