July 5 – Opening Ceremonies at Kasiisi

The concept of time in Africa is significantly different than that in western cultures. We were told that our van would be here by 9:00 a.m. and that we should be ready to leave by about 9:30 a.m. To be fair we were also told that the time would depend on the arrangements at Kasiisi School. So we were in the dining room ready by 9:30 a.m. Our van arrived a few minutes before 11:00 a.m., but we couldn’t leave because John and Lydia Kasenene hadn’t yet called to give the OK. As they say in Africa, “the event is unfolding.”

An unfortunate and very traumatic event happened on the way to the ceremony. Driving here in Uganda is unbelievably bad. We had felt so safe with our Wild Frontiers guide, Joseph. But now we are using local drivers from a local service in Fort Portal. The usual situation is that cars and bota bota’s (small motorbike taxis) drive way too fast and they drive all over the road to avoid potholes. Pedestrians and bicycles usually go off the road to get out of the way of fast moving vehicles.

Today, however, our driver was driving too fast and quite erratically. He veered to the left. Janis screamed and he hit a pedestrian with a very loud bang. The driver stopped, while Matthew Koojo got out to check the condition of the man that was struck. The driver seemed only concerned with the fact that his mirror was broken. Mathew reported to us later that the man was in some pain and had damage to his arm and shoulder. He also reported also that the owner of our transport service would pay a sum of money to the man to settle the issue, but that the accident would not be reported to the police. There are sometimes when the cultural differences are so great that you feel like you are on another planet. We have been promised that our drivers from this point forward will be more reliable and safety conscious. Those who had considered walking to school with the children have reconsidered that decision and will be riding in a van instead.

While Matthew dealt with the injured pedestrian he sent the rest of us on in the van. We disembarked at Kasiisi Trading Center, where we were met by Kagaba Joshua, a brass band and student representatives from each of the five Kibale area schools, Kasiisi, Kigarama, Kiko, Rweterra and Kanyawara. We marched behind the brass band and the students marched behind us for about a quarter of a mile to the grounds of Kasiisi School.

We started the official ceremonies with the Ugandan National Anthem, the Kingdom of Toro Anthem and the U.S. national anthem. The children watched us during the U.S. anthem, and I noticed later when they sang our anthem again, they put their hands over their hearts as they had seen us do. It’s that kind of touching and polite respect that endears Ugandans to everyone they meet.

We had a quick tour of Kasiisi School before the ceremonies started in earnest. The improvements that have been made there in the last two years have been quite remarkable. We started in the new school library, which is very impressive. It’s full of books and also contains a large number of the small green and white laptop computers from the “One laptop per Child” program. We were told that students use these between 3 and 4 p.m. everyday and sometimes stay late to get additional work done on these machines. We then went to the kitchen where we viewed an operation that feeds lunch to 1300 students every day. The Kasiisi project sponsors this program also called the Porridge Project. Students are given a lunch each day consisting of a fortified maize porridge. Kasiisi School is the only school in this area of the country to feed its students.

We then saw the new dormitories being built for students (some students in the future will board at Kasiisi School). We saw the new teacher housing that has been built on site. However, the most meaningful for us to see was the Preschool Complex. It’s more than just a single building. The Preschool consists of three classrooms, a room for the students to rest at mid-day, a preschool office, a planning area for teachers, and an area built for flush toilets for the children. Once again this level of sanitation and facility planning to meet the needs of young children is unheard of in public schools in Uganda. This entire project has been funded by fundraising by Chris, her preschool colleagues, the preschool parents in Weston and some matching grants. It’s a remarkable testament to the relationship between Weston and Kasiisi.

Then the official ceremonies started. There must have been over a thousand people in attendance; dignitaries, educators, parents and children. There was singing and dancing by groups from each of the five primary schools. There were speeches seemingly with out end from educators, dignitaries, and politicians. We were fed lunch. They even baked a cake for us, which Christie and I were required to cut. This ceremony went on for the better part of six hours. But there were moments of sublime joy and celebration mixed in with the long speeches. Janis dancing across the entire presentation area with some students was one of those moments. She dances very well for a Muzungu. Christie attracting and meeting two preschoolers Tina and Cassie, aged 2 and 3, was another moment. These two danced with her, had their photos taken and didn’t want to leave her side.

We received also a letter of gratitude from the parents of the Kasiisi scholars which read in part, “May be others would now be in the village as thieves, prostitutes, robbers but now we hope to have doctor, Engineers, Accountants, many more important generation thus a bright future.” What a statement of the difference education makes for these children.

There are also times when completely incongruous things happen that are so unexpected. During some of the singing and dancing one little boy in a winter coat and backpack (it’s 80 degrees out) kept walking slowly back and forth in front of the performance, completely oblivious to what was happening. At another time there was a brief interlude in the singing and dancing and so they played country music over the speakers. This was Musak country music, not the more modern things we’re used to hearing in the U.S. these days. One other surprising event was the canned applause track that was played at the end of each speech. I am proud to say that my speech was interrupted by this canned applause much to our amusement.

Unfortunately Greg Kee was not feeling well. Fortunately that meant we all had to leave. I have a feeling that the singing and dancing would still be going for as long as we stayed. Back to the Field Station we went with a new and slower driver and arrived safely in time for supper.

We reviewed our lesson plans tonight, because tomorrow we teach students at Kiko School. More about that in the next installment.