Searching

Ok, some pictures finally up. The latest are from Tanzania, was hoping to post more from a day-trip on Sunday to Jinja – a town on Lake Victoria about an hour’s drive from Kampala where you can visit the source of the nile; the spot where the river leaves the lake on its way north – but it might be awhile until I can get those on the web. Uploading is extremely painful here. Turns out, the guys in the office next-door to me are working on a remedy. Well, kind of.

CIPESA (Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa) is a policy research project of bridges.org focused on analysis of the issues implied by the name, with an aim at creating a body of research and discussion that can better inform African policy-makers. Big issue in their world right now is EASSy – The East African Submarine Cable System. Big issue in my world too, because a connection to EASSy could mean actually uploading from Uganda without wanting to swallow my own tongue.

Because the internet was originally conceived as a way to solely deliver information and not a two-way exchange, uploading is always going to be more difficult, but exponentially so when you don’t have easy access to high bandwidth. And Uganda has none of that. I’m not sure where my words go when they leave this computer, but the path could very well find them traveling first by low-bandwidth, dial-up line into Kampala, then out of Uganda by satellite to Cairo (satellite = slow and expensive), then finding their way back into the ground for a (getting faster) trip across the Mediterranean, and finally reaching optimal speed when they reach Europe. I have no idea, but trust me, it’s much slower and more complicated than what your words go through in the US if you want to comment on this post. Meanwhile, it’s also more expensive here than it is in the US. That’s right, forget what you heard about cost-of-living in the developing world: access to the least amount of high bandwidth in the world comes at the highest premium in Africa.

EASSy could potentially change all that. The cable system would be a broadband spine directly connecting Africa’s east coast to Europe’s internets, should increase access and speed by up to 75%, and could decrease costs by up to 50%. Who invests in it, who has access to it, and how much land-locked governments will be held-hostage by their coastal neighbors are all issues that need to be worked out first though. Throw long-time friend to Africa The World Bank and future wolf in sheep’s clothing NEPAD into the equation and it’s not getting any easier. I’m still sorting through it myself, I encourage you to read up on some of the work my colleagues are producing.

Ok, above ground in Kampala:

In a previous post, I kind of poked fun at Uganda’s soccer fans with my jibe about Arsenal and athletic colonization, but my ire was really directed at the US and the NFL. In other words, I’m quite impressed by the level of sophistication that soccer fans here and everywhere posses and believe that what people are responding to when it comes to Arsenal is more about style and beauty than imperialism. While there’s no hope of such an achievement for most American football (the one with less foot-work) fans, I do envision a day when basketball usurps soccer as the world’s sport. Like soccer, basketball, under the right commission, is a game of freedom. Fans and leagues are starting to realize this more these days, thanks in large part to the influx of foreign players in the Association. Of course (though I’m growing a bit weary of some of their commentators), FreeDarko is the ultimate representation of this trend. This revolution supposedly finds its roots in the ’92 Olympic Games when the US first fielded a team of professionals, and youngsters from Buenos Aires to Beijing and Berlin were subsequently inspired to trade in their soccer balls. Regardless of how much truth there is to this legend, I can guarantee that the colonial rites of the NFL are far more likely to be delivered through the hands of a marine to an orphan in an oil-rich nation than that of the NBA. So, if there must be a new world order in sport, let us hope that it is basketball and not an ill-named game that involves helmets and a shotgun formation. And until that take-over is complete, it would be nice if Americans took some time to watch the World Cup – 15 days and counting.

Ok, file this along side the minibus names. Without much comment, here are some sample ‘personal’ ads from one of Uganda’s weekly papers:

Searching:

I am a mature working guy in my early 30s, searching for a beautiful, loving, caring and God-fearing lady between 25-30 years for a serious relationship. She should be ready for an HIV test. Call (don’t beep)

I am a 21 year-old girl. Black, tall, not fat and not slender but just ok, searching for a white guy from any part of the world aged between 23 and 27, ready for serious commitment.

I am searching for a light-skinned Muslim lady for marriage. Only serious ones should call or SMS

I am Sserwanja Abu of Entebbe aged 29, looking for a girlfriend with whom to eat cash. I am lonely.

I am searching for a religious Muslim lady who is a single mother aged less than 25 years.

A 20 Year-old guy is looking for a girlfriend, black or white between 18-20 years, small, beautiful, tall and serious.