Safari Notes

I am always very surprised and pained at how, up to now, both Senegal and Tanzania are rarely mentioned at how well they have done. And: they have done exceptionally well. And, yet the major world news media very rarely mention this. Both countries had the luck of having Great leaders with foresight and vision right from independence from colonial powers: Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Leopold Senghor of Senegal. All the positive results in these two countries now, are due, mainly to them. From the start, they were incorruptible leaders who ruled without letting nepotism and cronyism sway their judgment. Both had impeccable integrity and were very well informed about history, the arts and the world at large. Both laid solid foundations for having proper civil societies in their countries; and both willingly gave up power. They willingly gave up power before the collapse of the Soviet Union; which was considered impossible in Africa, then. Senghor, a Christian, gave up power in 1981 and...

Ugandan poet, anthropologist, and social critic, who wrote in Luo and in English. P'Bitek was one of the most vigorous and original voices in East African 20th-century poetry. His satirical monologues dealt with the conflict between European and African cultures. In his most famous poem, The Song of Lawino (1966), p'Bitek introduced a style that became known as "comic singing." Stop despising people As if you were a little foolish man, Stop treating me like saltless ash Become barren of insults and stupidity; Who has ever uprooted the Pumpkin? (from 'My Husband's Tongue Is Bitter,' in The Song of Lawino) p'Bitek, Okot, 1931–82, Ugandan writer and anthropologist. Educated at the Univ. of Bristol, University College of Wales, and Oxford, p'Bitek is best known for three verse novels, Song of Lawino (1966), Song of Ocol (1970), and Two Songs (1971). In these works, he told poignant contemporary stories, using Acholi literary devices. In addition to his...

Giraffes near the Kilimanjaro "Africa, is one of those places, that you either love or hate, there is no in-between. There is the equatorial sun and humidity of Kampala, the deserts of northern Kenya, the tribal flare ups and wars that take place without a moments notice, the corruption, lawlessness, the impending doom of disease such as malaria and AIDS, inadequate hospitals, horrible traffic that would drive anyone insane, poverty, slums, living conditions one cannot imagine and yet. Then there is Mother Africa, a continent filled with the most awesome beauty anywhere in the world. The majestic Rift Valley, endless Lake Victoria, the Nile River moving eternally to the sea, the terraced gardens on the mountain sides of Rwanda, the Maasai Mara in Kenya with all of its wildlife. The history of a people with ancient cultures and customs that are still being practiced in many areas. The endless horizon, a heaven that seems higher than here in North America, thunderstorms over Lake Vi...

I have always found that, the most demanding, most absorbing and enjoyable beings to be with and deal with are, Children and animals. I have always been happiest and most peaceful with the two. I have three daughters from my first marriage and two sons from my present one. Through the years, my Children have gradually but surely become my closest friends and confidants. It has taken lots of patience and all the wisdom I have, to build this. Being a teacher, and having taught prior to marrying - helped a lot in my understanding Children. All Children are basically alike, no matter where they are from and from what background. All Children need lots of love, care and most of all - attention. Many people give their Children love and care, but many too, do not pay attention to them. Paying attention means a lot of things: I believe it is - listening to them more and telling them less, from morning till evening; sharing with them their kind of interests and not imposing on them your own; an...

The Holocaust was a fact! And so was the enslavement, and in the process millions suffering and dying, of Africans! And so was the almost complete extermination of the Indians in the Americas; and the Aborigines in Tasmania and Australia! And so is the suffering and pain of millions of Palestinians! But for any individual or group or nation to use any such reasons and call for the hatred or destruction of another - is completely wrong and unacceptable! It is such thinking that has caused and continues to cause millions to suffer and/or perish. No individual or group or nation is superior to another. The only 'superior' individual or group or nation is one that is enlightened and realizes that all Mankind is ONE and the same with the same destiny. And the moment we start picking on our differences - it becomes an endless process; even in a family, if one chooses - one can find differences. It is OUR sameness that we should focus on and look at; not our differences! It is not onl...