African Insights - Monthly Ezine - Newsletter

 

African Insights Blog - Newsletter – April 2007

 

Every Ugandan has a cell phone but ….

Just a week ago while I was sound asleep, my cell-phone rang at 2 in the morning-then just as quickly it stopped.  I went back to sleep and a half hour later the same and then once again -- the same.  Finally I understood; someone is trying to get hold of me from Uganda, they are “beeping me”.  I went back into my bed smiling.  Why did I not remember?  How could I forget so quickly?  I smiled as I went back to sleep at 3:30 am.

Phones in the city and every villageYou might ask, what is thing called “beeping”?   It is the African way to get in touch with you if you no more airtime on your phone.  When one is out of minutes and the incoming call is free, and you call a friend who might have airtime or as other say, minutes.

Africa has dramatically changed in the last 10 years’ simply because cell phones became available and affordable.  Today you rarely meet someone in the city that does not have one.

Cell phones have also meant some innovations that we in the West do not enjoy presently.  Just last month in Kenya, a new service was provided by two phone companies and the system is called M-Pesa where you actually can send money via a text message to someone else in Kenya.  A fabulous system that will revolutionize the way money is handled in Africa, since most people do not use the banking system.  All you do is go to a cell phone provider, put so much money on your phone and you are ready to transfer shillings to mother, father, children or anyone else via a text message. (This system has actually been working in the Philippines for some time and it is now available in Uganda.

I have driven all over East Africa using my cell phone and rarely did I hit a dead spot.  I can call the USA, Canada, anywhere in the world and be on the phone with people there in a minute.  It was only when the generator went off at a game park that I was suddenly without service for an hour.  I have experienced that in Washington State where my phone drifts over to the network on the Canadian side just minutes away.

Tonight I just read where Motorola has fixed this by using windmills instead of generators with the GSM towers.  They have been testing in Namibia but will soon use it in other parts of Africa and just maybe at that Game Park Lodge.

The cell phone has changed life in Africa; life in Uganda and with it there is a whole other culture, other ways of handling the cell phone which can make one smile since we do not understand.  For instance when in Kampala a few months ago, someone beeped repeatedly, one of the cooks said to me, “You are being beeped--they want you to call back.” Callbacks cost the caller but not the person being called, unlike in the USA; therefore, it has birthed this whole cultural phenomenon of beeping.Shalom - The one Ugandan who does not have a phone.

One of the most amusing incidents occurred when I walked into the courtyard during lunchtime -- everyone eating away and a Shalom asked me “Jon, can I use your phone for one unit” (minute)?  I responded with a smile and said, “Every Ugandan has a phone but no airtime and no minutes.”  Everyone laughed, except the Shalom who turned smiling, said," I have no phone”…touché.

Phones are priceless possessions -- while walking on the street one night I encountered a young woman who was crying and shouting, “They stole my phone”!  I asked if I could help and she came back asking me if I had minutes so she could call her stolen phone with its number – but the call as we both knew would happen, went unanswered.  SIM card removed and another inserted, they are just few thousand shillings.

Phones start at $20 for a new on; SIM cards and air time are sold everywhere.  Just ask your waiter and he will pull them out of the plastic bag by the cashbox.  It is simply amazing.  Everywhere there are booths open from morning to night selling, Cell Tel, MTN, or some other phone card system.  People stand there scratching off the metallic looking paint and enter the number into the phone for more airtime minutes

It is the “pay as you go” system since a local phone call can vary from 12 to 17 cents per minute; while a call to the US or anywhere in Europe is 30 cents a minute--expensive --but it allows people to stay in touch with family, friends and business associates.  Text messaging is used extensively due to its lower cost.  For many Ugandans the cell phone is one of their most prized possessions keeping them in touch with those that they deeply care for.

Yesterday it was the cell phone that came to Uganda; today it is the computer café that is everywhere, filled with people locked into Yahoo checking their email--writing relatives and friends throughout the world, wherever the Ugandan Diaspora has taken them.

I printed out my boarding pass, when I left Uganda at one such Internet café and a young woman said to her friend,  “I need to buy more airtime”….hmm.

So when I go back to Africa this fall and your phone gets one of those one ring “beeps”—it just might be me…jon

Mobile Cell Phone Tips for Uganda.Using your Mobile Cell Phone in Uganda: Advice and Tips for staying connected while in Uganda.  Helpful information for getting the most out of your cell phone while visiting Uganda.  Advice in using a local sim card and its benefits, staying connected on the internet via laptop using your phone as a modem.  The ease of using the local sim card in your phone and what kind of phone is needed here in Uganda.

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Life in East AfricaWhat Life is like in East Africa

Informative pages on Life in East Africa-Get in touch with Life in East Africa.  From facts about Countries in East Africa to celebrating life in Africa

Africa-My PerspectiveAfrica-My Perspective:  Africa gets inside of your soul, you either love it or hate it.  Some westerners get skeptical, others learn to do a paradigm shift and go with the African flow.  Here are some of insights into Africa that have been shaped by years of living in Africa.

Uganda BackgroundUganda Country Information:  Some historic background and facts about Uganda.  Uganda's past and present are covered here and some country facts at a glance and insights into life in Uganda, East Africa.  You will also find some population figures here.

Uganda One Man's perspectiveUganda-One Man's Perspective:  The insight of a Westerner of Uganda, its everyday life, the people of Uganda and their joys and struggles.  This is my insights into life in Uganda and the things I have seen while here in Uganda.

Kenya One Man's PerspectiveKenya - One Man's Perspective:  Observations on Kenya from the perspective of a westerner.  Kenya was one of the countries of hope in Africa but the ethnic strive, the desire to rule, instead of serving the people of Kenya won out at the end of the day when after the election of 2007 the country exploded  in violence. Today there is a makeshift peace and a coalition government walking on thin ice.

Kenya Country InformationKenya - Country Information:  Facts about Kenya up to the present time.  Kenya is one of the few countries where things are manufactured on a large scale basis and shipped all over Africa.  It has a middle class but, poverty is still the rule of the day.

Kenya's Swahili CoastKenya's Swahili Coast:  Past and Present, A historical look at the Kenya coast called the Swahili coat with its rich history and background that just might surprise you. Find out what other people groups visited the coast from Kenya the Portuguese being late comers. 

Rwanda One Man's PerspectiveRwanda - One Man's Perspective:  Observations on Rwanda from a Westerners Perspective.  Rwanda is one of my favorite countries in East Africa.  Amazing place compared to some of the other countries.  There is little corruption compared to other countries and people of government must give a yearly account of their source of wealth if they have any.

South Sudan One Man's PerspectiveSouth Sudan - One Man's Perspective:  Observations on South Sudan a place that is enjoying some freedoms and peace, even if it may precarious and the upcoming election will determine a lot of things in regards to the freedom and liberties that South Sudan is not enjoying.

LRA-Child Soldiers-Background InformationThe LRA-Joseph Kony-Child Soldiers and Northern Uganda:  Pages on the LRA, the Child Soldiers, the war in Northern Uganda, Alice Lakwena and her influence on the LRA, Joseph Kony Biography, the story of Catherine Ajok who was held captive for 13 years by Kony, the amnesty program, the rebuilding of Northern Uganda since peace has returned.  For 20 some years Joseph Kony has greatly affected the quality of life in Northern Uganda, thank goodness for Uganda peace has returned.

Aids the African PlagueAids-The African Plague:  AIDS in the 1990's was like the black plague of Europe.  People were dying everywhere of the slimming disease.  Most every family had members die, businesses restricted as to how many funerals an employee could attend.  Thousands of children were orphaned.  It was simply unbelievable.

Aids - The African SolutionAids-The African Solution:  What Uganda has done to combat Aids?  Actually a lot with simple tools for the most par.  A-B-C meaning Abstention - Be Faithful and Condoms.  The fight against Aids is not over in Uganda, there has been a slight resurgence in new cases.

African Picture Galleries: Literally thousands of pictures from Africa including the children and women of Africa, life in Africa, Africa's scenery and wildlife, visits to a village in Africa, Rwanda Pictures, South Sudan pictures, Kenya Pictures, Uganda pictures.

Africa's ChildrenAfrica's Children: The joys, the sorrows, get in touch with the children of Africa.  Meet the children of Africa in stories, in pictures, in accounts of what life is like for an African Child.  Pages and pages of the accounts of children in Africa along with pictures. Meet children through the stories and pictures and you will be touched in heart.  Find out what life is like for Africa's Children

Women of AfricaAfrica's Women:  The women of Africa. There are pictures of everyday women. Stories of Human triumph and of simply daily life for a woman in Africa.  There is a resiliency and strength in the African woman birthed out of the daily trials she faces.  Focusing primarily on the women of Uganda but can be applied to other countries in Africa.

Life in a Kampala Neighborhood

Life in a Kampala Neighborhood:  An average neighborhood in Kampala.  The account is through the eyes of a westerner who lived there for some months.  It is unlikely that you will visit many places such as this, but it gives you an idea how many people live.  The very people who wait on your, clean your hotel room, drive you around, the people who make Kampala happen.

A day in a Ugandan VillageA day in a Ugandan Village:  A visit to the small village of Kitaisa an hour from Kampala.  You can see the pictures and read an account of the village.  Most Ugandans live in the village, there are no jobs besides working in a small shop, but most people grow their own vegetables and the surplus is sold.

Harambee - Pulling together African Style:  In East Africa, there is a Swahili word which is Harambee which translated means "pulling together".  Meaning a coming together of people in solving a problem as a community, a clan, a family.

It takes a villageIt takes a Village:  In African villages people need to work together, for alone they cannot make it.  You need water, you come together with us and build a well.  You need a school, you build it together and when it comes to a village, yes, in Africa it takes a village to raise a child.

Keeping Time in AfricaKeeping Time in Africa: When will we get there?  Soon.  How much longer, not long.  What are you doing?  I am waiting.  When will it come?  I do not know, but I am waiting.  Time is different than in the west, it more relational rather than task orientated.

BargainingBargaining in Uganda:  The bargaining ritual, if you are not with a tour group you have to bargain for a lot of things from transportation to souvenirs.  Enjoy the ancient ritual and bring a sense of humor, it is actually a lot of fun.

2nd hand clothing in UgandaDead White Man’s Clothing Get a Second Life in Africa: In East African countries such as Uganda the second hand clothing market is simply huge.  Most people cannot afford new clothing prices since they do not make a lot of money, so it is used clothing from Owino market, or from door to door vendor.  Come to Kampala and you can see smartly dressed people, and yes, mostly from second hand clothing that gets a second chance in Africa. Find out as to how most people in East Africa find their clothing.

The WabenzisThe Wabenzis:  You find them all over East Africa, the fanciest Mercedes Benz, flashy clothes, fantastic watch, a cell phone to die for.  They are newly rich of East Africa.  Often their gains are at expenses of others and they forget their roots rather quickly.

Living with death and celebrating LifeLiving with death and celebrating life in Africa:  Life in Africa is rather short compared to the west.  There is this celebration of the moment that takes nothing for granted but one celebrates the now in East Africa.

The African Entrepreneurial Spirit is alive and well.The African Entrepreneurial Spirit is alive and well:   In Kenya, Uganda, there are entrepreneurs starting up.  Here is a unique one in Kenya.  A story to make you smile at the innovation of the people involved.

Food - African - Western ThoughtsFood - African and Western Thoughts:  Thoughts on food looking both at the African ways and Western ways.  Most East Africans are thin until they gain wealth and can afford rich foods, while rich Westerners do everything to be thin.

African Insights NewslettersAfrican Insights Blog - Monthly Newsletter:  Receive Monthly Newsletter from African Insights covering various topics concerning Africa with the focus on East and Central Africa.  Free newsletter from a westerners perspective regarding life and issues that affect Africa and that you will find interesting.

Uganda SafarisUganda Safaris:  Uganda is one of the best places in Africa to go on Safaris.  A small country and yet bio-diverse in nature, almost twice the species of birds found in the USA yet Uganda is the size of Oregon. Game parks, lodging from budget to luxury, jungle, open savannas, mountains, volcanoes...simply awesome and off the beaten tourist track. One day, three day and 5 day or longer safaris with Kabiza Wilderness Safaris.

 

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Last updated: 01 March 2010

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