There is a lot to be learned about Ugandan culture just by watching how their children play. You can see how basic these people live by watching a crowd of kids go crazy over a simple balloon being inflated and tossed into the air. You can see how physical, and even violent, Ugandans can be when things don't go their way by seeing how the kids will hit and berate each other during any game. You can see how blunt and frank the people are by watching the kids play "Al-Shabaab," a game like "Cops and Robbers," except instead of chasing a common thief, the kids are chasing the Islamic Terrorist group who has taken responsibility for the July 14th bombs in Kampala this past summer.
However, the most glaring statement that is made about Ugandans is how difficult their lives are. The children here are striped of their childhoods by strict discipline in school and hours upon hours of chores at home. The shear joy on their face during the scarce amount of time they are actually given time to play and act like a kid shows how hungry they are for it. It's those faces that make our work here worth all of the energy and time spent.
No comments:
Post a Comment