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t h e i n f l i g h t m a g a z i n e o f a i r u g a n d a p a r t o f t h e
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LAKE VICTORIA SERENAR E S O R T
A WORLD AWAY FROM THE CITYJust 15 Kilometres from Kampala and 35 Kilometres from Entebbe, on the shores of lake victoria, rests a
resort of ultimate beauty, tranquility and peace. This newest addition to the Serena family is the perfect resort to unwind and escape the stresses of city life.
PO Box 37761, Kampala, Uganda, Lweza-Kigo road, Off Entebbe road or Call +256 41 7121000, Fax +256 41 7121550 e-mail: [email protected]
The central lounge and reception The rooms and suites
Maisha Mind Body and Spirit Spa The pool and garden view
Welcome Aboard!
On behalf of all my colleagues at Air Uganda, it is my great pleasure to welcome you
aboard and to thank you for flying with us today. We are most privileged to have
you with us. Our flight crew will do everything humanly possible to make your flight a
pleasant one.
As the Airline’s Technical Director, I am responsible for the maintenance of our aircraft and
related equipment. I head a team of highly qualified and experienced technical professionals
– aircraft maintenance engineers, technicians, maintenance planning engineers, quality assurance inspectors, materials
planning or logistics specialists and other essential support staff in various disciplines.
Our primary role in the company is to provide safe, reliable and properly maintained three aircraft for our passengers. In
order to achieve this, we maintain the highest technical standards of maintenance and engineering, employing modern state-
of-the-art technology, processes, practices, equipment and materials. This is in line with our company objective to achieving
the highest level of safety and performance. We take pride in this role and we are continually looking for ways to improve
“our product”. Our staff have a unique opportunity to execute this commitment to our customers with the service we provide
from the ground by ensuring a high standard, safe, reliable and on-time maintenance service. With your continued support,
we have worked very hard to achieve a level of reliability and on-time performance that is the envy of many.
As you may be aware, air travel is the safest, most sophisticated and most regulated means of travel. The industry is
heavily controlled by virtually every government on this planet through a regulatory framework and numerous agencies.
These agencies include civil aviation authorities (Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), etc),
international regulatory and safety agencies like United Nation’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), European
Aviation Safety Agency (AESA), International Air Transport Administration (IATA) and many others. These organisations
mandate the industry standards which all aircraft manufacturers, operators (like us) and other industry players must adhere
to and comply with. We maintain and operate our aircraft in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements and the
highest international safety standards. We continuously review our performance by use of rigorous internal and independent
external audits. We set, achieve and report against, objectives and targets to demonstrate continual performance
improvement. To sustain high competence amongst our staff, we continuously train and deploy competent people and
allocate responsibilities and tasks commensurate with individuals’ skills.
With our ongoing aircraft fleet modernisation programme, we are geared to enhancing our technical skills and
competence to serve our customers even better. Our fleet modernisation programme will result in an improved range of
services and more exciting destinations. We aim to be your leading airline choice in East Africa in terms of safety, quality,
customer service and punctuality.
On behalf of our technical staff and the entire team at Air Uganda, I extend our heartiest gratitude for your continued
support that has enabled us to grow and provide you with an improved service.
Thank you for flying with us and we look forward to serving you again in the near future.
Ephraim Bagenda Apuuli
Technical Director
EDITORIAL
t h e i n f l i g h t m a g a z i n e o f a i r u g a n d a p a r t o f t h e
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Asante•Cover3√.indd 1 7/21/10 7:38:03 PM
Camerapix Magazines Ltd Rukhsana Haq
Roger Barnard
Cecilia Gaitho
Sam Kimani Charles Kamau Fatima Janmohamed Azra Chaudhry, U.K Rose Judah
Rukhsana HaqJenifer B. MusiimeRegina Busingye
Publishers:
Editorial Director:
Editor:
Editorial Assistant:
Senior Designer:
Design Assistants:
Production Manager:
Production Assistant:
Editorial Board:
ASANTE meaning ‘Thank you’ in Kiswahili
is published quarterly for Air Uganda
by Camerapix Magazines Limited
P.O.Box 45048,00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254 (20) 4448923/4/5
Fax: +254 (20) 4448818 or 4441021
E-mail: [email protected]
Editorial and Advertising Office:
Camerapix Magazines (UK) Limited
32 Friars Walk, Southgate, London, N14 5LP
Tel: +44 (20) 8361 2942
Mobile: +44 79411 21458
E-mail: [email protected]
Correspondance on editorial and advertising
matters may be sent to either of
the above addresses.
Printed in Nairobi.
©2010
CAMERAPIX MAGAZINES LTD
All rights reserved. No part of this
magazine may be reproduced by any means
without permission in writing from
the publisher.
All photographs by Camerapix unless
otherwise indicated.
4 All Change for Kampala – so Much to See and DoA review of Kampala’s attractions; why it is still regarded as one of Africa’s most favoured cities.
CONTENTS WELCOME ABOARD
REGULARS
Editorial by Technical Director, Air Uganda
Book World
Air Uganda Flight Schedule
News Page
Healthy Travelling
Route Map
Offices
Tips for the Traveller
Crossword Puzzle & Sudoku
9 An Exciting Safari Circuit in AfricaDiscover the créme de la créme of Africa’s safari circuits.
14 Truly Magical Coast IdyllWhat is it about the coast that makes you want to return?
18 Burton and Speke – Journey to the Source of the NileTwo brave explorers with one quest; to discover the source of the White Nile River. Was mission accomplished?
22 Chimpanzees – our Primate RelativesTo see chimpanzees in the wild, here are few options where sightings can be almost certainly guaranteed.
35 Illustrious IlluminationsFrom grapes to snakes, weird to wonderful, candles come in all shapes and sizes.
40 The Dark Side of the WebIs there more to the internet than meets the eye?
43 Malaria – Fresh Hope for an Effective VaccineHere is good news for tropical and sub-tropical Africa, where the disease is seen as a major factor holding back economic development.
44 The Medicinal Qualities of GingerForming the bases for innumerable dishes, this seasoning is, today, employed on a large scale in almost every country throughout the globe.
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Cover picture: A chimpanzee, one of the many primates found in Kibale Forest.
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38 Buying it or Leaving it?To accept or not to accept people’s opinions, that is the question.
26 The Tree of LifeBaobab: the oldest living thing in Africa, standing as a silent witness to history, to the passing of people and seasons, life and death.
30 Ssese IslandsIt is considered as one of the world’s most beautiful places, a tourist destination for those in search of dense forests, exotic birds and monkeys.
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4 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 5
where the present Lubiri, or Kabaka’s Palace, lake and court
of justice is situated. All these usually figure on any city tour
itinerary. Kibuli Hill boasts Kampala’s oldest mosque, established
even before Christian missionaries chose Namirembe Hill for
St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral. Two more hills were quickly claimed
by the Roman Catholic missions – Lubaga Hill for the White
Fathers’ for St. Mary’s Cathedral, and Nsambya Hill where
Nsambya Hospital now stands.
The remaining hill of Kampala’s original ‘magnificent seven’
is Kasubi Hill. It is of great significance to the Baganda people
because it houses the Kasubi Tombs complex, dating from 1881,
where four of the great Kabakas are buried. Unfortunately, a
fire earlier this year means some entry restrictions are in place
during reconstruction work. It is a World Heritage Site, so its
familiar, steeply-pitched thatched roofs should soon be fully
restored as one of Kampala’s most enduring cultural symbols.
With the coming of the Uganda Railway and increased
colonial involvement, the city grew rapidly and more hills were
added to the list. Nakasero Hill, with the railway yards along its
southern edge, became the main governmental, financial and
administrative centre. The Parliament Building, the East African
Development Bank headquarters, most of the best hotels and
some of the city’s wealthier residential areas are situated in
Nakasero. Makerere is a name known far outside East Africa for
its fine university and other educational facilities. Naturally, it is
on a hill of that name, and well placed for Central Kampala and
Nakasero.
In spite of all the development, there are still plenty of tree-
lined avenues and green spaces. Lush wetlands where impala
herds and lions once roamed have been manicured into golf
courses, gardens and parks, and tastefully designed high-rise
blocks vie with the hills for a place on the skyline.
The favourable climate of the area, however, remains a
constant, including welcome breezes (and the occasional
theatrical thunderstorm) from the vast, glittering sheet of Lake
Victoria to the south. Kampala sits almost on the equator, but
its altitude (1,200 metres/4,000 feet) keeps temperatures
to a fairly comfortable daytime range of 25-28 ºC. The rainfall
pattern is typically equatorial, with two distinct wet seasons.
Above:
City of Kampala
founded on
seven hills.
Left:
Modern
shopping mall,
Kampala.
Right:
Nakasero
Market.
The remaining hill of Kampala’s original ‘magnificent seven’ is Kasubi Hill
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Kampala
Kampala is unusual among the major cities of Africa in that it can truly claim to
have been a thriving capital of an important kingdom even before colonial times.
Wisely, Mutesa I, the Kabaka of the Kingdom of Buganda (1856-84), had settled
on this area of pleasant hills set among game-filled wetlands as a suitable place for the
kingly pursuits of holding court and hunting. It already had a name – Kampala – after the
great herds of impala antelope that flourished here. But even Mutesa could hardly have
foreseen what an excellent choice it would turn out to be.
When the first Europeans, in the form of the British explorers John Hanning Speke
and James Grant, arrived on the northern shore of Africa’s second largest lake, they
were looking for the source of the Nile. In 1862, Mutesa welcomed them to his palace
compound on one of the hills, and from then on, Kampala was on course to become the
capital of the whole of Uganda, and is still regarded as one of Africa’s most favoured
cities.
The newcomers were quick to point out that when it came to capitals and hills, seven
seemed to be a magic number. Kampala Hill, also known as Old Kampala, became the
site of Lord Lugard’s colonial fort, since reconstructed elsewhere to make way for the
imposing Gaddafi Mosque, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. To the south is Mengo Hill
ALL CHANGE FOR KAMPALA – so Much to See and Do
>>
Above:
Kampala’s
fast growing
skyline reflects
Uganda’s
dynamic
growth.
Right:
Buganda
Parliament and
statue of the
current king,
Kabaka
Mutebi II.
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Text: Kate Nivison
Kampala
6 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010
Reservations: + 256 (312) 550 000+ 256 (414) 550 [email protected]
www.proteahotels.com/kampala
BEour
Kampala
The short, but heavier, rains are from
February to June, with April definitely
the wettest month. The longer, more
moderate rains are from August to
December. Although rain can fall at
any time of year, the driest months are
January, which is also the hottest, and
July which is a few degrees cooler.
Most visitors today arrive by air, at
Entebbe International Airport, now much
enlarged and renovated to cope with a
big increase in traffic as Kampala comes
into its own again as a major hub for
continental communications. Entebbe itself
is a pleasant settlement on a peninsula
jutting into Lake Victoria with its own zoo/
animal orphanage and botanical gardens.
It is only half an hour’s scenic lakeside
drive into the bustling heart of the capital.
The usual way of getting around
Kampala is by taxi – at least until the
promised new public transport bus system
gets under way. Those in a hurry or on
a tight budget prefer to dodge through
the traffic by flagging down a boda-boda,
a motorcycle ‘taxi’ which got its name
from the owners touting for passengers
by yelling “border, border!” at those
crossing into Kenya the hard way. Asking
for a crash helmet and to see the driver’s
license offers some protection.
Apart from ‘heading for the hills’ to
take in the older cultural, historic and
religious sites already mentioned, visitors
with limited time will find plenty to see
using short taxi hops from the main hotel
districts. Popular drop-offs including the
Uganda Museum where it is possible to
try out traditional musical instruments,
the Ugandan National Theatre with its
big crafts centre and Nakasero Market.
Anyone wanting the full-on African market
experience, complete with a traditional
medicine section, should try Owino
Market, perhaps taking on one of the
many available local ‘guides’ to explain
what’s what and help with the necessary
bargaining.
One unexpected pleasure is the relative
tranquillity of another of Kampala’s noted
religious sites, the Baha’i Temple on
Kikaya Hill. Head for the Northern By-Pass
where it is easily recognisable by its large
Above: The Kasubi Tombs house the
remains of four former Buganda
kings.
Left: Baha’i Temple near Kampala.
Below left: Kibuli Mosque, Kampala’s
oldest mosque.
Below: Namirembe Cathedral also
known as St. Paul’s Cathedral, is
Uganda’s oldest cathedral.
>>
>>
8 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 9
The single most exciting safari circuit in Africa? Well, a few obvious candidates spring to mind. But a
creeping leftfield contender – one that might well get my final vote – is the road loop through western
Uganda’s Murchison Falls, Kibale Forest, Queen Elizabeth, Bwindi and Lake Mburo National Parks. True,
when it comes to sheer volumes of plains game, Uganda would register some distance below neighbouring
Tanzania or Kenya. But equally, its rich mosaic of rainforest, savannah, montane and wetland habitats does
harbour an almost peerless diversity of large fauna. Where else, over the space of a few days, could one
hike to within a few metres of gorillas and chimpanzees, navigate tropical waterways bustling with hippo
and elephant, explore open plains grazed by thousands of kob antelope and attendant prides of well-fed
lions, and tick a host of iconic African birds ranging from the flamboyant great blue turaco to the uniquely
peculiar shoebill? The answer, quite simply, is nowhere else – in Uganda, and in Uganda only.
An Exciting Safari Circuit in Africa
A Fortnight in UgandaThe following sites, listed in clockwise order,
can all be included in a two-week organised or
self-drive tour of western Uganda emanating
from Kampala:
Text: Philip Briggs
destination: Uganda
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green dome. The only one of its kind in Africa, the Baha’i Temple
is much appreciated for the beauty and symbolism of its design,
both exterior and interior, and its extensive grounds and gardens.
Dedicated shoppers, or those in search of a bite to eat, will
find air-conditioned comfort in the various large shopping malls
that are now as much a feature of Kampala as any major city.
Conveniently situated between two golf courses near Nakasero’s
hotel district is the up-market Garden City Centre, ideal for those
who want quality groceries, designer clothing and other luxury
items under one roof, combined with a good range of places to
eat. Further out in the western suburbs is Kasumba Square Mall
for good value and lots of atmosphere, while Lugogo Shopping
Mall is known for locally produced and packaged traditional foods.
With around 1.5 million people to feed and so much
international involvement, Kampala has a huge choice of
restaurants to satisfy every purse and palate, from street stalls
to up-market hotel food and restaurants from almost every
continent. Curry houses are especially popular, and fresh lake fish
appears on many menus.
Uganda itself is often advertised as the Pearl of Africa, under
the ‘big four’ headings of wildlife, safaris, beach and culture. In
fact, even if time is limited to only a few days for business in
Kampala, it’s possible to catch all four of these within a one-day
range of the city. There are now many local companies, large and
small, offering visitors a good choice of half-day or one-day tours
that will surprise by their variety of what there is to see and do.
Half-day city tours are a good introduction to Kampala’s sights
and sounds. Out-of-town half-day tours can go as far as a trip by
speedboat on Lake Victoria to Ngamba Chimpanzee Island which
won the 2009 Virgin Holidays Award for responsible tourism.
If you can spare a full day, taking a more traditional boat to this
famous primate sanctuary allows more time to see other wildlife
on the lake as well, and possibly a (crocodile-free) dip. Another
popular full-day destination is Budango Forest Reserve where
trekking to see chimpanzees in the wild is a feature. The Reserve
is now managed by the Jane Goodall Institute, and overnight stays
are also possible. For any place where contact with chimpanzees
is likely, strict health precautions are in force and it’s as well to
check beforehand what vaccination/inoculation certificates are
required.
Jinja, only 80 kilometres from Kampala, where the world’s
longest river leaves Lake Victoria on its journey to the
Mediterranean Sea, is another must-do day trip. Nearing the
town the road crosses the Nile by way of the Owen Falls Dam.
Not far downstream are the lovely Bujagali Falls and stretches
of rapids that tempt white-water rafters, kayakers and others in
search of an adrenaline rush to battle the cascading waters.
Back in Kampala, there’s plenty of nightlife for those with
energy still to burn. A lot of it is centred round the big hotels and
restaurants, but every district has its favourite bars and watering
holes. It’s a city with something of a reputation when it comes to
drinking and partying, and casinos are a feature of some of the
larger hotels.
Kampala
Above:
The main
building of
Makerere
University
in Kampala,
one of East
Africa’s finest
institutes of
higher learning.
Right:
Monument
marking
the 100th
anniversary
of Kampala’s
founding
stands in the
city’s centenary
park.
>>
10 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 11
destination: Ugandadestination: Uganda
>>
Lake Mburo National ParkMburo’s status as the last Ugandan stronghold for the impala
is unlikely to have any southern African visitor salivating in
anticipation. But the park does protect a fabulously authentic
chunk of acacia woodland, and what game still remains – most
prominently buffalo, warthog, eland, zebra and impala – is
prolific. Boat trips on the lake are a treat, and the woodland
birding – including species found nowhere else in Uganda,
such as red-faced barbet and bare-faced go-away bird – makes
for a welcome change from craning necks toward the forest
canopy. It is ideally placed for an overnight stop between
Kampala and Bwindi.
Bwindi National ParkFor most visitors, Gorilla tracking in Bwindi (or nearby Mgahinga) will rank as the
highlight of a trip to Uganda. But the forest-swathed hills of Bwindi harbour almost 100
mammal species in total, including rainforest specialists such as chimpanzee, L’Hoest’s
monkey and the outsized yellow-backed duiker, and one of the most extensive butterfly
checklists in the world. More than 350 bird species are present and the short road
leading uphill from the park headquarters is one of the best. Forest birding sites in
Uganda – up to 50 species might be seen over three to four hours, including several
of the park’s 23 Albertine Rift endemics, bar-tailed trogon and black bee-eater. Deeper
into the park, Mubwindi Swamp is the only non-Congolese locality for the eagerly sought
African green broadbill.
Lake BunyonyiSituated in the southwestern highlands, Lake
Bunyonyi is a 30-kilometre-long blocked river
system whose irregular shore follows the
contours of the steep hills that enclose it. Better
known as a chill-out spot than for scintillating
wildlife viewing, Bunyonyi – which translates
as place of little birds – does support a varied
avifauna, and the normally elusive yellow-
spotted otter is remarkably common around the
lakeshore and island resorts. Lake Bunyonyi is a
great place to unwind for a day or two.
Entebbe Botanical GardensThe botanical garden in Entebbe doesn’t compare to any of
a dozen forest reserves scattered elsewhere in Uganda.
But, situated only three kilometres from the country’s only
international airport, it is highly accessible, and the nominal
entrance fee buys some peerless urban birdwatching – great
blue and Ross’s turaco, broad-billed roller, black-and-white
casqued hornbill, swamp flycatcher, yellow-throated leaflove,
red-chested sunbird and half-a-dozen weavers not found in
southern Africa – as well as semi-habituated troops of the
dashing black-and-white colobus monkey.
Rafting the NileThe series of Grade Five rapids along the Nile downstream of its
source at Jinja is one of the most thrilling rafting destinations
in the world, and – with no fatalities recorded to date – far less
dangerous than the Zambezi Gorge. Three rafting operators
run day excursions out of Jinja and Kampala all year through,
while the recent introduction of quad-biking, kayaking and bungy-
jumping has made the entry point at Bujagali Falls a serious rival
to the more established southerly ‘adrenaline capitals’ of Victoria
Falls and Cape Town.
>>
12 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 13 may – july 2010 | air uganda | 1
NFT Consult Ltdyour virtual HR department
1. Staff Outsourcing.2. Staff Recruitment.3. Training and Personal development.4. In-depth staff background checks.
NFT Consult – UGANDA Plot 6/8 Kyaggwe Road, Nakasero, Kampala. P.O.Box 26411 Tel: 256 (0) 414-237904/24 256 (0) 312-266904
NFT Consult – RWANDA Plot 8721, Golf Course Road, Nyarutarama, Kigali. P.O.Box 5595 Tel: 250 (0) 252 570099 250 (0) 755335419 General Email: [email protected] Website: www.nftconsult.com
NTF.indd 1 4/14/10 3:41:41 PM
destination: Uganda
Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP)Savannah, forest and open water converge in
QENP to create a riot of biodiversity attested to
by a bird checklist exceeding 600 species – in an
area only one-tenth the size of the Kruger Park!
A profusion of waterbirds, hippo, elephant and
buffalo are likely to be seen from boat trips on
the Kazinga Channel, while the fringing woodland
often throws up leopard and giant forest hog. The
Maramagambo Forest harbours a wide variety of
forest monkeys, birds and butterflies, Chambura
Gorge is an excellent site for chimp tracking, and
the remote Ishasha Plains are known for tree-
climbing lions. There are crater lakes tinged pink
by thousands of flamingos, as well as Uganda’s
only Ramsar Wetland Site – home to shoebill,
sitatunga and other papyrus specialists – all set
below the craggy glacial peaks of the Ruwenzoris.
No other conservation area quite so encapsulates
the full scenic and faunal diversity of East Africa.
Kibale Forest National ParkKibale Forest is best known for its chimpanzees
– the most easily located and fully habituated
community in Uganda. The main road through the
forest is an excellent place to look for other diurnal
primates – grey-cheeked mangabey, red colobus,
black-and-white colobus – and it’s not unusual to see
20 different types of butterfly fluttering around one
puddle. A guided walk through the adjacent Bigodi
Wetland Sanctuary, an exemplary community-run
project, provides a great introduction to Uganda’s
forest fauna. I’ve regularly seen five different primate
species here, as well as up to 50 forest and swamp
birds including papyrus gonolek, red-headed bluebill
and yellow-billed barbet.
destination: Uganda
>>
Kasenda Crater LakesWhether explored in their own right or used as
a base from which to visit Kibale Forest, the 30-
odd crater lakes dotted around the small town
of Kasenda form one of the most scenic parts
of Uganda, spectacularly so when the Ruwenzori
peaks emerge from their customary veil of clouds.
The area offers much to hikers, particularly those
on a restricted budget, while relict forest patches
such as the small Lake Nkuruba Nature Sanctuary
(another estimable community-run project) harbour
black-and-white colobus, great blue and Ross’s
turaco, African grey parrot, splendid starling and
various other forest primates and birds.
Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP)Uganda’s largest conservation area is named for the
impressive waterfall that explodes in a cacophonous
roar of foaming white-water through a narrow cleft
in the Rift Valley escarpment. Boat trips on the
Nile below the falls are a perennial delight, for the
spectacular densities of hippos and waterbirds, and
seriously scary crocodiles. The palm-studded northern
grassland harbours thousands of kob, a burgeoning
lion population, herds of 50-plus Rothschild’s giraffe,
plenty of elephant and buffalo, smaller herds of oribi
and Jackson’s hartebeest, and some noteworthy birds
including Abyssinian ground hornbill, black-headed
lapwing and Denham’s bustard. Chimp tracking in the
Budongo Forest can be undertaken as a day excursion
from MFNP.
14 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 15
Left:
The Shoebill
is a very large
stork-like bird. It
derives its name
from its massive
shoe-shaped bill.
3 4
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destination: East African Coast
1. Narrow streets of Lamu town.
2. A windsurfer finds his paradise on the Indian Ocean.
3. Sundown over the Kenya Coast.
4 & 9. Diving in Indian Ocean waters reveals a myriad of
beautiful fish and spectacular coral formations.
5. Gedi ruins – the mysterious ‘lost city’.
6. Veiled beauty in the all enveloping bui-bui traditional
Islamic dress.
7. Tourists stroll along one of the coastal beaches. Sun,
sea and sand – part of the Kenya magic.
There are about 483 kilometres (300 metres) of coastline
between the Somali and Tanzanian borders: between
headlands of black cliffs, you can find perhaps a 24
kilometres (15 miles) sweep of a bay or small lagoon, always palm
or casuarina-fringed with white, fine-grained sand beaches. The
inshore waters are polished blues and greens and fully sheltered by
a parallel reef of coral garden.
The Kenya beach holiday offers a range from castaway to
five-star comfort, anything from desert island camp Waikiki-style
hotels. Deep-sea fishing, water-sports, and sunbathing are all
available.
The climate is benign. Although the sun shines almost every day
of the year, the subtropical heat and humidity are usually tempered
by a cooling breeze. Shade temperatures rarely rise above 25
degrees centigrade.
Water skiing is possible, watching out for hidden coral heads at
low tide. So is sailing or wind surfing or deep sea fishing off Malindi
for marlin, saltfish, wahoo, tunny, bonito and falusi. For snorkellers
and skin divers, Kenya’s reefs and lagoons are listed as a national
heritage, fully protected as marine national parks. In one day, in
one small coral garden the display may range from the tiny zebra,
parrot, scorpion, butterfly and bat fish to huge Tewa – rock cod or
groupers – weighing upwards of 240 kilogrammes (but for all their
weight, shy, harmless creatures of the deep).
Shimoni, close to Tanzania, is the most popular fishing centre
and also provides excursions to the nearby marine national park.
Closer to Mombasa, Diani is perhaps Kenya’s most popular resort,
lined with impressive hotels and a magnificent beach.
Mombasa, Kenya’s most ancient city was first mentioned in the
Periplus of the Erythraean Sea and marked on second century
maps by Ptolemy, the Egyptian astronomer and cartographer.
Islam is the culture and faith which has shaped this island port for
1,000 years. For centuries it was part of the Sultanate of Zanzibar
and, before that, part of a loose federation of independent Islamic >>
Truly Magical Coast Idyll1
2
destination: East African CoastPho
to ©
Cam
erap
ix P
ublis
hers
/Kar
l Am
man
n
Asante reports.
Pho
tos
© C
amer
apix
16 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010
Today, a modern bridge links the island with the north mainland
and the tourist resorts beyond. These include Nyali, Bamburi
and Shanzu beaches, Mtwapa Creek, Kikambala, Kilifi Creek – a
magnificent inland harbour flanked by high cliffs – Watamu and
Turtle Bay, Malindi and Lamu Archipelago. In the vicinity are lost
Arabian cities like Gedi and Shanga, towns which were suddenly
abandoned (for what reason nobody really knows) sometimes
around the 16th century.
Lamu is a living anachronism – a thousand-year-old island port
embalmed in antiquity. The sense of the past is tangible, endowing
the town with a unique charm. In the narrow streets, sloe-eyed
women are clad in black veils (bui-buis) and motes of sun filter
through the gloom as carved doors open and close to reveal a
tantalizing glimpse of a patio garden.
Beyond this, north of Lamu, is a partially excavated treasure of
lost Islamic civilisations – ports and villages which flourished when
Europe was just emerging from its dark age. The ruins remain,
adding to the mystique of what is inevitably an unforgettable holiday
on the Kenya coast.
>> states no bigger than the towns in which the citizens lived – Gedi,
Pate, Lamu, Manda and Zanzibar. Mombasa was the prize; its
sheltered creeks on either side provided deep and safe anchorages
and, for its merchants, the prospects of profitable trading.
The Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama was chased away in
the 15th century but others of his countrymen returned to take the
town and build the massive Fort Jesus. Later, in the 19th century,
Britain’s anti-slavery squadrons brought a new form of imperialism.
Each influence has grafted something onto the physical
appearance of the town, now an appealing mixture of African,
Swahili, Islamic, Victorian English and other imported architectural
styles. Hindu temples (one with spires tipped with 40 kilogrammes
of solid gold glittering in the sun above two doors of solid silver) are
built alongside Muslim mosques. Christian churches have multiplied
on the rock of the first cathedral near the law Courts and the old
colonial administration offices.
The town has rapidly become city, but beneath the facade of
progress, Mombasa’s traditional base remains. For example,
Arabian dhows still call at the Old Harbour.
8
9
10
Kenya’s reefs and lagoons are listed as a national heritage, fully protected as marine national parks
8. Colourful
dhows moored
along the sea
wall.
10. Ivory Siwa
on Lamu is an
outstanding
piece of islamic
craftsmanship.
Pho
to ©
Cam
erap
ix p
ublis
hers
/Kar
l Am
man
ndestination: East African Coast
Driver Training for harsh environments
www.OnCourse4wd.com tech @ OnCourse4wd.com
+256 772 22 11 07
GOLF COURSEHOTEL KAMPALA
18 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 19
Speke seemed almost as suitable: He joined the Army of the
East India Company in 1844, where he later served under Field
Marshal, Sir Colin Campbell during the First Anglo-Sikh War. He
was 29 and had considerable experience in collecting botanical
and zoological specimens during his leave in the Himalayas
and was also an accomplished surveyor. Although appearing
complimentary, the two personalities were in fact utterly
incompatible and the violent confrontations between Burton and
Speke that followed saw armchair geographers taking bitterly
opposed sides.
Other explorers were involved in the debate, including David
Livingstone, who died whilst trying to clear up the Burton or
Speke Nile controversy; Henry Morton Stanley who found his
vocation in Africa; James Augustus Grant who joined Speke’s
second expedition to Africa; and Samuel Baker because he went
to verify Speke’s theories.Burton was an enigmatic character,
and had developed a taste for wine, women, fighting, gambling,
mysticism, daredevilry and languages. They were the precious
tools with which to satisfy his insatiable curiosity about exotic
peoples. In India, Burton’s rapid mastering of Persian, Afghan,
Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic won him the friendship of Sir Charles
Napier, the British general and Commander-in-Chief, famous
for conquering the Sindh (in present day Pakistan), to whom he
rendered superlative service as an intelligence officer. He earned
the animosity of his superiors in the East India Company when
he told them that they were losing touch with their subjects and
made an accurate prediction of the approximate date of The
Indian Rebellion of 1857, which began as a mutiny of sepoys
of the East India Company’s army on 10 May 1857, in the
town of Meerut.
In 1854 an earlier expedition led by Burton to penetrate
central Africa from the Somali coast led to disaster. He was
accompanied by Speke and two fellow officers, Lieutenant G.E.
Herne and Lieutenant William Stroyan and a number of Africans
employed as porters. Shortly after they met on the coast, their
party was attacked by a group of Somali warriors.
In the ensuing fight, Stroyan was killed and Burton and Speke
were both severely wounded. Speke was captured and stabbed
several times with spears before he was able to free himself and
escape. Burton was impaled with a javelin, the point entering one
cheek and exiting the other. This wound left him with a notable
scar that can be easily seen on portraits and photographs. He
was forced to make his escape with the weapon still transfixed
through his head. The expedition was only saved from destruction
because a friendly Arab boatman took the survivors back to
Aden. Although Burton, in his report to the RGS criticised Speke
he nonetheless annexed Speke’s notes on the botany and zoology
of the area to his report. Speke felt humiliated and ill-used; their
relationship was already an explosive, psychic mixture.
Speke, as fair and charming as Burton was saturnine and
sarcastic, was born of a Devon family whose origins went back to
the Norman Conquest of 1066. He was a fanatic about personal
fitness, dominated by his mother and sisters, awkward in the
company of women and had a narcissistic tinge to his make-up.
He joined the Army of the East India Company at the age of 17,
and his duties took him to the Punjab.
In India Speke had the good fortune to meet James Grant,
the Scot who was to play an important role in the future. Grant
had been commissioned in the East India Company’s Army in
1846, and served during the Anglo-Sikh Wars and Mutiny of
1857. Grant was loyal, obedient, and fully capable of carrying
out his duties independently if necessary, but also willing to follow
an order to the letter. In this friendship however, Speke was
the impetuous leader, while Grant was the cautious, admiring
follower.
Despite his blundering during the earlier expedition, Speke was
invited by Burton to join his official “Great Lakes” expedition to
central Africa in 1856. Burton later said that he took Speke to
“give him another chance”. Speke was however determined to be
associated with the Nile discoveries.
history
Above:
Some of
the African
porters who
accompanied
Burton and
Speke on
their historic
expedition to
find the source
of the Nile.
Right:
An early
illustration
depicting John
Hanning Speke
restraining the
hand of Mutesa
I, the reigning
Kabaka (King)
of Buganda,
who was about
to strike a
tribeswoman
accused of theft.
>>
Above:
On 3 August
1858, from
Isamilo Hill near
Jinja, Speke
first saw the
main waters of
the Sea of
Ukewere (Lake
Victoria), which
he afterwards
proved to be
the source of
the Nile.
Throughout recorded history there have been times when
the urge to explore previously unknown parts of the world
has captured the imagination of whole races, to the
surprise and often consternation of those on the receiving end
of these expeditions. Alexander the Great, Henry the Navigator,
Christopher Columbus – each led expeditions which were to have
consequences that resonated through the ages.
In the middle of the 19th century, the river Nile, one of the
greatest remaining challenges for explorers, still had its origins
behind a barrier of fetid swamps, fatal diseases and seemingly
ferocious tribesmen. Its mystery was compounded by reports of
fabulous lakes and mountains.
This challenge fired the imagination of The Royal Geographical
Society (RGS), who had a particular interest in determining the
source of the Nile. Thus, in a series of expeditions between
1856 and 1877, several British explorers were sent to unravel
the mystery of the source of the Nile. This river, the longest
in the world, flowed through the desert, yet brought life in its
floodwater every year. Where did all this water come from?
The sudd – Arabic word for obstacle – a huge, papyrus-clogged
swamp, thwarted earlier attempts to follow the river upstream.
Until 1856 little was known of the source of the Nile, the
great river that was the cradle of western civilisation, which had
been known to the Greek geographer Ptolemy, in AD 150. He
had reported that the Nile originated in two great lakes in central
Africa about 10 degrees south of the Equator, and flanked by the
peaks of the “Mountains of the Moon”. This explanation had been
incorporated in a map made by an Arab geographer about
AD 1100.
BURTON & SPEKE
In the mid-1850’s, the mysteries of the Niger and the Blue
Nile solved, scientific curiosity reverted to the next of Africa’s
great rivers, the White Nile. European missionaries and traders
had ascended it as far as the border of Uganda, but beyond here
its course was unknown. In 1856, there was a growing feeling
within the RGS that the time was at hand to settle the matter.
Entered Lieutenant Richard Francis Burton of the East India
Company’s Bombay Light Infantry, a swarthy, moustached man of
35 who offered to take an expedition into the region. Burton was
already famous for a number of illustrious expeditions. He had
a remarkable intellect and combined broad-ranging scholarship
with eccentric, libertine behaviour.
While in India, he often donned native garb, perfecting his
ability to pass as a ‘local’. It was this ability to shed his British
persona that enabled him, in 1853, to travel an equally perilous
journey to Makkah and Madinah disguised as a Muslim Pathan
(a native of north-west Pakistan or Afghanistan) and, the
following year, to enter the ‘forbidden city’ of Harar (in modern
Ethiopia). However, in his later African journeys, he played the
role of English gentleman to the hilt.
The Society accepted his offer, sufficient funds were raised,
and the East India Company granted him leave. Burton selected
as his companion, fellow Indian army officer Lieutenant John
Hanning Speke. These two individuals seemed perfectly suited
to the task. Burton was already known for his bold exploits and
although he had blighted his prospects in the Indian Service
by his bluntness, he was not yet the frighteningly controversial
figure he was to become. His linguistic abilities and his evident
valour and resourcefulness made him an obvious leader.
history
Journey to the Source of the Nileby Rosemary Holthusen.
Pho
tos
cour
tesy
: Pet
er H
olth
usen
20 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010
Their position now seemed so desperate that Burton decided
to return to Zanzibar with news of the discoveries thus far made.
Speke later claimed that he suggested that they should march
north from Ujiji, to the Sea of Ukewere but Burton felt unable
to do so, even though the relief caravan had arrived. It had
been badly plundered en route and the goods it brought quite
insufficient to enable the party to barter its way onwards. Had
a further journey been possible, Burton would have discovered
that Lake Tanganyika was 644 kilometres (400 miles) long. As
Burton continued with his ethnological investigations Speke was
furious by the time being wasted, so he persuaded Burton to
permit him to take a small party on a three week trek to the
reputed ‘Sea’ to the north.
Speke made a momentous foray northwards, and three weeks
later, on 3 August 1858, beheld the huge expanse of the Sea of
Ukewere, which he decided in a flash of inspiration was at last
the Ptolemaic source of the Nile. He then hurried back to Burton
to announce the great discoveries. Burton at first received the
information coldly, then whilst acknowledging that Speke had
found ‘a’ lake, demanded what possible proof he had that it was
in fact ‘the’ lake.
And so began an historic quarrel, Speke arguing – without
foundation, but accurately – that Lake Victoria was the birthplace
of the Nile, and Burton countering that it was Lake Tanganyika.
After convalescing, Burton returned to England to find that Speke
had already presented his version to Sir Roderick Murchison, the
President of the RGS.
To Burton’s chagrin, the RGS favoured Speke’s conclusions,
and in 1860 Speke was sent back with James Grant for further
exploration. Over the next three years, the two made many
discoveries, including the Ripon Falls, where the Nile flows from
Lake Victoria. However, they failed to prove Speke’s theory
because they did not trace the continuous course of the river.
The conflicting claims of Burton and Speke resulted in a debate
being scheduled at the RGS for 16 September 1864. On the
day before the meeting, however, Speke died under mysterious
circumstances while shooting partridge on the Neston Park
Estate, Corsham in Wiltshire. Although probably accidental, the
Burton camp would forever claim suicide.
In 1857, the two partners embarked at Bombay and landed
at Zanzibar. They made hasty preparations for the march inland
from Bagamoyo (in modern Tanzania). With help from the British
Consul, Colonel Atkins Hamerton, Burton and Speke assembled
their party which included 36 African porters, 10 gun-carrying
slaves, four drivers and a posse of Baluchi soldiers to protect
them. There was much additional equipment required including
ammunition, medicines, stores and an iron boat in seven
sections intended to enable them to explore the great lake. As
a consequence a second caravan was organised to carry the
additional stores. On 25 June 1857, the march began.
In the early stages of the expedition Burton overheard the
Hindus telling each other that he would never get as far as
Ugogo (not a third of the distance) whereupon they would
seize all his belongings; he then had his moment of despair.
The caravan proved to be only nominally under the command
of its European leaders. The column moved at its own pace;
indiscipline was the rule, theft endemic, and desertions began as
soon as the men marched from the coast.
Within three weeks they had covered 190 kilometres (118
miles) with more than 966 kilometres (600 miles) ahead of
them, both men were already so sick they often had to be
carried. Smallpox was rife and the way was well marked by the
bones of slaves who had died of this and other diseases. When
they finally reached Morogoro they were, said Burton “physically
and morally incapacitated”. At this point the Baluchi soldiers
mutinied and had to be quelled by an emaciated Burton who
faced them down with a revolver in his hand.
Throughout the journey, and despite his ill-health,
Burton continued his ethnological studies, which were so
uncomplimentary to the black people that they are unprintable
today. By the time they reached Ugogo, half the supplies
intended to last a year had been consumed or stolen. This was
very serious because the local tax, called hongo payable to
chieftains over whose land they passed was rising progressively
and had to be paid out of the supplies they carried.
The traveller’s health improved as they reached the savannah
country. Tattered and emaciated, the two Englishmen walked
into Kazeh on 7 November 1857, Speke was almost blind with
opthalmia. There they learned that there was not one but three
great lakes or seas: the Sea of Niassa to the south; the Sea of
Ujiji (Lake Tanganyika) just ahead, and the Sea of Ukewere (Lake
Victoria) to the north. On the morning of 14 December 1857
they were in sight of Lake Tanganyika and despite their incapacity
and disabilities they attempted to explore the lake in a canoe,
much too small a craft for such a large body of water.
The most urgent task was to find what outlets there were
from the lake, and thus to decide whether the Nile had its origins
here. But they were unable to reach the northern end of the
lake. However, the natives assured them that at the northern
end there was a river, the Ruzizi, which flowed into and not out of
the lake, meaning it could not be the source of the Nile.
history
>>
Above:
An engraving
of Speke
and James
Augustus
Grant
addressing
the members
of the Royal
Geographical
Society
after their
triumphant
return to
London in
1863.
22 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 23
field assistants and a privileged group
of postgraduate students from all over
the world who earned their research
degrees by studying different aspects of
the chimpanzees’ behaviour and ecology.
The chimpanzees themselves became the
stars of many screen documentaries.
One hundred miles to the south of
Gombe lie the Mahale Mountains National
Park, where Japanese primatologists led
by Toshisada Nishida have been studying
chimpanzees since 1965. Over the years
many other observers in different places
have added to the knowledge and insights
of fieldworkers at Gombe and Mahale, and
several other long-term projects are in full
swing: Christopher Boesch and Hedwige
Boesch-Achermann in the Tai Forest of
the Ivory Coast, CarolineTutin and Michael
Fernandez in the Lope Reserve of Gabon,
and Richard Wrangham and Isabirye
Basuta in the Kibale Forest of Uganda.
CHIMPANZEES
Dawn in the high mountain rain forests of Uganda comes
slowly. Rain clouds darken the sky, shrouding the
mountain in mist and hiding the emerging sun. Gradually,
as the light filters through, definition comes to the forest.
Everything is muted here, damp, soft. A thousand shades of
green, layer upon layer of verdant life. There are movements on
the forest floor, slight stirrings of life, as the inhabitants rise.
The dawn mists part reluctantly over the canopy of the
Kibale Forest National Park. As the sky lightens, a huge male
chimpanzee stirs in his sleep. Around him, his little group of
three females and a younger adult male doze fitfully, huddled in
the warmth of their night nests. Tucked in beside the females are
their young, one of whom peers warily around and then clambers
off the nest to find his half-sister. He peers intently at her, an
outstretched hand inviting her to play. Rain falls often, and the
apes sit stoically, their arms folded against the cold, as rain drips
from their long black coats.
Gradually, the sun rises, drawing the chill from the ground; the
group stirs one by one, adults rolling over and stretching legs
cramped by the nest’s confinement. A few quiet grunts simper
through the still air; another replies. A female begins to feed on
the wild celery that carpets the forest floor. A new dawn begins in
the endless cycle of eating and dozing that sustains life in the cool
mountain air of the most beautiful forest park in Africa.
In the wild, chimpanzees live throughout the West African and
Central African forests. They are one of the four species of Great
Apes, the remainder being the gorillas of Central and Western
Africa, bonobos (also known as pygmy chimpanzees), of the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and the orangutans of Borneo and
Sumatra in Southeast Asia.
The first person from the western world to observe
chimpanzees in the wild was R.L. Garner in the 1890’s. He
built a cage in the middle of a West African jungle – not for the
chimpanzees, but for himself – so that he could sit in safety and
watch any chimpanzees who passed by. He also, incidentally,
spent some time trying to teach apes to talk – without success.
After that, it was some 40 years before the next attempt was
made to learn something about chimpanzees in their natural
habitat. This was in 1930, when Henry Nissen was sent by
primatologist Robert Yerkes to what was then French Guinea.
However, Nissen’s study, which lasted only four months, was
hampered because he insisted on moving through the forests
accompanied by a train of porters carrying his equipment.
It was hardly surprising that he made very few direct
observations, although he did gather some data, especially on
feeding and nesting behaviour. This information, along with
travellers’ tales and a few chance observations – such as those
by the Rev. T.S. Savage, a medical missionary in West Africa
and Jeffries Wyman in the Ivory Coast in 1842 – provided almost
everything that was known of chimpanzee behaviour in the wild
(although the African peoples who lived in or near the forests
could have told us more), until the flurry of field studies began
after the Second World War in the early 1960’s.our Primate Relatives
nature & wildlife nature & wildlife
>>
Since Garner, chimpanzees in various parts of Africa have got
used to assorted tents, cabins and huts, and to people emerging
from them. Indeed, some chimpanzees might find it odd not
to have a human tagging along! Fieldwork really took off in the
1960’s when Adriaan Kortlandt, Vernon Reynolds, Kinji Imanishi,
Junichero Itani and Jane Goodall each ventured into chimpanzee
territory, armed with questions, most of which had more to do
with humans than chimpanzees. It was thought that, being our
closest living relatives, chimpanzees might be able to put flesh
on the bones of our ancestors and help us see our past more
clearly.
They did (Jane Goodall has described watching chimpanzees
as being like turning back the clock); but they also intrigued their
observers so much that the search for our roots soon grew into
interest in them for their own sakes – and continues to grow.
Thanks to over 50 years of observation, Jane Goodall
has made the chimpanzees of the Gombe National Park in
Tanzania the stars of the longest-running fieldwork project ever
undertaken. It all started in 1960, when the young Jane Goodall
began – somewhat uncertainly – to follow the wild chimpanzees of
Gombe, a national park on the wooded slopes above the eastern
shore of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika). It
was hard and frustrating work, since the shy chimpanzees could
travel fast and far in the hilly terrain when they wanted to be rid
of this rather slender ape who had attached herself to them. It
was to be the better part of five years before the chimpanzees
were sufficiently habituated to allow her to follow and observe
them continuously. She was also one of the first people to show
that chimpanzees made use of tools and have highly complex
social structures and behaviour.
Nearly half a century later, we look back on the wealth of data
painstakingly recorded by Jane Goodall herself, her Tanzanian
Above: Jane
Goodall
playing with
the sanctuary
orphans,
(foreground)
doing a ‘chimp
call duet’.
Right: A
young orphan
chimpanzee at
the Ngamba
Island
Chimpanzee
Sanctuary in
Uganda.
Above: The more
we learn about
chimpanzees and
the other Great
Apes, the closer
we are to a
complete
understanding of
ourselves.
Left: Grooming
is serious
business for
chimpanzees. It
cements bonds,
and also removes
unwanted ticks
and other
parasites from
their fur.
by Peter Holthusen.
Pho
to ©
Sci
ence
Mus
eum
of M
inne
sota
(ba
ckgr
ound
) &
Mic
hael
Neu
geba
uer
(for
egro
und)
Pho
to ©
Pet
er H
olth
usen
Pho
to ©
Pet
er H
olth
usen
Pho
to ©
Pet
er H
olth
usen
24 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 25
often sleep on the ground, compared to what is thought to be the
more common behaviour of building nests in trees.
Adult males in Kibale have also been observed cooperating to
guard their range against predators, such as lion or leopards,
and to prevent attacks by males from other chimpanzee
communities. Conflicts with neighbouring communities can
sometimes approach all-out warfare. At Gombe, an estimated 25
per cent of all adult male deaths occur during fights with foreign
males that encroach upon their territory or during raids on
another community’s territory.
The more we learn about chimpanzees the more they are
compared to humans, both in their behaviour and relationship to
us. It is now thought that chimpanzees are our closest genetic
relatives, sharing approximately 99 per cent of their DNA with
humans.
While the exact population size is unknown, current estimates
range from 100,000 to 200,000 and they are found in about 20
African countries. This might seem like a lot, but just 100 years ago
there may well have been 10 times this amount. As the territory
and habitat of chimpanzees declines, so too does the population
size. Logging, hunting, civil unrest and growing human populations all
contribute to the loss of habitat and the decline in population.
To observe a chimpanzee in the wild is an experience to behold.
They tap you on the shoulder and remind you that you are not as
special as you think. They show you to your place – next to them.
They remind you that for five million years, ever since humans
took one branch and they took another, they have been living
alongside us. The more we learn about chimpanzees and the
other Great Apes, the closer we are to a complete understanding
of ourselves.
Only 38 years ago, chimpanzee tea parties took place in
London Zoo; now the debate is whether they should perhaps
have a bill of rights (their genetic make-up differs from our own
by a scant 1-1.5 per cent, so by what authority do we set our
judgement of the species? Tea parties at London Zoo were
stopped in 1972, and the famous PG Tips chimps may soon be
history now that people are pointing out how demeaning (to the
chimps) it is to make them behave like us.
Thanks to many years of painstaking conservation it is now
possible to see this most curious of apes in an environment
more suited to its own. In captivity the best places to see
chimpanzees are the various sanctuaries located in a number
of African countries. These sanctuaries accept chimpanzee
orphans, place them in as natural a setting as possible, and look
after their long-term care. Here you can see chimpanzees up
close, watch them interact with other chimpanzees, and learn
about their behaviour and the issues that affect them in the wild.
Most sanctuaries, such as Ngamba Island in Uganda,
Chimfunshi in Zambia, and Pandrillus in Nigeria, have guided
tours and splendid education centres to help visitors get the
most out of their visit and some even have well-appointed guest
houses so the traveller can stay on site.
Some of these sanctuaries house more than 100
chimpanzees, each with his or her individual behaviour and
characteristics. Most have chimpanzees that range from infants
of less than one year old, that need constant care and special
feeding, up to adults of 40 or 50 years old that have spent a
large part of their lives at the sanctuary.
nature & wildlife
>>
nature & wildlife
Lying approximately 23 kilometres southeast of Entebbe on
the vast expanse of Lake Victoria, Ngamba Island is a project
of the Chimpanzees Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust
(CSWCT), established in 1997 by the Born Free Foundation
(United Kingdom), the International Fund for Animal Welfare
(United States of Africa), the Jane Goodall Institute (Germany and
Uganda), The Uganda Wildlife Education Trust (UWECT) and the
Zoological Board of New South Wales in Australia, and it provides
these orphaned chimpanzees with a secure home to live out their
lives, since a return to their natural habitat is not possible, while
educating visitors and local communities about the species and
the importance of conserving their fragile forest habitat.
Ngamba Island is part of the Koome group of islands and
consists of approximately 100 acres, 98 of which are forested
and separated from the visitors area by an electric fence. The
sanctuary was officially opened to visitors in October 1999 and is
currently home to 40 orphaned chimpanzees, almost half of which
have been confiscated and brought to the island since its opening.
If your mission is to see chimpanzees in the wild there are few options where sightings can be almost certainly guaranteed
If your mission is to see chimpanzees in the wild there are
few options where sightings can be almost certainly guaranteed.
The Gombe National Park in Tanzania is the site of the first, and
longest-running, field-study centre of wild chimpanzees. A trip
here to see the chimpanzees that were made famous by Jane
Goodall can be added to a safari of some of the more well known
game parks, with the forests offering a very different experience
to the savannah of East Africa.
For the more adventurous, there are treks into the forests
of Uganda, such as the Kibale Forest National Park. Perhaps
best known for its chimpanzees, it also contains another 12
primate species – the greatest variety of any forest in central-
eastern Africa, including the rare blue and red-tailed monkeys
and grey-cheeked mangabey. Kibale protects virgin lowland
tropical rainforest, montane evergreen forest and mixed tropical
deciduous forest, while the Maramagambo Forest contains a
healthy population of chimpanzees and a wealth of forest birds
such as the golden-breasted starling, D’Arnaud’s barbet and red-
billed hornbill.
These treks offer the possibility of seeing chimpanzees in the
wild and getting a feel for their forest habitat. Although the main
draw is the chance encounter with a chimpanzee, there is the
added possibility of seeing many other forest animals that share
their home, such as elephants, sitatunga, great herds of Uganda
kob, giant forest hog, buffalo, reedbuck, bushbuck and waterbuck,
not to mention the interesting trees and lush vegetation that
make up the forest.
Formal studies of wild chimpanzees have been going on in
Africa for decades. One site in northern Democratic Republic of
Congo has chimpanzees that tend to be larger than average, and
Above and
below:
Chimps at the
Ngamba Island
Chimpanzee
Sanctuary in
Uganda.Above:
Chimpanzees
usually have
flesh-coloured
ears, noses,
hands and feet
that darken
with age.
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26 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 27
to the Virgin Mary. Here the tree forms a natural, living place
of Christian worship, just as a hollow oak does in Normandy
in northern France. Hollowness is no respecter of religions; in
India, at least one empty space created by the aerial roots of
banyan fig tree has been filled with a Hindu temple, right-handed
swastikas painted on its door posts.
In the harsh dry lands around Keren, young baobab leaves are
a vital source of food for livestock. Year after year branchfuls of
leaves are lopped off, and the trees all have a straggly, limbless
look. The fruits do not last long on the tree either, and are
quickly harvested for the white pith that surrounds the seeds
inside the pod. This pith is the richest natural source of vitamin
C in the world and is either taken as a drink or used to flavour
food. The shrine tree, in contrast to its fellows, is encircled with
a protective fence and approached by an avenue of healing neem
trees. It is tall, rounded – and many – branched, strong and
entire, and was dripping with small fruits. There had obviously
been plenty of bats to pollinate the big white flowers at night.
Growing so huge in such arid areas, baobabs attract whole
communities of life. Their hollowness is one of their prime
attractions – holes in branches as well as great empty trunks.
Whether because of its wholesomeness or being supposedly
closer to God, the shrine tree seemed to have a magnetic
appeal to passing birds. Parrots have a particular affinity for
baobabs, and two brown parrots (their colloquial species name)
noisily showed us where they were living
in a hole high up the trunk. Several
African grey hornbills were hopping
around the naked branches, and a grey
kestrel flew off its tree-top perch just
as we arrived, almost immediately to be
replaced by two magnificent azure and
chestnut Abyssinian rollers. Idly I hoped
one might moult a deep blue streamer
feather as it flew off, but that talisman
was destined to fall at someone else’s
feet. Smaller birds, including a Eurasian
redstart, hopped around on the dusty
ground, searching for seeds and insects
and inspecting the fallen fruit, quite
oblivious to the passing of the holy man in
black and white.
It seems hardly possible to look at a
big baobab without wondering how old it
is. Every taxi driver between Dakar and
Dar es Salaam can show you the oldest
baobab in Africa, but actually they are
usually impossible to age. The best way of
ageing ancient trees is either to carbon-
date them or to count the rings of fallen
or cut ones, but hollow trees foil both
these ploys. Carbon-dating is notoriously
inaccurate, and in any event relies on
wood as old as the tree, which is missing from hollow baobabs.
Counting annual rings is a well tested and generally accurate
way of ageing trees in temperate climes, where trees grow
slowly in the winter and faster in the summer. In the tropics,
though, the seasons are often less marked, trees may grow
more evenly throughout the year, or two rainy seasons in a year
might mean a tree grows two annual rings instead of one.
So, like a dignified woman, the baobab continues to hide its
age, even from the most detailed technical investigation – and
we can all continue to indulge in rampant, romantic guesswork.
The baobab’s Latin name is Adansonia digitata – ‘digitata’
from its five-fingered leaves, and ‘Adansonia’ honouring a French
botanist, Michel Adanson, who introduced the tree to western
science while travelling in Senegal in 1750. Astounded by what
he saw, Adanson haphazardly estimated one tree to be 5,150
years old. A hundred years later his guesswork was under
attack from David Livingstone, whose scientific bet was severely
constrained by his dogmatic beliefs in the Creation theories of
Bishop James Ussher. By counting up the generations from
Adam to Christ, these purported to fix the date of the world’s
creation at 4004 BC. This meant Adanson’s tree would have
been alive at the time of the Great Flood. As no tree could
have survived the Flood, Adanson must have been wrong, or
worse still, was inferring there never had been a Flood! (Still,
Livingstone tried counting annual rings on a tree in Botswana,
feature
>>
Over much of Africa, today as before, people are
living in hollow baobabs, which they may have to
share with bats, birds or even bees. The bulbous
trees are also used as shops and stores. In South Africa a
baobab became a bar and in Zimbabwe a bus shelter, while
in Sudan the hollow trees are treasured as wells called
tebeldis. In Senegal, outcasts from the Sereres people
are buried in coffins suspended in hollow trees, so as not
to pollute the earth – not something that concerned the
Branching into new territory, Rupert Watson reflects on the meaning of life.
feature
The Tree of LifeBritish administrator in the Caprivi Strip, who installed a flush
lavatory in a baobab. A Nigerian baobab has been used as a
prison, and the earliest written description of the tree, by the
14th century Arab traveller, Ibn Battutah, records one in Mali
occupied by a weaver.
Baobabs often act as altars, with votive offerings to some
higher power being laid at their base. However, in Keren,
north of Asmara, there is a hollow baobab which, on 18
July 1881 was consecrated as a Catholic shrine, dedicated
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coming up with an age of 4,360 – and also carved his initials in
one above Victoria Falls.)
Now the guesswork is rather more informed. By knowing
the age and girth of a young tree, and dangerously assuming
baobabs expand at a constant rate, one can find a figure for
the age of any other tree of known girth. The hollow in the
Keren tree would take three or four people lying down, and a
dozen squeezed together as if they were in a lift. It is not huge
by baobab standards, but this part of Africa is very barren, and
the trees grow much slower than they would in the lotus land of
the East African coast. Perhaps it is a 1,000 years old, and the
wonder is that there is no way to know.
Baobabs are the oldest living things in Africa, and like all great
trees stand as silent witnesses to history, to the passing of
people and seasons, life and death. If the Keren tree is 1,000
years old, did it watch Christians retreating inland as Islam
spread down the Red Sea coast? Have long-gone lions lain in
its shade, and did elephants once gouge out tuskloads of its
younger wood? It may not be old enough to have witnessed the
fourth century heyday of the Axumite Kingdom, but the tree that
dropped the seed from which it grew almost certainly was.
Of all the turmoil that has beset Eritrea, finding itself a
battleground for an extension of the war between rival colonial
powers was perhaps the most unfortunate. Early in 1941,
Italian-occupied, mountain-ringed Keren was relentlessly
bombarded by British artillery. For weeks on end, flying shards
of shell filled the air, seeking out the flesh of Italian soldiers,
three of whom took refuge in the baobab. A huge chunk of
shrapnel scythed a hole into the trunk three metres from the
ground, making an instant window that still lets in the light
today. But the soldiers all survived unscathed, the walls of wood
protecting them from the smaller pieces of metal. The baobab:
shrine, sanctuary, refuge, safety. Since then Eritrea has had its
own wars to fight, and worshippers stop at the tree to pray for
protection and safety for themselves or their loved ones.
Nature meets religion at the Keren shrine, hopefully
awakening in visitors the realisation that as humans we are
simply part of nature, not somewhere far above it. The Earth
is an ant in the savannah of the universe, a century a dot on
the line of time. For all their apparent potency today, humans
are merely passing through both time and space, whether as
evolutionary stepping stones to a new species or headlong on
their way to self-destruction.
Whatever your religion, you cannot fail to be amazed by this
tree’s great presence. Whether it derives from nature, the
tree’s own spirit, God or the Virgin Mary seems wonderfully
irrelevant – and actually the best possible reason to jumble them
all together, whether at the tree or anywhere else on Earth.
feature
Baobabs are the oldest living things in Africa, ... standing as silent witnesses to history, to the passing of people and seasons, life and death
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30 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 31
When you spy an island on the horizon, a powerful force takes over. It’s as if the human psyche demands that we discover and explore
feature
The most popular legend associated with a deity from
the Ssese Islands dates from the mid-16th century, when
Buganda, led by Nakibinge, was being overwhelmed in a war
against the Kingdom of Bunyoro. Nakibinge visited the islands
in search of support, and was offered the assistance of the
local king’s youngest son, Kibuuka, who leaped to the mainland
in one mighty bound to join the war against the Bunyoro. Tall
and powerful though, Kibuuka, which means ’the flier’, was
also possessed of a somewhat more singular fighting skill. A
deity in human form, he was able to fly high above the clouds
and shower down spears on the enemy, who had no idea
from where the deadly missiles emanated. Led by Kibuuka’s
aerial attacks, rout followed rout, and the tide of war reversed
swiftly in Nakibinge’s favour as the Baganda army proceeded
deeper into Banyoro territory.
Although Buganda went on to win the war, Kibuuka did
not survive to enjoy the spoils of victory. After yet another
successful battle, the Baganda warriors captured Banyoro
maidens and gave one to Kibuuka as his mistress. Kibuuka
told the Banyoro girl his secret, only to find that she had
vanished overnight. The next day, Kibuuka soared up into the
sky as normal, and was greeted by a barrage of Bunyoro
spears and arrows projected up towards the clouds. Kibuuka
fell wounded into a tall tree, where he was spotted and died
the next day.
The Ssese Islands are inhabited by the Bantu speaking
Bassese tribe, closely related to the Baganda and Basoga
people, and speaking a similar, though distinct language. The
principal industry in the islands is of course, fishing for the
huge Nile perch, with most of the catch being exported, and
resulting in overfishing. Other industries include agriculture,
forestry and tourism.The islands are blessed with over
13 forests, uncountable beaches and over seven hours of
sunshine a day.
For much of the 1990’s, the islands were renowned as a
popular tourist destination for backpackers in search of wildlife
and adventure, but even these intrepid souls stopped coming
when the ferry linking the islands to Kampala stopped more
than 10 years ago, making a journey in a fisherman’s canoe
the quickest way to get there. Although these attractions have
not diminished in recent years, their popularity evidently had,
attributed perhaps to the suspension of the regular ferries
from Port Bell as well as the burgeoning tourist development
at the more accessible Lake Bunyonyi in Kigezi.
Thankfully there is now a new daily ferry, the MS Kalangala,
from Entebbe pier to Bugala, the largest of the 84 islands in
the archipelago, enabling a new wave of pioneering tourists to
discover their soft white sands, blue waters and lush tropical
forests teeming with wildlife.
Only two islands regularly receive tourists, the more
established of these is Bugala, which is privately owned and
the site of a popular budget resort. Other islands that can
be visited with varying degrees of ease are Bubeke, Bukasa,
Bufumira and Banda. Not least among the Ssese Islands
attractions are their rustic character and the sense of being
well away from the established tourist circuit.
Extending over 200 kilometres and measuring 43 kilometres
from east to west, Bugala is the best developed for tourism
and dotted with accommodation to suit most tastes and
budgets. Kalangala, the administrative centre for the islands,
Left: Ssese
Island beach.
Above: Sunrise
over Lake
Victoria
– whose
shoreline has
more than
3,000 islands,
including Ssese
Islands in
Uganda.
>>
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It is sunrise over Lake Victoria and on the ivory white
sand a solitary figure is greeting the new dawn. He lifts
his fishing nets out of the water and hangs them out
to dry. Then something moves. As if from nowhere a tiny
pink crab appears, scuttling sideways across the beach. It
skims the surface, barely making an impression in the wet
sand. And then they are gone and once more the beach is
totally deserted, proof that in a crowded world there are still
some places that remain unspoilt, but then this is the Ssese
Islands.
Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the chief
reservoir of the Nile. Among the freshwater lakes of the
world it is exceeded in size only by Lake Superior in North
America. Its waters fill a shallow depression in the plateau
that stretches between the western and eastern arms of the
Great Rift Valley. The lake has a shoreline of 3,440 kilometres
(2,138 miles) and has more than 3,000 islands, many of
which are inhabited. These include the beautiful Ssese Islands
in Uganda – a large group of islands in the northwest area of
the lake.
The Ssese Islands are an archipelago of 84 islands in
the nation’s Kalangala district. About 43 of the islands are
inhabited, and vary in size from less than 10,000 square
metres, to over 40 kilometres in length for the largest of
the island group, Bugala. The islands lie in two main groups,
separated by the Kkome Channel. The south-western group
is home to Bugala, site of the island’s main town, Kalangala,
home to the district headquarters, while other islands
include Bubeke, Bufumira, Bugaba, Bukasa, Buyova, Funve
and Serinya. The main islands in the north-eastern group are
Damba, Kkome and Luwaji.
The islands came into existence some 12 million years
ago when a tectonic shift caused an elevated basin situated
between the two main arms of the Great Rift Valley to flood,
forming Lake Victoria as we know it today.
Little is known about the earliest inhabitants of the Ssese
Islands, but some oral traditions associated with the creation
of the Kingdom of Buganda claim that its founder, Kintu hailed
from the ‘Islands of the Gods’. In pre-colonial times it was
customary for the kings of Buganda to visit the islands and
pay tribute to the several Balubaale whose main shrines to
Mukasa, spirit of the lake, were located on Bubembe Island.
Some Bugandan historical sources romanticise this
relationship, claiming that in pre-colonial times Ssese, due to
its exalted status was never attacked by Buganda, nor was it
formally incorporated into the mainland Kingdom. In reality,
while Ssese probably did enjoy a degree of autonomy, it was
clearly a vassal of Buganda for at least a century prior to the
colonial era. Furthermore, while the Baganda people revered
the island’s spirits, Henry Morton Stanley recorded that they,
“looked down on their human inhabitants for their ‘coal-black’
colour, timidity, superstition, and general uncleanly life”.
THE SSESE ISLANDS In the Footsteps of the Gods...by Peter Holthusen.
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32 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 33
Russian Orthodox Church with a multi-coloured Russian style
cupola built by Father Christopher Walusimbi, who is not only
the priest, but also a representative to the District Educational
Committee, a Board member on two other school committees;
and he is also considered somewhat of an elder in the
community.
Despite being over 60 years old, Fr. Christopher is very
active: he assumed a great burden to help children in the
Ssese Islands, who were orphaned as a result of the AIDS
epidemic. For the past 25 years he has also run an ambulance
service from the island to the mainland 64 kilometres (40
miles) to the north. He also runs one of the most comfortable
guesthouses on the island, 30 minutes walk from the jetty.
Also infrequently visited by travellers, Bufumira Island is
readily accessible by fishing boat from Bugala, and there is a
small guesthouse in its largest village Semawundu, though you
are advised to bring your food with you. Far more popular is
the smaller Banda Island, site of a backpacker resort that has
become something of a legend among travellers in the last few
years. Several other small, mostly uninhabited islands can be
reached by fishing boat as day trips from Bugala.
When you spy an island on the horizon, a powerful force
takes over. It’s as if the human psyche demands that we
discover and explore. If that island should be in the Ssese
archipelago, you’ll be well rewarded for charting a course to
her shores.
... considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful places, a popular tourist destination for those in search of dense forests, exotic birds and monkeys
Although many visitors to Bugala stick to the beach resort
at Lutoboka, the island also offers some great possibilities for
unstructured walking. Strike out in any direction from Kalangala
and you will be greeted with pleasing views over the forested and
grassy clearings of the lake shore and more distant islands.
A popular cycling excursion off the road towards Luku is to
Mutumbula swimming beach, reputedly free of Schistosomiasis
(bilharzia). Travellers tend to concentrate along the Kalangala-
Luku road, and justifiably so, since the road heading south from
Kalangala is far more cultivated. One potentially interesting
destination in this direction is the marshy south-western shores
which harbour small numbers of hippo as well as a healthy
population of the elusive sitatunga or ‘marshbuck’ antelope,
with larger horns than that of the mainland species, regarded
by some authorities to represent an endemic island race.
Without a private vehicle, you would probably need to do an
overnight walking or cycling trip to get to these swamps.
Bukasa Island is considered to be one of the world’s most
beautiful places and is a popular tourist destination for those
in search of dense forests, exotic birds and monkeys. Second
largest of the islands in the Ssese archipelago, it is remote
and relatively hard to get to. Life here is difficult. Poverty is
rampant; there is no healthcare and no electricity. Most people
survive by growing and selling produce.
Yet here, in the midst of Africa, on a tiny island which you
will not find on most maps of the world, stands a beautiful
Right:
The principal
industry in the
islands is of
course, fishing
for the huge
Nile perch, with
most of the
catch being
exported.
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is an unremarkable small town situated on a ridge at the
eastern end of the island, while the nearby Lutoboka Bay
hosts the island’s main cluster of beach resorts. Another
important landmark on Bugala is Luku, the small village on
the western extreme of the island where the ferry from
the mainland docks. A good dirt road connects Luku to
Kalangala, and several minor roads run to other villages
lying further south on the island.
The most common large mammal on Bugala is the
Vervet monkey, often seen in the vicinity of Lutoboka and
Kalangala. Bushbucks and black-and-white Colobus are
present but seldom observed. Over the 12 million years
that the island has been separate from the mainland, one
endemic creek rat and three endemic butterfly species
have evolved. Water and forest birds are prolific. Expect
to see a variety of hornbills, barbets, turacos, robin-chats,
flycatchers and weaver birds from the roads around
Kalangala. Particularly common are the jewel-like pygmy
kingfisher, the beautiful malachite kingfisher, the brown-
throated wattle-eye and a stunning morph of the paradise
flycatcher intermediate to the orange and white phases
illustrated in most East African field guides. African fish
eagles and palm-nut vultures are often seen near the lake,
while immense breeding colonies of little egret and great
cormorant occur on Lutoboka and other bays.
feature
Right:
The Ssese
Islands are an
archipelago
of 84 islands
in Uganda’s
Kalangala
district. About
43 of the
islands are
inhabited, and
vary in size.
Below:
Sport fishing
is a popular
tourist
attraction.
>>
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Whether complementing a romantic dinner for two, adorning
a church’s altar, or simply providing light to those who have no
electricity, the humble candle has remained a constant figure in
our lives for centuries. Sue Royal looks at its many uses over the
years.
The soft glow of candlelight is the embodiment of romance
for lovers. To others the candle is a potent religious symbol
representing Christ as the light of life. In some societies it
still remains the single and most important source of illumination.
Strange to think that this simple object has held such an
important place in the development of civilisation over the
centuries. Yet without it, we might still be consigned to the
dictates of sunlight.
During the long winter nights, man yearned to imitate the sun
and prolong daylight. He managed it with the materials at hand,
but the search for the perfect illumination was extensive and
fraught with difficulties.
Most of society at one time was rural and peasant based.
A family or extended family group kept themselves and a few
animals for nourish (and later their pelts), and either moved
around or lived with other similar groups. One thing that was
freely available was animal fat, and it wasn’t long before someone
discovered its combustible properties.
Early candles were makeshift and inefficient. Rush lights were
reeds dipped in tallow (made from beef or mutton fat) which when
lighted, produced smoke, a rather pungent smell and a flickering
light. The same was true of tallow candles – although they had
the refinement of a wick passing through them.
Centuries ago, long before clocks came on the scene, candles
actually served the dual purpose of providing light – and telling
time. Divisions were made at equal distances down the sides
of the candle, and – after figuring out how many ‘divisions’
there were in the hours of daylight and darkness – people had
themselves a primitive timepiece.
art & craft
>>
striousminations
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Made up of four different ethnic groups, the
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Hardy and vigorous, Kenya’s communities all
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Made up of four different ethnic groups, the people of Kenya are as old and as modern as mankind.
This part of Africa has been a melting pot of human society since our early ancestor Homo Erectus fi rst walked upright on the shores
of Lake Turkana, the Cradle of Mankind.
Kenya’s more than forty different indigenous groups are as diverse and contrasting as the country’s landscapes and equally magnifi cent.
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compensation – not retribution – as punishment.
Hardy and vigorous, Kenya’s communities all come to glorious life in Beautiful People of Kenya, a full-colour tribute
to a wealth of cultures and customs.
Text by Brian Tetley, photographs by Mohamed Amin and Duncan Willetts.
final cover designs.indd 2 7/3/09 10:25:59 AM
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36 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 37
one at a time. Wicks suspended on a frame were dipped in hot
wax or tallow, emersed and then lifted out to cool. They were
dipped again and again, adding more and more layers, until the
candle was judged to be thick enough. Rolled candles were made
by pouring melted wax onto the wick in a thin layer, then allowing
it to partially set. The wax was then rolled around the
wick by hand while it was still warm and soft.
Lastly, a few little-known candle
facts:
Bleach candles by •
exposing to dew, air or
sunshine for a few
hours – it stops them
(particularly tallow
candles) from
turning yellow.
To stop •
them dripping or
spluttering, put
candles on ice for
two or three hours
before you use
them.
To help the •
candle burn better,
turn it upside down and
rub a pinch of salt into the
wick between your thumb and
forefinger (before you light up!)
There is even a ‘best way’ to blow a
candle out – hold it higher than your mouth
and blow upwards, rather than downwards –
it stops the wick smouldering.
Accidents produce some very odd discoveries. The people
of Orkney, off the coast of Scotland, discovered that seabirds,
with their habit of eating oily fish, had reservoirs of combustible
materials in their stomachs that were good to burn. The islanders
threaded a wick through the hapless bird’s body, stood it on a
lump of clay and presto – they had a lamp that kept going for
hours.
Odour also did not seem to bother the Indians from Vancouver
Island, Canada, who once burned oily fish on sticks; nor the
Shetland islanders ( neighbours of the bird burners of Orkney),
who utilised the stormy petrel to bring a little light into their lives.
Polynesians burned oily nuts, stuck on a piece of bamboo, as
candles, and Mexicans lit the oily bark of the aptly-named candle
tree for illumination.
All over the world, seaside communities used scallop and
oyster shells, filled with tallow or wax, to light their homes.
Remains of hollowed out stone lamps, which worked on a similar
principal, have been found in caves in France.
When a portable candle was required,
people in Mexico, south-east Asia, Africa
and the Caribbean bundled together some
inflammable material, such as tea resin,
wrapped it in palm leaves and lit it to use
as a torch.
Once people realised fats and oils
burned, they made use of local resources.
In the Mediterranean, olives grew in
abundance, so olive oil was used for light
and fuel. In the south of America, cotton
seed was used for the same purpose.
The aim was for a constant flame which
burned without spluttering or guttering
and gave a fairly even light – which crude
candles made of pig fat just couldn’t
provide.
Someone eventually came up with the
solution: beeswax. The whole business
suddenly advanced to a higher plane. Wax
candles didn’t need to have the charred
ends of their wicks trimmed regularly, or
‘snuffed’. They didn’t gutter or spit hot
matter.
So the wax candle reigned supreme, for
those who could afford it, until the invention
of the Argand burner in 1782, which
provided a more constant flame even than
a wax candle. But candles certainly didn’t
become obsolete. Refinements for dealing
with falling wax fire risk and other candle-
related problems, got more sophisticated.
Candle lanterns made transportation a
lot less risky and painful. Early types were
metal cylinders punched with small holes,
art & craft art & craft
but even earlier versions (dating back 2,000 years) made of
animal horn have been unearthed. Devices which adjusted the
height of the flame came on the market, and sliding holders and
ratchet devices endeavoured to give an even light as the candle
burned down. Portable brass candlesticks, which could be folded
away and had caps, were also popular.
The candle shield – a monumentally complicated piece of
machinery – stopped the problem of eyes being strained by
the contrast between the dull light thrown on to the pages of
a book, and the glare from the brighter parts of the flame. A
round shield attached to an adjustable arm was fixed to fall in
between the candle and the person using the light to read. As
the flame burned down, the shield was moved down, too.
Candlelight was even used in industry, for the lacemaker’s
condenser. Lacemaking schools in Europe placed one tallow
candle in the centre of four bulb-shaped flasks filled with water.
These were placed on sticks at about the same height as the
flame. The ‘lens’ provided by the water-filled flasks reflected a
concentrated light on the lace on which children – some as young
as five – worked. Not surprisingly, young people working in these
type of conditions suffered problems with their eyesight by the
time they reached their teens.
Candle-making has not changed much down the centuries. One
of the first steps forward in candle-making came in 1855, when
Americans Stainthorp and Wurmstone invented the water-cooled
candle mold and movable tip-piece. Some people still make them
at home – and the method is much the same as the method
used hundreds of years ago. The one abiding principal is the need
to keep the wick central. Only minimum equipment is needed –
moulds, which can be anything from long thin traditional candle-
shaped ones to old jam jars – and iron pans with a lip to guide the
hot wax.
The ‘recipe’ for those first tallow candles? Beef
fat, mutton fat, or pork scraps. Fry over a
low heat, collect the resulting grease
and squeeze through a course cloth.
Then boil the melted fat in plenty
of salty water for 10 minutes
to clean. Stir and leave to
cool. Once it is completely
cold, the fat will form
a hard cake on the
top of the water. The
underside should be
scraped clean before
it can be weighed and
melted down to make
the candles required.
For the melting
container, a double boiler
is best. Sit the container
for the wax inside a larger
pan of water, and heat to
boiling so the tallow becomes
runny again. Once this is done,
strain the tallow through some
cheesecloth and pour into moulds with
wicks already placed in them, and then dust with
talcum powder. Candles are made upside down, so some
excess wick must be left at the bottom.
Just any old string or thread is not good enough to become a
wick – it needs to be specially treated. Cotton string or braided
cord should be soaked in turpentine, or a mixture of borax,
chloride of lime, chloride of ammonia and saltpetre dissolved in
water. After 15 to 20 minutes soaking, the wick should be dried
off in the sun before it is ready to be used.
That is the most basic traditional candle-making method, but
there are others. Of course, beeswax or paraffin wax can be
used instead of tallow, or a mixture of any of the three.
The dipping method of making candles was used when a batch
needed to be made quickly – it took less effort than making just
From grapes to snakes, weird to wonderful, candles come in all shapes and sizes and often in extraordinary realistic models
>>
Pho
togr
aph
supp
lied
by C
andl
e M
aker
s Sup
plie
s/She
ila F
itzjo
nes
Ass
ocia
tes
Pho
to ©
Cam
erap
ix P
ublis
hers
/Sha
kira
Cha
udry
38 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 39
in monetary terms. You are suggesting very strongly that I do
not do this project, so would you be able to wire the funds that I
require into my account every year?”
To this, every friend would stutter and then always say, “No.”
(I can’t seem to find one that will take the bait.)
I would turn around and say, “So if you can’t give me what I
want, would you be kind enough not to give me your opinions
either? I am an all-or-nothing guy; how about you give me all or
nothing.” I never hear their opinion from that point on. It’s a bit
harsh, but it has helped me stay focussed.
I want you to imagine shopping for groceries at your local
supermarket. You want some fruits, vegetables, milk, orange
juice, and some pasta for dinner. You enter armed with your list,
knowing exactly what you need to buy. But is what you want all
that there is on offer in the supermarket? Oh no.
Supermarkets are great at strategically displaying thousands
of products, all to tempt you to pick them up off the shelves. Let
me ask you, how many times have you fallen for this marketing
ploy? How many times have you ended up buying things that
were not on your shopping list, things that you had no intention
of buying? Those products did not just jump off the shelf and into
your basket (although at times it feels like it). Those who are on
a strict budget and those who are serious about going in and
getting out are usually the best at avoiding this trap. They simply
go in, buy what they come for, and leave – mission accomplished.
Your life is like going through a supermarket. It’s filled with
people’s opinions. It’s completely up to you what ends up in your
basket, which will determine what you take through the checkout
with you. Successful people have mastered the art of being able
to keep opinions shelved with the owner. They only listen to the
right people in the right field. Just because someone has an
opinion doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Successful people are
good at becoming unaffected by opinions, good or bad. They go
with what they have set out to do. They go with their shopping
list.
Fear and personal limitations rule most people’s realities.
People give you their opinions based on their own fears. They will
talk you out of an idea or a venture you might be planning. They
are unable to see what you see. They will not have your skill set,
talent and knowledge.
Unfortunately, these people are often those who are closest to
you. They don’t really want to harm you, but in most instances,
they have absolutely no clue about what they are talking about.
If they did, they would be doing something more active with their
lives rather than giving their opinion.
Again, we don’t let others choose the clothes we wear. We
don’t let others choose our spouse, the sport we play, or our
friends. Therefore, never let someone else choose how you
should live or what you should do with your life. You are not
disrespecting anyone; you’re just choosing not to take in the
opinions others are offering – it’s that simple.
feature
Here’s the bottom line. You are in control. You choose whether to accept those opinions or not. You
choose whether you let what Tom says affect you, and you choose
whether Dick’s criticisms makes you feel down and out. You
choose whether what Harriet thinks of you affects how you do
your business.
Always consider this – if those people giving you their opinions
don’t have what you want or aren’t where you want to be, then
why should you accept their opinions? Just think about it. Why
take their opinion if that’s all they are giving away? Someone
might think that it’s a good idea for you to jump off a cliff, but
would you do it? Someone else might think that it’s a good idea
for your child to hang around street gangs, but would you agree
to it? One person might think that your spouse isn’t the right
person for you, but would you swap? Another might not like
the shirt you’re wearing, but would you let others choose your
clothes for you? Isn’t it interesting that most poor people like to
give their advice on how to make money and become rich? Isn’t it
interesting that most people will tell you how to have a successful
relationship when they’re going through their 11th spouse?
Isn’t it interesting how many will commentate on an athlete’s
performance as they are watching the game on television from
their couch?
I’ve always asked myself – and, at times, challenged some
friends who wanted to give me their opinions to answer this
question: I would say something like this, “I like to have a lavish
time, free life so I will need a fair amount of money to keep me
happy. Being the spontaneous person that I am, I could be in New
York one day and feel like sitting on the beautiful sands in the Gold
Coast of Australia the next. I could be walking on the Great Wall
of China midweek and then want to head to Pisa to admire the
leaning tower for the weekend. I want to be able to give my family
whatever they need, without a blink. That would cost a lot purely
by Kevin Abdulrahman.
BUYINGOR LEAVING it?
feature
It’s said that the cheapest commodity in this world is
people’s opinion because everyone has a truckload to
give away. The sad part that fuels this phenomenon
is that it’s free, and, unfortunately, most of it is worth
its weight in rubbish. Every Tom, Dick, and Harriet has
something to say. You can’t stop people from giving
opinions, but you sure can choose how to deal with them.
40 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 41
that seem too good to be true – and are. Order them, give your
credit card details, and the card is debited without the goods
being delivered. By the time the law tries to catch up, these
outfits have disappeared into thin air – taking your money with
them.
There are many variations of credit card scams. However,
there are even worse problems awaiting the unwary. It is possible
to inadvertently send confidential information to the wrong people,
which can mean you are breaking the law and may be liable to
serious legal action.
Computer hacking has become the new-age, high-tech sport
and subtleties in the methods of invading your computer are
becoming increasingly sophisticated. Spoofing, cramming,
steganography and caching are now part of the language of the
younger, computer-savvy generations (there are so many new
expressions; we’ve included a list of the basic ones at the end of
this article).
There are now special hacker programmes available that
enable computer criminals to access accounts to a frightening
degree. Not only is this very profitable; in many countries, there
are simply no laws that adequately cover this type of new-
millennium crime. And even if the computer criminals are caught,
resulting sentences are often minimal.
Computer hackers are very often as young as they are clever.
A while back, a 17-year-old Scandinavian boy discovered a way
of breaking the code protecting the new DVD movie disks from
being copied. He didn’t try to profit from this, but simply published
his system on the web. Needless to say, the movie studios were
horrified, and the whole exercise cost them millions.
Other hackers decided to show their skill by breaking into
American University computers and using the massive volumes of
data to bombard major transmission providers and e-commerce
operators into overload and breakdown.
For those who use it properly, the internet can be a wonderful
tool. In one afternoon it is possible to stroll through the British
Museum, buy and sell shares, research treatments for your aches
and pains, talk on a chat site with someone living at the opposite
end of the earth, view a house you’re thinking of buying, and order
an increasing number of commodities for home delivery.
In this remarkable new electronic world you can also download
images, send e-mails, contribute to a newsgroup, and never have
to battle the traffic. You can listen to the latest music, access the
news as it happens and even watch movies. That is the bright
side of the internet. But the flip side has a negative for each of
these positives.
Accessing your money is not the only trap to the web. One dark
side of the internet is another major minefield faced by those
trying to protect children and retain a sense of decency in the
community. In the search for knowledge for a school project, a
child could be subject to images from gore sites, hatred sites,
pornographic sites, or gambling sites at the click of a button.
Often the pointers to such sites are deliberately designed to
appear quite harmless, initially leading the internet surfers to
believe the site to be connected with their field of research.
Pornography is probably the most profitable money-maker on
the web today. But there is even worse. Every style of perversion
is available, with full colour images, somewhere on the internet.
Photographs of executions and murder victims and autopsy
photographs constitute just some of the ‘gore’ sites. Then there
are dangerous sites, including some which offer do-it-yourself
instructions for bomb-making, and others preaching hate and
intolerance.
Parents are not the only group that is concerned about dark
websites. Schools, corporations, religious groups and those
concerned with community standards are at a loss to know how
to cope with the easy access of this dubious material.
Recently, companies have found their office computers so
compromised that many organisations have now established
some type of restrictive rules that set out acceptable computer-
use policy for employees. This was brought ahead by court cases
ruling in favour of female employees who felt intimidated by being
targeted by such material, and feeling that this created
a hostile work environment.
Companies are at multiple
risk from without and within.
While hackers try and access
their systems from the outside,
staff insiders are frequently
destructive as well, both with
criminal intent or because they
feel that in order to get even
for some perceived wrongdoing
by their company they can create
computer mischief, and no one will
be able to find out.
technology
>>
Warez is the term used to describe illegal copies of software
Computer crime goes beyond having your credit card illegally accessed
The Dark Side of the Web
You are on a business trip to a faraway country but
didn’t bother bringing travelers cheques. After all,
you are secure in the knowledge that your credit card
has a sizeable unused credit limit. And travelers cheques are
yesterday’s technology. Who would bother with them when you
can use a credit card in virtually every automated teller machine
(ATM) around the world.
Arriving at the faraway international airport, you head for the
nearest ATM to get enough of the local currency to cover your
hotel, entertainment, taxis and other expenses that you know are
going to mount up over the next week.
Inserting your credit card and personal identification number
(PIN) number, you request the ATM for 1,000 faraway Dollars.
But instead of receiving the money, a slip tells you that your credit
card limit is overdrawn. What you don’t find out until after you
have contacted the credit card company, is that hackers broke
into the records of a company from which you recently made
a purchase, and then published the details of your bank, credit
card number and enough information for professional website
thieves to access your account and clean it out. It’s a story that is
repeated day after day.
Computer crime goes beyond having your credit card illegally
accessed. A large number of fly-by-night companies offer wares
The internet has been hailed as a new fountain of knowledge, bringing
a wealth of information to the fingertips of anyone with a computer.
That’s the bright side. As Walter Glaser discovered, the Net can cheat
and swindle you and corrupt and disturb your children.
technology
42 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 43
The hAcker’s JArGoN:
<Anarchy sites> encourages lawlessness by
detailing illegal procedures such as how to
make a bomb, rob a bank, or even kill someone.
<cramming> which means that your credit card
website transaction is billed to you at a
slightly higher amount, and repeated in the
following months. The amounts are small, so
as not to attract attention, but they are
frequent.
<cracking> turns evaluation versions of
software into real versions.
<hacking> is the unauthorised access to a
computer system.
<MP3> is an easily copied music file format,
mostly used for copyright piracy and is
creating big problems for the music industry.
<spoofing> is the copying of an entire
website which is posted on a free web-space.
Unsuspecting net-surfers are coerced through
search engines or incorrect links to visit the
site. They may then enter credit card details
for goods that never arrive.
<Phreaking> is phone fraud used along with
telecommunication technologies that help
hackers create mischief in the computing world.
<steganography> means that hidden messages are
contained within other messages, enabling two
or more people to have secret communications
contained with news groups or websites.
<Warez> is the name used to describe illegal
copies of software.
For more information on computer protection
check out:
<www.buchananinternational.com>
And sometimes something done as a light-hearted joke can go terribly wrong.
A British bank recently set out a programme targeting its super-wealthy clientele
in the bank’s private-banking section. The programmer, intending to have the
computer add the name of each client to individualise the approach, headed the
draft letter up with the opener ‘‘Dear Filthy-Rich Bastard.’’ You’ve guessed it! A
glitch caused all the letters to go out with that heading. The programmer no
longer works at the bank. But the bank no longer has most of its former clients
in this category either!
So what is the answer?
A software system to keep criminals activity out of the information technology
system is being developed by a Scottish company. It has been designed by
Bushanna International Limited by their specialist spin-off company system
Lookout Limited.
Lookout is designed to identify inappropriate material and can tell if the
information has been copied from a Flash Disk, CD or other medium. The
programme is of great interest to schools, companies, universities and parents
with home computers, all anxious to stamp out the abuse of computer networks.
System Lookout can be customised for each client to filter out specific
material. Some of the ‘inappropriate material’ could well be innocuous but
damaging – such as out-of-date price lists, outdated information and, on the
incoming side, unwanted advertising via email.
Computer owners, especially company networks, can benefit from such
protective systems in many ways. They can lower costs by having a reduced flow
of data to check each day. Litigation can be avoided and efficiency improved as
employees cannot access banned or time-wasting material. And it can also make
hacking or leaking more difficult. No-one wants to deal with an organisation that
may develop a reputation as a ‘leaking sieve’ for confidential data.
Sadly, computer security is a little like viruses. As soon as you find an answer
to one, newer versions pop up elsewhere. But fortunately a new breed of
protection experts is making the work of those that try to subvert the system
for fun or profit, harder and harder. All that the individual or corporate user
can do is to take the greatest care possible. The new age has arrived, and the
clock cannot be turned back. We must all be aware that with all its marvels and
benefits, there is also a very dark side to the web.
technology
>>
health
high mortality rates, especially among young children. So far, the
only defences against it have been down the path of prevention
by means of prophylactic drugs, insect-repellent lotions, clothing
and bed nets impregnated with insecticide, and the controversial
measures of area spraying and bush clearance. Treatment for
the disease once contracted has also improved greatly, but it
has stubbornly remained as one of the few major diseases to be
still on the rise.
An additional note of urgency has also been added to the
situation. A decade ago, the World Health Organisation (WHO)
began warning of the possible spread of malaria because
of global warming. Again, Africa was in the front line. Since
malarial mosquitoes don’t normally breed above 1,500-2,000
metres, large tracts of mountainous sub-Saharan Africa were
considered non-malarial. But as temperatures rise, the WHO’s
prediction that more land would come under threat has proved
true. Cases are now being reported from towns and villages in
East Africa, especially in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda,
once thought safe.
Some of this increase could be influenced by other factors
such as large population movements caused by political
upheavals, or migrant workers returning from malarial zones,
but the trend is there, and it looks set to continue until an
effective vaccine is available. Great emphasis is being placed
by the Gates Foundation and GSK on ensuring that distribution
and implementation procedures are in place for the day when
a vaccine, hopefully RTSS, will be ready, and available free.
Meanwhile, combating malaria by all the known methods has to
continue and be extended as far as possible.
MalariaFresh Hope for an Effective Vaccine
In spite of all the amazing advances in medical science,
malaria is one of those diseases that has so far refused to
go away. Other major-league killers such as smallpox and
yellow fever have been virtually eliminated, but the magic bullet
of a really effective vaccine against malaria has, time and again,
eluded researchers. But now hope could be at hand.
In November 2009, the Path Malaria Vaccine Initiative (Path
MVI) funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the
multinational pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline, were
confident enough to announce that a new vaccine, known as
RTSS, is in the final stages of development. Extensive trials are
being run in seven countries of sub-Saharan Africa including
Kenya, involving 16,000 under-fives, with the full co-operation of
the governmental health authorities concerned.
GSK is stressing that these trials are essential if the vaccine
is to be given the go-ahead. If it is found that children given
the RTSS vaccine develop a sufficient degree of immunity to
the worst effects of malaria, then it could be available in three
to five years. This is particularly good news for tropical and
sub-tropical Africa, where the disease is seen as a major factor
holding back economic development.
Unfortunately, there are many areas of the continent where
conditions are all too favourable for the malarial mosquito to
thrive, and the effects of the disease itself are a big factor in
This is particularly good news for tropical and sub-tropical Africa, where the disease is seen as a major factor holding back economic development.
Below:
A female
Anopheles
species
mosquito
– the only
inverterbrate
vector of
malaria
parasites.
44 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 45
AIR UGANDA FLIGHT SCHEDULE
For centuries, coveted by Chinese and Indian cooks, ginger,
in the last few decades, has become revered in many of
the European and North American kitchens. Forming the
bases for innumerable dishes, this seasoning is, today, employed
on a large scale in almost every country throughout the globe. A
good number of cooks say that the secret of the world-renowned
Chinese cuisine is this condiment which some have labelled
‘spice of the ages’.
Yet, many know that this spice is full of medicinal properties.
Some herbalists have labelled it the ‘ultimate in healthy eating’.
In the land of its origin, southeastern Asia, ginger was not
only used in foods but also as a medicine, revered for its
therapeutic properties. It was part of external home remedies
such that it was compressed and utilised as an ingredient in
medical preparations. For thousands of years, known to the
Chinese as the ‘Gift of God’, it was mentioned in China’s first
Pharmacopoeia, Pen Tsao Ching, written in the mist of time, and
in Ayurvedic, an ancient medical science in India, it forms the
basis of many medicines.
According to R. Landry in The Gentle Art of Flavoring, ginger
was included in the pharmacopoeia of the Arabs. King Henry VIII
of England believed that it could cure the plague and the Indians
have long made a paste, which they believe keeps away scurvy.
For generations, herb doctors have believed that it fortifies the
chest and have prescribed ginger tea for arthritis, colds and flu,
leprosy, tetanus and digestive problems.
In Asia, ginger is believed to warm the internal organs and,
hence, act as an aphrodisiac. For thousands of years, it has
been used externally and internally to increase sexual powers.
In some countries, women rub ginger on their bodies or eat
gingerbread to attract the opposite sex. In other cultures,
a concoction of the spice is prepared to increase virility and
combat impotence.
Chinese herbal medicine has for centuries employed ginger
to boost the immune system, purge the body viruses, and as
a stimulating tonic for digestive disorders. Brewed as a tea,
it was employed to relieve headaches, chest congestion, and
indigestion and to induce sweating, helping fevers run their
course. Fresh ginger grated into hot lemon and honey was for
centuries employed to fight off colds and discharge mucus, and
a ginger bath is still used to combat stuffed noses due to
allergies, sinus trouble, or colds.
Containing calcium, carotene, cellulose, iron, lime,
pentosans, protein, starch, vitamins B and C, and a small
quantity of volatile oil – a fixed oil with high-flavored resinous
matter – ginger has digestive properties and is useful as a
salt substitute.
Modern research has discovered that it eases
depression, and its anti-viral qualities help relieve colds and
flu, chest congestion, headaches, morning sickness; and is a
good stimulant and carminative – it stimulates blood circulation
and is much used for dyspepsia and colic. Ginger boosts poor
circulation and its pungency and sapid flavour awakens the
appetite and disguises the taste of nauseous medicines.
Scientists have determined that ginger’s antibiotic qualities
killed the salmonella bug in test-tube trials. In addition, tests
have shown that ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and,
hence, it is used to relieve the painful swelling of arthritis and
rheumatism and to ease muscle cramps.
Laboratory research has established that ginger is as
effective as standard drugs in treating travel illness, such as
sea sickness and car sickness, and nausea in pregnancy. To
be effective, travellers should take one gramme dried ginger
powder or about five grammes fresh or crystallised ginger half
to one hour before departure, then continue to ingest ginger
regularly during the journey.
In modern China it remains one of the most widely employed
drugs. Both fresh and dried roots as well as a liquid extract
and tincture of ginger are official drugs in the modern Chinese
pharmacopoeia. In that country, half of all herbal prescriptions
include ginger. However, not only in China, but throughout the
world modern research continues to validate its medicinal
claims. Recent research has found that ginger has natural meat
tenderising enzymes that can make tough meat palatable and,
as an icing on its beneficial and healing qualities, it tastes good.
by Habeeb Salloum.
The Medicinal Qualities of Ginger
health
ENTEBBE – NAIROBIFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 202 6:30 Hrs 07:40 Hrs Monday – Friday
U7 202 8:30 Hrs 9:40 Hrs Saturday
U7 206 12:20 Hrs 13:25 Hrs Sunday
U7 204 18:30 Hrs 19:40 Hrs Monday – Saturday
U7 204 18:45 Hrs 19:55 Hrs Sunday
NAIROBI – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 203 08:15 Hrs 09:25 Hrs Monday – Friday
U7 203 10:15 Hrs 11:25 Hrs Saturday
U7 207 13:55 Hrs 15:00 Hrs Sunday
U7 205 20:20 Hrs 21:30 Hrs Monday – Saturday
U7 205 20:30 Hrs 21:40 Hrs Sunday
ENTEBBE – JUBAFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 120 10:25 Hrs 11:25 Hrs Monday – Thursday
U7 120 14:45 Hrs 15:45 Hrs Friday
U7 120 12:15 Hrs 13:15 Hrs Saturday
U7 120 15:30 Hrs 16:30 Hrs Sunday
JUBA – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 119 12:05 Hrs 13:05 Hrs Monday – Thursday
U7 119 16:45 Hrs 17:45 Hrs Friday
U7 119 13:55 Hrs 14:55 Hrs Saturday
U7 119 17:10 Hrs 18:10 Hrs Sunday
ENTEBBE – ZANZIBARFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 340 14:30 Hrs 16:55 Hrs Tuesday & Thursday
U7 340 09:00 Hrs 11:25 Hrs Sunday
ZANZIBAR – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 341 17:25 Hrs 20:00 Hrs Tuesday & Thursday
U7 341 11:55 Hrs 14:30 Hrs Sunday
ENTEBBE – DAR ES SALAAMFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 320 08:00 Hrs 09:45 Hrs Monday & Tuesday
U7 320 14:30 Hrs 16:15 Hrs Wednesday & Thursday
U7 320 11:40 Hrs 13:25 Hrs Friday
U7 320 15:15 Hrs 17:00 Hrs Sunday
DAR ES SALAAM – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 321 10:15 Hrs 12:00 Hrs Monday & Tuesday
U7 321 16:50 Hrs 18:35 Hrs Wednesday & Thursday
U7 321 14:00 Hrs 15:45 Hrs Friday
U7 321 17:35 Hrs 19:20 Hrs Sunday
ENTEBBE – MOMBASAFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 340 14:30 Hrs 16:00 Hrs Tuesday & Thursday
U7 340 09:00 Hrs 10:30 Hrs Sunday
MOMBASA – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 341 18:30 Hrs 20:20 Hrs Tuesday & Thursday
U7 341 13:00 Hrs 14:30 Hrs Sunday
ENTEBBE – KIGALIFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 350 12:30 Hrs 12:15 Hrs Monday & Tuesday
U7 350 12:00 Hrs 11:45 Hrs Wednesday & Thursday
U7 352 16:15 Hrs 16:00 Hrs Friday
KIGALI – ENTEBBEFLIGHT NUMBER DEPARTURE TIME ARRIVAL TIME FREQUENCY
U7 351 12:45 Hrs 14:30 Hrs Monday & Tuesday
U7 351 12:15 Hrs 14:00 Hrs Wednesday & Thursday
U7 353 16:30 Hrs 18:15 Hrs Friday
For any information contact your preferred Travel Agent or our Sales & Reservation Office on +256 (0) 412 165 555 in KAMPALA.
46 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 47
ASANTE NEWSASANTE NEWS
Air Uganda and RwandAir Codeshare Air Uganda and RwandAir have introduced a codeshare agreement
on their flights between Entebbe and Kigali. This will enable both
airlines and travel agents to sell tickets on each other’s flights to
offer customers the same combinable fares on the same tickets,
making it cheaper and simpler for their customers to use both
airlines’ flights.
This partnership allows passengers to enjoy a day return from
both Uganda and Rwanda. With their synchronised schedules, Air
Uganda and RwandAir offer passengers morning and evening flights
daily between Entebbe and Kigali. Air Uganda operates afternoon
flights between Entebbe and Kigali (see flight schedule on page 45)
and RwandAir operate a flight out of Kigali in the evening at 1900
hours (local time Kigali), and depart from Entebbe at 2120 hours
(local time Entebbe) for Kigali.
The codeshare also enables travel agents to sell combinable fares
on both airlines using the same ticket. Tickets for these flights can
be obtained at travel agents, Air Uganda or RwandAir’s offices in
Rwanda, Uganda and throughout East Africa.
With similar 50-seater Bombardier (CRJ) aircraft operated by
both RwandAir and Air Uganda, passengers are able to enjoy the
same level of comfort and speed on whichever airline they travel
between Kigali and Entebbe.
Air Uganda’s Chief Executive Officer, Hugh Fraser, stated “With
this new codeshare agreement, both airlines can provide additional
benefits and services to our mutual customers travelling between
Entebbe and Kigali”.
Above: Uganda Cranes (Uganda’s National football team) arrives from Nairobi
after they beat Harambee Stars (Kenya’s National football team), to qualify
for the Africa Nations Champions to be held in Sudan in January 2011. Air
Uganda is the official carrier of the Uganda Cranes.
Above: At the recently held Air Uganda Travel forum,
Ms. Angella Llingat (left) of Asyanut Safaris and Travel
won a two nights accommodation package to Mombasa,
courtesy of Air Uganda and Leopard Beach Resort and
Spa, Mombasa. Also present on the occasion were Mr.
Hugh Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of Air Uganda and
Ms. Sally (right) of Leopard Beach Hotel.
Above: Mr. Hugh Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of Air Uganda (right)
with Mr. Mahmood Manji (centre), Chairman of Air Uganda and
Mr. Rene Janata, Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir.
48 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 49
For your own comfort try • and travel light.
Wear loose clothing and • elasticated stockings made of natural fibre.
Increase your normal • intake of water and only if need be, drink alcohol but in moderation.
Use moisturising cream to • keep your skin from drying out.
Take off shoes in the • plane to prevent your feet from swelling up or wear shoes that will cope with expanding ankles.
Avoid heavy meals during • the flight.
Short walks once every • two hours are excellent for circulation.
Try to touch your toes • when waiting in the aisle to stretch your hamstrings.
On arrival at your • destination, have a hot shower or a relaxing bath.
On arrival a quick jog, • brisk walk, or a vigorous scrub will help stimulate your circulation.
Knee to chest: Bend forward slightly. Clasp hands around the left knee and hug it to your chest. Hold stretch for 15 seconds. Keeping hands around knee, slowly let it down. Alternate legs. Repeat 10 times.
Shoulder roll: Hunch shoulders forward, then upward, then backward, then downward, using a gentle, circular motion.
Shoulder stretch: Reach right hand over left shoulder. Place left hand behind right elbow and gently press elbow toward shoulder. Hold stretch for 15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Arm curl: Start with arms held at a 90-degree angle: elbows down, hands out in front. Raise hands up to chest and back down, alternating hands. Do this exercise in 30-second intervals.
Forward flex: With both feet on the floor and stomach held in, slowly bend forward and walk your hands down the front of your legs towards your ankles. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds and slowly sit back up.
Overhead stretch: Raise both hands straight up over your head. With one hand, grasp the wrist of the opposite hand and gently pull to one side. Hold stretch for 15 seconds. Repeat on the other side.
Ankle circles: Lift feet off the floor, draw a circle with the toes, simultaneously moving one foot clockwise and the other foot counterclockwise. Reverse circles. Do each direction for 15 seconds. Repeat if desired.
Neck roll: With shoulders relaxed, drop ear to shoulder and gently roll neck forward and to the other side, holding each position about five seconds. Repeat five times.
Other Tips for a Comfortable Flight
These gentle exercises, which you can carry out easily during your flight, will help blood circulation and reduce any tiredness or stiffness that may result from sitting in one place for several hours. Check with your doctor first if you have any health conditions which might be adversely affected by exercise.
Foot pumps:
Start with both heels on the
floor and point feet upward
as high as you can. Then
put both feet flat on the
floor. Then lift heels high,
keeping the balls of your feet
on the floor. Continue cycle
in 30-second intervals.
Knee lifts:
Lift leg with knees bent while
contracting your thigh muscles.
Alternate legs. Repeat 20 to 30
times for each leg.
ROUTE MAPHEALTHY TRAVELLING
Juba
Mombasa
Zanzibar
Dar es salaam
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CM
MY
CY
CMY
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EAmap.pdf 7/13/10 3:34:32 PM
Entebbe
50 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010 aug – oct 2010 | air uganda | 51
LandUganda is a compact country, with an area of 236,580 square kilometres – roughly the size of Great Britain.
ClimateAlthough situated on the equator, Uganda’s relatively high altitude tempers the heat, and humidity is generally low. Throughout the year sunshine averages about 6 to 10 hours a day. There are two rainy seasons: the main long rains, which start late in February and end in April, and the short rains, which start in October and run until about the middle of December. The region around Lake Victoria, however, receives rain at almost any time of the year.
TopographyIt is located on the equator, within the eastern plateau region of the African continent and between the eastern and western ridges of the Great Rift Valley. Near the borders several mountain masses stand out strikingly from the plateaux.
EconomyUganda is blessed with fertile soils that support a wide variety of food and export crops, both annual and perennial. Agriculture is the dominant sector of Uganda’s economy. The major traditional export crops are coffee, cotton, tea, horticulture, tobacco and sugar cane, while groundnuts, maize, beans, sorghum and millet have emerged in recent years as cash crops for the peasant farmers.
LanguageEnglish is the official language and is also the medium of instruction in Uganda’s education system, from primary school up to university level. Swahili is also spoken. There are some 30 indigenous languages spoken in the rural areas. The most common of these are Luganda and Luo.
Electric supplyAll installations are of British standard and appliances should be fitted with the square, three-pin plugs of British specifications. The voltage is 240 volts, 50 Hz for domestic use. The voltage fluctuates continually, however, and proper surge protectors are advisable for any expensive equipment.
TimeUganda is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Timeremains constant throughout the year.
PeopleThe people are warm, friendly, and full of humour. They are anxious to make friends with visitors and are continually asking guests whether they are comfortable and enjoying themselves. A large number of people speak English.
ExcursionsUganda is beginning to develop an excellent tourist infrastructure, with first-rate roads and communication facilities. Uganda’s national game, forest and recreational parks are indeed some of the spectacular showpieces Africa has to offer. They do have regulations regarding off-the-road driving, game watching, and so on, which are clearly stated at the entrance gates of parks or on leaflets supplied by the tourist offices. Mountaineering safaris to the Ruwenzori Mountains in the western Rift Valley are now becoming a favourite Ugandan expedition. Similar safaris can also be organised to climb Mount Elgon in the east, sharing the border with Kenya.
HotelsThere are international-standard hotels in Entebbe, Kampala and Jinja, as well as in many of the smaller towns. Camping, rustic bush camps and guest houses are also available. The Kampala Sheraton, the Serena Kampala, the Grand Imperial, and the Nile Hotel, all in the national’s capital are by the best. There are many other less expensive, but quite nice hotels in the city. Outside Kampala, most towns also have a variety of moderately priced and budget hotels.
Banking hoursThere is a wide range of banks in Uganda, particularly in Kampala. Their hours are generally from 0830 to 1400 on weekdays, and Saturdays from 0830 to 1200. Forex bureaux keep longer hours – 0900 to 1700 on weekdays and 0900 to 1300 on Saturdays. ATMs are available in the larger cities.
CommunicationsTelephone, Telex, fax and airmail services connect Kampala to all parts of the world. Services are available at the General Post Office and its many branches, as well as in the main hotels. International direct dialling is available and now there are a number of Internet cafes.
Medical servicesUganda has good health services, with some good government and private hospitals and clinics in the major cities. Air rescue services are available.
CurrencyUganda Shilling (UGX). Notes are in denominations of UGX 50,000, 20,000, 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000. Coins are in denominations of UGX 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. You can change money at banks and hotels. Although the forex bureaux usually have better exchange rates.
Credit cardsInternational credit cards are accepted in major hotels and shops.
Working hoursShops and businesses are generally open from 0830 to 1730 on weekdays, with a lunch break between 1300 and 1400. Some businesses are open on Saturday, at least until midday. Small, local shops or kiosks on the side of many roads are generally open much later, until about 2130 and on weekends and holidays as well; they stock basic food and household items.
Public Holidays
20101 January New Year’s Day26 January Liberation Day8 March International Women’s Day2 April Good Friday5 April Easter Monday1 May Labour Day3 June Martyrs’ Day9 June National Heroes’ Day11 September Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)9 October Independence Day17 November Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)25 December Christmas Day26 December Boxing Day
Note:The two Muslim holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximate.
CustomsBesides personal effects, a visitor may import duty-free spirits (including liquors) or wine up to one litre, perfume and toilet water up to half a litre and 270 grammes of tobacco or 200 cigarettes. Other imported items, not exceeding US$100 may be brought in duty free and without an import licence, provided they are not prohibited or restricted goods, are for personal use, and are not for resale.
Note: A special permit is required to export game trophies.
Health requirementsVisitors from areas infected with yellow fever and cholera required certificates on inoculation. All visitors are advised to take an antimalarial prophylactic beginning two weeks before their arrival and continuing for six weeks after their departure. A gamma globulin injection provides some protection against possible infection by hepatitis and is well worth taking.
Visa and immigration requirementsVisa applications may be obtained at Uganda diplomatic missions. Two photographs are required for visas, which are usually issued within 24 hours. Visas are also available at the country’s entry points. Check with the Uganda diplomatic mission in your country if visa is required as some countries are exempted.
Taxi servicesTaxis are immediately available at Entebbe International Airport. They can also be found outside most hotels in Kampala and at most of the country’s major centres. All don’t have meters, so make sure the fare is negotiated in advance.
Car rentalSeveral firms operate car hire services in Kampala. Vehicles may be hired with or without driver. For trips outside the city it is possible to hire insured cars appropriate for the trip (a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a driver-translator is recommended).
Entebbe International AirportThe main point of entry is Entebbe International Airport, about a 30-minute drive south of the capital, Kampala. Although modest, the modern airport does provide automated passenger facilities, currency exchange, postal services, banking facilities, telephoned, duty-free shops, gift shops and a restaurant and bar.
SecurityThe same rules apply for Kampala as for almost any city anywhere.Becareful and take the usual precautions to safeguard yourself and your belongings. Do not leave valuables in your car. Walking at night in all major centres is reasonably safe.
TIPS FOR THE TRAVELLER IN UGANDAAIR UGANDA CONTACTS AND OFFICES
Kampala Sales Office: Tel: +256 (0) 412 165 555/ +256 (0) 312 165 555Email: [email protected]: +256 (0) 414 258 267Jubilee Insurance Centre, Ground Floor,Plot 14, Parliament Avenue, P. O. Box 36591, Kampala, Uganda.
Dar es Salaam Sales Office: Tel: +255 (0) 222 133 331/5/6 +255 (0) 783 111 992 Email: [email protected]/o Holiday Africa Tours and Safaris(Opp. Habib African Bank)Indiragandhi Street, P.O. Box 22636Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Nairobi Sales Office: Tel: +254 (0)20 313 933Email: [email protected] Floor, Jubilee Insurance Building,Wabera Street, Nairobi, Kenya.
Mombasa Sales Office:Tel: +254 (0) 412 313 626Email: [email protected] TSS Towers, Nkrumah Road, 1st FloorMombasa, Kenya.
Zanzibar Sales Office: Tel: +255 (0) 242 233 506/7Email: [email protected] Afrique Cinema MalindiPO Box 251, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Juba Sales Office: Tel: +256 (0) 477 153 912Email: [email protected] Suk Street, (Opp. the Mosque)Juba, Sudan.
Kigali Sales Office: Tel: +250 (0) 252 577 926/ +250 (0) 252 577 928/ +250 (0) 788 380 926/ +250 (0) 722 926 926Email: [email protected] No. 26 UTC (Union Trade Centre) Building, Town Centre. Kigali, Rwanda.
Head Office: Tel: +256 (0) 414 258 262/4 +256 (0) 417 717 401Fax: +256 (0) 414 500 932 Email: [email protected] Africa Airlines (U) LtdPlot 11/13, Lower Kololo TerraceP.O.Box 36591, Kampala, Uganda. Entebbe International Airport (Ticketing Office): Tel: +256 (0) 414 321 485 +256 (0) 417 717 222Email:[email protected] [email protected] Floor, Passenger Terminal Building, Entebbe, Uganda.
Please Note:After working hours on weekdays (17:45hrs - 21:00hrs), Saturday (14:00hrs - 21:00hrs) and Sunday (07:30hrs - 21:00hrs) Please call our Entebbe ticketing office on Tel: +256 (0) 414 321 485 +256 (0) 417 717 222
52 | air uganda | aug – oct 2010
CROSSWORD PUZZLE & SUDOKU
8 2
86
5
98 1
24
8
2 971 6
9
17
6
521 8
59
142
3
26 27
29 3028
24 25
23
22212019
16
1514
13
1211
9
7 81 2 3 54 6
10
17
18
Clues across
1. Grow a sponge to find a stinger (4)
3. Southern chill produces reprimand (5)
6. A department of detectives is corrosive (4)
11. To power mixture used to pull (3-4)
12. Unbeatable, and definitely not the same (2, 5)
13. Accommodation, fitted-out but off-key (9, 4)
16. Replies suitable for the laboratory? (7)
17. Doctor combines with some cricket to move cattle (7)
18. Idea loses a place in disfigurement, and attach
to a motor-cycle (4-3)
21. Definitely a hands-on job! (7)
23. Busy holiday spot is the place for disturbed poor
rural pets (7,6)
26. ‘I has gun’ to cause real pain (7)
27. Country formed from rail end (7)
28. This tax has a moral obligation (4)
29. A smart guy, or just a representative (5)
30. Half a game of bowls makes brief theatrical sketch (4)
Clues down
1. Keep these about you to stay alert! (4)
2. What an observer witnessed at the timber yard? (7)
4. Credit relieves the fold lines (7)
5. Des gets mixed up with African river for oil-producing
plant (7)
7. Three quarters of an hour in cage – that’s bravery! (7)
8. Idol leaves toy inside (4)
9. Rural relative or maybe one living abroad? (7, 6)
10. In control, sounds like personal ownership (4-9)
14. Sweep or scrub with hurried note (5)
15. Hindu surprise contains seizure without authority (5)
19. Water shortage. Medic ought to end it (7)
20. Go hoard mixture for anti-social motorist (4, 3)
21. Antrim with a disturbed alien (7)
22 Set aside frisky mare to join Noah’s boat (7)
24 Port from the dais – that’s spoken (4)
25 Edict minus century, prepare for publication (4)
Place a number from 1 to 9
in every empty cell so that
each row, each column and
each 3x3 box contains all the
numbers from 1 to 9. No
number can appear twice in a
row, column or 3x3 box.
Do not guess – you can work
it out by a process of
elimination.
Crossword
Answers across1. Wasp; 3. Scold; 6. Acid; 11. Tow-rope; 12. No equal; 13. Furnished flat; 16. Retorts; 17. Drovers; 18. Side-car; 21. Masseur; 23. Popular resort; 26. Anguish; 27. Ireland; 28. Duty; 29. Agent; 30. Skit
Answers down1. Wits; 2. Sawdust; 4. Creases; 5. Linseed; 7. Courage; 8. Doll; 9. Country cousin; 10. Self-possessed;14. Brush; 15. Usurp; 19. Drought; 20. Road hog; 21. Martian; 22. Earmark; 24. Said; 25. Edit
Sudoku