The event took place at Kampala's Centre of Refuge and Hope, where I teach English lessons on Tuesdays. This weekend, they hosted their annual "Cutural Celebration" - and what a celebration it was!
Esther, Ben and I went with some friends, including my special South Sudanese friend, Grace, who was baptised with me last year. Esther was excited to point out that some of the decorative bunting that greeted us was the work some of my students completed last Tuesday:
There are many students at Refuge and Hope representing several African nations. Refugees from their home land, they have sought and found refuge in Uganda. At the Centre of Refuge and Hope, they enrol to complete courses in English language, or cooking, sewing skills, business or mechanical skills.
As part of Saturday's cultural festival, many of the students had worked hard to prepare traditional foods from their home lands. When we arrived, we were invited to go on a "tasting tour" around the tents, where each nation represented had set up a table of foods that we could try. What a great idea!
We enjoyed having our plastic plates loaded with samples of tasty foods from:
Congo,
Sudan,
Eritrea,
South Sudan,
Ethiopia,
Somalia.
Our taste buds transported us to far away lands of heat and desert sun, as unfamiliar spices and stews assailed them.
The children enjoyed trying out the different flavours - and Ben was full of delight as he chose to spend his pocket money on a delicious fried fish. He took extra delight in knowing that his chioce disgusted the girls around him!
A short while later, we were invited to join an Eritrean "Coffee ceremony". We watched in fascination as our Eritrean hosts heated the coals, made up the coffee, poured it into the earthenware pot and fanned the flames so that the coffee could cook at just the right temperature.
As we waited for our coffee to brew, we were offered fresh popcorn- a cultural habit which we first encountered in Juba at an Eritrean-owned restaurant.
It took a while, but finally our sweetened, strong coffee was ready! Served in pretty little cups on ornate saucers, we savoured the treacle-rich flavour of Eritrean coffee.
Meanwhile, Esther joined her friends for some henna decorating:
There was time to browse the market and for the children to bounce on the not-so-traditional bouncy castle!
Then the all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza of music began on the stage.
Different groups of students presented colourful, energetic dances and songs from their home countries.
During a short interval of a fashion show we were privy to the costumes and clothes of the countries of East Africa:
The most moving part of the show was the musical rendition from two countries which have been torn apart by brutal fighting and war, forcing many to flee their homeland. The heartfelt, defiant songs from Somalia and South Sudan moved me to tears and the crowd to jubilant celebration.
Beginning with statements against the wars which have rocked their countries and hurt their people, both of these national groups used the medium of song and dance to express their sorrow of what has gone before but also their resilient pride in and hope for the future of their countries.
It was an immense privilege to be seated amongst a crowd of African peoples, many of them refugees, and hear their excitement as songs they recognised from their homeland filled the airwaves around us and infected them with deep joy, pride in their culture and a refusal to be downtrodden by what has gone before.
The sounds of shouting, celebratory cries, ululating, waving of national flags and musical instruments raised a level of infectious excitement. The atmosphere was electric! Like being at a football match, as one of my friends commented. Grace was full of joy as she celebrated with her people!
What a testament to the resilience of the human spirit- and to the vision of the founders of "Refuge and Hope" to provide a safe haven, in God's name, to encourage, build up and fuel hope in displaced peoples, People who may have experienced trauma we can't even imagine- and yet rise above it to stand together, look up and look forward. Amazing and inspiring to witness.
I left the Culutral Day full of hope and exhileration. A great way to spend our Saturday afternoon!
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