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ABOUT
UGANDA
Uganda is saturated in colour, the outstanding natural beauty
of its people and its landscapes have always stirred inspiration
in travellers and residents.
Parts of Uganda have changed very little in the last hundred
years; the period of turmoil between 1967 and 1986 virtually
ground all industrial and economic progress to a halt.
 This
was an era when other countries in Africa were enjoying the
fruits of international aid and their economies expanded as
fast as their populations.
Uganda has only just started to receive positive international
attention and it has been slow and cautious in coming. The increasing
confidence with which donor countries treat Uganda is a direct
result of its current leadership, which has been so responsive
in progressive policy making.
There has been much to learn, for both the donors and the public
and private communities in Uganda, from the results around the
rest of the continent. Lessons have been learnt. The result
has been fast and real progress has been made. In some cases,
Uganda has started to set trends for other countries to follow,
financial Policies have got to grips with wildfire inflation
and currency fluctuations. The government is allowing free expression
and, through this, is unifying the Ugandan peoples.
Matters of constitution and restitution are a priority, which
is creating a very positive forum for peace and stability.
Agriculture, the traditional backbone of Uganda's economy (employs
about 80% of the active population), contributes to debt service.
The massive sugar and textile industries of the 1960s are reviving,
along with the large tea estates long neglected.
 The
government controls on the coffee and cotton industry have been
loosened to allow the farmer a larger market in which to sell
his produce, and private exporters have been granted licences.
Horticulture and floriculture are receiving increased investment
as air-cargo becomes a viable means of' transport.
The government has facilitated foreign investment with attractive
incentives and streamlined import and export procedures. Many
expelled Asians have returned to reclaim their properties and
are reinvesting in a growing economy.
Tourism, the most sensitive of all industries to develop, is
finally attracting investment and interest. Significant progress
has been made in the redevelopment of infrastructure in the
National Parks. The devastation of the animal populations that
took place during the war years is beginning to be repaired
through increased control and management.
New areas of interest such as mountain gorillas and eco-tourism,
white water rafting and sport fishing have put Uganda back on
the East African tourist circuit. The Nile, a source of wonder
and inspiration for thousands of years, cuts a verdant and often
turbulent median south to north through the country.
The Nile flows from Lake Victoria at what was Rippon Falls and
into Lake Kyoga. Still the Victoria Nile, it cuts a raucous
passage west across Karuma Falls and through the narrow pillars
of Murchison Falls towards Lake Albert. Finally the Albert Nile
meanders along a slow, wide corridor into Southern Sudan. To
the far west of Uganda, on the Zaire border, the snow covered
Rwenzori Mountains (or Mountains of the Moon as Ptolemy called
them) rise into almost permanent equatorial mists. The mountain
slopes have their own strange successive worlds of vegetation,
each with its own characteristic flora. In the extreme south-west
are the Mufumbira volcanoes, a chain of imposing cones that
rise out of the lava plain f the western rift. The tropical
hardwood rainforests of Western Uganda such as Maramagambo,
Budongo and Bwindi evoke adventure and wonder.
Kampala, the modern capital, is the centre of most economic
activity. It is steadily being rebuilt after systematic looting
and destruction during the changes of government. The city infrastructure
has been restored and new office towers, hotels, stadiums and
shopping malls are appearing almost monthly. Entebbe, the former
administrative capital, is still very picturesque, though rundown
and neglected. The century old botanical gardens are being restored
to their former splendour.
The presence of the international airport at Entebbe will ensure
its continued restoration. Of the other towns around the country,
Jinja, at the source of the Nile, Mbarara, on the road west,
Fort Portal, at the foot of the Rwenzoris, and Mbale on the
eastern border are all howling promising signs of economic recovery.
The apparent slow development and poverty of areas outside Kampala
is combined result of cautious investment and the relatively
recent restoration of countrywide infrastructure.
Tourism and increased commercial agriculture will gradually
redress the balance, as they have elsewhere in Africa. Uganda
is rich with culture and artistic talent, Ugandans are lively
actors and public speakers. Hardly a night passes without the
rhythmic sounds of traditional dancing or, in Kampala, modern
disco music. The overriding impression of Uganda is of its happy
people. Hardship and war are not forgotten, but they are in
the past, to be recalled in silent prayers and thoughts for
absent friends.
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