In Uganda, as in the United States, and I imagine just about everywhere else, the traffic gets heavier in the streets, and the stores, markets, banks and post offices are packed with those people trying to get their last minute shopping and errands complete.
Most people that I've talked with travel to their village -- I've talked with people who headed out of Kampala to Mbarara, Kisoro, Kisiizi (in the South-West part of Uganda), to Jinja and Mbale in the East, and Gulu and Lira (in the North).
Then there are those who remain in Kampala with their family and friends, because the city is so quiet, few things are open on Christmas Day. Others who remain in the city are taxi-drivers, who have told me "oh, business is not good. but we will not take off for the holiday. we need to make some small money. so we look foward to the people coming back."
There are also Christmas Carols on the radio -- some of them the classics, Bing Crosby and then of course their is also the Justin Timberlake, NYSYNC version of "Home for Christmas." Pop-culture is all over Kampala these days, with MTV on 24 hours a day, and on two different channels. Also, there is a station out of Tanzania and Kenya which has reggae infused hip-hop videos. The same idea, throwback hats and shirts, women dancing on top of chrome-tipped cars -- "Pimp My Ride" is a popular show here. But of course, many of the videos appear to be produced with a SONY Mini-DV camera and of course, in Swahili.
There is universal element to the holiday season, and I believe in Uganda this definately rings true. The family get togethers, the dinners, the parties and even some of the deocrations (at least in Kampala) is all around.
And on Christmas Day, the churches are packed, some places like Namirembe Cathedral will have more than 1,000. It is more than just gifts, it is about the recognition and belief that this is the holiest holiday of the year.
However, during this time of joy, there is also the reality that many people are still living in poverty, that orphans continue to run through the sludge in Namuwongo, people in IDP camps still live there, and those who suffer in the face of AIDS -- they still have AIDS. It is during this season that regardless of who you are, where you come from, your religion, or culture, it is our responsibility to do something to support them. To make a decision to do something to support them in the new year, or to volunteer immediately.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said: “To forgive is not just to be selfless. It is the best form of self-interest. What dehumanized you inexorably dehumanizes me. It gives people resilience, enabling them to survive and emerge still human despite the efforts to dehumanize them.”
We should all, every person, reflect on the year that has passed.
And that means confessing the times when we have blamed others for the problems that exist in the world. Pointing fingers at others, when we see people living in poverty, and saying “they have nothing to do with me.”
Learning that when disease persists, claiming “they, those with disease, have nothing to do with me.”
And when conflict continues, whether in Northern Uganda or in the Middle East. “This also has nothing to do with me.”
Yet… when we reflect and confess, I think we'll realize that it is just not true. In the New Year, we can begin fresh – we should be forgiven for our own misguidance, and must forgive others for theirs.
It says in Judaism, “It is not your duty to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” So, let us work …together… toward shared values, and our shared future. Yes, the problems are more than the capacity of a single person, but together, we can all do something to fight poverty and disease, and together we can make for a more peaceful and prosperous world. So that next year, others will be able to share in the same joy of the Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year.
