In Which We Participate in a Parade, See Bushes with AK-47s, and Revance

February 6^th: Saturday

Saturday Martha, all the Wrights kids, and I piled into their van and along with the Eldeens set off on an expedition. Our destination, a “Peace Village” several kilometers from Nabilatuk where two different Karimojong tribes have come to live in peace instead of raiding from each other. We were to meet a group there including two men from Peacemaker Ministries in the US and from the Eldeen’s and my home church. Unfortunately after a half hour drive from the main road into the boondocks we encountered a nearly impassable stretch of “road” from the recent rains from the night before.

After our forced “revance” we stopped in Nabilatuk for sodas where we immediately attracted a huge crowd of curious children who flocked after us like we had 3 heads. The Eldeens headed back while Martha went to the local shop to go and buy some groceries. JB and Christine had come with us and JB wanted to go visit his aunt so we took refuge in here compound from the hundreds of obnoxious kids who had been following us. It was like being mobbed by the paparazzi.

JB’s aunt gave us tea and told us that there were so many people in town today because supposedly Janet Museveni was supposed to come and speak in this rally thing. Well wow, so we decided to stick around and check out this rally. There we got seats underneath a tent and watched several groups of Karimojong women perform songs. After that to our complete astonishment a marching band appeared from somewhere and the entire town participated in the spontaneous parade up and down the main street of Nabilatuk. After the parade the army burned 136 AK-47s as a symbol of the disarmament. Apparently someone didn’t do his job properly because a bullet went off in one of the chambers which freaked everyone out and most of the people ran away. Then several speakers came and the Wright kids somehow scored free sodas. I was standing by some soldiers who participated in the parade and for some unfathomable reason were covered in branches so they looked like bushes with AKs and RPGs. One particular soldier by me must have been like 4’9” and had this hug RPG over one soldier. He was shorter than Kipsy.

Eventually the realization sunk in that Janet Museveni wasn’t coming and instead it was someone who used to have her post in Karamoja. We left the rally disappointed but optimistic because we had seen great and wonderful things that day.