 |
ARUA CITY (Logo modified on Monday 7th March 2016, copied from the Arua Municipal Council Coat of Arms)
|
Saturday 27th February 2016 [The 9th SABBATH of the Year]: Two Gaagaa Birds (Black and white Crows) fly northwards. Either Kites (Yuku) or brown Eagles with white Beaks, definitely Ugandan and not Albanian dance and fly leisurely in the Air just above the Lovers' Rock on Arua Hill. Residents on the East Hillbase go about their normal Life: brushing Teeth (Si), combing Hair (Dribi), riding out, etc. Clouds cover the blinding Sun (Etu) as it keeps rising after 9 AM. A Plane (Ndege) flies unhindered northwards to the Arua Airfield (International Transit Airport by 2030), you wish you were super high. Muni University sits comfortably at a Distance as Trucks pass by on the Road (Geriko) adjacent to it, you wonder if they are tarmacking or just pouring Water on Murram. To borrow a Description from former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, the View from this Hill is one of the "splendid and alluring Panoramas" in the Lado Enclave. Someone sweeps away Leaves (Bikubi) behind the Nile FM/ BTN TV's white Offices where they moved in 2015. There is a pair of wonderful Ladies Pump Shoes outside the Radio Studio [Gracious is presenting on air right now]. Another Female (Oku) arrives; Men (Agupi) too. A black Car (Motoka) and some Motorcycles (Piki piki) ferry People to the top of the Hill.
 |
| ("Sunrise" by Aiko) |
During the 1979 Liberation War, the Tanzanians were going to flatten Arua Town with Bombs, but someone convinced them that not everyone in Arua was Homeboy Idi Amin's Soldier (Intel from a foreign Journalist's Book entitled "War In Uganda"). Nevertheless, some Buildings were destroyed and those that had been planned for Construction stalled until the late 2000s for instance the three-storeyed KKT Plaza on Duka Road which was six Floors in the 1970s Plan. In 1985, Arua also witnessed the Ombaci Massacre by Obote II Soldiers but got back up from that dark Past during the NRM Regime. No Need for Tribalism in this Cosmopolitan City that might become a Metropolis up to Koboko by the 22nd Century. The "Ancient Capital of Pan-Africanism" keeps growing under the Sun having celebrated 100 Years as a Ugandan Town in 2014. Most of the Tallest Buildings in Arua City are 5 to 6 Floors high (especially on Adumi Road), a Rule set because of low flying Planes as they approach the Airport but it can still be altered in Future to maximise vertical Space outside the Fly Zone. Today, Barifa Forest looks dry brown in the middle around the Inzikuru Stadium Field; there has been no heavy Rain for Months. Climate Change is real, 2015 was the Hottest Year while this Month (February 2016) was the Hottest Month in recorded History according to NASA. Only good Thing about Arua's Dry (Winter) Season is that you don't stress in weeding Gardens, whacking Compound Weeds, mowing Lawns nor slashing Roadside Grass but you will wish for the Dryness again when Rain eventually returns with amazing Lightning (around March [Spring] till the End of October though June is Summer Time with reduced Rain and September [like Autumn outside the Tropics] brings the Colours of Fall). It's not a Problem if you have Cattle or other People graze their Cows/ Goats/ Sheep on the Grass and you use the Cuttings as Manure for your Crops. The cool Breeze increases as my Shirt moves like a Ugandan Flag waving in the Wind, Tree Leaves make continuous Sound. The 1,365 cubic metre National Water & Sewerage Corporation Reservoir lies unmoved atop the Hill. Telecommunication Masts stand upright like Giants towering above everything visible. Guards keep watch in their sentry Stations. Fearsome-barechested Vagabonds roam the Forest below, Thugs can give you Heartburn when you run from them, JESUS! A Woman was once caught and raped in Barifa by unknown Men while her Friend escaped to report the Incident. When Help finally arrived, she was found unconscious. People get robbed at Knife Point too. It used to be dangerous travelling on Barifa Road at even 6pm [Dusk], then 7, 8 and 9 but with the Growth brought by Muni University, Increase in Population plus Tarmacking of Roads, Things might change. Civilians walk the Muni Bypass. Others drum and hunt for Whiteants in the Forest while Firewood-gatherers pick detached Tree Branches. Some Trees on the Hill have completely dried up, no Leaves whatsoever. This is the East Side! Not much Noise, just People chatting at the Studios behind me. Dan (Bodaman) comes around looking for someone at Nile FM; I tell him am also waiting for someone (a Guest). Sun finally shows its bright Face again, opens its Teeth (nzi Si). Smoke in the Distance, Masts too. Hill brightens, Rooftops shine. The Sun is blinding and somehow neutralizes or equalizes the cold Breeze with its Heat though Clouds cover it again. In Geography Lessons, they say: The higher you go, the cooler it becomes; the colder too even in the Dry Season. Dragonfly passes by, Geckos (Olokoto) including blue-tailed Species walk on the Rocks behind the Studios [Arua can be very interesting sometimes: I have spotted a camouflage Moth that looks exactly like it was cut from a deep green Mango Leaf, washed-up Crab on a River Bank, rare red Monkey, Firefly Nightshow and purple Snake in other Parts of Arua before]. The moving Shadows created on the Rocks by the beautiful graceful Eagles in the brighter Sun make you appreciate Independence and Freedom. Presidential Elections took place nine Days behind and the Results were announced exactly a Week before today.
I did not vote [I have never voted for any Politician outside School though I promote some eg distributed M7's small Posters in 2016 since I felt more improved from my 2011 Depression], however am very glad my President still won again as expected [The President is Black but his Bus is
all yellow... Binaisa sat so that Museveni could run. Museveni ran so all the Children can ride]. While campaigning to replace Sevo, a leading Opposition Candidate told Aruans that their Town is too small to be a City. But how about Vatican, Masdar and so forth? Arua has regional Pedigree! I cannot blame Government for all the Problems we face: Roads have been tarmacked (My Main Wish) plus more are still being improved; Schools have been set up everywhere, literally everywhere; Hospitals, Clinics plus Health Centres are available and People's Livelihoods have changed. Instead of complaining about Unemployment, some People just create their own Jobs, not necessarily Graduates but also Dropouts. NGOs like
welthungerhilfe ["For a world without Hunger"] provide
Free Training for Citizens and Refugees. When you apply, you can learn Carpentry or Joinery, Catering or Hotel Management, Metal Fabrication or Welding, Fashion Design or Garment (Cloth) Cutting plus Bricklaying or Construction. Dream BIG, start small! Believe, begin, become! Dream, plan and do! Albert Ellis once said: "The Best Years of your Life are the Ones in which you decide your Problems are your own. You do not blame them on your Mother, the Ecology or the President. You realise that you control your own Destiny."
Opposition does not have to keep telling Ugandans using Stella Nyanzi's Similies that 80 percent of Ugandans are Bums so that we vote for their Government; Work never ends! If there are no Teachers or they are on Strike, then read the Books in the Public Libraries, School Libraries and/or online! Why blame someone for my Ignorance? If you wait for roasted Grasshoppers to fly into your Mouth, then you wait a very long Time. Besides, everyone has their own Intelligence, even though noone is born knowing much already; we observe, read, hear, study, experience, practice and then learn. Learning never ends. If there are no free Drugs in the Government Hospitals, Doctors normally refer Patients to Pharmacies (private Drug Stores). Medicine may not be cheap for the Impoverished, but GOD provides and heals. Health Problems never end. Nevertheless, what we all need is PEACE, no more War. We have to live in our Country not as Refugees. These are not Theories, this is Real Life. If you have a Problem, then just look up to Heaven (oneway, Ch. 39)!
Problems will always exist as long as GOD allows the Devil and his Demons to roam on Earth, but avoiding plus coping with the inevitable is our Goal before the Rapture: I call it Damage Limitation! The Struggle to outmonster the Monsters of Poverty (Alio) and Sickness (Azo) continues. So help us GOD! I also fall sick: Eye Problems, Chest Pain, Backache, Malaria, Headache, Flu (though I manage it with a Scarf and Fluids, no Drugs because they induce Chest-piercing Rocket Coughs) plus Typhoid. I have to wash my Hands daily (with Soap) to prevent Diarrhea, Dysentery or Cholera. What I do to reduce the Spread of STDs like Gonorrhea and HIV/ AIDS to Zero is avoiding Promiscuity; I don't rape Females though I adore them. I don't smoke tasteless Cigarettes (Tobacco) nor drink much acidic Alcohol. If the Weather is cold, I wear a Sweater (Jumper, Pullover), Jacket or two Shirts. To be blunt, you just have to play it safe and healthy! In Saudi Arabia, a Person who takes part in a Public Protest can be jailed for 15 Years. That says a lot about the Lenience in UG, the defiant Besigye was never incarcerated that long though over 40 Times.
I may not have all the Statistical Intelligence about the Extent of Corruption in Government, but am not too gullible to buy into Opposition Politricks and Lies. If they can really end Corruption, then let them go ahead through the available Channels or novel Solutions they invent (like BBC Africa Eye and NBS TV's "Stealing From The Sick" Documentary) instead of making Noise about Regime Change yet they might even be more corrupt than the Regime they keep pointing Fingers at! Remember, three are pointing back! President M7 already put up a Health Monitoring Unit, why not help it uproot Corruption in the Health Sector? I don't need to complain, riot nor join a Rebel Group just because UG is not as developed as Singapore. Besides, we are bigger in Size than many Nations including Maldives and Fiji; have fewer Slum Dwellers than India though their Richest Citizen stays in a House with more Floors than the Tallest Building in KLA City; better Weather than Antarctica; our Portion of Lake Victoria is much bigger than the Portion in Kenya though they have the Indian Ocean which we shouldn't even be jealous of because this is still East Africa; we are not crossed by the Sahara Desert; UG is beautifully endowed with Freshness and Maize ripens for People without Teeth. If you cannot bite the Maize (what you already have), at least grind it and take in as Porridge! Instead of opposing the President, Opposition can oppose Issues like Cigarettes, Drunkardness, Abortion, Prostitution (Adultery), Defilement, Robbery, etc; Problems in that Line! Why does every Ugandan President lose Support after some Years yet was popular at the Start? Maybe Human Nature! Loyalty weakens and becomes Jealousy just because of how Taxes and Foreign Aid are handled. Come on, we are all one Planet! That is why some People ignore Politics and just focus on their Jobs and Wealth Creation. They mind their own Negocio.
As long as I can sleep peacefully, I don't give a Fig how the National Cake is divided; I can still eat the Crumbs or leftover Icing! If Opposition becomes Government, then what do you call those who oppose them? I would rather see Movementists v Reformists (Changists) sharing Ideas to make UG a more progressive Country. Is Activism about complaining, Civil Disobedience plus Demonstrations or systematically mature Dialogue like IPOD (where Ugandan Political Parties receive Billions of UgX) and Lobbying too? Why wish for a new Regime if the current one even gives three free Mosquito Nets per Household plus free Immunisation, Scholarships, free Entandikwa Animals, Youth Fund, Women's Fund, free Hoes, free Seeds, etc? Some Things can be Do It Yourself, Government just supplements. In 1997, the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) came into effect. The Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA) also followed in 2000. A year later, the NAADS Act passed by Parliament created the famous NAADS (National Agricultural Advisory Services) Programme to run for 25 Years. Under "Prosperity For All (Luganda: Bonna Bagaggawale)" in 2007, Government would establish SACCOs (Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations) in Subcounties throughout Uganda. Some People politicize every Government Policy simply because they are in Opposition yet Wanainchi can benefit from them. They blame their Post Harvest-handling Failures on the Government. I may not get many Benefits from the Powerful to write Home about, but Development is a Process of Steady Growth and GOD's Favour. PRAY! One huge Problem nevertheless is clean drinkable Water even though People without tapped Water find Springs and Boreholes some of which have Health Issues like Rust that mess up the Body. If only
RAINWATER Traps were cheap for everyone, there would be No Worries (Hakuna Matata!). The BBC Website posts a 10-Day Weather Forecast for Arua every Day! Another Option is Wind or Solar-powered Pumps for underground or Rock Water. Domestic Water Treatment is also helpful. Without Grid Electricity, some resort to Renewable Energy, Dry Cells, Solar Power plus Batteries. With Oil, 34.6 Million Ugandans (2014 Census) could have cheaper Standards of Living but only GOD knows where the Money will be allocated. I wish for Peace, tarmacked Roads or modern Transport Networks, cheaper Drugs plus Electricity and lots of clean Water. Nigeria had Oil Subsidies (revoked several Times), Ethiopia has free Education and Botswana used its Diamond Discovery to improve the Lives of all Citizens. We pray Oil will do something similar for Ugandans. Everyone should be proud of their Green Country, it is not really poor despite Corruption Accusations and other Stats, sijuwi GDP or Poverty Line. You can still benefit from Tourism, Agriculture and other Riches. The
SUN is an infinite Source of Energy. No Government owns it, but everyone on Earth has Shares in it. All Solar Power belongs to the People. Things of this World, we will leave behind. No need to cry eternally simply because of Possessions that perish.
Heaven which is eternal is even a better Target to think about, LORD have Mercy!
I aint a Politician, but as a Futurist plus Socialist Dreamer, I keep alternative Opinions and Ideas to maintain my Peace and Sanity. Thank GOD for the Little we already have! Those who lose Elections are not Losers but must concede Defeat and work with the Chosen because the Country is just one Uganda, not three or eight. All Authority comes from GOD. You have a Right to do anything else anywhere. When you drop like an Eagle, just fly back up reflexively before you touch the Ground! Eagles continue playing midair. I see the Boiling Point (Radio Show) Host named Candia laughing with a Friend as he walks back to the Studio. Electricity Poles with four Wirelines extend Power to the Hilltop. Wonderful Buildings lineup the Eastern Hillbase! Emmanuel Cathedral Mvara, Golden Courts, the white and blue UNHCR Compound plus maroon Muni Girls are in the Distance. The Breeze is unrelenting, you can see the gray Tone of the Hills in the Horizon. A Woman talks with someone on her Phone about picking her Salary any Day soon. Arua is also about to be declared a City by Parliament (even if it has always been one to me) and the Scent of Perfume in the Breeze is reassuring. An Eagle hovers for five Seconds above me, then glides right to its Friends; Gaagaas join them in a Gaagaa v Eagle Morning Dance Party. The Eagles sing as if they recognise my Presence, aha! Weaverbirds perch on the Shrubs. I wonder why my Fingers smell like Tomatoes, maybe because of the Eucalyptus Leaves and young Mangoes I crashed with my left Hand outside Springs Nursery/ Primary School, northeast downhill around 7 AM. Thank GOD I did not step in any Cowshit or Dogpupu; I'm dying to pee but I don't want to go away from the Hilltop, trying to savour this Moment. Everytime I leave Arua, my Heart literally pains until a Stopover after Nebbi Roundabout. I love this Place and it's like the DreamWishes I have had for it, since probably my second Time in Arua (though the First in my Farthest Memory) at 16 Years of Age between 1st - 6th February 2000, are coming to pass by GOD's Will. My first Time in Arua was as a Baby according to my Mother and I never wanted to visit as I grew but since the World didn't end in Y2K, I thought: "Why not?" and have been stepping here every Year since then. I have not yet even talked about the Greater West Side which has several Goodies too including Enyau Bridge, Ragem Beach, White Castle Hotel Ewuata and Ediofe Cathedral, but I can leave that for anyone from that Side.
 |
| (Arua Hill as seen from the West Hillbase...) |
I'm dwelling on my Eastside meanwhile, largely Forest (free Oxygen) but with lots of Life on the Neck of the Hood. Enjoy the other Hills like Oluko (East of Mvara), Trees and Clouds! Met Feni on a Boda Bike downhill around 11 AM. I'm not feeling low like a Shoe today, but if there is a peaceful Place where I can go to unwind (for instance at Ragem Beach), it's definitely here uphill behind Rocks and Roots Guest House. Time flies and heals at the same Time. No massive Lake nearby but the Prospect of seeing River Nile beyond the Eastern Horizon even using a Pair of Binoculars would be amazing. Let whatever Pain just fade away naturally with the cool Barifa Forest Breeze, I once read somewhere that Engels actually become Wind! Those who fancy Rock-climbing might find the South-eastern Slope of the Hill quite good for Exercise. Can you picture the environmentally-friendly Nile Eco-City and Business Park replacing Barifa in Future? Only Time will tell, though I can only wish for an International Stadium, the Forest can stay meanwhile. It would be lovely to watch Sports and other Activities in Barifa Stadium.
Happiness is not necessarily Money but maybe Money prudently-spent, Time well-used, Talent well-applied, Vibes well-communicated, Resources well-maximised plus Peace well-maintained which is very paramount whereas true inner
Happyness only comes from the
Joy of the LORD. You might have so many tangible Developments and still be sad, why? Is there a permanent Hole in us that keeps wanting more or better? There has to be a vivid Line between Ambition, Steady Progress and Contentment or we lose the Plot. Where is the Y-Corner, the Focal Point where all your Sweat, Worries, Opportunities and Dreams become Happyness? YESU is the Y-Corner at your Crossroads, the Joy of the LORD is our Strength! We look to YHWH, YAHWEH! As long as you have an unstoppable Supply of clean Water or Rain, 24/7 Security (including Engels), Shelter, GOD's Provision and Family, why worry or be unhappy?
GOD bless Arua (the Sweetest Place), West Nile, Uganda, East Africa, the Black Continent and the entire World!
 |
| AikoGraphics |
Welcome to the City of Arua...
