With his right arm on my shoulder, after we had spent most of the afternoon and evening at my boss’ home, one of my managers says to me, “Tuape, I think you’re my only staff I’ve never taken out. I’ve never bought you drinks. Let me do that for you today.” And off we were…
Christopher
I sit at the veranda of my mum’s house gazing at the septic tank. “That’s where our shit goes when we flush it down the toilet,” I whisper to the air. My mind wanders as I raise my head for a second to catch our neighbour’s jackfruits dangling from across the fence. My head drops….
Yakub
Marius sits with his back upright on the chair. He moves his left hand to rub his cheek, the sleeve of his jacket draws down. It exposes a leather strapped timepiece. It’s thick on his wrist and it’s guarded by a bracelet. His jacket is buttoned. And guess who he looks like. President Kagame. His…
Nana from Ghana
6:50am: I’m seated at the Gate 24 waiting lounge at JKIA. The amber colour of the sun is rising above the airport roof adjacent to where I am. A woman with a West African accent seems raved up about something. It’s got to do with her boarding pass? I can’t quite get what that is…
Blowin’ dogs, rabbits and pigeons
I’m getting distracted by one of our guard dogs. Goodness! It isn’t giving me a break. It’s sniffing at my fingers and toes. Its jaws are open, pink tongue out as though it wants to lick my skin off. Does it think I stole its meat? Com’on, I wouldn’t do that. Why would I steal?…
Don’t Ask Me Why
It was the night before the day I got a call from the dentist’s office. My phone vibrated. A WhatsApp message had come in. The gentle sound of the waterfall at my place felt like a massage on my back, easing my muscles and causing my eyes to go into a natural position of sleep….
Flirting with Formula One
The plan was simple. I would wake up, pick my laptop, type out a draft story for this blog, brush my teeth, take a bath, dress up and go to church. And the rest of Sunday would unveil itself whatever way it wanted until sunset. The first part went as planned. I woke up. Then…
Tulambule Murchison Falls
Here’s how I’ll get there. My extended family and I will set off from our home town Pakwach at about midday on a 33 degree Celsius day. It is the Christmas holiday season. Rasta man Johnnie will drive us across the bridge that connects West Nile to the rest of Uganda. Johnnie has wild beards….
Uhuru: The Dwelling of Pilau
My colleague at work, Emma, is driving us in his cream Toyota RunX car. Its seats are pimped with artsy custom made covers. Multi-coloured, smooth on the palm and masseuse-que to the butts. I think he invited a car-seat transformation expert to come over and take measurements. He told the guy, “Boss, do your thing.”…
I remember
For most of my primary school holidays, I’d go to my hometown Pakwach. I loved it. Spending time with my folks over there made for a perfect childhood. My friends and I would climb cashew trees. I always aimed for the juiciest yellow fruit that hung by an unlikely twig. It was a daring attempt,…