Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
home. The chief has told the people of the village that they must not disturb you, harass
you, or ask you for money. Nor,' he added, 'must they threaten to kill you.' I made eyes
at Boston, who was only beaming. 'He has told them you are not only a white man - you
are a Britisher, and must be afforded our respect. We hope that you will go away from here
and tell people that Kiga is a good place. We expect that you will tell your queen and your
president, and your minister for development, that Kiga needs the help of the white man to
develop, and that we need the government here to give us more money so that we can buy
better fishing nets. Also, Levison, we need another toilet. The one we have is almost full.'
As James continued to translate, each sentence one behind the chief, the crowd burst
into laughter, loud enough to drown out what he was saying. Only when the laughter had
died down, could James carry on.
'He tells the people they must not be afraid. Even though you are English, you have not
come to turn him into a homosexual. No matter how hard you try, he will not marry you.'
I cast a look at Boston, expecting him to be as outraged as I was, but his laughter was as
loud as any of the villagers, and seemed to cut through the general throng.
Moments later, I found the copy of
New Vision
being pressed back into my hands. 'Fetch
your boy,' said James. 'You may spend the night in our police station. Not as a prisoner,
Tembula. You are our honoured guest.'
As James led me there, I was not sure how honoured I actually felt.
It was too late to continue our journey, and the fish that the villagers supplied was
enough to convince me to spend a restful night here, rejuvenating ourselves for the day
to come. Inside the lock-up, Emmanuel was asleep almost as soon as dinner was done, so
it was only Boston and I who sat up, watching the sun setting over the lake. Around us,
posters clung to the walls. In England they might have been declaring “Don't Do Drugs!”
or “Report Suspicious Behaviour!”, but this one was different. “SAY NO TO CHILD
SACRIFICE” were the words that glared out at us from the wall. I made a silent gesture to
Boston. 'Just like your nanny,' I whispered - but Mama Fina was in my thoughts as well.
'Only human sacrifice is guaranteed to bring wealth to the man who consults a witch
doctor,' Boston snorted. 'It used to happen in Congo until we banned it. Not so in Uganda.
Here, everyone believes this shit. It's like I told you - these people need education, Lev.'
I glared at him, compelling him to be silent in case any of the villagers heard, but some-
times Boston could not be stopped. He was standing in the door of the station, drinking
bitter coffee from a chipped glass. 'The problem with Africa,' he went on, as a dying sun
reddened the endless stretch of papyrus, 'is that people are shortsighted. They follow any
mafia hard man or jumped-up village bully if he offers them cheaper gin or free firewood.'
The sound of crickets was almost drowning out the waves lapping against the lake's
rocky banks, but they could not drown out Boston when he decided to get on his soapbox.
'The chief doesn't seem like so much of a bully here in Kiga.'
