FEAR
Fear is part of life
We grow comfortable with it.
On any given day I fear that
I may be hit as I ride my bicycle (2009)
Raccoons will come into my garden, they live in the sewers (2026)
My husband will leave me for a rich and successful woman (2026)
When I lived in Uganda, my fears expanded to include more immediate situations such as
A man may try to break into my house to attempt sexual assault (2025)
A villager may be murdered in the middle of the night in my compound (2025)
I might fall down a cistern of sewage (2025)
All of these events happened to me. Accidents occur, and I can’t stop the urges of those that surround me. Fortunately, I have a healthy amount of fear and prepare myself for the scenarios that I can imagine. Most importantly, I have learned that when I am hurt or thrown off-course, my best coping mechanism is to control how I land.
“Not to have felt pain is not to have been human.”
The Karamojong
My Ugandan counterparts warned against visiting Northeastern Uganda. I was told, that the Karamojong men steal cattle and they are armed. After experiencing significant health and safety incidents in three different regions of Uganda, fearing cattle rustlers wasn’t pertinent.
Instead, I was intrigued by the idea of visiting a region that is missed by most tourists, Uganda’s most rugged and least-populated sectors. I hired Kanzira, a guide, to drive me through Northeastern Uganda to Kidepo Valley National Park both for safety concerns and for efficiency’s sake. I only had a week’s holiday from work.
It’s a multi-day drive through the Karamoja Region to reach Kidepo NP. Karamoja pre-dates modern political boundaries. It encompasses the southeastern section of South Sudan, a bit of Southern Ethiopia, a large swath of Northwestern Kenya, and the Northeast corner of Uganda. Karamoja is a semi-arid, sparsely populated land that has supported many pastoralists for 100s of years. Because of their remoteness and their unique cultural and political structures, the Karamojong people are generally misunderstood and disrespected by other ethnic groups. In actuality, the Karamojong pathways have sustained their regional resources up until the 21st century. Now, climate change, the discovery of minerals, and pressures from neighboring farmers that want their land rights will test Karamojong’s resolve to remain independent.
unmarried women dance late afternoon when the men return with their livestock
unmarried women dance, a chance to bond and have fun
Children helping the women cook
morning view
bicycle
Village visit organized by Kara-Tunga
My brief time in Karamoja has stayed with me and I plan to return to this beautiful, misrepresented region soon.
