Photo Essay: The People Of Uganda

By Citizen Correspondent Marcus Richardson
Date Posted: 04/16/07 Reader Rating:

In October, 2006 I went on safari in Uganda for three weeks. I've always loved animals, and this was a chance to get up close to wildlife, camping in the middle of forests and savannah, with lions, elephants, monkeys, hippos and all manner of other creatures. The main highlight of the safari was trekking into the mountains for close encounters with the mountain gorillas, only 700 or so of which remain in the entire world. These were indeed beautiful, moving encounters that I will never forget. Yet in many ways, despite my fixation with photographing wildlife, the surprise highlight of the trip for me was the people of Uganda. It goes without saying that Uganda is a desperately poor Third World country, and like many, has suffered greatly. In this context, you might perhaps expect people to be bitter, hostile to foreigners, envious, and demanding money. But on the contrary I can honestly say I was overwhelmed by the dignity, friendliness and politeness of the people of Uganda. As cliched as it may sound, I think many of us could learn a thing or two from Ugandans when it comes to respecting others and maintaining your own hope and self-respect, come what may. I was particularly fascinated and touched by the kids whom I came across in Uganda. Again, where you might expect them to hold out their hand and ask for money and food, they wouldn't. In most cases the idea just wouldn't occur to them. They would simply smile an honest smile to greet a new face. To experience this is both immensely heartwarming and terribly heartbreaking at the same time. All photos copyrighted Marcus Richardson.