Kampala to Gulu: A Journey In Signs

Through a screen of splattered insects (pic: SAHIP)

The narrative of the road between the Ugandan capital Kampala and the city of Gulu, four hours to the north, is best told in the words you can read on the way, be they on fly posters, sign posts, banners, or adverts painted on to shops and houses. Though of course that's only a partial reflection of a world merely glimpsed from a passing car:
Hips and Bums (plus tel. no.)
MANHOOD - Enlargement and power (plus tel. no.)
BRILLIANT HIGH SCHOOL
Voice of Restoration and Revival Church
Cadbury Eclairs - Discover My Heart
MERCY UNISEX SALON
NICE INN For Accommodation Away From Home
Quicky Picky Supermarket
HOTEL NET WORTH
JoyJoint Pub and Restaurant
SOS Sufficiency of Scriptures Ministries
DIVINE KIDS NURSERY SCHOOL
Mosh Restaurant and Takeaway 24/7
OJ - ARTIST AND HOUSEPAINTER
Accident Ahead (sign periodically stuck in tyre in the middle of the road - there is no accident, it just means 'Please Drive Safely Through Our Village', and is ignored by all drivers) 

Roadside baboon, just north of
the Nile (pic: SAHIP)

Meditex Medicated Soap
True Light Primary School (can you graduate to the Artificial Light Secondary School?)
Uganda United Against Measles and Polio (ahead of a nationwide drive this weekend to vaccinate all under-5s against these two diseases)
TRUST JESUS SALOON
God Alone Bookshop and Technical Services
THIRSTY MOTEL
Barclays Premier League LIVE
Bwyele Town Council Wishes You A Safe Journey
SUPPORT TO THE LEAST ADVANTAGED PERSONS
Exodus House of Cement
Original BISMILLAH HOTEL
Do Not Step On Or Touch Any Unknown Objects

My main regret is that we didn't have time to stop and get utterly hammered in the Trust Jesus Saloon. It's just one of those life experiences I'll have to imagine instead.

Travelling in East Africa

It's not been a stay-at-home year so far. This month I've been in various East African countries coordinating a series of football tournaments aimed at helping former combatants (in particular ex-child soldiers) reintegrate with their communities through football. Here are some of my pictures from the early rounds of the Great Lakes Peace Cup in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.