Have you been to Uganda, fellow Ugandan?

A mother gorilla takes time off to play with its young. File Photo 

In the year 1907, Winston Churchill baptised this place the “Pearl of Africa” –he believed Uganda was the best place in Africa, and rightly so. After 105 years, one of the world’s leading travel magazines Lonely Planet confirmed what the pioneering British tourist saw decades ago by declaring Uganda as the world’s Best Tourist Destination for 2012.

It is not that Ugandans don’t love this beautiful country but it is rather disappointing that we haven’t made the most of the spotlight given to us by Lonely Planet (BBC Travel), National Geographic, New York Times and several other reputable tourist magazines.

It is even more puzzling to imagine the small numbers of Ugandans who tour this God-given treasure trove – a destination regarded by many outsiders as a must-go.
Last year, the ratio of Ugandans going to Kenya for holiday compared to those who travelled within was around 8:1 – most of them went to Mombasa. In fact, Kenya received more tourists from Uganda than any other African country. This is simply because most African countries are now committing so much effort and budgetary allocations to promoting domestic tourism and the response is positive.

Making the locals understand the beauty of this country and grow a sense of adventure is proving to be a tall order for the people responsible for marketing this country.
When Ugandans go out they find it hard to talk about the attractive places in their country – because they hardly know any. When a Ugandan gets a visitor from abroad and they ask where they can have fun they always suggest a nightclub.

Uganda Tourism Board has tried on a small budget to market tourism but they haven’t been loud enough to remind Ugandans to be tourists in their own country. Consequently, would be domestic tourists are not aware of the sheer beauty of this motherland, the fascinating wildlife, her rich culture and heritage, the fantastic weather, and the warmth and hospitality of fellow Ugandans.

The President of Uganda Tourism Association and managing director for Great Lakes Safaris Mr Amos Wekesa points at a couple of impediments facing domestic tourism including poor marketing of Uganda as a destination; high travel rates, low awareness of the potential of tourism as a viable economic sector, poor infrastructure, inadequate funding from government and lack of skilled manpower.

“Our education system hasn’t given us a chance to talk about Uganda,” says Wekesa. “Apart from our food which we have no choice over, Ugandans don’t know anything else about this beautiful place because no one is teaching them about it.”
UTB’s Executive Director Mr Cuthbert Baguma says one of the things affecting domestic tourism is the lack of exposure in the media.

“Visibility is very vital in this trade and the key to visibility is that you must showcase but that is not happening here,” added Baguma. “Plus, tour operators need to offer authentically affordable packages that meet the needs of all potential local travellers because a visit to a place goes beyond just the natural attractions.”
Wekesa also believes that tour operators scare off local travellers by charging a lot of money.

“Tour operators focus a lot on foreigners but we need to find a way of encouraging domestic tourism by making it affordable for the locals,” Wekesa says.
But when everything is said and done, Baguma believes that domestic tourism is growing.
“Apparently, domestic tourism is growing steadily,” said Baguma. “School children, corporates and families travel but maybe the mass culture of travelling is what is missing.”

Uganda deserves the spotlight as each and every hamlet, village, trading centre, town, district or region here has one unique tourism plant or facility, whose potential is crying for exploration and development, which has the potential to ensure an even development of the country and above all to stop the rural-urban drift, in search of non-existing white collar jobs.

Tourism is the only area that brings in foreign exchange earning without export and Uganda’s opportunity to use tourism as a major pillar for its economic growth is realistic. Globally, tourism today, is the second largest industry, which employs the most people and it is still growing. It is the major foreign exchange earner of more than 60 countries.

In Uganda, tourism as a tool for poverty alleviation is not in doubt. What is in doubt is the understanding of the industry because not much by way of education as to what it is and is not is brought home to the Ugandan society.

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the various gorilla families in uganda

Of the estimated 400 mountain gorillas in Uganda, around 112 have been habituated and they belong to families. Like humans, every member of the seven different families has got a role to play.
And, oh yes, these mountain gorillas also have names just like ours:

Bitukura Family
Mugisha, Ndahura, Kadogo, Rukumu, Karamuzi, Rukara, Obia, Kamunga, Betina, Ruhara, Twakire and Mubwindi.

By Bruce Amp

Uganda is Celebrating 50 years of Independence ( 1962 - 2012 )

Filming Chimps

Studying the apes has been shown to provide answers to some of humanity’s most enduring problems, like the discovery of life-saving medicines.

Going by the many different shows on TV today, film, as a tool, can be used to educate more about tourism and science. It is not every day that arts and science come together for a cause. Sabrina Krief takes us through her research on the possibility of human beings using herbal medication for treatment of diseases, like Malaria, among others that affect chimpanzees.
How do chimpanzees, our closest relatives, “get to know” how to avoid poisonous plants and select those that seem to treat them? This is the question that is still tormenting Krief, a veterinarian and lecturer at the National Museum of Natural History. By observing the plants ingested by the chimpanzees in therapy, she hopes to eventually identify active natural substances susceptible to fit in the composition of new drugs for humans.

Perfect partnership
In 2006, Krief partnered with Uganda Wildlife Authority, Makerere University and ICSN-CNRS in France to carry out research on various plant species eaten by chimps. By closely observing their behaviour, Krief made an outstanding discovery. Chimpanzees are able to select plants not only for food but also for medication.
This, according to the researcher, is a form of intelligence that should remind us how close we are to the apes. But we would perhaps never have known much about this research if Mathieu Vidard, presenter of La tête au Carré on French Channel France Inter, hadn’t interested himself in recording what is perhaps Sabrina’s daily life and job into what he called “On a marché sur la terre” (We walked on Earth).
Vidard takes viewers on a worldwide trip visiting the largest open sky laboratories. On April 1, a French TV Channel France 2 broadcast this documentary, which recounts a journey of encountering scientists worldwide.

Recently, a select crowd of guests watched the documentary at the NationalMuseum alongside Krief and Prof. Gilles Boeuf the President of the French Museum of Natural History (MNHN). In “We walked on Earth,” Vidard encounters Krief, a brilliant young primatologist who has for the last 10 years traversed Uganda’s forests to meet the chimpanzees.
Krief’s hope and aspiration are modest. “If we observe the chimpanzees, we may be able to find remedies for common human diseases,” she says in the film. Considering that over four million people watched it in Europe, one wonders how much more this documentary alone would spur in tourist numbers.
Although Sabrina does not see herself going commercial with it, if watched by many other countries, we could perhaps remain perched at the top of tourist destinations for must visits once again. The documentary takes the viewer through the wilderness right into the hearts of forests, home to our distant cousins. Swinging from branch to branch, they fascinate Robert, a pupil in one of the schools near the national parks. “I thought they would be fierce but I see they are peaceful animals,” he tells Vidard.
Used as an ambassador to conserve habitat and preach against trapping gorillas and chimps, Robert and others also present a short skit on awareness and protection of the chimps. Fellow pupils are excited by the skit and seem to have taken in several points, a plus for Krief who sought to sow seeds for future conservationists. “We walked on Earth” basically takes the viewer through Krief’s life as she digs into the life of chimpanzees, how they feed, how they communicate and most importantly how they treat themselves by chewing certain leaves.

“When they shout loudly, they are actually communicating,” Krief explains to Vidard. Although shot in French, English sub titling though with some misspelt words, suffices. The message is not lost. If you have never been to any ofUganda’s tourist destinations, this documentary brings the animals right in your face as you watch what Vidard and group enjoyed during the shoot.
The pictures take you to the parks, you feel like you are actually there and you don’t have to face the challenges like slippery ground taking its toll on Rwenzori Mountain climbers among others shown in the documentary.
Krief and team had to trek to Magherita Peak to let us in on the herbal medicine species available there. According to some clips in the film, we are separated from our chimp ‘cousins’ between eight and 12 million years ago. Although it is still a long way to go, Krief and team would want to finalise with the research.

By: Bruce Amp