In the author's words: "I went to Uganda to see the place. The journalist in me wanted to discover the truth about AIDS in Africa firsthand. I wanted to see the Saly Struthers children with fly-blown faces, babies with bloated bellies, the emaciated dead lying in the gutters. I wanted to duck the bullets of wild-eyed rebels and walk among the throngs of withering refugees. I wanted to taste the anti-American venom of Mogadishu, see the blood-stained streets of Idi Amin, touch the squalor of apartheid, smell the fear of brutal tribal war in Rwanda, feel the blind, government-fueled hatred of white citizens displaced by the impoverished people of Zimbabwe and witness the ostentatious results of blatant thievery of public funds by President Monarchs driving Rolls-Royces.
Imagine my surprise when I found none of these. What I found instead was... a surprise, a very pleasant surprise."
A remarkable story of discovery, They Call Me Mzee: One Man's Safari into Brightest Africa charts the cultural and spiritual life of present-day Uganda, East Africa. Part memoir, part travelogue, this inspiring book revisits the author's journey from a Presbyterian church in Chicago to the heart of equatorial Africa. Accompanying his informative portrait of Uganda is an uplifting and moving personal testament to a place and a culture where people seem to need faith in their lives in the same way they need air and food and water. Conversations with public figures ranging from the President of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to the U.S. Ambassador jimmy Kolker give firsthand witness to initiatives implemented by Uganda, often in conflict with internaitonal aid agencies and other governments on a range of issues, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Astute and full of local color, these stories both creat a vibrant tableau of daily life in Uganda nd explain the idioms, customs and mindsets while bearing witness to its shared spiritual life through unforgettable stories of struggle and perseverance that are sure to inspire and generate hope. This SmashWords edition includes an appendix that addresses issues in Uganda as of April, 2014 including the nation's controversial stance on homosexuality. The edition also includes photos and live links.
