Best farmers visit ICC in Netherlands

Jun 15, 2016

This is because it is, perhaps, the only place in the world where a wellknown Ugandan former Lord’s Resistance Army rebel leader, Dominic Ongwen, is being tried

Everyone in the 2015 best farmers' category knew about the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Netherlands.

This is because it is, perhaps, the only place in the world where a wellknown Ugandan former Lord's Resistance Army rebel leader, Dominic Ongwen, is being tried. So, when these farmers embarked on a tour of the Netherlands, courtesy of the Embassy of the Netherlands dfcu Bank, KLM Airlines and Vision Group, visiting the ICC was high on the agenda.

"There is no way we can leave this place without visiting the ICC," vowed Eddy Morris Ogweng, from Kole and the best farmer from the midnorthern region. Luckily for Ogweng, the ICC is a five-minute walk from where the team stays. At around 6:00pm on Sunday, the 13 farmers walked past several historical buildings to the ICC. "I had never thought that one day I would stand next to this building, where Ongwen is being held," Dr. Tonny Kidega from Gulu said as the group took pictures outside the building.

From the ICC building, the farmers took a train to the beach on the North Sea, located in the Scheveningen district. According to Zainab Dauda, from Business and Investment Africa, the company contracted to manage the farmers' visit, this area has a history that runs as far back as hundreds of years.

Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, pier and lighthouse. While the history of many cites in Uganda cannot be traced back beyond 100 years, the farmers learnt that this is different in the Netherlands

. In 1470, a heavy storm destroyed the church and half the houses in the area. The village was again hit by storms in 1570, 1775, 1825, 1860, 1881 and 1894. After the last storm, the villagers built a harbour. In 1818, Jacob Pronk constructed a wooden building on a dune near the sea, where people could bathe from four separate rooms.

That marked the start of Scheveningen as a bathing resort. Since then, Scheveningen has attracted numerous tourists from all over Europe, notably Germany. The hotel and restaurant, Kurhaus, was opened in 1886. "I am wondering how a building constructed many years back could look this beautiful," said Dr. Apollo Ataho from Frank Farm.

Among the commones recreational sports on the beach is skating. It is not surprising that the International Skating Union was founded in Scheveningen in 1892. Indeed, the farmers saw tens of locals skating along the beach. There is also bungee jumping, off a tall tower around 100 metres into the water.

During the tour, farmers saw several nightlife centres; including Pathé Scheveningen movie theatre and the seafront boulevard with its bars, restaurants, gambling halls, and other entertainment centres. After the tour of this historical area, the farmers then had dinner at the famous Rodizio Brazilian restaurant, located next to the five-star Kurnus Hotel.

The restaurant, among others, serves a ‘Latin' buffet and nearly all kinds of roast meat. "This VIP treatment is beyond what I expected when I joined the best farmers competition," said John Winter Bagada, a winner from the western region.

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