A trip to . . . Kalangala Island

By Titus Kakembo                                  

The sun shimmered on Lake Victoria as we boarded a wooden boat at Nakiwogo Port in Entebbe that, at a fee of sh20,000, was twice as expensive as the same trip aboard the Kalangala ferry. Our destination: Kalangala Island.

After going out of service for a while, the ferry is back on the waters and leaves at 1.30pm local time, I have since learnt.

But in its absence, the opportunity to ride on the more unconventional boat fell my way. The vessel was quite bigger than I had imagined.

“Get on board people. Time is money!” the coxswain, wearing a scruffy shirt and a dirty pair of trousers, urged us on.

Later, on our way, he would brag about the strength of the vessel. “This boat carries the equivalent of two Tata lorries. Sodas, beer, soap and other general merchandise are loaded with 100 passengers.”

We were destined for a paradise, so to speak. According to Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) deputy chief executive officer John Ssempebwa, Kalangala is a photocopy of the biblical Garden of Eden.

His post on his Facebook wall summed it all up.

“God created Kalangala first, loved it, and then photocopied it to create [the Garden of] Eden! White sand, affordable fish, there is a swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course, jet skiing, Nanziri waterfalls, affordable accommodation, tranquil, clear blue waters, boat cruises to the headquarters Lubaales (spirits) and that spot where Fr. Lourdel first landed before proceeding to Entebbe.”

So tempting was the description that I set out to experience it first-hand.

The boat’s engine coughed to life, and off we went. We waved to those left behind on the mainland as we disappeared into the distance.  Some passengers wore the twenty life jackets available for sharing in case of an emergency.

It was a culturally diverse group on board. Whenever the boat rocked to one side, I could hear prayers whispered to Jjajja Mukasa by the Baganda travellers, Diwali by Indians and to the Almighty God by Christians.
 

The waters were mostly calm and high above, flocks of birds gave life to the skies – a vibrant energetic aura above us.

This was the beginning of an adventure to one of Ssese’s 84 islands on Lake Nalubale (Lake of spirits) – as Lake Victoria was called before the arrival of explorers in Africa.

We were destined for none other than sandy Kalangala Island, where I would soon discover how the fishing community there is notorious for spending lavishly and guzzling beer like fish do water.

Glancing around me, I quickly profiled the group I was travelling with: university students, tourists, UTB officials John Ssempebwa and Herman Olimi. In our midst was also Nehemiah Matembe, the husband of Miria Matembe, the outspoken women rights activist and ex-ethics minister.

To lighten up the trip, Sarah Kiiza, the executive director of Native Festive Film, invited Matembe to give them tips on how to manage a woman with such a profile as his wife’s.

And he duly accepted: “In our home we have roles to play. I advise you to always read her body language. Do not let a disagreement go unsolved for more than 24 hours. Sorry is so short a word but very hard to say and yet it works wonders in a relationship.”

There, he paused for a brief five seconds as if to let the point sink. Then he got back to the mic.

 “Learn to share household chores. Surprise does a Ugandan relationship so much good. Once in a while dress the bed, prepare breakfast or rearrange the living room. This will bring a smile on any partner’s face,” counseled Matembe.

Later on when the Senkata boat proprietor Waiswa Ssepagala took the microphone, she thanked God for the regular breakdown of the Kalangala ferry, which she said boosts her business whenever it goes out of service.

“Before the motorboat was invented our ancestors plied the Lake Nalubale [Victoria]. Enjoy the ride with Senkata. It even has a toilet on board. There are birds to see and numerous photo opportunities waiting for you,” she quipped.

“We are soon introducing small vessels for bird watchers on the 84 islands. Bird watchers hate engines which scare the birds.”

Besides those microphone moments, I found the four-hour trip rather lackluster. I yearned for much more than that for such a long trip on water. I wonder why the Senkata boat management does not introduce board games like Scrabble, standup comedy, cards, Omweso (board game) or chess to keep the travellers busy.

 Joke books or a screen showing Uganda’s attractions would also be such a brilliant idea. I saw some people on board doze off through most of the journey.
 

Women challenge a man in dancing paka chini to celebrate Women's Day in Kalangala

Kalangala disappointingly offers travelers little to write back home about in terms of attractions. Unlike Mombasa with those ivory towers, beach boys and Fort Jesus, there is little to shoot a photo by and post on social media.

Hotel owners waving placards of their establishments and bodaboda riders compensate for the music, artifacts and mementoes found in popular destinations.

Tour guides are needed to give guests informed narratives of the Mukasa Owo Mubire (Mukasa) who used to fight wars with Bunyoro Kingdom by shooting his bows and arrows in the skies. Like luck would have it, folklore has it, he (Mukasa) met a girl from Ankole with hips as wide as the cow’s horns. He fell in love with her and confided in her on his war prowess. But the girl betrayed him and leaked the secret to her tribesmen. During another armed conflict, the Ankole forces angled their bows to the sky and he died.

That’s just one of the many stories of the old.

Then there is the Kabelo dish which is only talked about by those above 40 years of age.

“It is a mixed grill of different types of fish prepared in one saucepan with banana, cassava and potatoes,” said Maurice Bafirawala, a forest officer.  “It is a dish prepared for nobility and royalty visiting.”

Bafirawala also fed me with some information on Lake Victoria.

“This Lake Nalubale is the home of the Buganda gods like Jjajja Mukasa. Healers come here to sacrifice sheep, chicken or communicate with the powers above. The common problems are fertility and amassing wealth.”

I also soon found out from the local leaders that while women outnumber men in most parts of Uganda, it is the reverse on Kalangala. And there is cause for worry.

 “Here it is the other way round,” said the Local Council (LC) II chairman John Okwalinga. “This has attracted prostitutes from the mainland to balance the equation. Unfortunately, the spendthrift behavior of fishermen is attracting prostitution.”

Some men swap fish for sex and treat the women to lavish lifestyles when the fish catch is good. And the opposite happens when the catch is low.

“This has resulted in many single mothers on the island as mobile lifestyles of fishermen are dictated by the volume of fish caught during the season,” explained the LCV chairman Willy Lugolobi.

“Many of the 15,000 [fishermen] got with the wrong gear had to quit the district when the ministry cracked down on illegal fishing at Banga and Buwendo fishing sites.”

“The shortage of women has resulted in the sharing of the few that are available,” explained Maurice Bafirawala. “Historically, the Basese [people of Ssese] are also very generous. This has attracted many settlers from the mainland and neighboring countries.”

Like Kabalagala on the outskirts of Kampala, Kalangala has a variety of lodges, campsites and hotels for one to pick from. There is Habitat, Pearl Lodges, Kingfisher and Nichol’s Lodge. The rates range from sh40,000 to sh250,000 per night. 
 

Culturally Kalangala is a melting pot of cultures with the Iteso, Basoga, Samya, Kenyans speaking Kiswahili and the Baganda hosts.

I also discovered that many people on this island lead a double life – they are very good Christians and also go to shrines to appease the gods.

Night life there is vibrant with star gazing, listening to owls hooting or crickets shrieking. With bikers and musicians, these islands are waiting for exploitation of their scenery.