Uganda 08 diary - Day 13

Our Sunday at Ibanda started with a Mass for the whole school. We sat in with the school choir and helped lead the music with a few items of our own (inc. Lord I Lift Your Name On High). We fell in love with some of the infectious Ugandan hymns that often seemed to mix a Gospel "spiritual" style with that of modern English/American charismatic hymns. And here as a sample of what I mean is a little video clip from the Mass that will be on the tour video that I hope to finish editing sometime before Christmas (over 5 hours of footage from different sources to whittle down!).

And a photo from the same Mass.

A local hotel owner and entrepreneur whose son goes to our school in Ibanda and who is a good friend of the Head Teacher, Bro. George, invited us for lunch in his hotel... quite a surreal experience. Such an elegant building with immaculate grounds. We all enjoyed the meal and the welcome we received, but I think we were also perhaps just a little embarrassed and awkward, given the poverty of many of the dwellings the we passed by on the 15 min. drive to and from the hotel.

Just before lunch.

On the way back we called in at the community of the Irish Sister who had come to meet us a few days previously. We were treated to soft drinks, snacks, songs + dances, with the Sisters getting us up to join in...

...as you can see!


Sean's party piece: "Knowing Me, Knowing You"

In the evening the students put on a very entertaining show for us, mixing modern pop music dances and songs, together with traditional dance, sketches, etc...

And Team Win! joined in with a few party pieces of their own on the stage infront of all the 700 pupils, the highlight of which was a massed performance of an improvised dance to Queen's classic, "Don't Stop Me Now": chief (improvisatory) choreographer being Simon T., a man of many moves! This had been rehearsed sitting in a crowded minibus that afternoon (some dance rehearsal that!). The song had become one of the 2 or 3 theme songs for the Team during the trip. Those film geeks in the group (inc. myself, Simon T., Rolo, Chris R. + Andy D.) associate the song with that classic scene in "Shaun Of The Dead" when Simon Pegg and friends set about the owner of "The Winchester" pub, now a zombie, with pool cues from the bar, all in time to the song. Comedy!