Sabbatical in Africa
A Message from Uganda
Joseph Quaderer
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Voices
"Michael Jackson?" The taxi driver asked in a thick Lugandan accent.
I pulled the earphones out and looked at him.
"I'm sorry?"
He looked at my Ipod again and repeated his question.
"Michael Jackson?"
I nodded. He kept looking at my Ipod.
"Would you like to listen?" I asked.
He looked at me puzzled. I gave him one of the earpieces and he put in his ear. Almost instantly he transformed from an irate taxi driver that nearly killed a motorcyclist moments before to a giddy schoolchild laughing and singing along to "Will You Be There."
I've never been a huge Michael Jackson fan. In fact I considered him downright creepy for most of his life. BUT, when I came to Africa I realized what an important figure he was - just in his ability to impact people across the globe, if nothing else. He was, and is, HUGE in Africa.
Seeing the zeal and devotion people felt for Michael Jackson made me realize what a powerful mechanism music is for transcending boundaries and engaging people of vastly different demographic and geographic backgrounds.
We darted through the Ugandan air, thick as molasses with pollution. The taxi driver was still laughing and singing, 'Carry me like you are my brother, love me like a mother, will you be there?"
As I sat next to him I thought about what other mediums are able to unite human beings like music. What else could bring together an American from New York City and a Ugandan from Kampala in the front seat of a taxi?
We turned off Ggaba road and began snaking through the labyrinth of bumpy dirt roads leading to Buziga, my town.
As I ruminated, my mind wandered back to the day I went to Aero Beach on the shores of Lake Victoria. Aero Beach was nicknamed Aero beach because of main attractions of the beach - two HUGE Air Uganda airplanes that apparently crash landed there several years ago (there is some argument over whether they crashed or were placed).
When we got to the beach there was a group of young Ugandans playing beach volleyball. They wore threadbare clothes and laughed and joked in Lugandan.
I pulled the earphones out and looked at him.
"I'm sorry?"
He looked at my Ipod again and repeated his question.
"Michael Jackson?"
I nodded. He kept looking at my Ipod.
"Would you like to listen?" I asked.
He looked at me puzzled. I gave him one of the earpieces and he put in his ear. Almost instantly he transformed from an irate taxi driver that nearly killed a motorcyclist moments before to a giddy schoolchild laughing and singing along to "Will You Be There."
I've never been a huge Michael Jackson fan. In fact I considered him downright creepy for most of his life. BUT, when I came to Africa I realized what an important figure he was - just in his ability to impact people across the globe, if nothing else. He was, and is, HUGE in Africa.
Seeing the zeal and devotion people felt for Michael Jackson made me realize what a powerful mechanism music is for transcending boundaries and engaging people of vastly different demographic and geographic backgrounds.
We darted through the Ugandan air, thick as molasses with pollution. The taxi driver was still laughing and singing, 'Carry me like you are my brother, love me like a mother, will you be there?"
As I sat next to him I thought about what other mediums are able to unite human beings like music. What else could bring together an American from New York City and a Ugandan from Kampala in the front seat of a taxi?
We turned off Ggaba road and began snaking through the labyrinth of bumpy dirt roads leading to Buziga, my town.
As I ruminated, my mind wandered back to the day I went to Aero Beach on the shores of Lake Victoria. Aero Beach was nicknamed Aero beach because of main attractions of the beach - two HUGE Air Uganda airplanes that apparently crash landed there several years ago (there is some argument over whether they crashed or were placed).
When we got to the beach there was a group of young Ugandans playing beach volleyball. They wore threadbare clothes and laughed and joked in Lugandan.
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posted 12/24/09 @ 1:48 PM EST
Michael Jackson was a great singer.
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