Africa Branded; from the mouths of babes

It happened yet again. I suspect I'm still looking fresh from Teso land.

Today we visited a church and a little girl asked me "Are you from Africa?"
I was in jeans and sneakers, looking like a "summer" and all so really what could have given me away?
I said yes.
Little girl: "Are you from Nigeria?"
I said "No, I'm from Uganda but you must be from Nigeria" (I took a wild guess).
She nodded her head with pride and said "Yes! And I have lots of friends" 
I loved her confidence. I got more interested.
"What is your name?"
Little girl: "Chineke but my name at baptism is ..."
(Banange!!! oba I also start introducing myself like that?!).
"How old are you?"
Little girl: 8 years old.

I met her mom after the service and she told me I'd only got half the story.
If I'd said I was Nigerian she would have asked "Are you Ibo?"
I recalled my encounter on the train, these Ibo's' have quite the presence.

So here's a question for you: Are you proud of your origin? You need to be. It's a good thing. This little girl showed me.

I think I need to prepare my lines for the next encounter or perhaps get the Uganda t-shirts.

Dog Window-shops with Old Man

Old man and dog

"Bagyenzi bange!!" In Ateso we say "ikatunga!!" It's an expression of surprise.
When I first came to America, I was shocked at how close people were to animals. In some cases it seemed the relationship with other humans had been interchanged for that with animals.

Experts on Their Own Turf

It's complicated this black and white thing. We see it where it's not and its not where we see it.The mind plays us and experience affects the way we view the world and each other.

New Kids on The Block

One look at these guys and I immediately identified them as our good neighbors to the north:- height, skin tone... enough said. I could tell they were fresh as cucumbers.

The Train Ride

It happened again.
I stepped up to the train rails and as I waited a man came up to me and said "hello! Where are you from?" I'm thinking oh no! Not again! He was clearly an African - that comes with a certain familiarity that lowers my guard. I smiled and said "Uganda". I thought that was the end of it.