Tue Jun 23, 2009
I noticed a extreme change in what surrounds me during the last days. The streets, the people, the air, the sound, the temperature… it’s another universe. I’ve seen people with red (almost fluorescent) hair, a Gothic couple with huge platform shoes, black leather clothes with metal pieces attached, black paint in their faces, I’ve seen punks and large stylish sun glasses… I tried to imagine a Goth in Kampala… would the kids run towards them screaming “muzungu”? or would they run away screaming something different? I imagined explaining someone that you can buy broken jeans that look old in Europe that cost as much as one months salary in Uganda, and that extra effort is taken to break them and wear them out. I’m pretty sure they try to take much care of their few clothes down there. I also imagined showing these different groups of people to one of the persons I met last weeks in Uganda and then asking “in which of these styles would you like to dress?”. The idea of a custom party (or mask party) comes to my head. Funny how I can feel at home in such radically different places after such a short period of time.