SATURDAY 17th November2012
Wrote a blog yesterday but lost the Internet and that entry!
The challenges of living in Uganda!
Anyway, over the past 3 days I have been to an Introduction (kind of Engagement Party),a Wake at the end of the ritual 4 days of mourning after Margaret Tinka's father died, a graduation Dinner (Grace's son Charles and Dorothy & Doreen's brother) and The Royal Wedding of Princess Ruth Komuntale and Black American Christopher Thomas! Am exhausted!
I'll do the Introduction in detail later but want to write up today and The Wedding whilst it is still fresh..........
We got up at 7am  talking about being in the church by 8am but of course, This Is Africa and we actually got to the cathedral ( memories of taking the Kyebambe boarders to church there every Sunday in the Sixties!) at   around 9am.Found a pew towards the front but as the church filled up  squeezed people in  until I was really squashed between Doctor and Nalongo(Harriet, one of Evah's sisters) The police Band began playing about 10:15 ( service scheduled to start at 10am and the Groom's party arrived 11:30 and the Omukama  followed by the Bride about midday.Meanwhile as more and more people crowded in they eventually moved the choir out and frantically kept bringing in more plastic seats. At one point they carried in the Omukama's throne only to be told by The Bishop or was it the Archbishop to take it back as there was a designated seat for King Oyo. Princess Bagaya, my old friend decided to move her seat in order to accomodate The Speaker of the Parliament! The poor king of Benin left the cathedral at one point only to be brought back in when they pushed the choir out.................
I can't add any pictures today because my camera disappeared as I walked up the last part of the hill up to The Omukama's palace. Evah and Doctor had walked the whole way up the hill ,as the line of cars was bumper to bumper and  was at a  standstill for minutes on end.Colin managed to drive halfway for me -he and Doreen  wanted to execute Plan B and just go home for food and drink when we left the cathedral about 1;45pm but felt obliged to get me up to the palace, knowing there would be a long wait for food. I think the camera got pinched as I was on the phone trying to liaise with Evah to come  and get me in as I had no Invitation on me!
The good thing was that it rained whilst we were in church but the bad thing was it became very muddy....Many vehicles got stuck and it seems that Colin had to pay men to push him out of the parking place once they'd dropped me and Nalongo( Harriet is the mother of twins hence Nalongo)
I was glad of the rather gaudy stole we'd had made on Saturday to cover me up for church as it got quite cold  and we sat in a tent for hours listening to speeches and only glimpsing the newly weds  between the hordes of cameramen. Apparently my group had been spotted in church on live T.V.  this morning . Don' suppose the wedding has had much coverage in U.K. Whilst we were waiting for the Wedding service to begin -my bum went to sleep at one point and I was grateful to have to stand and sing hymns-we read todays newspaper of the  Royal wedding so far.....!
It was  fascinating to see the fashions and the variety of unsuitable shoes up on the Royal Hill.Eventually they served food  - and I mean served - by  ladies beautifully dressed in blue and gold traditional dress as we sat in a beautiful tent containing many round tables with tablecloths and lovely  flower arrangements plus glasses and cutlery!A far cry from Princess Ruth's father's coronation back in 1965! The food was tasty and the best I've eaten in the past  3 days.The dinner at Charles Graduation was spectacterly bad!
Princess Ruth wore a fairytale white dress for the Church and a slimmer white dress up at the Palace. Christopher wore a white dinner jacket - very american.
It was  moving in the church when everyone clapped and ululated when Ruth and Christopher said "I do" and the outgoing Achbishop Orombi gave a clear, accessable sermon both practical and spiritual.
Finally, we waited for the present giving and the dancing to begin before Doctor, Evah and I stumbled our way home back down the Royal hill to find Colin waiting for us on the main road opposite the road to Kyebambe, my old school where I taught over 40 years ago!