We went to a wedding on Saturday (the same family as the kaseki we went to last week). It was quite a lavish affair!
Once again, we found ourselves without appropriate clothes for a formal evening (and thinking that this wasn’t what we expected when we came to Uganda!). The women came to the rescue and provided us with lovely basutis, however, and we found that being in their traditional wear was a big hit with the guests. We were approached by many people who commended us looking “very smart”.
We were taken aback by the lavishness of the decorations. It was an enormous room in a trade centre in Kampala, with fresh flowers on every table (roses and mums and lush greenery), matching table linens, and even white covers for the chairs. Late in the evening they even had a bubble machine and giant sparklers on the dance floor. And we were told there were over 700 guests!
The decorations were not the only surprise. The entertainment lasted all evening, with not just a band, but the legendary Ndere Dance Troupe, who often perform for foreign dignitaries when they visit Uganda. There were several different kinds of African dance, but the one that was most spectacular had women dancing with not just one clay pot, but a stack of six clay pots on their heads. The drummers had giant animal skin drums and were obviously having a great time.
Late in the evening there was an announcement and everyone became very animated. It signaled the arrival of a famous Ugandan pop singer named Juliana Kanyomozi, the Vocalist of the Year here in 2007. She sang five songs, while everyone got up and danced around her. Not only was she a great singer, she had a great sense of humour: she came and danced with Steve on our corner of the dance floor (ha ha).
We were mystified when the bridal couple disappeared midway through the evening, but they soon reappeared in new outfits (the bride had changed from her very Western white wedding gown into a long evening dress). This was apparently for cutting the cake. They disappeared one more time, but that time they emerged with not only the bride and groom in new outfits, but the entire wedding party, including the flower girl in lovely new clothes. This time it was for receiving the gifts, which guests brought forward in a big line.
It was a lovely evening, and we were glad to have been invited. While it seemed light years away from much of our other experiences here, it offered new insight into the culture and traditions of Uganda. Every country has their own rich and poor.
Once again, we found ourselves without appropriate clothes for a formal evening (and thinking that this wasn’t what we expected when we came to Uganda!). The women came to the rescue and provided us with lovely basutis, however, and we found that being in their traditional wear was a big hit with the guests. We were approached by many people who commended us looking “very smart”.
We were taken aback by the lavishness of the decorations. It was an enormous room in a trade centre in Kampala, with fresh flowers on every table (roses and mums and lush greenery), matching table linens, and even white covers for the chairs. Late in the evening they even had a bubble machine and giant sparklers on the dance floor. And we were told there were over 700 guests!
The decorations were not the only surprise. The entertainment lasted all evening, with not just a band, but the legendary Ndere Dance Troupe, who often perform for foreign dignitaries when they visit Uganda. There were several different kinds of African dance, but the one that was most spectacular had women dancing with not just one clay pot, but a stack of six clay pots on their heads. The drummers had giant animal skin drums and were obviously having a great time.
Late in the evening there was an announcement and everyone became very animated. It signaled the arrival of a famous Ugandan pop singer named Juliana Kanyomozi, the Vocalist of the Year here in 2007. She sang five songs, while everyone got up and danced around her. Not only was she a great singer, she had a great sense of humour: she came and danced with Steve on our corner of the dance floor (ha ha).
We were mystified when the bridal couple disappeared midway through the evening, but they soon reappeared in new outfits (the bride had changed from her very Western white wedding gown into a long evening dress). This was apparently for cutting the cake. They disappeared one more time, but that time they emerged with not only the bride and groom in new outfits, but the entire wedding party, including the flower girl in lovely new clothes. This time it was for receiving the gifts, which guests brought forward in a big line.
It was a lovely evening, and we were glad to have been invited. While it seemed light years away from much of our other experiences here, it offered new insight into the culture and traditions of Uganda. Every country has their own rich and poor.
1 comment:
Six pots! Reminded me almost immediately of the wedding in Cana.
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