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Uganda forges ahead
By Themiya Hurulle
When I was invited to attend an International Conference last year in Kampala, Uganda, memories of the horrific genocide, expulsion of the Indian community and the storming of the hijacked Israeli plane at Entebbe Airport in 1979 came to mind.

I was pleasantly surprised that present day Uganda was forging ahead having put all those incidents behind them. In fact, the country is seen making a determined effort to join the modern world.

Holiday resorts to lure tourists have been constructed in exotic locations making maximum use of the country's tropical climate and lush vegetation. A strong presence of the English language, a legacy left by its British rulers was apparent as English is spoken and understood in many areas.

A land-locked country with no coastline, Uganda is hemmed in from the North by Sudan, from the East by Kenya, from the West by the Republic of Congo and from the South by Tanzania and Rwanda. Extending nearly 236,000 square km, Uganda is a relatively large African country. Uganda attained independence from the British in 1962.

Its economy is supported by the existence of minerals such as copper and cobalt, hydropower resources, limestone and arable land. Tea plantations were introduced by the British in the elevated, cool areas and the tea estates appear to be well managed.

A hitherto, little known fact is that the great River Nile of Egypt, starts in Jinja, Uganda and travels a distance of nearly 6,000 km through Uganda, Sudan and Egypt. My visit to the source of the Nile at Jinja was memorable. We were taken by road to Jinja, which was a journey of nearly two hours through hilly plantations of tea, sugar cane and other vegetable produce.

It was an amazing sight to see the source of the Nile at Jinja. Lake Victoria was visible from where I stood. At the northern end of Lake Victoria was the perennial gushing of water and this glorious sight is approximately 150 metres in width and 30 metres in depth.

A large hoarding said:
"Welcome to the source of the great River Nile-Jinja, Uganda! You are now at the eastern bank of the River Nile at a point when the river begins to flow from Lake Victoria (source of the Nile) to the Mediterranean sea. It takes water three months to complete this journey of 4,000 miles (6,400 kms).

The Falls that John Hannington-Speke saw in 1862, naming them the "Ripon Falls" after the President of the Royal Geographical Society in London, submerged in 1947 on the construction of the giant Owen Falls Dam. The Dam, completed in 1954, harnesses the headlong rush of water from the lake to produce hydro-electric power for Uganda….."

The following day, we were taken to Masaka, south-west of Kampala, a journey that took about one hour by road to where the line of the equator was visible. Here, the equatorial line is marked in a straight line across the Kampala-Masaka main road. There were many small shops where visitors and tourists could purchase gifts and souvenirs.

Some souvenirs had the words, "I crossed the Uganda Equator in 2003" printed on them. Visitors' guides in Masaka were eager to explain the phenomenon for a small fee. Of special interest was the display of the magnetic field around the line of the equator. Our guide showed us how the magnetic field changed on either side of the line and how it was a zero magnetic field along the line of the equator.

This was displayed by pouring water through a large plastic funnel into a container where on one side of the line, the vortex of water was seen rotating in one direction. When the funnel was taken across the equator and water was similarly poured, it rotated in the opposite direction. The water, when poured on the equatorial line, did not rotate and remained static, much to the awe of the visitors.

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