Wedding of the Year!

Weddings are a very big deal in Uganda. 

We’ve been invited to several in the past few years but have never been able to go.  They are lavish affairs and an opportunity to bring a community together for hours if not days on end.

Even our mechanic who likely makes about $300 a month will send out a fancy invitation to solicit support from friends to help them throw a $3,000 celebration.  We usually sponsor a goat or a cow. 

But, this past weekend, we went all out and attended a wedding with our legal interns.  It was a huge 1,500 guest event in the middle of nowhere hosted by a key member of the Judiciary. We were the only Wazungu (multiple non-Africans).

It was a long haul in two vehicles with overnights on both sides of the trip at a small hotel in Northern Uganda.  We were told that the guys could get away with wearing suits but the women would need to go with appropriate local wedding attire.  Fortunately, we were able to rent outfits with little time to plan and I truly hadn’t even tried my dress on until arriving at the event in the middle of a field and changing behind the van.

What a day! 

We were welcomed graciously.  Scores of VIPs from the Judicial ranks.  There were tents for each group of guests.  Tents for the “Clan Leaders,” “Tribe Royalty,” “Religious Leaders,” “Magistrates,” and I’m assuming tents for local members of nearby villages and the bride and groom’s friends and family. 

We sat next to a specially built round hut which was reserved for the Groom’s family.  Negotiations for the marriage were officially sealed in this building the night before we arrived.  We were told that if the negotiations weren’t settled at that time – we wouldn’t be having a big party that day.   Whew – hard to believe that it really all hinged on those last-minute details!

There was food for everyone and plenty to drink – I even saw a tiered wedding cake but never saw it cut or served.

We enjoyed hours of dancing, singing and speech after speech after speech.  Each speech was presented in the local language and some in English.  The speeches focused on the community, the Acholi culture and traditions, gratitude for the guests and a little bit for the bride and groom. 

We all decided the bride looked like a queen.  She was stunning.

It was a long event which “sadly” ended after seven hours when an unexcepted rainstorm dumped on the festivities.  The speaker at the time kept talking and talking for several minutes until the mic shorted out.  Bummer.

We milled under the tents.  Mud collected in the field.  VIP vehicles pulled up to whisk away their guests.  We stayed and chatted with new friends and old.  Our interns greeted the judges who they are working with this summer. 

It was festive and crazy and wet.

Finally, we called it and found our two Judicial drivers.  Scott took his dress shoes off, rolled up his pants and waded to the vehicles.  It was still pouring and we piled into the cars and took off into the dark. Everything and everyone was muddy.

Driving at night in Uganda is not something we do often.  Especially in the rain, on muddy rutted roads in the middle of nowhere.  The mud is like driving in wet snow.  Our drivers weren’t very good “snow” drivers.  A few times, Scott wanted to jump out and offer to take their place but he held his tongue.

About ½ way through the 6 hours journey, one of the vehicle’s gears wouldn’t engage the transmission.  We pulled to the side of a road in a small town with a few buildings and fewer people out at 10:00 pm.  Within 30 minutes, a local mechanic appeared out of nowhere, jumped into the driver’s seat, fixed the problem in about five minutes for $3.00.

We were relieved but holding our breath for the next three hours to our hotel.  We were pooped.

When we arrived back to Kampala the next day, we’d driven 22 hours for a 7-hour event in the previous 48 hours.

But my-oh-my do we have some memories to relish. 

One of the interns called it “One the top 10 days of my life!”

Oh, and Scott and I gave a cow and a bull!  They were delivered right before we arrived. One for the bride and groom and one for the host.