Clayton Collie

The waning days of February were spent as a political refugee in neighboring Kenya and Tanzania soaking up the sun as well as the molten barley and hops. Politics held center stage in Uganda with the ever controversial presidential elections which came and went without much conflict or change. Natasha and I left Jinja on…Continue readingExploring Zanzibar on the Swahili Coast

On the bus to Kampala, worrying about other transport, accommodation, thieves, and possessions, plugging into my iPod levitates my mind to a divine state. It drowns out my thoughts with each beat turning the passing landscape into a slide show of bananas and mangoes, cassava and jack fruit, stores and billboards. The colors are distinct…Continue readingTaking in the Sights and Sounds on the Way to Kampala

My first encounter with indigenous pottery proved to be educational and fun.  Despite the terribly long drive to Kitungesa, almost 40 kilometers from Jinja, Alice, Lisel, and myself all had a great day learning about the process of a professional potter named James.  Alice knew his sister from the Dembe group who made the arrangements…Continue readingLearning from the Master: Ceramics Lessons in Uganda

The last two weeks, Chris, James, and I have been digging 150 post holes to drop in and pack 7 foot poles then run 5 strands of barb wire around them all. We had 2 local men, hoes, spears, and loads of hot drinking water. The land is owned by the UAPO and will be…Continue readingThe Toughest Job of My Life: Building a Fence By Hand in Africa

Without boring you with a long history lesson, the short version is that Jinja is the shell of a once prosperous British colony fueled by Asian and European immigrants. After their expulsion, funds dried up and decay set in leaving the city in its current state. For being the second largest town in Uganda, it…Continue readingThe Ngobi House in Jinja, Uganda