Pictures

At the Dubai Airport

In front of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world

Finally made it to Uganda and on the bus back

Leaving to travel with the DPP

I ordered fish and chips (the alternative was goat), and I got a whole fish! They said they eat everything, including the head and the skin, just not the bones.

Joseph, Paula, and I taking a selfie

mosquito net

Watching the Ugandan Cranes play futbal

My Closest Friend

One of my supervisors at work is Paula's&my closest Ugandan friend.  He showed us around the office, answers all our questions, and helps us with non-work related questions such as where to do laundry and where to watch the soccer games.  I also fundamentally disagree on major principles with him.  He believes women are mentally weaker than men.  His evidence was that no woman has been President and that women do not hold positions of power.  Paula & I debated back and forth with him, citing past discrimination, maternity leave, and scientific studies to back us up.  He then said that Eve was made from Adam’s rib, which is somehow proof of women being mentally inferior to men.  I asked him if he thought Paula and I were mentally weak, but he said no because we argue back with him.  I asked him if I could quote him on all of this and he said yes.

He also is in firm support of the law criminalizing homosexuality, and made that clear on Day 1.  His proof that this was a valid law was pulling out books recording the Ugandan law (derived from the UK) from 1960 where homosexuality was outlawed, and saying that the founders knew it was a sin back then.  In 1641, Massachusetts legalized slavery.  Just because something is a law does not mean it is right.

He thinks it is a sin to dye your hair.

Half a Box of Corn Flakes

On our way back from one of the towns, our driver stopped to get charcoal (used for cooking in the homes and is cheaper when sold outside of Kampala), which is sold along the road.  As the boys were loading it into our truck, I got out and talked with one of the little girls who lived in the house where it was sold.  Wherever we go, children stare and wave at us because we look different, and a lot of times they point and say, “Muzungu,” which means “foreigner.”  There were about 10 children under the age of 9 gathered in front of the house laughing at us.  The little girl answered all of my questions shyly (“How old are you?” and “What is your name?”  I tried to ask what her favorite color was, but she did not know the word “favorite”), and Joseph translated her questions for me.  Eventually, she asked for a gift.  I only had 3 Starburst left because I had ate the rest, and I felt bad only giving her so little, but when Paula gave them to her, she knelt down on the dirt in thanks.  We tried to think of what else we could give.  We had a half-eaten bag of popcorn that we offered, and again, she knelt down and the kids laughed and jumped up and down.  The only other food we had left was an open box of Corn Flakes, and when we gave this to one of the boys, he held it above his head and ran smiling into the house with all the kids following.  The youngest and smallest boy was in a torn Harvard tee-shirt, and was last in the line, saying, “We have to share!” (in his dialect)  As we drove away, they stood by the road and waved goodbye to us.  The little girl told me I was a good woman. I take way too much for granted.

Observations

On the way back from another town, our driver stopped on the side of the road to get vegetables.  There are stands where people bring the vegetables they grow and compete with the others to sell them to drivers who stop.  Once we started to slow down and pull over, already there was a group of people sprinting towards the car.  They surrounded the car windows and held up their crops.  I don’t know how buyers distinguish them and decide which to buy, and it was hard to watch such fierce competition amongst the sellers.

As we were driving, we also passed groups of people walking from as far as Kenya to Kampala for the holiday Martyrs Day.

Lost in Translation

“You can leave” = Leave the hotel key when you leave your room, NOT you can leave with the key
“Let me come” = I will come back to you, NOT “Come with me” (but sometimes they never come back)
“Work starts at 8 and ends at 5” = “Work starts at 9ish and ends at 5”
“Tomorrow but one”
There are many references to chickens. “We can talk until chickens come home” = We can talk forever. “Chicken thief” = thief of small matters.
“You are welcome” = Welcome/You should feel welcome here, not a phrase used after “Thank you” (That is “Thank you too”)
“Turning up” = showing up
“The Bible says, ‘Ask and ye shall receive.’” = unsuccessful pick-up line.
Paula and I have gotten to eat with our work for every meal this week. For lunch and dinner every day, matoke is served (a dish made from bananas). When we were in line to get the food (buffet-style), a lawyer told us that the US has no variety in food and we only eat hamburgers. Paula and I are vegetarians.
I was able to talk with some police officers after a stakeholders’ meeting with the DPP. After finding out I was from California, he asked, “Do you know Tupac?”

Traveling with Mr. DPP

I am interning for 8 weeks for the Director of Public Prosecutions in Uganda.  The headquarters for the DPP and where I work is in Kampala, the only main city of Uganda.  The Director is Justice Chibita, a former judge.

Paula and I have been able to travel with the Director of Public Prosecutions this week as he visits the various stations of the DPP throughout Western Uganda.  It is evident that the stakeholders are extremely grateful that the DPP has dedicated his time to meet them.  I too have the utmost respect for Justice Chibita’s commitment to the people he serves.  I admire him for how he prioritizes hearing from the people rather than lecturing his opinion.  He strives for justice.  He is a wise leader, and I feel blessed to be able to see him work. He treats Paula and I like honored guests, when we are the ones who owe him so much.   Justice Chibita values the relationship with Pepperdine.  

I am learning a lot about the criminal justice system here.  When someone is arrested, they are put into jail, and due to the large case backlog, they wait in jail for years before going to trial to decide whether they are innocent or guilty.  In one of the towns we have been traveling to, the prison capacity is around 80 but the actual inmate number is around 500. Right now the DPP tries to prosecute 100% of cases (even chicken thieves), but the towns are eager to introduce plea bargaining, and many inmates are also very hopeful for that.  Pepperdine has established a relationship with the judiciary in Uganda, and one of the major effects from that is the introduction of plea bargaining.  With plea bargaining, the defendant can get a mitigated sentence if he/she pleads guilty and agrees with the prosecution.  It is not a perfect system, but it is efficient, and will help facilitate fair sentences.

The towns speak different dialects and there is no standardized test to be a translator so it is hard for people who don’t speak English to have a fair trial.  There are not enough defense resources, so a lot of people have to represent themselves, and some don’t have access to resources to help explain the law (especially if they don’t speak English). Refugees also face challenges with a fair trial.   Another huge problem due to the backlog is witnesses lose interest in the case, move, die, or receive threats, and so they do not want to testify anymore and without witnesses, there is no case.  We also heard a sad story about a man who defiled a young girl, but then persuaded her family not to charge him by giving them a goat.  The young girl can never be fully compensated for her suffering.

There are a lot of improvements to be hopeful about.  An IT system is being introduced and soon the stations will have Internet.  The Public Service Commission is now running again and hiring 60 more attorneys. Regional offices have been added to strengthen capacity in the field.  And plea bargaining should help alleviate the pressure from the case backlog.  With Justice Chibita in charge, public prosecutions will become more efficient and just.