Drama.

There is one thing Ugandans like a lot that Stephen and I try to measure our exposure to. I’m sure if it were the right kind of drama, we would get involved like everyone else but for now, I’ve asked Stephen to distance himself from especially the family drama.

For example, one Sunday, I warily sent Stephen off to a “family meeting” which was supposed to start at 10 am but he didn’t arrive till noon. At 3:30 pm he was still there and at 9:00 pm I began to worry whether somebody had gotten killed in an altercation. The topic of the meeting was to present to extended family the things the 3 uncles had been working on with respect to business and establishing the Family Foundation. The Family Foundation’s intent is to instead of chopping up the family inheritance into 3 then 100 different pieces, they keep it conjoined and run the properties as a company.

Now the 3 uncles have come into some potentially lucrative operations and these meetings have come to be attended very heavily by cousins and extended family. The 3 uncles are still alive and carry the burden of decisions and Stephen is involved because he is helping them actualize their ambitions. Stephen loves to build things, organizations, foundations, business ventures, etc. He would do this for free for the rest of his life if he could and he’d be happy as a clam but it isn’t really conducive to raising a family, when the bread winner runs around doing things for people for free during working hours.

The meeting was well attended because people had gotten wind of the potentially lucrative operations. It got really exciting as the kids to these 3 men and those of the 2 deceased men jumped up and demanded a share of their inheritance with passion and conviction. They accused those working on the project of stealing from them. They made impassioned suggestions and shared their expert opinions—everyone trying to outdo the other in demonstrating their contribution through lip service.

Eventually people just left the meeting. I didn’t go because it would have been a waste of time, since it was all in Lluganda and the translator would have been sure to forget he/she was translating for me. My wedding details were decided in this manner. Eventually, I simply told my husband, “look whoever is paying for this or that decision, may make the decisions on that detail.” Eventually, we made the decisions on pretty much all the details.”

So, the drama continues. Let it continue as long as it doesn’t distract me from my work, I say. Even a few days ago, I was the driver, taking my twins and a van load of drama story telling men out to the property of interest, to serve court summons to people who didn’t want to pay rent to their landlords. They were serving eviction summons to men who were not too poor to pay rent but rather too greedy to pay a portion of their incredible profits to the landholders, who’s land they were definitely destroying in the process of profiting. Very involved story behind that one. Oh, the stories I could tell. Stories of intrigue and passion and demons and spirits and poisonings and bewitchings.