Hamilton Spectator

One of the unexpected things I've caught since coming to Africa for the long haul is a certain disturbing feeling in the pit of my stomach. It's grown there quietly, feeding, I suspect, on the various foreign sights and sounds around here, especially those of the children.

Beautiful women and mobile phones might not be the first pictures that come to mind when you think of Africa. But one of the more interesting things about life on the so-called dark continent is that, even here, image sells.

It's not the Glacier Express climbing through the Swiss Alps. It's not Vietnam's Reunification Express winding into the more exotic jungles of the world. And it's certainly not the Orient Express, that legendary locomotive of opulence and intrigue immortalized by Agatha Christie.

Ugandans are happy with leaders who allow them to go to bed without getting shot or raped before morning.

Drought has caused huge cutbacks in Ugandan electricity generation. Businesses will close and thousands will be left jobless, causing an exodus from cities.

Ugandan President Museveni celebrated 20 years in power this year — and he wants another seven . Critics want change.

Here's a thought for today: BANG! You've been shot. Shot through the heart. Can you imagine it?

Nowadays you just gotta love the skin you re in no matter what it s made of.

The spirit of the age is ambivalence, not skepticism, and into this comes a special time to worship.

In the mysterious game of African poker politics, you have to wonder if even a seasoned fox like Yoweri Museveni is not overplaying his hand.

Getting a hair cut in Africa for a man comes without the comfy chair, the warm lather or the sense of style.

Burglary and theft are rampant across Uganda. Police are underfunded, disrespected and overburdened.

Rise in suicide reflects chronic lack of mental health services, especially in Third World.

Two weeks into my new life in Uganda, I'm quickly learning how precarious life can be when living with the threat of infectious diseases.

Maybe Labour Day should be replaced with Bum Day says our resident traveller.