On Rob Ford, Ugandan chickens and having Nutella all over your face

December 7, 2013

We’re waiting for the morning bell to start the school day yesterday, Jon and I, him bouncing on my knee, and a school mate comes over with the news that his family is soon leaving Uganda to fly home for Christmas, to California, but he’s worried about his dog.

You see, the other day his dog got a hold of a chicken. “And the chicken got it’s tummy cut open,” he said with some exclamation. “So my dad came along and cut off its head.”

Jon and I looked at each other. We have a dog.

And I could see why the kid was worried. With nobody around over Christmas to make sure the chickens aren’t left without the, uh, medical care they need in such times.

The other news about life at the kids’ international school here is that the older kids are electing a president. Posters are all over. One of them has a kid with Nutella over his face, spoon and jar in-hand, with the words, “We have ideas!”

None of this has anything to do with Rob Ford. Unless you think about him having Nutella all over his face. Or unless you think of his tummy getting … ah, never mind.

Daily Dad did once have some satire on Coke and Ford and our exclusive interview from the time is something that you can read here.

But now here’s something else on that political implosion, recently in The Hamilton Spectator, on leadership and how it’s all seen in a place like Africa.

+++

KAMPALA, UGANDA – When Rob Ford first appeared onscreen in Africa I was sitting in front of some public televisions, a place where I often work, reading about Ghandi.

It was strange because Gandhi, the great Indian leader, led a fifth of the world’s people to democracy in his bare-feet, boney and malnourished and wrapped in just a sort of bed-sheet, while the burly mayor of Toronto has become a small man even while, in heavy shoes, he’s fallen with such a thud that it somehow has to be heard around the world.

The last time I recall Ontario news making it this far was six years ago when the Shedden massacre involving the infamous Banditos gang got a couple of paragraphs in a Ugandan daily.

To read more, please click here.

Share this post

December 7, 2013 • Posted in
Contact Thomas at [email protected]

Comments

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top