More Pictures from Bunabumali Village

Now at Life in Africa HQ in Gulu, Uganda.

Norman and I are now based at the Life in Africa HQ in Gulu, and have had a busy schedule, touring around with Francis and George. We’ll be here for a week. Gulu today is much different than what we saw in Invisible Children. The streets are filled with people night and day going about their lives. Still there are many issues to address and some people are still living in the displaced persons camps, like one we saw today. The war went on for 20 years, so many don’t know where home is anymore. This afternoon we gave a lady a lift that didn’t know what town she had to get off at to find her village. Her mother told George to make sure we drop her at Palenga and then she’d need to find her way walking through the bush.

Saturday a group of 45 children were here singing and playing games. They had a lunch together and then we explained the hammock making project. None of them had ever seen a hammock before. Nobody in Norman's village had either. Hammocks are just not common here, so this could be a very profitable opportunity for Life in Africa, and the Good Samaritan School to make them to sell in local and international markets.

I asked the kids how many were night commuters traveling from the villages to sleep together in shelters during the war in fear of being abducted. Nearly all of them put up their hands. Most of them also put up hands when I asked how many lost parents.

We have one sewing machine here ready, and the other awaits the peddle which fell out of the box on the bumpy bus ride from Mbale. The peddle is in the bus station office, so we'll have it back tomorrow and start sewing hammocks.

Yesterday, we attended a wedding in Masindi, a village near Karuma falls on the Nile. Along the drive we fed baboons’ begging on the highway, and got some photos. I'd never experienced anything like it.

George was the chairman of the wedding committee. He grew up with the family and they paid for his school fees. The family is one of the largest land owners in that district, with 1000 acres, and all of them are very well educated... being doctors, lawyers and teachers. The father died early and eldest brother, a lawyer, was a member of parliament at age 23, and put the other eight siblings through school. They are keen to have more volunteers visit their village and offered their houses to live in and land to set up a camp on. One of the sisters is head teacher at a local school and will be happy to have guest teachers. The place felt very safe and I will work on facilitating this project.

We arrived at the village exhausted from an early morning and late night of dancing the night before. I regretted not bring a hammock to rest. Kids everywhere, keen to play with the Muzungu (strange white guy). It seemed like I was the only white person they have ever seen. I wished I had the dance hoop. I looked in hardware shops for materials, but plastic tubing is rare here. I grabbed a large bike tire off the roof of a bicycle repair shop, but it was too soft. The men there thought I was silly the way I was playing with it, but after walking away they called me back to get a more sturdy tire, with treads worn down smooth. It worked perfectly. We washed it at the village water pump, and by then there was a group of 30 kids ready for a show, plus a dozen prison inmates that happened to be sitting there.

The hoop play went on for hours before and after the wedding, and they were fighting over it by dark, and following me in a huge crowd, so I needed to hid-out to keep them from following. One little boy took a special liking to the hoop and loved being in front of the camera. He was a pushy kid, obviously needing attention. We became good friends and he stayed with me, holding my hand and asking me to swing him around. This sort of personal connection I find very satisfying, because I was able to give what he needed, and maybe the hoop could be a positive way he can continue to channel energy. The hoop being a bicycle tire ended up being a good thing, so that they could use what they had locally.

The choir singing at the wedding was enchanting and I plan to use the music for the soundtrack of my documentary. I shot a good overview of the whole wedding and will give a copy to the family, plus a disc of all the still images. The dance party afterward lasted all night and I was too tired dance, but the bed I was laying in was only a hundred feet from the massive speakers and crowd of 500+, so again I got little sleep. Norman slept in the vehicle far away, and got much better rest.

My head hurts, and throat hurts a bit, which I’m sure is due to lack of sleep and water. I can’t drink the local water, everyone reminds me, so I always need to be prepared. It is hot, so I need to drink a lot. I need to sleep now.

Please take the time to read Aaron’s proposal below and help continue the work we are doing here. I really want Aaron to come, knowing he has many gifts (http://ablemonk.com ). I have given him $380 from the sale of 7 hammocks that Karenann Whalen sold in Montreal. Now we need others to take action soon as possible. The reason I write reports and share images is to inspire a grassroots movement, which will really make a difference on the ground in the long term. I’m not here on vacation. I'm trying hard to upload more images, but with our net connection so slow it is time consuming and frustrating-- so I'm better off doing the work I came to do, then sharing the photos when I return home. We will continue the work started by the connections made this trip. Already, Shady Willis and Jamie Luv are planning Action Hero adventures in Uganda this coming summer.

Aaron’s length of stay is April 1st to April 24th. He will be working in Norman’s village for most of his stay. On our blog you can read my report after returning from the village in the entry below.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cory,

Yo. All right.

So, I do have friends in Kampala, happy to host me if needs be.
However, it would be nice to connect with Norman immediately and head
straight to the orphanage to continue where you left off.

Here are is a rough blueprint for what I hope to do:

1) bring (fruit and vegetable) seeds for commencing on permaculture gardening projects.

*is there room to build a small greenhouse? or perennial raised beds? do they have tools?

2) to continue your work with hammocks and geodesic domes. *is there more to do? endless?

3) organize groups of children to perform musical theatre shows based on issues raised by the kids. theatre games. breakdance. beatbox. rap. recycled instrument making. anything which might bring positive media, relevant life reflection, and offer a model of peace and empowerment through the arts. (this would be amazing to film...even to put camera's into the children's hands (disposable cameras, cheap video cams, etc). and what about the refugee camp "ball" where we have local entertainment, local food, etc?

4) and lastly, to do interviews with existing NGO's, community projects, orphanages, musicians, artists, farmers, and others who are bringing real solutions of unity, sustainability, and creativity to Uganda and the world.

O.K. So, this is all still pending appraisal- based on what's actually
feasible with materials, genuine interest, and monetary logistics- of
course.

With no agenda,
Aaron

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Cory,

I am writing to inform you that I don't think Uganda is in the cosmic
cards for me right now. I am too stressed about finances and there
doesn't seem to be any other method of making this happen. Plus, the
tickets are too expensive last minute (even with a generous loan from
you). I am a truly bummed and sad, given the amount energy and work I
put into lining things up- all the seeds, a rented video camera,
workshop plans, musical shows, etc...but, alas, I have exhausted all
resources- financial, mental, emotional.

I'll have to plan this trip for another time...boo hoooo.

Regretfully,
Aaron


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Last but not least, I must thank the most recent donors who purchased the sewing machines and fabric. Without their help, this effort would not have happened:

Mike Zolis, Gordon Johnson, Debbie Murphy, Glen Maclean, Ray Leaman, Barb Doyle, John and Dorothy Doyle, Nicholas Richard, Janet McClusky, Marcus Mccinsky, Virgina Stites, Robert and Cynthia Donovan, Jeffery Withers, Erin Slovitt, Nelson Hum, Charlene Richard, Monique Morin, Shawna Vassallo, Joey Rudy, Leon Turfitt.

Please show your support by donating now:
http://www.ihcenter.org/groups/actionheronetwork.html

The place was beautiful... the people.. the mountains...

Bunabumali Village is one of the most unique communities I have ever experienced. Houses are peppered on steep slopes connected by foot paths. There are no power lines and no cars. Mount Elgon high above catches clouds and rain comes and goes--- drown pouring, then sunny minutes later. Banana trees and coffee bushes grow every... as do children.

There are lots and lots of children. Norman's family, which has 8 children of their own, adopted 10 kids-- two homeless due to AIDS, and 8 that lost their parents in landslides. From 1997 to 2004... 1000 people have died from landslides.

I arrived at the school last week to a chorus of children singing and clapping to welcome me. Three days later, I was sitting next to the dead body of one of those kids, Doreen, age 10, the last of three siblings to die from AIDS, leaving her mother weeping with us beside Doreen on the bed.

I have been at this computer for nearly two and a half hours and it has yet to let me upload a photo, due to being slow, so we'll work on it tomorrow. I have lots to share. It was one of the most amazing weeks of my life. The place was beautiful... the people.. the mountains... everything.

The project was a complete success. Yesterday, we made 21 hammocks. We have recorded many people in the village on video sharing their needs and requests to invite more visitors to come with their talents.

Everyone in the village was grateful to have me there and I always felt safe. I was gifted three chickens and countless bananas, passion fruit, tomatoes, avocados, papaya, etc. They said I am the first non-African to stay in the village over-night. Everywhere I went, all eyes were on me, which was a problem at a track and field event, because I was taking attention away from what was going on, so I hid-out in the government hall.

Time has run out on this computer.

More soon.

-C

Our Updated Tree

Bunabumali Village

Pictures from Kampala

Another Update on March 13

We are having a great time, and will get to do some good work soon. I have bought 4 sewing machines and all the materials to make 40 hammocks. - Cory

Cory is in Norman's village which has 2000 people. The sewing machines will be the first permanent machines in the village. The school will keep them and let people use them as needed. They might also be used to make school uniforms.

(Norman's village is located to the west of the mountain between the mountain and the red balloon)

We are planning on connecting with Cory on March 20th through webcam at both Forest Hills School and Morna Heights.

At Forest Hills School, we have a beautiful tree located in our front entrance (see right hand side of blog for a picture). Four branches will soon be added to our tree to depict that we have connected with those in Uganda. As the hammocks get made in Uganda, leaves will begin to sprout on the tree. We are also adding the names of those who have made donations to the bottom of our tree. Cory's pictures of Uganda are posted around the tree. Stay tuned for an updated picture of our tree!

A Note from Cory on March 7th

After a few days in London, I fly out tonight to Uganda. Waiting for me at the airport will be Norman, the director of Good Samaritan Orphan and Needy school, and Lucy from Life in Africa. http://LifeInAfrica.com http://bunabumali.my-php.net

First, I'll buy sewing machines, fabric, and rope, then bus to Norman's village at the base of Mt. Elgon, which is spectacular: http://www.kws.org/mt-elgon.html

Once the kids have a grip on sewing hammocks, we'll get to work building the bamboo dome, which will serve as a shelter and play space for the school.

I set up a huge dome in the gulf coast after hurricane Katrina( thanks to Jeff Talyor of www.eons.com) and it became an amazing community center that made a big difference in many lives (watch the 30 minute doc I shot about this by clicking here (sorry about the low quality version). The bamboo dome could be a revolutionary demonstration that can be easily duplicated all over the 3rd world. We still need funds to buy canvas to cover this dome.

I have 50 bottles of MMS to give out, thanks to Robert in Alberta (http://www.health4allinfo.ca/ ), who donated the entire supply. It cures Malaria with 30 drops in 3 hours, and helps rid the body of many other ills as well. These videos explain.

Later in the journey, I'll bus to Gulu in Northern Uganda with Lucy, where we'll sew more hammocks with kids, fool around with hula hoops, and host a fancy candle light dinner theater in a refugee camp.

The journey blog is published at: http://stitchugandatogether.blogspot.com/ Thom Woolley, another of myself here in London (an art teacher working with www.artiseducation.com), hosted me the past couple nights and hooked me up with great inspiration watching videos made by his friends touring with Performers Without Borders: http://www.performerswithoutborders.org.uk/

Check these videos: http://pwb.blip.tv/#719036 This is what we aim to do in Uganda. I have a professional video camera kindly on loan from Andrew MacCormack, and Aaron, a friend from BC who is a film maker/ educator/ musician is keen to join me as soon as possible. His site is www.ablemonk.org Aaron needs a miracle of $800 in donations to buy the tickets needed in the next two days. A little bit from a lot of people could make that happen easy. That's what this is all about. When a lot of people work together, we can do amazing things!

This link goes to the Action Hero Network paypal account: http://www.ihcenter.org/groups/actionheronetwork.html Aaron has a lot to offer-- gifts I don't have. Together we'll make a great documentary through which you and many others will get to experience this journey. It is like buying your ticket to the movie theater in advance. This is your chance to take part if you have not already. Watch the videos linked above, then take action by making a donation if you can and forward this message on to others. This is what grassroots activism is all about. Stitch Uganda Together started as a far out vision this time last year, and has been made possible through hammock sales and donations from people like you.

Keep sharing positive media about good things that are happening. We need everyone thinking positive, because we all make a difference where we are in the moment and in the big picture.

Wish us luck, because your thoughts are powerful! Suggestions and partnerships welcome. -Cor(azon)

London: day one

Now in London, I'm crashed at Thom and Ewan's apartment above Regent canal for a couple days(see satellite image of the apartment on google maps: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=SE14+6NW&ie=UTF8&ll=51.535671,-0.070492&spn=0.000457,0.001246&t=h&z=20 ).

Chris, who I met through facebook, hooked me up with them. I didn't go out today-- just sept in, cleaned the kitchen, and I'm recharging my batteries-- figuratively and literally.

Tomorrow I teach a hooping class at Goldsmiths college for a group of dancers. Laura, the dancer who invited me, was working the door last night at Shunt, a sweet underground club Ela and Chris took me to visit for a beer and taste the local favor. The place looked like a cave and smelled like soil. Tunnels lead off in different directions and rooms were lit by projected images. I couldn't take pics there cuz my camera battery was dead after shooting scenes of downtown London all afternoon, and I was dead tired, so I sept there in a reclining chair for the first hour, after just a couple sips of beer.

When I woke up, I spun the hoop a bit, and it came loose hitting a table, sending a glass to the floor. It didn't brake, but I was asked not to hoop there, so not to destroy any art installations over head. I took the hoop outside the bar to dance in the bustling underground connecting tub tunnels.



Seconds before getting on the bus in Saint John, dad and I cut my hoop into four pieces with a saw. Yesterday, my mission was to find shock cord to tie inside the hoop, to make it ridged and collapsible. After visiting a couple hardware stores and camping shops, that only had bundgee cords with hooks, I successed and sat on the front steps assembling the hoop with four connectors and shock looped through a couple times inside. A borrowed knife allowed me to shave one side of the connector, making it easier to take the hoop apart. I shaved one connector too much, so now it comes apart too easily, but that was easy to fix with a bit of tape.



I didn't see a single child all afternoon or evening. Ela said she is surprised when she sees old people too. That's the buy-ness district. Now I'm in the residential area. Tonight after supper, I'll interview Thom and Ewan on camera to ask them about what community looks like here in London.

I'll leave you to check out these videos of Angel Nigel, a clown street performer I chatted with for an hour yesterday outside Liverpool Station. He sang for me on camera also.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyudrkCEM4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbIF1fqGgEY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWSwdg40GQc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tni0jZmG-yA