Wedding celebrations

Saturday morning:  A group of us from Kisiizi set off to Rukungiri, the nearest significant town, about 75 minutes drive to the north.  The last section of the journey is on tarmac which is bliss after a very rough murram [gravel put onto the underlying earth and occasionally flattened by a “grader” but very quickly rutted when rains come] road.  Only 9 on the way and 11 on the way back.  The group included Edson, who is in charge of IT services at Kisiizi and also teaches IT for the primary school and to hospital staff.  Margaret, a comprehensive nurse whom we know from our original time here also came as did Sister Esther, the Principal Nursing Officer.  When we arrived at Rukungiri we met up with Anthony and Judith, a nephew and niece of Esther.  They had  travelled on the overnight bus from Kampala for the wedding and to meet up with us – Mark and Ruth are very close friends with them from previous visits to Kisiizi.

Arrived at the Cathedral, built with brick and iron sheet roof, to find a previous wedding just finishing and to be greeted by one of the guests attending it, a friend from years ago, Eric Kamuteera.  He worked as a Development Officer in the diocese when we were here decades ago so good to see him again.

Also met up with Dr Shek and Peace Matsiko who had recently arrived from UK for the wedding of Peace’s brother, the son of the late Bishop Ruhindi, who had been the Bishop when we were here.

Then it was our turn,  and we went into the cathedral and a very good minister conducted the service.  He was an excellent speaker, and had a very personal touch for Medius and Aggrey. [pronounced Ag-ray].  

[It was strange to sit in the Cathedral again, we remember being there way back in 1988 when Hanna was expecting Mark.  We had been invited by Bishop Ruhindi to speak at the Diocesan Synod quiet day, turned out to be an audience of about 200 clergy so quite an honour... we had stayed in the Bishop's house and as Hanna was pregnant he insisted on her being driven the 200 meters to the cathedral!]

  Then the inevitable photos outside before we discovered a Ugandan tradition of driving in convoy, peeping horns, throughout the town to celebrate the marriage and to make sure everyone knows about it.  At first I thought there were a lot of potholes but then realised the cars in front were just weaving about the road deliberately in a kind of dance!

At the Groom’s family home we had a buffet meal and sodas [interesting to note that no alcohol seen at any stage of the day] before walking up a small road to an open area where tents had been erected and a large crowd of local people had gathered.  We were treated as celebrities which was very touching.  Esther spoke for the hospital and then called Ian up to “say a few words”.  The winning combination of a big smile while trying with limited success to say a few sentences in Rukiga produced a mix of appreciative cheers and laughs.  The best man speech seemed fairly tame but the highlight was the groom’s response.  He got through the first phrase without too much difficulty and then was overcome with emotion as he started to thank his parents and was so grateful for his new wife.  It was very touching as she put a comforting arm around him.

A lovely celebration, a lot of happiness, a real community. 

We then drove back in the dark, pausing a moment to stop away from any lights to marvel at the heavens – the milky way and constellations clear in the sky above without the background light pollution we find at home.  Puts it all in perspective “when I survey the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” Psalm 8:3,4

Safely home, tired but content.