Nostalgia

We just spent the afternoon visiting with one of our friends here in Masaka. He is an Indian Ismaili Muslim who was born in Masaka and fled to Canada with his family during the Idi Amin years. He returned to Uganda as soon as it was safe to do so and has since reclaimed his family’s farm and has almost single-handedly worked to rebuild the mosque in town that had been nearly destroyed by neglect during “The Troubles.”

This mosque restoration has been a labour of love for him and he proudly gave us a tour of the building and the gardens that he has spent years working on. He was telling us stories of the way Masaka was when he was younger—perfectly paved streets, beautiful gardens, 900 Ismailis living in the area, operational sugar and coffee factories and a vibrant social life centred at the mosque. He then took us outside of town a ways to his family’s 300 acre farm that used to produce sugar and coffee. There had been a house on the property, but it was destroyed and now the property is basically just a beautiful garden.

Things have really changed in Masaka since the days he remembers. There are only a handful of Ismailis that live in town now, the streets have gaping potholes and those coffee factories are empty and derelict. However, this man remains committed to the community. He cares for two young Ugandan boys and pays for their schooling, he ensures his workers and their children get proper medical attention when they’re sick and he continues to restore the mosque.

I should also mention that he is an absolutely amazing cook, and he frequently drops by our place with some kind of delicious Indian treat for us to enjoy. When he had us over today, he whipped up some kebabs and served them with freshly made mango chutney. It’s people like this that make my experience here so rich and it is so interesting to listen to his stories of another time.