Since I did not teach on Friday, I went with Danielle to pick up Pablo and Jenni, who are teaching at Pabo Secondary School and living in Pabo. Pabo was created as an IDP camp, where the government forced people in the outer villages to move during the war. At one time, there were over 60,000 people living in the Pabo IDP camp. It was meant to be a safe place for the Ugandan people, but the LRA would still attack and kidnap from the outer huts, so people would move into the center of the camp at night. It is about an hour mutatu ride to get to Pabo from Gulu. It is on the same road as Keyo SS, and if you follow the road for another 20 miles after passing through Pabo, you will reach the border of Sudan. The people have been released from the IDP camps, but because many were at Pabo for so many years, they have chosen to make it their home, thus the creation of it as a trading center (not quite a town). Because of its proximity to Sudan and the LRA still being a presence in the surrounding countries, there is a heavy military presence at Pabo. Pablo, who is an avid runner, had to get clearance to go running in the morning from the police and the military, so I think there is still some concern about safety there.
We stopped at Pabo SS first. I met several of the teachers, who were very friendly, and while the Pabo round table was happening, I sat with them and read Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. I was interrupted a couple of times by two male teachers. We discussed soccer, and they revealed that they both were big Brazil fans and were looking forward to the Brazil- Portugal match that night. They mentioned that they were frustrated because Renaldo had not been playing well, and it was on account of a woman. This then launched into a friendly diatribe about how women were the downfall of men. I had to laugh to myself because they did not realize my opinions on how amazing women are. I tried to explain that I did not feel that it was fair to blame women when men in fact have control over their actions, but they did not want to hear it. They then referenced Adam and Eve and the apple; when I mentioned that Adam did not have to accept the apple from Eve, one of the men said, “No, he could not say no to her.” I replied, “Well, it seems to be that is a flaw in men and should not be blamed on the woman.” I do not think they liked my point of view as the subject was quickly dropped.
Once the round table was over, we followed Pablo and Jenni on their bicycles to Pabo Trading Center to pick up their stuff for the weekend. They are staying at a new “hotel.” It has no running water and no electricity, but the rooms are nice and clean. Pabo is right on the road and is full of huts and shanties. It is hard to describe the smells there; I think if you could imagine a combination of close living quarters and lots of people and animals, that would be it. They are very curious though, especially about white people. There is not much to do; Pablo and Jenni said that the town tour took 10 minutes to complete, and there are very strict societal expectations. For example, Pablo, being male, is allowed to be out after dark, but Jenni, who is female, must stay inside. They have been reading a lot of books to pass the time.
It was fascinating to visit and see what one of the IDP camps looked like. However it was also a sad reflection on how this war has affected so many lives and continues to shape the world of the Ugandans even though there has been peace in the country for 3 years.
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