A few minutes after Spain scored their winning goal the sound of the TV’s in the crowded bar I was in went out. Even though there were still about 5 minutes left in the game people started filing out. I wasn’t giving up on the Netherlands that quickly though so I sat and watched the end of the game, in silence and with now only a handful of people around me. Then I saw that the group from my hostel that I had come with were all outside ready to leave. Thinking they might ditch me I ran out of the bar after them. I walked to them through the crowd that had now formed outside and was told “bombs have been going off around bars in Kampala. We have to get out of here.” What?! It shocked me, it still does, and all I could think was: Shit, I’m in Africa.
On the way back in the cab no one really knew what had happened or where, but we knew that crowds of World Cup viewers were the targets. I was picturing the bombing sites as just a big mess with some blood, but then, when almost back at the hostel, I was told that people had actually died in this. Again it hit me that yes, I’m in Africa. Here sad and shocking and scary things can and do happen, even in places considered safe, like in this great city Kampala.
BBC’s report of this story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/10593771.stm
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