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LIVE FROM ISSA's HOUSE!!!

Paul Coletti | 17:56 UK time, Tuesday, 22 May 2007

Today's show is coming live from Issa's house up a turning off a dusty road twenty minutes out of the centre of Kampala.

Issa's family and neighbours will be with us, and he's also invited some of the locals including the doctor who runs the nearby health centre, and some of the local shopkeepers. If you have a question for any of them on any aspect of daily life in Uganda, you can post it here.

Issa is a community activist and a regular listener to World Have Your Say and he's kindly offered to host Ros and the team.

There's no running water, and there's been no power all day, so the WHYS team have been busy buying lights, and getting in firewood. We're running off a generator and have put our satellite dishes on the roof of the van.
Inside the walled compound, there's a patch of dusty ground with a paw-paw tree in the corner, and three small single-storey houses with corrugated iron roofs. The women have been cooking goat stew and maize on charcoal burners outside and bringing it in to eat.

whys-ug1.jpg

Just down the path, the main road is lined with stalls and shops struggling to keep going with the power shortages. The woman who sells milk out of big fridges was only selling bottled drinks today. Next to her another woman was selling a range of locally-made herbal medicines for coughs, vomiting and Aids.

This is the first time World Have Your Say has broadcast from a listener's house, and we're excited to see how it goes. We hope it will offer a window into the sort of problems people here face on a daily basis, and we'd love to know whether you think we succeed in doing that.

We're now being introduced to evryone at Issa's house live from the outskirts of Kampala.

First caller of the night is Simon from the UK. He wants to know about ABC: Abstinence. Be faithful. Condom. That's the Ugandan government's attempt to halt the spread of AIDS . . . it appears there's more than a few 'potions' for sale in Kampala for combatting AIDS.

Simon: "I'm wondering if the American emphasis on abstinence only is making HIV prevention more difficult?"

Richard: "We need a policy or programme that can fit our culture. Here we have men with 4 or 3 women. Using a condom is difficult for Africna men."

An e-Mail has come in from Oregon:

I would be very interested in finding out about languages in Uganda. Kampala sounds like a city name that would be in Malaysia. And what an embarrassment to me and most USers that you can speak english but we have no idea about your language. May peace be your most frequent experience, susan

And another which I must confess was on my mind too . . .

Hi Ros And Issa, Just wondering what's for dinner? Jamie

We're broadcasting using a generator in Kampala so let's hope it holds out. We're going to Jim Muir in Lebanon for an update on the situation with the Fatah al Islam fighters at the Nahr al Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon. . . we've heard from Jim Muir and Shaheen of Save the Children in the UK, plus Ghaddi in Beirut.

We're back to Uganda now and a caller wants to know: "Is the power as bad in Uganda as it is in the rest of Africa? Does Uganda have a nuclear power system? Does it want one?"

Ken: "We have a problem but our economy is a growing economy? When we broke away from colonialism . . . "

Rogers: "I'm being affected. When I get home I like to cook, boil water and mostly the power isn't available."

And an e-Mail in from Asim:

Hi WHYS, ISSA and family! For your recreation i want to ask you: "Why most of lottery winning notifications through emails come from African banks? Are African banks so rich?" :-) With regards, Asim

And a nice e-Mail from Colorado . . .

hello, I'm Joey from Colorado, USA. This is a glorious program. I can feel like I'm part of this adventure into this gentleman's house. No real question, but thank you for this opportunity to be apart of the show. What's it like to be without running water? Does everyone have the same standard of cleaning, or are the women more cleanly as far as washing? Thanks again, you guys are all great Joey

We're now hearing about Uganda's plethora of languages . . . all started by Suan in Portland's query . . . some texts are now coming in:

Peter, London. Does the Uganda Muslims identify with the muslims in Iraq & the suicide bomber in the UK and around the world?

Hi guys, lubna, iraq.
I'd like to know about the status of public health services in Uganda,is there doctors drain from Uganda like from iraq?

Ervin from Detroit
What is the Ugandan economy based upon? Import? Export service? Products?

And an e-Mail from R . . .

Please comment on how government land use policy intersects with personal aspirations for land ownership and ability to make a living. Can you grow or raise enough to eat without affecting environmental sustainability? Best to you all. R

An e-Mail from Ken, one of the WHYS regulars . . . looks like Issa's talk of Paw Paws has gotten the juices flowing . . .

Although the power supply in Kampala may not be as modern as many countries, it doesn't seem like anyone is lacking energy! I wish I could join you all around the fire and eat some papau fruit! Cheers, Ken in Cleveland

If you'd like to know what broadcasting from a Kampalan backyard looks like then here's a pic!

ug.2.jpg

And a text from Down Undah!!!!

Riz in Sydney: How do you guys compare the social life in Uganda to that of somewhere foreign, say Europe?

. . and another from France:

Hisham in France. Hi WHYS. Do your guests think that democracy is definitly established in Uganda, and do they think they have gained anything from that process?

We've got some callers on the line . . . . VJ is in India:

VJ: "Hello to Kampala. How have the people been affected by the LRA? Do you have any words of advice for the people in Punjab dealing with their own false prophet problem?"

Someone has replied: "It's a big problem. We're happy there are peace talks now. But we have so many people in internally displaced camps."

An e-Mail has come in . . .

Am disappointed that my fellow Ugandans are looking at donors to save them from power shortages. What we need in Uganda is better policies and better allocation of resources. our government should attract professionalist who are skilled, so we can have several options for power generation. We have many power generating options but Ugandans are bent on old technologies. Clet

We'll now say goodbye to most of the world . . . but WHYS is on air for another hour for audiences in Africa.

We're back in Issa's back yard. Ros is giving us a clear flavour of what's going on with the fire, the charcoal, the goats, the neighbours, the darkness, the kids . . .sounds like a happy happy scene, armed guards notwithstanding! I'm just glad the generators are holding out . . .if they conk then you'll be hearing yours truly read out some e-Mails about Lebanon!

Don't forget WHYS maintains a regularly updated picture gallery . I think I can safely speak for all when I say Dicky's photography skills have improved vastly . . .the quality is awesome.

We're now hearing from Nir in Sderot in Israel, a town which has come under attack recently from Hamas Qassam rockets: "I want to ask Hatem - if there were an election again would you vote for Hamas?"

Hatem is in Gaza which has experienced violence recently between Fatah and Hamas: "It was like hell. I understand what it's like for you in Sderot. I beleve that the problem is not with Hamas, it is with the siege on the Palestinian people. The problem is not here."

Some texts . . .

FROM MANSOUR OF MONROVIA. HOW CORDIAL IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MEDIA AND UGANDA GOV'T? ISRAEL SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT VIOLENCE PRODUCES FURTHER VIOLENCE.
I would like to know what the Ugandans think of the film about Idi Amin, The Last King of Scotland. Was the film a true portrayal? Karo. Nigeria.

We've just had the news and we're now back chez Issa . . . We've got a wheelbarrow full of fire, a bunch of kids, a Mutatu (truck) with headlights supplying the light and a satellite dish on top of the truck . . .

Anita: "I don't feel safe. at night people can beat you up."

Glenna: "I've been robbed and accosted before. The police really don't do anything about it."

Glenna works in Kampala as a journalist - her blog is .

We're now hearing some messages for our kidnapped colleague Alan Johnston.

We're now on to the subject of sanitation in hospitals: "The government has tried to put the emphasis on cleanliness in hospitals, I don't think he's right."

Just remember that most places in Uganda don't have running water . . . Ros is demonstrating how things work when this essential resource is missing.

Issa: "Our staple food is beans and sweet potatoes."

Someone in Issa's house is saying: "About 70% of Uganda is employed in agriculture. The jobs people do is farming, crops or animals and the rest work in the service industry."

Doc: "The most common problem is malaria, followed by HIV Aids, Malaria is the worst. We have mosquito nets in the homes. Use clean water and avoid dirty contaminated foods."

Ros is now being introduced to . . .if you've been to Oz you'll know all about it. Great for combatting that awful Aussie sun . . .and Ugandan sun I would think . . .

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