There are stories that read books are impressive.
The same stories told by those who lived them are even more shocking. Especially when they talk about real life, when you know quite well who tells her, when they speak of the country where you are and the people around you, when in the eyes of those you see in front of emotion, involvement, fear, joy, memories and even then and hope. Especially when the game of pure chance that these stories will bring to mind images of faraway places and colors but you have personally seen.
There is a town in southern Uganda, on shores of Lake Victoria, which is called Masaka. It has about 70,000 inhabitants and is located on the "highway" that connects the capital Mbarara, Kampala.
Masaka was one of the stages of a fantastic journey (the journey, with a capital) that will remain forever in the heart, eyes and skin.
Karungu, Mwanza, Nyakatasi, Kigali, Mbarara, Masaka, Kampala, Jinja and then again Karungu.
Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya again.
And now in Sudan-a was divided in half and crumbled by more than two decades of civil war between north and south, separated from oil, language, culture and skin color-meeting in a history of escape, division and rediscovered the same sounds and same images of Uganda crossed a few months ago.
Masaka and Kampala.
But the story is about a very different Uganda, the first of Obote and Idi Amin then, two of the worst dictators that Africa has ever had, whose personal and political history is crammed of blood, violence and terror.
In 1971, thanks to a military coup, did depose Amin and Obote became president, promising peace and prosperity and giving change only in ethnic cleansing, corruption and a nation to its knees.
At that time who told me this story he lived with his family in a village in Masaka district, about forty miles from Kampala.
The father and mother a few years earlier had fled from Juba, capital of South Sudan, when he was about to blow that same civil war between north and south of which still today live with the consequences.
The flight was timely and enabled them to avoid losing all they had to avoid periods of imprisonment in crowded refugee camps and in poor condition and enabling them to afford to buy a piece of land, rebuild a home and start a life.
But the arrival of the soldiers of Amin ended for the second time to this.
Because the person I am talking about was born in Uganda and attended the school not far from his village, but unfortunately he was kidnapped by militias in arrival and ended up in South Sudan.
alone.
E alone is broken, refugee from south to north. To a place, Khartoum, which was a kind of promised land. Where there was no war and where they could try to get by somehow.
now has a family, great and wonderful. He has a job, safe and important because it helps so many people have the money to afford the current house and send their children to school. And all this is so for a person living in a refugee camp, or sub-urban settlement for internal displaced people, or whatever tickles your fancy you can call a place like Mayo.
But the amazing thing was the story of how, 17 years after it was taken away from Uganda, has managed to get in touch again with his family and when, two years ago, be able to see his mother, who did not believe in tears to have it again in front of her son.
This is the story.
I do not know to tell stories, let alone such stories.
do not think I can to convey in words what I felt hearing this story, or looking into those eyes he told me.
But I wanted to try, because I believe it is right to do so.
Because I think it is fair that you know the war sucks.