How I joined the dumb class
One of the things Ugandans in the Diaspora buy before returning to their Western enclaves is Uganda music, and this indeed is in plenty in Uganda. A few days before returning to the Netherlands, I was walking on the streets of Kampala near the taxi car park when a man with a sack, suddenly poured its contents on the side walk.
Hundreds of well-printed DVDs were heaped on the shop verandah. I stood by to establish the cause of this madness. A few moments later, the man started singing out his wares. He was inviting customers to buy his DVDs of local Ugandan music, and the price was Uganda shillings one thousand for each. The equivalent of 50 US cents or 30 Euro cents!
Normally, one of my young brothers does this chore for me. This time I thought I would save him the bother, in any case these were cheaper and the selection wider. I followed other buyers, bent over and started sorting out what I would take with me. Another added advantage was that most were DVDs not Video CDs. Thus they had an average of 60 videos clips! I just couldn’t believe mother luck. I picked out the best of each of the leading musicians like Chameleone, Bebe Cool, Bobi Wine, Juliana, Iryn Namubiru, Eagles productions, Amarula, a collection of Ugandan lady singers, Uganda country music (kadongo kamu), Congolese artists and an assortment of different upcoming artists. I also picked some local Ugandan movies for the same price. The total was 16 DVDs worth shs.16,000/- (about 5 Euros!)
You can’t believe this, but the guy gave me a further discount and I paid only 13,000. I quickly walked away before the guy changed his mind. When I got to where we had parked the car and told the driver about my luck, he asked me to take him there so that he could also get some. I first stored mine away in the car before returning to the roadside music shop. By the time we got there, someone was paying for the last lot and the fellow walked away probably towards the bank...!
The time I returned to the Netherlands I was too busy and therefore was unable to listen to my music immediately. Actually I forgot about it until last weekend when I was searching for some documentation. I was excited when I got them intact. At an opportune time, I announced to the family that I was going to play my new Uganda music and that if they wanted they could join me in the living room.
I opened the first one and found it was a spoilt and full of scratches CD not even a DVD. I tried it in the player, but there was nothing. I tried a second and third same thing! I thought there could have been a mistake and tried on a pc, nothing, on a laptop nothing!
I hurriedly checked all the others and realized I had been duped! I paid for almost a kilo of junk, which I flew to the Netherlands. I used to hear of conning and thought people who fell for conmen’s tricks were dumb…but wait…I had also joined the dumb ones!
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