In Uganda, right after you are asked your religion, people want to know which team you support. Man Utd. or Arsenal? Actually I am a Chelsea fan, but I have been known to cheer for Liverpool and Manchester United on occasion. This answer is usually acceptable. British Premiere League football (soccer) is hugely popular here. The pubs are packed on game nights; even taxi drivers wear their team on their sleeves, or more accurately painted on the rear windows.
Last night Arsenal played Liverpool. The bar was so packed; we got their 25 minutes early and still had to sit on the cement floor. The bar exploded with excitement everytime a goal was scored, or nearly scored, or saved. Us muzungus (foreigner – falang in Thai) went with a couple of the older Bakuli Boys, Junior and Tony.
The Bakuli Boys, so named for the district where most of them live, makeup the NGO African Hearts Community Organization. This is a group of 62 boys who live in poverty. Through the organization they have been given food, the chance for education, and taught to play instruments. They have formed a brass band which has become exceptionally popular, and the money they make goes towards school fees, uniforms, and other necessities. The 15 boys who were homeless now have a place to stay. Some nights I go down and help them with homework. Finals are over the next couple of weeks and their semester break (for 2 months) begins in November.
One of the younger boys, Robert, who guesses his age to be 13, comes for soup after school. He’s not really allowed to come by the guesthouse, but none of us staying here would ever dream of turning him away. Not only is he smart and charismatic, the soup and peanut butter toast probably is the closest he gets to real nutrition. Robert's only other meal is posho at the school lunch. Posho is corn flour than when cooked in water resembles mashed potatoes when it is finished. It is tasty, but when eaten alone rather bland. Robert says the reason I like it, is I have only eaten it a few times.
Anyway, Liverpool and Arsenal tied, which is a big deal. Arsenal’s winning streak is over, which is good for fans of all the other teams! Most of the people cheering for Liverpool were Manchester United fans, who needed to see their main rival taken down a notch. The give away, was when for the few seconds the camera panned to the Man Utd. coach, there was more cheering then when Liverpool scored their goal. I don’t really know much about sports, but that is a close enough approximation to still have me included in further “football” conversations.
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