Starting the Trek home...

Today we're heading back towards the city. We're leaving Akiki and Kigongo home and the Robert and I are heading back towards the city. I have really had my eye's opened here but it has gave me lots of brilliant inspiration for my research.

I managed to take a few photographs yesterday so i'll post those up. There is a beautiful place here it's just that the things that go on aren't so beautiful unfortunately.

Horror Stories...

Today Robert took me to meet a boy called Mukisa. Robert found Mukisa and help treat him after a witch doctor abuducted him. Mukisa told us his story of how the witch doctor took him and left him for dead after cutting off his penis. He was just three years old when this happened. Mukisa's mother told us that everytime I look at him I ask myself how his future is going to be and how the rest of the community will look at him. I thought these were very harsh words from his own mother who nearly sounded as if she would have preferred him dead because of the shame it will bring to their family in the community.

Robert told me that Mukisa is only one of many stories that he could show me...although most aren't 'lucky' enough to get away.

Bye for now,

Jess

Witch Doctors

Today I met a witch doctor!wow!Such an experience. The things they practice are so weird and most of it just completely insane!! We talked to one man who used to be a witch doctor but has now changed. He now campaigns to end child sacrifice and confessed for the first time to having murdered about 70 people, including his own son. I could see in his eyes that he was truely sorry. He led us to another practicing doctor's secret shrine where he regularly captures children and brings their blood and body parts to be consumed by spirits. The sight and the smell of that place I just couldn't describe in words. The stench was almost unbearable.

The strange thing is that the doctors think that they are doing the right thing and think that they are chasing away eveil spirits. I do believe in evil spirits but I definately don't think that making these kind of sacrifices are helping anyone.

Robert has told me that we are going to be staying here for a couple of weeks, he wants to talk directly to a practising 'doctor' and also he has medicine to try and help anyone with scars and broken wounds.

This is a different world from home...

Jess