A Polite, Deliberate and Respectful Communication Style

The Kalenjin people of East Africa, primarily living in Kenya's Rift Valley, are widely recognised for their polite, deliberate, and respectful communication style. In Kalenjin culture, speaking gently and avoiding unnecessary loudness or aggression is deeply tied to traditional values of humility, self-control, and respect for elders and the community. 

This soft-spoken nature is often observed during social gatherings, traditional dispute resolutions, and everyday interactions, where active listening and maintaining harmony are highly prioritised.

I observed this softspoken nature and its impact independent of having it confirmed to me after I had brought it up and expressed my observation in a conversation. I found the softspoken nature striking, coming from the background that I come from — softspoken is NOT what Nigerians (of all ethnicities) do. 

I appreciated it, seeing it as a better alternative to the loud abrasiveness that one has been more exposed to. It is beautiful to watch, even if one does not understand the language. The deliberateness by which conflict is kept out the picture and everyday interactions are conducted, and potential conflict situations resolved, all with polite comments and smiles. 

I witnessed first-hand where a potential conflict situation was dissolved instantaneously. This was new to me, but that's just the way things are done here.

The Kindness of Strangers: A Testament to Human Connection

For a brief moment I was lost in Kenya. Then humanity showed up.

There is a unique vulnerability in being completely lost in an unfamiliar place. The world feels larger, colder, and distinctly indifferent to your anxiety. I found myself in this exact state of distress recently, standing at a designated meeting point in a strange location where my friend was supposed to be. When I arrived, the landscape was unfamiliar, my friend was nowhere to be found, and my calls to his phone went completely unanswered. In that moment, isolation settled in heavily. I was an outsider, swallowed by a strange environment, with no clear path forward.

It was during this peak of panic that the true beauty of human nature revealed itself. Two local men, total strangers to me, noticed my visible distress. Instead of walking past or ignoring a foreigner in need, they chose to step into my situation. They approached me not with suspicion, but with genuine concern.

Their assistance went far beyond merely offering directions. From the moment they stayed by my side, their presence became an anchor. They spoke to me with calming words, reassuring me that I was not alone and that we would solve this problem together. In a situation where they owed me nothing, they gave me their time, their patience, and their protection. They walked with me, guided me through the unfamiliar terrain, and actively helped me navigate the area until, at long last, I was reunited with my friend.

This experience left a profound mark on me. It serves as a powerful reminder that beneath the divisions of geography, language, and background, there is a shared thread of humanity that connects us all. These two men did not see a stranger to be ignored; they saw a fellow human being in trouble and chose to act with empathy. Their selflessness turned a terrifying ordeal into a beautiful lesson about grace, community, and the quiet heroes who restore our faith in the world. I will carry their kindness in my heart, a reminder to pay that humanity forward whenever I encounter someone lost in their own storm.

Papa, can I assist you?

It was a large backpack, and heavy. I struggled with it, but the idea had been to put most of the heavy items in it to avoid excess baggage charges. The backpack was carry-on baggage that wasn't checked-in as luggage and is therefore not weighed most of the time. This is a tactic travellers use to get around the checked-in luggage weight limit. The checked-in luggage travels in the cargo hold, the carry-on baggage travels in the passenger cabin with you, usually stowed in the overhead bin. 

So it was a large, heavy backpack, but I was sure I could easily manage the weight climbing up the stairs into the aeroplane. I did not realise that it was obvious to onlookers that I was struggling. Then I heard the voice of the flight attendant standing at the top of the stairs, "Papa, can I assist you?", with her hand held out as it to help me up the last few steps. Now, no stranger has ever called me Papa in my life, so the offer of help to a struggling elderly person that was directed at me hit me hard.

This same flight attendant made the point of offering to help me down the stairs after arrival at our destination. Of course her offer of help was kindly refused, both times, I was too proud in both those moments to accept that I may now be a senior person who sometimes might need the help of others to do mundane, everyday things.

The term for it is Age Epiphany —The sudden, sharp cognitive realisation that you have transitioned into an older age bracket or life stage. It is usually triggered by a specific event, or seeing a photograph of yourself.

So, guys, I guess I am now Papa to all of you.

Note from Kampala

We've just been on a drive around Kampala in the early evening as the sun set, and I was taken aback by just how large this city is. This is my second visit to the city in the space of two years, but it has taken this long for me to fully appreciate the city's true size, how spread out it is, and its magnificence. 

Previously, my knowledge of Kampala was limited to the Central Business District, Entebbe Road, (which is the direction towards where I have my lodgings—I'm lodged in the same place as last time); Masaka Road, Bwaise, the Express road from Entebbe, Namirembe, and not much else really. From the Expressway I always saw the roadsign with arrow pointing towards Mulungu, but we often came off the Expressway at the Kajjansi exit, with Mulungu still further forward; mysterious, out-of-reach. This evening that mystery was unravelled. 

I should start by doffing my hat to the architects profession of Kampala. They are doing an amazing job. I'm still picking up pieces of my jaw that dropped to the floor from how awestruck I was just from seeing such dazzling architecture as I did, driving down this road; homes styled and built to such stunning effect, accentuated by a hilly landscape that makes for structures located on a higher elevation at the rear being just as visible as those at the front. It was like a mural of stunning architectural magnificence presented to my visual senses that left me totally stunned, and utterly dumbfounded that I knew nothing about this at all before now. And this was just the beginning, as we drove down this Expressway towards Mulungu. 

For the duration of the drive until we reached Mulungu I remained in shock for having no idea that I actually knew so little about this city that I like, one that I have often described as one of my favourite cities. 

It was calming to later on stand on the shoreline in Mulungu in the fading light of the dusk, an anticlimax to the earlier surge of emotion. I came away from the lake with a large, deep-fried Tilapia fish to console myself.

Sempaya Hot Springs

The entry fee to visit tourist locations in this country is determined by various factors, one of which is nationality. I did qualify for the "rest of Africa" category but I had no documentary evidence in my possession when purchasing the entry ticket, that I was not an American pretending to be an African. So the man said, "Now speak like a Nigerian let me hear". So I said, "Oga, you sef, na wa, which one you dey.." Then everyone burst out laughing, including the man himself. 

Okay, so I got my ticket as "the rest of Africa", but it was still five times more expensive than the "East African national" ticket.

Sempaya Hot Springs are striking geothermal features located in Semuliki National Park in the Bundibugyo District of western Uganda.

Female Spring (Nyasimbi): Features a boiling geyser that shoots water over 100°C about 2 meters into the air. Visitors often use the extreme heat to boil eggs and plantains.

Male Spring (Biteete): A calmer, wider pool about 12 meters across surrounded by swamp vegetation and palm trees.

Cultural Significance: Held sacred by the indigenous Bamaga clan, who believe their ancestors live beneath the springs and perform annual rituals there. The shrine where these indigenous people perform their traditional rites and rituals has been preserved right next to the hot springs.

Semuliki National Park, a 220-square kilometres protected lowland tropical rainforest located in the Bundibugyo District of western Uganda, is the only lowland tropical rainforest in East Africa, serving as an eastern extension of the vast Congo Basin's Ituri Forest. It is one of the richest areas of floral and faunal biodiversity in Africa, with bird and butterfly species being especially diverse. The park is managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

The area of Semuliki National Park is a distinct ecosystem within the larger Albertine Rift ecosystem. Most of the plant and animal species in the park are also found in the Congo Basin forests, with many of these species reaching the eastern limit of their range in Semuliki National Park.

The Science: The water at the Sempaya Hot Springs boils at such extreme temperatures—up to 103°C (217°F)—because of the intense geothermal forces hidden beneath the Semuliki Valley.

The scientific mechanism behind why this water boils involves several key geological factors.

1. High-Pressure Underground Heating

Rainwater and river runoff from the nearby Rwenzori Mountains seep deep into the earth's crust through porous rock and deep fractures. As the water travels kilometres downwards, it approaches incredibly hot rocks near the earth's mantle.

Because the water is trapped deep underground beneath a heavy column of water and rock, it is subjected to immense pressure. This pressure acts like a natural pressure cooker, allowing the water to become "superheated" far past its normal surface boiling point without turning into steam.

2. Deep Fault Lines of the East African Rift

The Sempaya Hot Springs are located right inside the Western branch of the East African Rift System. In this region, the earth's tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart, thinning the crust and creating deep fractures and fault lines. These faults act as open pathways that allow the superheated water to rise rapidly back to the surface.

3. The "Flash" Effect at the Surface

As the superheated water rapidly ascends through the fissures, the surrounding physical pressure drops. When it finally nears the surface, the sudden drop in pressure causes the superheated water to violently "flash" into actual steam and boiling water. This is why the female spring (Nyansimbi) forcefully spurts a geyser of boiling water up to 2 meters into the air with a constant bubbling and sizzling sound.

4. Mineral Elevation of the Boiling Point

Pure water at sea level boils at exactly 100°C. However, Sempaya's waters are heavily saturated with dissolved minerals and salts (like sodium chloride and sulfur) leached from deep subterranean rocks. These dissolved minerals physically elevate the boiling point of the fluid, which is why temperatures at the vent can consistently register slightly above normal at 103°C.

Impact on the Human Population: The forests in the park are of great socio-economic importance to the human communities that live near the park. The local people practise subsistence agriculture and use the park's forests to supplement their livelihoods. Some of the products they obtain from the forests include fruits and vegetables, herbal medicines, and construction materials. The local population is increasing at a rate of 3.4 percent per year. The high population density and declining agricultural productivity combined with an unavailability of alternative sources of income means the local population is dependent on the park's resources. The forest also plays an important cultural and spiritual role in local people. The forests are also the home of approximately 100 Great Lakes Twa people, an indigenous community who still largely live as hunter-gatherers. Tourism provides the Batwa people with additional income.

Note: The Great Lakes Twa, also known as Batwa (singular Mutwa), Abatwa or Ge-Sera, are a Bantu speaking group native to the African Great Lakes region on the border of Central Africa and East Africa. As an indigenous pygmy people, the Twa are generally assumed to be the oldest surviving population of the Great Lakes region. Current populations of Great Lakes Twa people live in the states of Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In 2000, they numbered approximately 80,000 people, making them a significant minority group in these countries.

Past practices of the managing authorities that excluded the local people created resentment among them. This reduced the effectiveness of conservation practices and contributed to the occurrence of illegal activities. Since the 1990s, the Ugandan Wildlife Authority has involved the local communities in park planning.

She was the park ranger assigned to be our guide

Why Black Man Dey Suffer, Fela Kuti

Why Black Man Dey Suffer is a relatively early chapter in the Fela discography, originally recorded in 1971. Put to tape with early band Afrika 70 and drummer/Afro-beat enthusiast Ginger Baker.

Africans' historical and contemporary oppression and suffering is a common theme in Fela's music. In this track Kuti advises Africans to unite. 

On YouTube here