A time to kill (?)

Last week, thousands marched the streets of Kampala to protest the government’s decision to hand over portions of a forest to an Indian-owned conglomerate. Protestors carried signs that read, “All Asians Should Go Home!” Police showed up; tempers flared. Members of the crowd stoned to death an Indian man who had no connection to the conglomerate, but had the misfortune of being the wrong shade at the wrong place at the wrong time. Other Indians were attacked. Indian-owned stores and a Hindu temple were raided.

I felt scared and unsafe for the first time since my arrival. I worried about the Indian family who befriended me at church, who opened their home and hosted me for Easter dinner. I felt afraid for them. Once I received word that they were safe, I felt angry for them.

The hostility between Indians and Ugandan has deep historical roots. Many explanations and justifications for the occurrence were offered, but none of them satisfied. Now I’m reading about the events at Virginia Tech and I wonder what explanations will be offered to make sense of that senseless tragedy.

I don’t want any explanations. I want to be shocked and appalled and grieved. I want to mutter “WTF?!” until I forget or cease to care. Then I will listen to and take comfort in intellectual discourse about cause and effect, about who is to blame. But not yet.