The Pearl
Why is Uganda called The Pearl of Africa? It is commonly believed that the originator of this reference to Uganda was Sir Winston Churchill who described Uganda as The Pearl of Africa in his book “My African Journey” in 1907.
What is known for fact is that he at least made it famous but he may have borrowed the phrase from Sir Henry Morton Stanley, the Wesh explorer. Yes, this is the man who also famously said: “Dr Livingstone, I presume”, when he found missionary and explorer Dr David Livingstone looking for the source of the Nile.
Having now toured the country right after the rainy season, the scenery was magnificent everywhere. Green and lush, animals I had only sen in books and zoos roaming free. And of course, the great people! Clearly the Pearl of Africa ingredients!
Uganda (or Buganda) and the British have a long colonial history, which for the purposes of this blog, I will skip. Then again, my trip was made considerably easier by the fact that English is now widely spoken in Uganda.
I will write more about the trip soon…
In the mean time, do check my YouTube and Facebook
