Along with 17 co-workers and friends, I traversed the chaos that comprised the stadium vicinity. Vevuzales sounded, tattered hand painted flags fluttered, and hundreds of whistle-blowing Africans pulsated in a flexing mass of frenetic excitement. With my purse tightly clenched in my left hand and my friend’s hand firmly secured in my right, I laughed and submitted to the current of people surging towards the gates.
About 20 minutes of crowd surfing and about 50 excited cries of “Muzungu! Ya Uganda!” later, we surfaced on the inside of the ticket counters. The large group I was attending the game with slowly reassembled on the inside of the security check where was finally enough room for our flag capes to wave freely and our voices to carry to each other. Then we made our way over to the VIP section (tickets were only $10 for front/center seats!).
Despite menacing grey clouds, we opted for prime, exposed seats in third row. Within minutes of kickoff heavy droplets were pinging down, adding their excited drumming to the bleating horns and zealous shouts. We were also graced with the presence of President Museveni, whose seat required him to walk through the VIP section. He was greeted with cheers, waves, and a giant collection of security officials. I was about 100 feet away from him and managed to snap one blurry picture!
The game itself was invigorating and SO much fun. Uganda scored early in the first half and a celebratory air surged through the stadium. The crowd went nuts: singing, dancing, shouting, When the Ugandan team scored their second goal, flares were lit and cheers persisted for minutes. Goal three was just icing on the cake.
While driving home amidst throngs of Ugandans celebrating the country’s victory, I couldn’t help but get excited for adventures to come here. Saturday was just a brief glimpse into a few of the excitements this country has to offer!
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