Jjajja

We met her in a small village close to Kampala. She was of friendly spirit and didn‘t seem to be bitter as some other elderly people. She was complaining about pain in her knee though so we decided to pray for her. We got a chair for her to sit down. After the prayer she started to sing about Jesus.

Because my friends wanted to go to Kampala City Center and I wanted to avoid Kampala City Center I decided to stay and wait for them in the village. I played with a small kitten while having a good conversation with the old lady. People called her Jjajja, a Luganda word for grandma. She asked me where I’m from and if I am a missionary. I told her I’m from Germany and that I am not a missionary. Just here for holidays. People act surprised whenever I tell them. Because Uganda is not really a touristy place. Some people might come for Safari though or Gorilla Tracking. But usually the National Parks in Kenia and Tanzania are more popular.

‘‘I also wanted to travel the world“, she said in broken English. ‘‘If I had money I would go to Australia and Italy and America and France.“ She laughed and started talking a few words in French. She asked for my feedback. I told her that I didn’t speak French. She was surprised. ‘‘What is your language then?“, she wanted to know. ‘‘English?“

I told her that it‘s German.  ‘‘Oh you have your own language“, she said and nodded. She told me that there was one teacher in her childhood who taught them French. She smiled. Then the expression on her face turned serious. ‘‘But I’m going to die here.“ She never left Uganda. She never even travelled outside Kampala area.

She was laughing about the kitten. Whenever it jumped on me or was climbing my leg Jjajja laughed.

I asked her about her husband. If she‘s married.

‘‘I used to be married“, she said and sighed. Then she showed me the scars on her arm. ‘‘He was a bad man“.

She told me that she got married as a very young woman. When her father found out about the man mistreating her, he took her back to his home. She never had children. But she‘s now Jjajja for the whole neighborhood, she‘s like a grandma for all children.