"It is curious how people take it for granted that they have a right to preach at you and pray over you as soon as your income falls below a certain level."
- George Orwell, Down and Out in London and Paris
Religion is an inescapable aspect of life in Uganda and its ubiquity makes it deserving of some comment. Religion is as startlingly conspicuous in Uganda's public life as it is startlingly inconspicuous in America's. My government-run school begins every staff meeting and assembly with a Christian prayer, as do public bus rides. Nearly perpetual crusades are held on the soccer pitch just outside of my school, "calls to prayer" from mosques sound every morning at sunrise and throughout the day, cars outfitted with enormous speakers call out to pedestrians on the streets, and "what religion are you?" is a perfectly acceptable conversation starter.
This openness about religion can be quite... startling from an American standpoint. In fact, it reminds me of a humorous story my parents have told me about their wedding. The wedding was held in Texas, and one of my father's guests came in from New York. At the reception, one well-meaning Southern woman approached him and asked where he went to church. The man was off-put and told the woman, in so many words, that it was none of her business. To this she apparently responded: "Oh... you must be Matt's guest from New York" -- ending the short-lived exchange.
I have often found myself in the man's position and have a standard response. I say that I'm Methodist (which is true enough), but that since there are no Methodist churches in my town, I opt to pray from home... generally by sleeping in late and having a pancake breakfast (the last part being omitted).
To give some visual perspective on the pervasiveness of religion, I've compared religion in Uganda with religion in the United States as of 2014 (2014 was the most recent data point for religion in Uganda).
You might notice one big difference is the percentage of inhabitants who identify as "None" in each country, which brings me to missionaries and religious work in Uganda.
Just as religion is inescapable, so is the fact that many Americans who are in Uganda are here for missionary work. After seeing the pervasiveness of Christianity in Uganda, it strikes me as interesting that missionaries come to Uganda to when a far greater number of non-Christians reside in their own backyard. What is it about Uganda that makes it in such need of "saving"? Is it really that the need is greater? Or does George Orwell have a point?
As might be supposed, missionary work is undeniably at odds in some ways with the mission of Peace Corps -- ostensible cultural exchange vs. overt cultural conversion -- but that doesn't mean ipso facto I disagree with missionary work. I think many missionaries come with good intentions and, done well, volunteer work done in any capacity can accomplish a lot of good.
The problem is, done poorly -- that is, without a genuine appreciation for or understanding of the people you're trying to convert-- missionary work can do a lot of harm. Though I won't get too much into the specifics myself, I will end this post with a link to a documentary and leave the final judgement to you.
Whatever your feelings are about religion, for me, living in Uganda for 14-months has helped me understand religion in America better. It has helped me appreciate America's religious diversity, highlighted the lack of and intolerance toward Muslim-Americans, and shown me how private Americans are about religion -- something I would not have said before Peace Corps. It has made me reflect on my own faith and the role religion plays in my life. And, it has made me more comfortable hearing about and discussing religion openly, which I am grateful for.
Religion is a difficult, personal, polarizing subject to address, especially to an American audience. So, however this article has struck you, I thank you for reading.
And now, for your viewing pleasure:
