One year Josephine


Namukwaya Kessy and I traveled from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to visit our good
friend Bishop Joseph Mukwaya in Kiyinda Mityana
Diocese in Uganda. At the end of our visit he escorted us to Entebbe
International Airport to get our return flight. While waiting in the departure
lounge he told us a delightful joke about Luganda, his home language that is
tonal. Some years ago in a convent of Italian missionary sisters the newest
arrival was learning Luganda. One day a Ugandan bishop arrived to meet the
Mother Superior who happened to be sick in bed with a severe case of malaria.
The young sister made an effort to talk with the bishop in her rudimentary
Luganda.  The Luganda word for "man" is very similar to the word for "malaria."
So she told the bishop that the Mother Superior was in bed with a man. She
added. "She has been in bed with a man for two days. She has closed the door of 
her room and won’t let us go in."