The Day Shaka Sali Hosted Ugandan Journalists in the United States

Uganda has lost a distinguished voice. Shaka Sali, a respected journalist and son of Kigezi, passed away on Thursday. His work, notably the political talk shows he hosted on Voice of America and American television, brought him international recognition. Sali will always be remembered for his generous spirit and genuine concern for the well-being of others.

Throughout all his generous acts, I believe Sali passed away still chuckling over the humorous story of when he first decided to host the poor and the visiting Ugandan journalists.

In late 1999, a group of journalists from Kampala was invited to New York to attend the World Bank’s annual conference, with the entire trip to the United States fully funded by the World Bank.

Among the journalists making their first trip to New York in 1999 were Mr. Joshua Kyalimpa, now the spokesperson for the Ministry of Gender and Social Development, the late Joseph Tamale Mirundi, and Chris Kyeswa. Under World Bank policy, air tickets for invited journalists were always business class, fully funded by the Bank. Given the economic struggles of local journalists, this trip to New York felt like a golden opportunity. 

They reached out to the late Shake Sali since he was working at an American media outlet to welcome them and, if possible, accommodate them so they could save on costs. Upon arriving in New York, the three journalists quickly realized that life in America was a world apart from Uganda, prompting them to ask Mr. Shake for help in finding more affordable accommodation.

In Shaka’s mind, he knew these journalists were fully funded, so he decided to book them into a nearby hotel in town. However, when the journalists converted the hotel charges into their local currency, they were shocked to find it amounted to 4.8 million Uganda shillings. Faced with the steep costs, they turned to Shaka and asked him to direct them to the ‘Ghettos of America,’ where they hoped to stretch their funds further. True to his generous nature, Shaka guided them there, ensuring they could save a little money during their stay.

Upon reaching what they dubbed the ‘American Ghettos,’ the group quickly realized that the cost of accommodation there was still too high for their already stretched budgets. After some deliberation, they decided to settle on a single room with just one bed, thinking that they could make it work by sharing it. The idea of squeezing all of them into one bed seemed absurd at first, but they had no other choice.

For the first time in the history of the United States, the sight of a group of black men cramming into a single bed left the receptionist and hotel proprietors utterly perplexed. Their confusion quickly turned into an inquisitive fascination, and with a tone tinged with bewilderment, they asked them, ‘Are you all…homosexual?’ The question hung in the air like a riddle they couldn’t quite unravel. 

The journalists, dumbfounded at first by the odd question, couldn’t help but laugh at the cultural gap that had just opened between them. At that moment, they realized how little the hotel staff understood about their situation. 

To them, the act of sharing a bed was simply about practicality and survival in a foreign land, nothing more. The riddle of American social norms left them wondering just how differently the two worlds viewed basic human interactions. It was a far cry from anything they’d ever encountered back in Uganda, where shared spaces and close quarters were nothing new.

When they finally returned to Kampala, the trio found themselves with a surprising sum of 15 million Uganda shillings. With it, they dreamt of staying in luxurious New York hotels, a far cry from the reality they had just experienced. 

Shaka Sali, despite the comical misadventures, had proven himself to be an invaluable bridge between the sons of Africa and America, showing them a world of experiences that would forever shape their understanding of both cultures.

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