"Boda-bodas" are the motorcycle taxis that can take you anywhere you want to go in Kampala. Although somewhat risky, they are definitely the most convenient way to get where you need to go. Just down the hill from us is a spot where the "bodas" sit and wait for customers. Over my several months here, I've gotten to know some of them pretty well. It's really nice to have boda drivers that you can call anytime and trust them to deliver you home safely.
Anyway, last Friday was one of my roommate's birthday, so 8 of us went out to a nice dinner across town at an Indian restaurant. We hired 4 of our trusted boda drivers to take us around for the evening. (Two people on the back of a motorcycle makes it even more adventurous....)
After dinner, we all went to a nice hotel for some free live jazz outdoors under the night sky. We invited the boda drivers in, and it took a lot of convincing to get them to join us, but they finally did. There's definitely a sense of class separation here that made them assume/know that they wouldn't be welcome inside the hotel. At first I think the guards didn't want them to come in, and we were all ready to argue with them, because as our friends and guests, they would have no right to not let these guys in. But then we all walked in together and it was fine. The boda guys even took off their heavy jackets in order to look a little dressier before they entered. It's really sad that that kind of thing exists here, although I realize it exists in the US too, especially when an establishment assumes you're not a paying customer. But I'm so glad they came in with us. It was so much fun to have those guys hang out with us in a casual setting, more as equals, since we're usually just hiring them (and Whites/foreigners are always treated with respect as a higher class here). I think that night will definitely be one of my treasured memories from my time here. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to get to know and become friends with Ugandans here. And I'm so lucky to have boda drivers who I consider my friends.
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