In this VICE documentary, host
Thomas Morton travels to Uganda to investigate the culture of drinking
particularly with regard to the local drink of choice Waregi or "war
gin". I tried not to make any initial judgment calls about the host but
something about his trendy plaid shirt, skinny jeans and thick rim glasses that
had a certain imperialistic vibe.
Waregi is a very strong yet smooth
moonshine make from distilled bananas or (in the case of industrialized zones)
"factory-reject sugar cane". It was introduced by the British as
something of a 'liquid courage' for the British-Ugandan forces. Eventually, the
drink was enjoyed by resistance forces that fought against the British. The
drink stuck and has become a common part of society. As the show notes, per
capita Uganda is the heaviest drinking country in the world.
This show was only thirty-five
minutes long, so I couldn't expect it to delve into the historical significance
of Waregi and its societal impact but I would've liked it if Morton focused on
one topic. He dabbles at Ugandan politics, village life, city life, how to make
waregi and what results is a rather negative generalization of the country.
As I mention, Morton has an
imperialistic vibe. I hesitate to call him "elitist", at least, an
intentional elitist but there was definitely a sense of superiority that came
from his commentary. For example, when leaving the small village, he describes
that a normal day consists of "Everybody gets out of work. Everybody lets
their worries wash away in a stream of waregi. Somebody kills a goat. Then the
day is over and you start anew the next day." The goat part is where I
have my beef.
I have never seen a goat slaughtered
before my eyes, but I don't think the ideal response is to say, "Is this
dinner? I see..." then to look at the camera and add, "Oh lord...kinda
isn't a VICE party until something dies." It is this kind of tone that
creates a sense of cultural hierarchy. It is just food. I'm sure that goat is
treated better than the food Morton eats; it isn't like they are keeping it in
a small cage for its life then killing it. If I had a nickel for every travel
show which has the host petting the food before patting his/her full stomach,
I'd be rich.
The focus moves away from examining
this 'phenomena of waregi' to gawking at this drunken crude culture. Never mind
the fact that these people use the alcohol to send their kids to school or the
effect waregi has on the younger generation (they are drinking too, after all).
A similar sentiment comes when
describing the red-light district of the nearby city, Morton says, "It's
sort of like Britain's lasting legacy...instead of rum, sodomy and a lash, you
have gin, no sodomy and hookers". This is his last line, his summary of
his experience with an entire country. What results is a program that initially
states the presence and cultural significance of waregi, we are not
particularly shown this. What we are shown are images that denigrate Uganda with
little help from the host.
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