In the fall of 1972, Bob and Alice Evans (founders of Plowshares Institute) moved to Uganda with their three young children for a teaching sojourn in “The Pearl of Africa.” The excerpt that follows begins their story of nurturing a fledgling resistance movement under Amin’s oppressive regime-and the struggles and surprises they encountered along the way.

***

Sunrise was elusive that Friday morning in late September, held at bay by a driving rain. Droplets pelted the roof and sent a reverberating echo through the building, like a barrage of bullets bouncing off the scalloped clay tile. In the kitchen, Cabanesa was already at work returning last night’s dishes to their proper places, sorting a pile of laundry, and brewing a pot of Kenyan coffee that wafted a rich aroma through the open rafters into the bedroom where Alice tried hopelessly to sleep. While the rain had scared away the sun, it hadn’t deterred the mosquitoes. Their buzzing accompanied Bob’s steady snoring, and the cacophony of sounds filled the emptiness of the room. Alice remained restless but still, and hoped that her husband who lay beside her was at peace and dreaming about better places. Read the rest of this entry »