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Murder of the Nile
The Monitor, 1998
The other weekend, I took a much-awaited
trip to Jinja; a place I consider my home.
Being one who has always appreciates beauty, especially pure and
natural beauty, I couldn’t resist the temptation to go with
a companion to the famed source of the Nile. I am usually nostalgic
for this particular spot as I remember it as a place of spectacular
natural beauty.
In high spirits, we proceeded to the Nile. We reached a gate and
cheerfully parted with Shs. 300 per person. This, we knew, was
necessary for keeping the place in good shape.
We were looking forward to a truly sensational experience. However,
I was in for a surprise.
To begin with, let me commend the municipal authorities for trying
to turn those areas into a better place. However, good intentions
are not enough to produce good results. Far from enhancing the
aesthetic quality of the spot, the work resulted into what may
be described, for lack of stronger words, as one of the most atrocious
desecrations of natural beauty. The first thing to hit me was
a new parking lot, complete with tarmac, at a spot that deserves
to be the threshold for the journey down to the river. What used
to be beautiful green is now a parking lot!
Anyway, we descended the steps and finally reached the river down
below (the actual source) and there was an even worse shock. The
area adjacent to the river has also been completely laid with
tarmac. It is another parking lot! This is an outrage. And along
the riverbank is a high wall. This wall is “the mother of
all outrages.” It physically and psychologically alienated
the viewer from the primary motive of their journey-the source
of the Nile. The wall is reminiscent of the prison-like enclosures
of many of the new residential premises in Kampala.
In combination, the parking lot and the wall give a hard, mechanical
and unfriendly feel to the place. The artificial overwhelms the
natural. The visitor is massively disappointed because, consciously
or unconsciously they expected a spectacular and unique experience.
It is an anti-climax for them. It is not natural. It is not unique.
It is not spectacular.
You look around hoping to find what you came to see, but you can’t
find it. How then can this place be made to satisfy the expectations
of the visitors?
The process needed is known as the “art of place making”
in design jargon. It is quite complex but the general approach
can easily be explained.
The very basis of any successfully approach should be to consider
nature as paramount. The Nile is a marvel of nature. Any design
intervention therefore ought to reinforce nature.
We then consider the viewer. Their objective is to see the source
of the Nile. But they do not drop onto the source out of the blue.
They first go through a process. The end is the source of the
Nile; but before the source is a journey, with a beginning. Hence
it is logical to divide the entire experience into three components:
the beginning (a threshold), the journey (the downward walk) and
the final destination (the source).
The threshold and the downward walk prepare the visitor in body,
mind and spirit for the destination. A magnificent mansion requires
a magnificent entrance. Similarly, the source of the Nile (a unique
and famed natural feature) demands for an approach that prepares
the visitor for a special end.
The special end is the source. It is the climax, the apogee of
the experience. How it is revealed so that the viewer is impressed
and awed calls for the best in design creativity and sensitivity.
A visitor should get down there and be spellbound by the acclaimed
source. This can only happen in a setting permeated with nature.
The gurgling sound of the river on its northward journey, singing
birds and the beautiful sunlight filtering through delicate foliage
would combine into a wonderful experience.
One could walk towards the river, touch the water, taste it. They
may sit under a tree and gaze at the majestic river. They can
spend hours there and forget the hustle and bustle of the world.
They are one with the river and are lost in nature. They have
found the source of the Nile.
One of the greatest assets of Jinja is natural beauty. One is
never far from the Nile or Lake Victoria.
This asset can be used to transform Jinja into a resort town;
one that would attract tired city dwellers for recreation and
where international tourists would flock for holidays.
Developers can be encouraged to put up facilities which will contribute
to the lure of the Nile’s source. Such facilities may include
art galleries, museums, restaurants and cafes. It is too good
a spot to fail to entice developers. Of course, such a development
must be environmentally appropriate and sustainable. Which will
require consultants who know their job: environmentalists, architects
and landscapers, who will handle the site with the sensitivity
it deserves; who will nestle the buildings carefully in the landscape
to provide a pleasurable experience that cascades from the top,
down the slope to the source itself.
The source can then be a true wonder of the world.
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