Phew… Peter a proper answer to that question could take me some time. I may not be the best qualified person to answer that, to be honest. I have traveled South Africa and southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, and a place called Bophuthatswana which is now part of SA and included the infamous Sun City resort) quite a bit, but I have never gone deeper into Africa, for a few different reasons. You have to also remember that geographically, you could fit the USA into Africa three times over and the UK is the same size as the Kruger National Park… It’s a massive land, with thousands of different cultures, nationalities and differing levels of wealth. The total number of souls living in Africa is estimated to be at the one billion mark right now. 10.1 million alone are in Joburg, which is roughly comparable to the population of a place like Houston Texas.. (I know this because I fight through most of them on my way to work in the morning!) Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, has a population of about 1.4 million people.

The rural areas will be vastly different to the cities, however. When I lived on the beautiful Kwa-Zulu Natal coast, for example, I routinely traveled to places like Ixopo, Kokstad and Matatiele, in which I was often the only white face for miles and miles. I was never really nervous or scared, although I was rarely relaxed. Usually, you are respected by the people for actually just being there. It’s just a different way of life. African people do not understand the concept of ‘personal space’, so they will stand around you, for example, or behind you in a queue, brushed up against you. You can’t get angry about it, but accept that it is normal for that culture. Also, they talk unbelievably loudly, so you will walk (as I had to for work) into a large wholesaler and be deafened by the roar just of conversation. They will slaughter cattle or chickens in the road. Goats and sheep will happily frustrate the hell out of you trying to drive down the road. Shops in rural areas will as a normal part of life stock coffins and livestock.

You say the complex they would live in has a ‘hired security person’. So does the complex I live in right now, as well as 8 foot walls with electrified barbed wire on top. I remember having a conversation with Al from Australia about the fact that they only used electric fencing to keep animals out of gardens or something! He seemed amazed that I had electric fencing around my home. Does this mean I live in a concentration camp or prison? No, it’s my home, I love it and I am used to it.

The crime is an issue, you can’t escape it. But I think a factor which you have in a place like Uganda which we have not had as yet, fortunately, is the volatile political situation, Democracy in Africa for the most part means counting the votes as many times as you need until the right party wins. Ask any Zimbabwean. From what I know the current president (dictator?) of Uganda has been in power since the mid Eighties.

Poverty has always been a problem, particularly in Central Africa. The disparity between the very wealthy and dirt poor is shocking, much like it is, I believe, in India. I know a food crisis is currently developing in Uganda, which is, again, an ongoing problem.

South Africa is, arguably, the most progressive, advanced country in Africa, and Johannesburg the biggest city. People will come from all over Africa to shop and buy goods in Sandton, for example. But even so, our infrastructure, one of the best if not the best, is crumbling day by day. Our roads are in an atrocious state. Water supplies are problematic and we suffer from what is known as ‘load shedding’ (blackouts) because we don’t have enough electricity to go around. Our education level is fast becoming one of the worst in the world and lawlessness is growing to a point that is becoming unnerving. Minibus taxis will completely ignore the road rules, for example, and go through red lights, drive into oncoming traffic on the wrong side of the road and so on, knowing full well the law is powerless to stop them. Our medical facilities are worsening day by day. Joburg General Hospital, once one of the best hospitals in the country, is now a place I would happily rather die on route to than arrive at. People must take bedding with and arrange their own food, I kid you not. Perhaps this is also something which needs checking on in a place like Uganda before a decision is made.

The post Apartheid government in SA realized too late that systems and infrastructure actually need planning, upkeep and maintenance and we are now frantically playing catch up. Our entire highway system is being rebuilt for the soccer world cup in 2010, for example. Sadly people in power in Africa are rarely in those positions because they want to effect change and help the people. Corruption is the order of the day and self interest is all that matters. This is what makes someone like Morgan Tsvangirai (the opposition leader in Zimbabwe) so rare and such a great, great man.

My point is this, if it’s like this here, I can’t really say or imagine how it would be in a country like Uganda. Far worse? Perhaps much better? I don’t know.

Africa is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I have heard so many people say this that it must be true. I have never traveled anywhere other than in SA and neighboring countries. I hope to one day have the money to do so. But having said that I have been to and seen some of the most beautiful, spectacular sights I can ever see right here. Africa is incredible. But is also, as the saying goes, not for sissies.

The best advice I could give your brother is to make any decision he makes with his eyes wide open and make sure he has all the facts he needs at hand. I hope this helps to some extent.

Steve