Owiny Primary School in Pakwach, Nebbi District was cited by National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) as the best viewing point for the Eclipse in Uganda. Eclipse chasers, astronomers, enthusiastic Ugandans infused Packwach with the excitement of this natural phenomenon. The natives in Pakwach cashed in on this opportunity by selling viewing glasses made out of cardboard and camera film.
With our Eclipse shades in tow, we watched the obstruction start to take form. “It’s happening! It’s happening!” I exclaimed to my friend Anita who was sitting next to me. “It looks like the bite on Steve Jobs apple”, I joked. This must have excited Philip who was laboring to get us to the viewing site before the Eclipse started. My friends on social media would call this a perfect shot of FOMO, (Fear Of Missing Out). He however kept his cool and entertained all our questions about Acholi-land, which happens to be his hometown and the place where he plies his trade. Every now and then, our view was interrupted by clouds that seemed to hang in a particularly beautiful pattern that day; in fact, one of our colleagues Norbert said that they too were putting on a show. To enrich our solar viewing experience our eyes wandered across the plains and were treated to an arrestingly scenic view of Albert Nile River Valley.
As these events unfolded before my eyes, my mind drifted into a state of tranquility. I began to yet again appreciate the perfection of nature. Here I was watching the Eclipse taking form with unmatched precision. The effortless and yet seemingly coordinated movement of these celestial bodies created perfect images that entertained our eyes. The total eclipse was only for a few seconds, but the orange crepuscular effect that it cast across the sky was breath-taking! The earth, the sun and humanity must be connected in a way; for what would be the use of such wonderful impressions, if there was no humanity to appreciate them? I think that the earth, sun and humanity in harmony is the perfect confirmation of the existence of a God. It is true that “He is before all things, created all things, and in Him all things consist.”
I wanted to savor this moment for a little while but the noise of fast moving cars from the official viewing site halted my drift. Although I did not plan this trip and only got to Gulu town at 1:30pm that day, I have created a haven in my mind where I can return to tap into this experience- and no one can take that away from me.
As the people of Pakwach lined up across the road to bid us farewell, I could almost hear them burst into a celebration song: Dear Solar Eclipse viewers, we are very very happy……
