Compelling Encounters

By Maureen McCarthy, PhD

These journal accounts of life as a trauma specialist in Kenya, Eritrea and Uganda present poignant, engrossing yet disturbing view of African life. In shocking detail, HIV/AIDS deaths, inhuman treatment of the mentally ill, forced military conscription, brutal attacks by warring insurgencies, the fate of AIDS orphans and government control of the people are all noted in detail.

In contrast to the horrors witnessed, the descriptions of the beautiful scenery, flowers, and animals depict another side of African life. Details of family life, education, customs, and language are also included.      

The role of missionary sisters and priests and the church is emphasized and explained.     

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Mar 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9781638295938

Maureen McCarthy, PhD

Maureen McCarthy, PhD is a clinical psychologist and a trauma specialist with advanced training in gerontology and forensic evaluation, who has extensive experience in the United States, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. She was head of Psychiatry at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda, and served as a university professor at Holy Savior Major Seminary and Asmara Theological Institute, Eritrea. She has numerous publications, was a weekly columnist for more than a decade on mental health issues, was included in 18 “Who’s Who” and was a Jefferson Award recipient. Dr. McCarthy’s primary focus has always been outreach to vulnerable populations and refugees fleeing deadly conflicts by building bonds of trust and hope.

Book preview

About the Author

Maureen McCarthy, PhD is a clinical psychologist and a trauma specialist with advanced training in gerontology and forensic evaluation, who has extensive experience in the United States, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. She was head of Psychiatry at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda, and served as a university professor at Holy Savior Major Seminary and Asmara Theological Institute, Eritrea.

She has numerous publications, was a weekly columnist for more than a decade on mental health issues, was included in 18 Who’s Who and was a Jefferson Award recipient.

Dr. McCarthy’s primary focus has always been outreach to vulnerable populations and refugees fleeing deadly conflicts by building bonds of trust and hope.

Dedication

Immense gratitude to almighty God for His beautiful creations and constant protection during my numerous journeys through rugged terrain and difficult situations.

With treasured memories of my parents, Irish immigrants Bridget and Timothy McCarthy, Sr., who applauded learning, adventure, and service to others.

With great fondness for my late brother, Timothy Lawrence McCarthy, Jr., who longed to spend time with me in Africa but whose life was cut short by cancer, your spirit is always close!

Copyright Information ©

Maureen McCarthy, PhD 2024

Compiled by Lynne List, PhD

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of non-fiction. All photos taken by the author.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

McCarthy, PhD, Maureen

Compelling Encounters

ISBN 9781638295921 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781638295938 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022905248

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

To the many people of Africa, who shared their hopes and dreams, needs and concerns, special thanks for your gifts of presence, joy and laughter.

To the many missionary communities of Sisters and Priests, whose prayers, hospitality and friendship were legacy gifts.

To my expatriate colleagues whose dinner parties provided comedy and deep bonding – thank you, thank you!

To my large extended family and intimate circle of friends, whose letters provided humor and love during my years abroad, you are great!

To my dear friend of more than 50 years, Dr. Lynne List, whose probing questions and great enthusiasm for my work sparked precise observation and so much encouragement – a big thank you!

To the numerous staff at Austin Macauley, who guided this manuscript through the publication process – much appreciation!

Poor Clares, Mbarara, Uganda

Foreword

I met Dr. Maureen McCarthy early in the 1970s when she became a faculty member at the College of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. (The school is now a university.) I was taken to her immediately. She was a typical 30ish Irish lass. Her face was freckled, her hair was a flowing light auburn, and she had a fresh scrubbed clean angelic look. She was soft spoken. But the most intriguing feature about her was her love of foreign cultures and people and her deep desire to serve people around the world. She had earned her PhD at the University of Santo Tomas and her stories of her experiences there were fascinating. In addition, she had traveled extensively and had a desire to go to Africa for she felt she could be a help there.

Maureen was an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department and I was a Professor in the Education Department. Our paths crossed when she was called upon to offer a course in the Master’s Program in Education. We found we had a great deal in common. We were both fascinated with St. Thomas because of the cultural differences and the quiet non stressful mode of life. Not to be overlooked was the beauty of the island which we both enjoyed. The college itself was fascinating. It had been established by N.Y.U. five years earlier. The first year N.Y.U. sent Professors to the Island for a year. Then the students went to New York to finish their degree. The second year two years were offered on the island. The third year three years and finally, in year four the college was on its own with all four years of the Bachelors’ degree available on St. Thomas or St. Croix where there was another branch of the college. During the four years the College was hiring faculty so that it was fully staffed when it was on its own.

Maureen was inquisitive. She went to religious services in churches other than her own, including the synagogue, even though she was a devout Catholic. Every religion possible flourished on the Island, you name it was there. She marveled at the similarities in religions. She studied the Island language which was a combination of Danish, Spanish and English. Verbs were placed at the end of the sentence as in Spanish, Where the coke is? And there were no neuter pronouns. The iron she fell from my hand. In addition, one word was used to have many meanings and only context told you what it meant. ‘You mashed my foot,’ ‘Mash the clothes,’ ‘My car is a mash’n’go,’ ‘Mash the potatoes’. Finally, words were accented on the second syllable ‘I LAND er’.

Maureen reveled at the challenge of learning the language and being able to understand her students. She was an excellent teacher. After a number of years, however, she wanted to move on. She left the islands in the early 1980s to complete a post-doctoral fellowship and an MBA degree. Maureen and I continued our relationship and kept contact.

In 2000 she made arrangements to go to Africa for a number of years. She had been there from 1972–1973. Now she was volunteering to teach at the University of Mbarara. What follows are Maureen’s newsletters, sent every two to three months, dealing only with her African adventures from 2000 until 2007 when she finally left Africa. Her ability to write was wonderful. Her descriptions of foliage, the people and the activities are riveting. The accounts of the dangerous situations in which she found herself. are frightening. The names of many of the people she dealt with have been reduced to an initial to protect the privacy of those involved when it was necessary.

Enjoy your adventure with Maureen.

Dr. Lynne List

Chapter 1

March 2000 Destination Uganda

1999 ended with a flurry of activities before my departure for Africa including visits to the Little Sisters of St. Francis in Williamsburg. This group of Sisters from East Africa have chosen as their mission to offer advocacy, rehabilitation and support services to assist disabled adults 21 and over to transition to independent living. The three Sisters have beautiful smiles and hearty laughs.

Right from the start, my trip to Africa was especially blessed with good weather and empathetic airline employees. My luggage was many pounds overweight but because I was bound for the ‘African Missions’ the Airline in Norfolk overlooked additional charges. However, in Paris and Nairobi it was a different story.

The first leg of my journey to Africa commenced with a seventy-five-minute flight from Norfolk to Newark. The 3,642 miles between Newark and Paris took six hours with arrival delayed one and a half hours more due to dense fog. The temperature had dropped to five degrees and the icy winds coming from the Seine River made it feel even colder on this January 10th. However, I strolled along the famous L’Avenue des Champs Elysees feasting my eyes on the myriad Christmas decorations, the giant Ferris Wheels meant to usher in the Millennium 2000 and the numerous Christmas trees at intersections which sparkled with icicles. The trees which traditionally line this avenue were decorated with hundreds of white lights – truly Paris looked magical.

The BBC’s analysis of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) which operates on the Ugandan–Sudan border caught my attention. For more than a decade, the LRA has terrorized Northern Uganda by plundering villages, kidnapping, mutilating and raping villagers and forcing thousands of young people into sexual slavery.

Statistics offered by the BBC underscored major problems including that malaria kills three children every minute in the developing world; one fourth of the world’s infant mortality occurs in Africa; and that one in every four adults in Mozambique is infected with AIDS. Africa as a continent has lost a generation of parents, manpower, and citizens and created thousands and thousands of AIDS orphans. Political intrigue, border conflicts, and large-scale battles have caused millions to be on the move, thus refugee camps dot many countries.

The 4,206 miles from Paris to Nairobi got off to a late start due to the continued dense fog in Paris. Enroute my fellow passengers were gregarious and the movie ‘Le Fils du Francais’ starring Josiane Balasko and Fanny Ardant added laughter.

Arriving in Nairobi airport at 10:30 PM on January 14th, I was surprised that passengers had to de-plane on the runway under the watchful eye of dozens of soldiers with machine guns. At first, I wondered if there had been a coup but was informed that Kenya is on high security alert since the bombing of the American Embassy. The locks on my suitcases were removed (I believe in Nairobi) but other than items being turned upside down, the chalice, many vestments, rosaries, brown scapulars, small gifts which I was carrying were all left intact.

On January 15th, Nairobi was a lovely 55 degrees with gentle breezes and a sweeping panorama of buildings and green hills as I boarded an Air Kenya jet for the fifty-minute flight to Entebbe, Uganda. Aboard this plane was a diversity of peoples, cultures and clothing styles – from smartly dressed Western business suits to Muslim robes, to Indian saris, to brightly patterned African print dresses. About 30 minutes before landing in Entebbe, the plane crossed the tremendous expanse of Lake Victoria which contains 84 islands (called the Seese Islands).

Entebbe was hot and sunny as I was greeted by Fr. CB, a De Montfort Father, who was doing double duty by also welcoming Fr. BB from Yorkshire, England, whose purpose in coming to Uganda was to give a Priests’ Retreat. The nearly five-hour drive from Entebbe to Kampala then to Mbarara in Western Uganda was on a main road (the Kampala Road) that cut through verdant countryside with distant mountains, lots of birds and interesting sights along the way guaranteeing that no one would fall asleep. For example, on the back of a bicycle, one man was transporting an iron bedframe; another had several passengers on a motor scooter (locally known as a boda boda). Despite the lack of lights, helmets, seat belts, the passengers seemed content. A small mud hut at the side of the road advertised itself as the ‘Hilton Hotel’. We passed the relatively new Ugandan Martyrs University and the rusting shell of a tank which used this road in the recent civil war and border clashes. This road was the main thoroughfare to Tanzania in the Southeastern part of Africa; to Rwanda and Burundi in South Central Africa and to the Congo which was directly ahead if our car kept going westward. Places in the news were now an experienced reality yet all I felt was joy that God had led me safely here.

Arriving late evening in Mbarara, I was greeted by the Director of the St. Francis Helper Project. Mbarara is the major town in Western Uganda. There are gentle rolling hills, cool nights (a sweater/blanket is needed) clusters of roses, calla lilies, geraniums, bougainvillea, pine trees, flowering trees and shrubs and beautiful though sometimes NOISY birds. There are several hills in Mbarara. The Catholic Church of Uganda has built a Cathedral, medical dental and eye clinic on one hill. The Catholic hill is known as Nyamitgna and is home to the Cathedral and Archbishop PB’s compound. It houses specific religious communities i.e., the Poor Clare Nuns, Sisters of Good Counsel, Daughters of Mary and Joseph, the Missionaries of Africa (formerly known as The White Fathers), the De Montfort Fathers, Radio Maria, a huge Diocesan farm, a printing press, several boarding schools and the St. Francis Helper Project.

Tabernacle at Mother Kevin Generalate, Jinja, Uganda

My first Sunday Mass in Uganda was at the Monastery of the Holy Church where the Poor Clare Nuns and the congregation performed ‘rounds’ of hymns with drums and other local instruments and hand clapping in exquisite harmony. The sermon evolved around the theme of the Lord’s call and joyfully I answered Here I am Lord. After Mass, Mother A invited several of us into the monastery for tea, coffee and cookies. The most endearing and enduring memories are the genuine friendship offered by the missionary Priests, Sisters and of course, local Ugandans. Fr. DK (DE Montfort) permitted me to make two programs for Radio Maria; Fr. OM (DE Montfort) dialogued with me about religious formation; Fr. TM (DE Montfort) shared his Christian/Muslim background