The Man with the Key Has Gone!

by Ian Clarke

The place was the Luweero Triangle or the so called killing fields of Africa, where thousands of ordinary people had died in the preceding four years. I had driven into the area and witnessed hundreds of skulls and bones piled by the sides of the road.

Tears dripped silently on to his lap and I realised that he was crying. Ando said something that I couldn't pick up. I bent closer. "I will be missing you," he repeated. It was my first experience of telling a close friend that he had AIDS.

The gun was pointed at my head and someone was shouting, "Shoot that one! Shoot that one!" The thought flashed through my head, "Is this how it is all going to end?"

The aftermath of civil war, AIDS and close encounters with death were all part of Ian and Robbie Clarke's experiences in Uganda. A window on the soul is opened up to us of life in the third world with all its problems, joys, tragedy and humour.

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Bram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Candid autobiographical account of a headstrong Irish doctor's first years on a mission to bring health care to the Ugandan bush during the tail end of a civil war. This Irish doctor would once own a healthcare and small business empire, but this book is written before that period and recounts his initial tribulations, setbacks, gradual progress and uniquely African quirks he and his family encountered. Well written, amusing and intriguing. Good read for anybody in Uganda and a must read for foreigners active in African healthcare!

[Marc Ingram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, humourous and sometimes shocking. Could be seen as heavy on religion but still a great read.

[Kabengera Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is as reflective as it is hilarious

[Anna Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting read, especially since it’s about the hospital I’m currently working at.

[Mugizi Niwo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book about his experiences in Uganda. Does come off as slightly condescending of my Ugandan people - as an impatience that one would attribute to a difference in his culture and the cultures he found there but which he transfers into a moral superiority as he knows how to do things better and the right way. This is somewhat compounded by his Christian missionary position.

This does not try to reduce what he has done for the people in that area, for the impact that he has had on the country as whole.

But what would be interesting would be a follow-up book on his experiences building the follow-up hospital IHK. And his take on the country now that he could be considered as much Ugandan as Irish.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, though I should point out that the fourth star is because I'm reading this in Uganda and can relate to a lot of his stories. Without that connection I would have probably rated it three stars.

The book doesn't have an agenda or purpose, it's just a collection of stories. However Dr. Ian Clarke is a good story teller, and with a great deal of humour he relates a series of stories from his first six years in Uganda. Flat tires, cultural miscues, struggles and successes. It's worth reading if you're thinking of coming to Uganda as a missionary, or if you have a connection with Uganda.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat interesting - an Irish doctor and his family move to Uganda to start up a clinic...read it before going to Uganda myself for the first time...wish there had been fewer god references, but then again it is a suppose a big motivator for some people - just not for me.

[Gwyneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a missionary doctor in Uganda who moved here in the 80s post- Idi Amin. An inspiring story and especially enjoyable if you live in Uganda. Not extremely well-written but good stories and insight.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This boko is about Kiwoko Hospital...which is near and dear to me heart. It is in Kiwoko, Uganda, 4km from where I lived. It is about the struggle that was starting up a hospital in a war torn country. My sweet little Moses has a whole chapter devoted to him...that is my favorite part.