Once upon a time, the King of Uganda traveled to Koja, a place near Lake Victoria, to visit his herd of cows. While he was there, something unusual happened. The people living near Mount Elgon saw a bright white patch high on the mountain. At first, they thought it was snow, but as it moved down the mountain, they realized it was a flock of snow-white birds.
The birds flew across the plains, over the Great River Nile and past the reed islands where people lived on small floating houses. They finally crossed into Busoga and then over the Nile again, all the way to Koja, where the King was. These birds settled on the King’s herd of cows, and everyone was amazed. The King said, “This is a good sign. Something fortunate is coming.”
Meanwhile, back in the capital, the King’s Katikiro (prime minister) told him about a stranger who had arrived in the kingdom. The stranger had a little girl with him, and he did not speak Luganda or any other language the chiefs knew. Some people thought the stranger should be killed, fearing he was a spy, but the King remembered the snow-white birds and said, “No, I will not kill him. He will bring us good fortune.”
The King gave the stranger to one of his trusted chiefs and told him to take care of the man and his child, teach him Luganda, and help him understand their customs. The old chief did just that. As the years passed, the stranger learned Luganda and became close friends with the chief and the King. He couldn’t pronounce his real name, so people called him “Mugenyi,” which means “Stranger.” His daughter, who had long golden hair and blue eyes, was called “Joy” by the people, but her father called her “Sorrow.”
One day, a great army threatened Uganda. The King gathered his forces to defend the kingdom, and the Stranger offered to help. He taught the Baganda warriors how to build a great fort in Budu, a region in central Uganda, and they used it to defeat the enemy. Seeing the Stranger’s strange clothes and ways, the enemy thought he was a powerful wizard and fled.
The King was overjoyed and rewarded the Stranger with many gifts, cows, and land. The people celebrated him as a hero. But over time, the old chief noticed that the Stranger seemed sad. He often sat alone, looking out over Lake Victoria with his daughter. One evening, the old chief asked him what was wrong. The Stranger finally revealed his sorrow: “I must return to my own land. My daughter needs to be raised among the women of my people.”
The next day, the Stranger and the chief went to the King and explained their decision. Though the King and the people were sad, they understood. The Stranger and his daughter, Sorrow, left Uganda, and only the old chief knew the truth about who they really were.
Years passed, and the people of Uganda would still talk about the Stranger and his daughter. They remembered the snowbirds that came with him, and to this day, you can see snowbirds flying over the cattle herds in Uganda. As for “Joy,” or “Sorrow,” some say she was a real girl, while others believe she was a spirit or even one of the snowbirds. Only the old chief knew, and he never revealed the secret.
