Jinja Jamatkhana, Uganda

Excerpt from RSVP Rice and Stew Very Plenty, by Nazlin Rahemtulla:

Jinja’s Jamatkhana

Our local jamatkhana in Jinja was far more humble than the ornate Kampala mosque. It was an unobtrusive building barren of the minarets with which Muslims identify as a call to prayer. It looked not unlike the commercial buildings on the Main Street of Jinja.

Our jamatkhana was sandy in colour with turquoise posts supporting the overhanging porch roof, turquoise trim surrounding the reddish orange tile roof, and a turquoise cap at the roof peak. The front entrance stood out from the building facade, and crested in a triangular arch. A white wavy topped fence surrounded the Jamatkhana. The manicured grounds housed a social hall where religious festivities, including wedding ceremonies were held.

Ma and I, and whichever of my sisters who were not studying in London, attended the Jamatkhana every Friday evening, that being the traditional Muslim prayer day.

Sources:

• https://books.google.ca/books
• RSVP Rice and Stew Very Plenty: The Story of an Ismaili Girl’s Expulsion from Uganda and Acceptance in Canada

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