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MBALE, Uganda — November is the season for harvesting coffee in eastern Uganda. The rains are ending, but the rolling hills around Mount Elgon are still bursting with green. When the coffee beans are ripe they turn bright red, contrasting against the leaves. The harvest comes at a good time for the farmers because there are no major holidays for Muslims, Christians or Jews during this busy period. This is a good thing because in the town of Mbale, members of the three faiths enjoy celebrating their holy days together. Muslims and Christians are regulars at the Passover seder table and Jews regularly join Christmas celebrations or Eid festivals. The Mbale region hosts a cooperative of 2,000 Jewish, Christian and Muslim coffee farmers who grow coffee called “Mirembe Kawomera,” which translates as “Delicious Peace” in the local language of Luganda. Relationships between the three religions were cordial but distant before the coffee co-op began. There was some animosity stemming from Idi Amin’s brutal 1971-1979 dictatorship ...      Read more

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