Thursday, 9 June 2016

The Untold Ugandan History.

The Untold Ugandan History.
Most Ugandans know the "larakaraka", the courtship dance of the Acholi people. But very few know their "Otole" warrior dance.
In pre-colonial times it was the Acholi tradition to sing war chants before and after war.
So.in the 70's while a few Acholi's outside the country were busy claiming that Amin hated their tribe, the President enjoyed their people's company and would always invite and join the Acholi traditional dancers during every public function.
It is true that some Acholi rebelled because they wanted to return their cousin Obote (RIP) to power. They specifically wanted their tribe as Luo's to be the rulers of this country under a 50 year Lango Master plan whose details I published at length previously.
Historic events also show that when the Obote II government took over after Amin, they re-embarked on that very plan that was based on sectarian governance.
- Filling the national army and state organs with their tribesmen,
- Taking over national resources.
- and starting a genocide mainly against the Baganda, their perrenial enemy since the 1966 crisis against the Kabaka.
1966 was a conflict where Amin had been ordered by Obote (who was then Amin's immediate superior in the command chain) to attack the Kabaka's palace. It must be noted that it is Amin who secretely alerted the Kabaka about the pending attack, and later gave him safe passage to escape once battle erupted. Amin's mother was very close to the Buganda kingdom as she was a herbalist who treated them regularly whenever they fell ill. So Amin knew the premises well when he chose the escape route for Kabaka Muteesa (RIP).
But in terms of devastation, the most gruesome conflict Uganda has ever seen is what emerged two decades later in Luweero (1980-1986). It marked the continuation of a mentality against the Baganda that Obote had started in 1966.
While the farcical 1980 elections organized by the same Obote is the main factor that allegedly prompted Yoweri Museveni.to join rebellion, other disturbing reasons that people faced under Obote are detailed in the NRA's Ten Point program and the 1986 Commission of Inquiry. The leading problem.being sectarianism and the misrule that came out of it.
It is important to understand that the NRA bush war didn't end in 1986 as normally mentioned. That was merely the year that NRA took the capital Kampala and started running the country. The bush war continued until when Kony ran to Central Africa in 2006 (though he is still being pursued even there as well).
The ideology that Obote's ethnic group should be the ones to rule this country, was maintained within the LRA as well whose first fighters were the very soldiers from Obote's UNLA army. None of them or their tribal supporters are from any other ethnic group in Uganda.
The reality that Ugandans are increasingly waking up to, particularly those in Buganda, is that all our post-independence conflicts were caused by one individual who so far has managed to escape responsibility. That individual is Apollo Milton Obote.
From the first gunshot at the Kabaka's palace in 1966, up until the Lords Resistance Army conflict in Northern Uganda, it has been the roller coaster continuation, and hopefully the end, of the Obote sectarian ideology that is at the root cause. An ideology where only he and his chosen few should rule the rest of Ugandans, while others, particularly the Baganda, should be subjects or quashed.
It is because of this sectarianism that he was overthrown twice with the second time being by Acholi's themselves when they said that Obote had started segregating against them by choosing Langi's in key military positions after the abrupt death of Brig. Oyite Ojok.
So if the first time that Obote was deposed one can be excused for giving him the benefit of the doubt because the pending massacre wasn't seen (as their "Bloody Sunday" plot was blocked from happening), well the second time the infamous Obote II government removed all doubt that tribalism and sectarianism were their ideology.
But let me emphasize again that had the army not taken over in 1971, the events of Luweero were on track to happening a decade earlier in the 70's. And the day had been scheduled under the code-name "Bloody Sunday" when Obote would conveniently be in Singapore. The plan was stopped in it's tracks when the Obote group of officers started disarming and detaining all non-Luo soldiers at Lubiri barracks on January 23rd 1971. And this led to a counter offensive by all other Ugandan soldiers of all other tribes who then designated Amin to be the Military head of state. I mentioned previously that Amin's appointment happened abruptly, and under duress, at gun point inside Lubiri military barracks on 24th January 1971, the day after the army revolt against Obote.
The military overthrow was then officially declared on radio the following day 25th January 1971.
But in between both Obote reigns, there was the vast majority of the Luo ethnic group, probably more than 1 million people at the time, mostly humble peasants, who had remained in the country under Amin and many served normally including in the army, police, civil service and even the cooks at State House whose food we ate. Their tribal names are very much recognizable as civil servants then when one looks at Public Service records today. Those Luo's had no problems. In fact they had fun moments with Amin.
On this day pictured at the Nile Mansions gardens (now Serena Hotel) the public was left holding their stomachs in laughter when Amin (RIP), with the Acholi spear in hand and dancing the "Otole", jokingly went after a European photographer.
Though the act was mostly symbolic about the indeginous African's struggle against colonialism, the journalist thought it was a real attack, and the white man went scampering in fear around the Acholi dance circle.

Francis Gerald
Francis Gerald mad post! why did yo dad bring in Sudanese ,Congolese, etc to kill us
Like · Reply · 1 · 1 hr
Kwame Isma
Kwame Isma Frankly I didn't bother reading the whole post but the word OTOLE reminds me of ANKOLE'S pre-colonial name NKOLE and a kinyarwanda word INTOLE. Despite what divisive politicians say this pan African life long African history student like to think Bantu and Nilotics or Luos have much in common than kinky hair.
Like · Reply · 1 · 1 hr
James Francis Oriekot
James Francis Oriekot You are becoming another Kyalia; with factually inacurate and alarmist propaganda posts. It's shocking how much you misunderstand the history between Langi and Acholi.
Like · Reply · 1 · 1 hr
David Williams Eram
David Williams Eram The guy simply wants to cleanse his father's image, especially among the Baganda using the narrative that he brought back the body of the Kabaka.
Onen Victor
Onen Victor Guys accept history as it is stop the bullshit attacks!, Why block him from telling the world what happened when some of us were not yet born?.
Francis Olal
Francis Olal Mbu "Amin skillfully alerted the kabaka and gave him safe passage".Hussein Lumumba Amin,you mention segregation as if it only existed during Obote's time.You father filed him Army with Kakwas,lugbaras,Aringas and Anyanyas from Sudan who held key positi...See More
Like · Reply · 1 · 26 mins
John Nno E'yotre
John Nno E'yotre Lol and interesting indeed
Taban Majeed
Taban Majeed Uganda is bigger than langi, acholi, nkole, baganda so reminding people of such may not get you sympathizers
Edmund Lubega
Edmund Lubega Taban Majeed that's where you err. Many Ugandans are proud of their nationalities and are happy to be reminded of them. You may be ashamed of yours which is why you don't want to be reminded.

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