The Essence of A Rwot ki ii Oda

In the history of post-independence Uganda the Acoli have had their fair share of darkness and scorn:  Amin slaughtered them;  Museveni slaughtered them;  the Baganda put the loss of their Kingdom and  the bones in Luweero at the doorstep of  the Acoli; and the Kakwa, Madi and Lugbara blame their post-Amin sufferings on the Acoli.  This is why one son of Amin claims that the Acoli are the most hated people in Uganda----as revealed by a fierce Acoli SA Nya Parwod.

Let me clear the air here and then I will go on to posit what a typical Acoli is all about. There is historic evidence of overzealous Acoli who have been loyal to a T,  and could be  aggressive at exacting punishment within and without at the order of the master. Even today we see manifestations of such deviants in the form of Acoli NRM.

The very fabric, the core of an Acoli worthy of his or her ancestor is about uncompromising personal independence. This is where A Rwot ki ii Oda comes as an aggressive statement that no man can pee on another. You don't kneel nor prostrate to your fellow man. Literally it means: I am a chief in my own house. From A Rwot ki ii Oda is where we derive the Acoli clan-based society where leadership/chiefdom and succession is based on intellectual, physical and spiritual prowess. The Chief is beholden for harmony and against famine and hostile invasions. The confederation of the Acoli clans is based on marriage and security interests. The Chiefdom is not a taxing entity and does not wish to extend its dominion over other clans and peoples. Thus no single egocentric chief arose to become a king over the Acoli.
 

Having said all this, then what? All over the world people are yearning to be with their own kind even when they interact with others. Scotland has just made such a statement. Muganga Fred would want his Buganda to have some kind of autonomy. He is proud of his Kingdom built on blood and carnage. I don't want a similar Kingdom in Acoli. What is the solution? Devolution in one form or another. If not and peoples are pushed too far by the current resource inequities, then it will be decided by iron and fire. How Decentralized Power, Not Democracy, Will Shape the 21st Century

Acoli History and Traditional Dance

HE BETRAYED HIS GENERATION

So, Mr. Yoseri Museveni is today 70+ (even he does not know the date of his peasantry birth) and, typically, gushed with accolades about himself. He thanked his parents for giving him education. Of course, the contributions of the Banyimas are conveniently forgotten. He thanked God. His wife thanked God for giving him to Uganda. Well and good.

So, what has this 70+ year-old man done worthy of phrase. Very little. Instead, he betrayed the aspirations of the immediate post-independent generation---a generation that has been probably the most articulate and educated in Uganda's history. This was a generation that believed that education and intellectual pursuits was the sine qua non from which all the good things would follow. As a group they believed in liberal democracy. As a group they wanted fairness to all. So, in general, the post Amin struggle was about finding those tricky goals even if they may have been couched in tribal undertones.

The rest of the story is well known. The succession question was achieved by armed struggle. Museveni won and declared a fundamental change, which was what endeared many of the generation to his cause which, in essence, was liberal democracy and fairness to all. Since then Mr. Museveni has amassed personal power, presided over an unprecedented rule by patronage that has ever been seen in Uganda's short history, and shown a perverted taste for wars that has seen many deaths from within and without.

The generation is still has some juice, and the promise is not lost yet. The following generation is yearning for direction. That generation is kneeling before Museveni. That generation is acquiring paramilitary training openly. Seemingly he wants to pass on his autocratic system to this generation. We should not allow it. Many of us still believe in liberal democracy and fairness to all as what will head this country in the right direction.