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
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