During this campaign period, I must say that the most frightening thing for me, was to chat with Acholi youths about post war recovery and the future of our Acholiland. I found a lot of gaps, voids that was not filled with facts. One such, is the loss of vocabulary:
I pained excessively to inform them that if a man raped your mothers, aunties, sisters, etc, such a criminal cannot not be referred to as a benevolent rapist or the able husbands of those he raped. That if a man humiliated your father, massacred your father and their brothers, he cannot be treated as a war hero.
Nicolo Machiavelli in the Prince, wrote: a man will sooner forget the death of his father than the loss of his inheritance" But he also observed that people are so gullible and so caught up with immediate concerns that a conman will always find someone ready to be conned". Interestingly, Machiavelli agrees that "men will always be out to trick you unless you force them to be honest". In these regards, I found the Acholi Youths to be victims of the Museveni con-artistry and yet they have no means to force any of his agents to speak with honesty!
Second such is changing times:
Time have changed and the period of time that Acholi lived in camps, indeed, changed the Acholi people tremendously. Maybe that is what Museveni meant when he said he wanted to tame the backward chauvinist northerners since 1990s. But that aside, one youth informed me gladly that they were born in camps and that they are grateful for Mu7 who brought peace and development because what they are seeing now is different from the camps. I said, good. Did your father also tell you that Mu7 created those camps, deported you there, and allowed degrading conditions to fetter there such that you are alive by a matter of providence?
Third such is uncertainty:
Then the other youths tell me that they are confused because Mu7 is violent and that if Mu7 is defeated, Acholi region would return to war. I am like, dude, all wars in Uganda have been to remove Mu7 from decomposing upon us! People will celebrate once he is removed peacefully by the ballot, duh! Then another told me that Museveni brought a lot of development in Gulu. Then I asked, what kind of development did Mu7 bring to Pader, Lamwo, and Agago? I reflected on the teachings of Machievelli, when he wrote that since men are a sad lot, gratitude is forgotten the moment it's inconvenient. Where would Gulu be without Hon. Reagan, Hon. Olum, Hon. Okello Okello, Hon. Mao, Acholi Religious groups? Weren't these youths just biological substances only 5years ago?
Only one youth shocked me the most: that while in the camp, Mu7 gave acholi people Lutumbere (meaning African Aphrodisiac believed to drive erotic fanaticism), and trapped them onto the wall for another round (rap).
It is indeed painful to hear mature adults offering unsolicited support to Museveni, in a rather blank check sort of thing instead of allowing Mu7 to run for his money. Look, the Jews came together after the Holocaust into one formidable group to ensure that they will never be subject to annihilation. Acholi now runs to the wide embrace of their Hitler and lavish him with unsolicited love.
Change Narratives:
In my views, times have changed tremendously. There is some absence of gunshots and systematic state-inspired killings or kidnaps in Acholi. But insecurity is widespread. Poverty, destitution, mental health, disease, illiteracy... I strongly believe that honesty is devoid in the Northern Uganda political narratives. The real deal is that whatever development, or no development that our people vaguely speak about, their strange support for Mu7 only attest to the apathy and deep sense of loss leading to prolonged grief. I know inside them, they want doom to visit Mu7 eternally.
Acholi people need to understand that Acholiland was much more developed and resourced before 1986 than it is today. Second, whatever is there, has been because Acholi leaders and elders put Museveni to account for his atrocities in the North. The North has opposed Mu7 for so long on principles and a lot of those issues still remain unresolved to this date. For instance, the theft of livestock, and the land grab issues have not been resolved. Malcolm X reminds us that the number one cause of revolutions in around the world, have been sparked by land grabs. Whatever solution that have been presented to these problems, are inadequate and honestly, some are objectionable. Look at the breed of cows that is distributed for compensation. I insist, this cow looks miserable, truly appalling. It is like the poorest breed between a Fox and a Donkey.
That said, there is no evidence anywhere which shows a direct correlation between Voting for Mu7 and Development. Places where Mu7 traditionally scores +80% of votes have not developed more than those places that have opposed him - Bunyoro, Busoga, Tooro, Kisoro etc are there to show for my assertions. In any case, places where opposition is fierce, tends to attract mundane ideas - the testing and purification of fine ideas that lead to development.
Conclusion or Confusion:
However, admitting, it has been very painful to speak to the youths of Acholiland about. Their hero is the mastermind of their suffering. the rule of opposites prevails; their truth is the untruth!
I wish you all the best in your new found loving. I know that you Acholi people love passionately, until disaster derails you, then you hate passionately until some appeasement befalls you - and the cycle continues. It is my respect. But heed to my unsolicited caution: Museveni has never been a friend to anyone, not even to himself. His natural ideas are horribly dark and deeply rooted in societal violence, absolute domination, enslaving, conquering etc. I lived through those horrendous years when he found pleasure in bashing Northerners as Backward, Chauvinist, Killers, Insects, etc and his scorn at efforts to pacify northern Uganda. I must admit. Time has changed, and I have not!
End.
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