GOD is great!
Are you stressed out, tired with the hustle of life getting on your nerves? Just take a vacation to West Nile!
From Pakwach Bridge (Gateway to West Nile) across the Albert Nile to Arua Hill (at the Heart of Africa) to Salia Musala (where three nations meet in Koboko) and beyond, West Nile is a peaceful place to tour. Explore the cuisine, wildlife, people, history, buildings, landscape, church-itecture and mosque-onstructions! West Nile is the Nigeria or West Africa of East Africa, fruity like Mirinda and "sweet like Fanta, oh!"
Enjoy nang nang fish and simsim (sesame) biscuits in Pakwach, Owiny(i) Eclipse Monument, anyoya [beans boiled with maize] in Alurland, Biku Prayer Mountain - the Smallest Church on Earth (in Nebbi), Paidha Hill, Nyagak Hydro-power Dam in Zombo, etc...
There are crested cranes in Madi Okollo plus other birds to watch. The bridge across River Ora is like a miniature (third) of the Pakwach Bridge and the Gateway to Greater Arua or Lugbaraland; Southern Madi dialects are considered Lower Lugbara just like Aringa in the north...
Ajai Wildlife Reserve named after the great Madi chief named Ajai who had 100 wives in Lower Madi used to accommodate white (wyd) rhinos, probably the biggest of the Big 5 in the ancient West Nile after elephants and buffalos. Rhino Camp is where the 26th President of the USA (named Theodore Roosevelt) rested while hunting for game in West Nile...
Besides URA's Vurra Customs and Isara Memorial Cultural and Community Library (IMCCL), the two part Agoi Falls is another attraction in the area. The source of Enyau River is in Vurra; Ovisoni is a major town centre here. Dorcus Inzikuru in 2005 was the first Ugandan female athlete to win an international gold medal...
The 1st Town Plan of Arua City was made by Arthur Evelyn Weatherhead, the pioneer British Colonial Governor of West Nile; Weatherhead Park Lane's ring road around the Arua Golf Course was christened after him. Arua [meaning "in Prison" when translated to Lugbara] got its name from a Belgian colonial prison on top of the hill though it was removed. East of Ayivu is Oluko Falls and Mt. Luku. Lugbara language from the Muni area is considered the most standard of all Lugbara dialects. Monkeys used to roam around Arua from Kuluva to other suburbs but deforestation has reduced their presence; saw some at the Central Police Ground, Arua Hill and behind Greenwood Restaurant (run by a Musheshe woman who looked familiar but wasn't when I talked to her) adjacent to UNHCR on Weatherhead Park Lane. Barifa Forest is the fresh-air lung system of Arua City (Peace & Prudence) but on the brink of being turned into the futuristic Nile Eco City after degazetting. When depressed, just take a walk in the open air and breathe in fresh oxygen from the greenery around you! "Forests attract rainfall," Edison Adiribo told me that. The "head-turning" Arua Hill Stadium & Business Park is a beacon of Sports Tourism alongside Onduparaka FC that took Uganda by storm in Twenty16. The 40 meter tall Arua City Tower is the Tallest in East, Central and Southern Africa but 2nd Tallest Monument in Africa after the 52 meter Independence Monument in Dakar (Senegal) and was designed to pull tourists to Arua like the Eiffel Tower in France (Urban Tourism): 'Ba da sende tawuni-a tipasi [Money was poured in town using a tipper]. Dreams come true even if after 20 years. The mangoes in West Nile (especially around the month of May) are so sinlessly sweet that the Government of UG invested billions of Shillings into mango juice factories within the subregion in Andruvu and Kuru (Yumbe). Cassava is also a major cashcrop and a Lugbara staplefood. The weather is dry with scorched brown grass between December and February but spring rain always falls in March, and continues for 9 to 10 months, bringing Exodus 16 to life as amazingly bread-brown and white mushrooms grow tall within 24 hours every morning around April like free food. Ombangulu made from mashed whiteants is a Lugbara delicacy; ozi [red woodants from anthills] and migrating grasshoppers (especially in November plus April] are also consumed. Bees make honey which is big business in Arua. Duluka festivals where percussionists drum music from cut banana stems are quite electrifying; enjoy the long Nubian weddings too! Forest Whitaker came to Arua while acting as West Niler Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (film) which won him a Best Actor Oscar Award. The two short Nigerian megastars Aki and Popo were hosted in Ediofe Suburb. Kenya's 2nd President Daniel Arap Moi visited Adriko's factory on Ujia Road. West Nile has confusing cosmopolitan place names like Garamba, Mutukula, Tanganyika, Makutano Junction, Dubai, Zambia, Kenya, Sudan, Congo, Kampala Market, Malaba, etc. UG is about 5 and a half hours from Cape Town as well as five and a half from Cairo in the air. According to Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Arua Airport is the 2nd Busiest Aerodrome in UG after Entebbe International Airport. Arua, one of the Best Medium-size Cities in Africa during 2015 is eight hours ahead of New York, three ahead of London, same time with Jerusalem and Mecca but five hours behind Beijing. Arua is a melting pot of all Lugbara. To put Psalm 121:1-2 into action, I lift up my eyes to Arua Hill. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD who made Heaven and Earth. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14)...
Mt. Wati (in Terego) is the Highest Mountain Point in West Nile; it is believed to be the origin of Lugbara. Next to it is Olewa Falls. If any storeyed Lugbara Cultural Centre, Conference Hall or Palace is to be built in future, my suggestion (As who? Just a Dreamsurfer who has spotted one) would be at a place with a nice view of Mt. Wati...
Miriadua Falls (in Maracha) is a favoured destination for Miss West Nile outings and venue for the annual Cere Festival plus other arrangements, about 23 kilometers north from Arua City. Alikua Pyramid is a Belgian tombsite southeastwards from Nyadri City (NYC). Rokoze is a Chinese-made lake in Nyoro, before Nyadri where the Maracha District Local Government headquarters is based. Other major town centres include Okokoro, Kijomoro and Ovujo. I'm from Maracha where there is no amateur! Kuru Eco Village (+256-784-025742) in Koyi Township is a network for "Responsible Tourism". Have you heard the legend of Ajua (the true father of all Tara parishes)? This place rocks my world. Try out banana-leaf-boiled maize bread for breakfast! The rock at Komendaku [Lugbara Translate: (Do) not search for a seat] provides a majestic view of Mt. Liru. No need to get a chair: You can sit on the Mountain View rock and enjoy the sweet sight. Some people dry their cassava on the hard surface and it has rare vegetation in the soil gaps as if it's from another realm just like Rwenzori...
Mt. Liru in Koboko is the origin of Kakwa people and is marked outside Maracha by Luturujo Road; red monkeys plus three other kinds, mountain gorillas, hundreds of bird species, rock badgers, porcupines and other animals can be found near it. Six caves including one that can accommodate over 300 people were used by elders for meetings and sleeping before colonialism. Salia Musala, Adolomela Crater Lake (50 by 70 meters), Dabara Chaa Falls in Ludara Subcounty are other points of interest...
The Lodonga Basilica in Yumbe was the 1st Roman Catholic Basilica in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. According to statistics, Yumbe has more women than men plus is predominantly Muslim. Some Aringa want to be considered a tribe on their own, but the language is not very different from Lugbara...
Laropi Ferry (Bridge proposed) across River Nile crossing to Adjumani (East Moyo) is a very active attraction in West Moyo; the fish from Obongi is a major delicacy...
Exit of the Nile: Where the Albert Nile leaves Uganda for South Sudan can hopefully become another point of interest...
BIRDWATCHING
West Nile is blessed with so many airborne birds including crested cranes that are numerous in the Southern parts, black and white crows (smart like they are dressed in tuxedos), redbirds, African wagtails, pigeons, marabou storks, bats (that perch near the Golf Course in large numbers), brown eagles, baldheaded vultures, owls, swifts, weaverbirds, sparrows, etc...
AMAZING
West Nile is all that! Since I was born in Bantuland with its own diversity, some animals that have amazed me within Lado include red monkeys, crabs, oi fish, nang nang, purple snakes, ozi red woodants, the illusive manya lizard, snout insects with protruding orange mouths like anteaters, forest-green moth (looks like a real leaf), butterfly metamorphosis seasons like a fashion show in the sky, nyanyakubi Ugandan and other caterpillars, etc...
GRASS SOUP THEORY
Grass is greener on the other side until rain falls where you are. Let the rain fall down; thank YOU, GOD! Ozo ni yi ajekokoru [Rain is free water]...
CUTTING GRASS USING THE SUN
One day, West Nile grasscutters or grasswhackers will be able to cut grass using the Sun's energy harnessed through wearable solar packs especially between March and December. Sunpower is enough; between January and February, the Sun scorches and stunts the grass directly...
BLACK CHAINA
Buy three and get one free! Order for three cups of Chai (or three plates of food, etc) and get a bonus! Why are products from China considered unoriginal, counterfeit, substandard, plagiarised, infringing on copyrights, fake and bichupuli like a byword for mockery? Some of them especially electronics are actually a few (or many) degrees better than what people consider more certified because Chinese improve on what they copy: Net importers become net innovators. They have total disrespect for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and rules like Formula 1 spies, that's why they developed rapidly and are still growing around the world: Copy whatever works, but improve on it! Chinese or Sino Park factories (like bulb-making, mobile phones, mats and so on) are being set up all over UG in various industrial parks, probably even at Tondolo in Terego (Barifa Forest almost became another zone, but the plans were transferred to Nakaseke because of local resistance); Made in Uganda by China doesn't diminish quality. Creative Commons (CC) licenses since 2001 share knowledge and culture for practical solutions. With agi ada ada [true friends], even yi [water] drunk together is sweet enough. JESUS is Lord; GOD is great...
Lugbara Food (2023 Book)
I created the "Lugbara cuisine" article on Wikipedia around 2012 in honour of my mother and it contains a lot of her answers to my questions plus further research from other people. However, since Wikipedia has too many rules and style restrictions, I decided to write my own book that follows less codes...
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| Lugbara Art (2019 Logo recoloured by Aiko in 2022)... |
Lugbarapedia [Museum of Lugbara Art]
Adi or legend is a Lugbara ceremony where a clan lineage is narrated by an elder and chops of beef that fit in one hand are shared among uncles, aunts and cousins.
Adungu (pronounced A'dungu) is a stringed musical instrument or open arched bow harp made with wood and cow hide (leather). Called ekidongo or ennenga in Bantu languages, it's originally an Alur artefact but very present in Lugbara music. About nine strings connect a long thin wooden neck to the top of a larger resonating chamber with a hole for sound output; it's like a curved guitar but is made in different sizes from hand-held to big ones that humans must sit on and play comfortably.
Ago is a pumpkin; used as a totem for Vurra (Logiri) though others claim it's Oboloko [Fox].
Agofe translated as Pillar is the Paramount Chief of the Lugbara who is elected every five years and must be above age 55. According to John Middleton (who lived in West Nile during the 1950s), the Lugbara had no king, nor did they possess traditional chiefs, but they did have a chain of command. Elders of a family cluster and heads of minimal lineages had domestic authority. Along with elders, Spirit and oracles held ritualistic positions and power.
Aje is Lugbara introduction; it literally translates price or cost. When a man wishes to marry a Lugbara woman, there is a period in which he must make visits and bring gifts to exchange to the woman's family for her sexual rights. Lugbara celebrate marriage through wails, mock fighting and mourning over the loss of the bride to the groom's lineage.
Amadingo is a Lugbara system where the rich take care of the underprivileged in their family.
Andraleti is Low Lugbara language spoken by those living near Madi.
Ari refers to a drum. They were used to call people for gatherings and also musical performances.
Aruba is a Lugbara justice process that cleanses families and emanates from a taboo which bars close relatives from reporting each other to formal courts of law. Two conflicting family members are brought to a round table and share their pains through truth-telling and forgiveness. Both parties bring one goat each which are slaughtered and cooked in one pot to show total reconciliation.
Bongo is fermented milk (local yoghurt), cloth or fashion. The traditional dress of Lugbara was grass or banana fibre for women to cover buttocks and front while men wore animal skin. That is why the Lugbara were called The Naked People ['Ba Pililiru] along with the Karimojong in northeastern Uganda by Europeans. Nevertheless, in modern times, everyone wears cotton clothes or synthetic materials.
Divining pots were used to discover crime. Misfortunes could arise from offending ancestor spirits. Both Lugbara and Madi used them to assess the guilt of the accused. The small Lugbara pots represent possible suspects. They were heated and filled with medicated water. If the water boiled over, the suspect's innocence was established. An accused was required to pass a similar test by the Madi. A pot was set on the ground and water poured in. If it did not flow out of the hole in the bottom, the accused was considered guilty. Most Lugbara are said to experience sickness due to a sin they have committed in which a ghost (dead ancestor) is punishing them. Oracles can translate the words of the dead; therefore have the ability to tell which ghost is sending sickness, the reason and sacrifice wanted. Adro 'ba [Spirit men] utter curses against evildoers.
Djembe is a type of drum.
Dribidu is the hero ancestor of Lugbara near Mt. Wati; he was the brother of Jaki. Dribidu cured a leper and slept with her.
Ero is a woven granary and sometimes refers to a bank eg Ero Wudrikuru ni = World Bank. The woven granary stood outside the house on a platform made from sticks and had a cover. It was used to store dried foodstuffs like millet, sorghum, etc.
Gborogboro was the first man in Lugbara mythology.
Grinding stones are used to turn seeds like groundnuts, simsim, etc into paste.
Guke is a trumpet used by males in most of their dance.
I'bu (or e'bu) is a hoe, found in probably every rural Lugbara home. It is used for ploughing, digging holes, weeding and uprooting. It's a very big asset since agriculture is life.
Imvu is a pot made from clay and fired. There are various sizes with intricate line designs near the neck or belly.
Isaku is a container with holes at the bottom used to sieve salt from plant ash.
Ise is a grasshopper; used as a totem for Maracha Clan. Others say it's kulu, a type of locust.
Jaki is the hero ancestor of Lugbara near Mt. Liru. He was the son of Yeke who lived somewhere to the north and was the third or fourth generation from Gborogboro. His brother was Dribidu.
Jo is a house or hut usually round in shape built using claysoil, timber and grass. In modern architecture, rectangular brown soil bricks are burnt until reddish orange and cement used to pile them together as walls which are covered with ironsheets on wooden beams. Other builders use cement blocks.
Kari is the House of Lugbara, a cultural institution headed by the Agofe. His Royal Highness Culu Jason Avutia was the 3rd Agofe until 2023 when he was almost 97 years old.
Kayi is the payment a male makes in form of a goat or bull for sleeping with someone's daughter. It's like what Judah promised to give his daughter-in-law Tamar for impregnating her with twins in Genesis 38.
Kobi is an elongated medium-size basket with three closed sides and one open one. They are woven using plant stems like sorghum and used for holding seeds or winnowing.
Kopo is a cup made from claysoil.
Kpete or kwete is brewed from cassava and drunk after food.
Luru is an end blow trumpet made from a bottle-shaped gourd.
Mare is a side-blown trumpet made from a gourd and wooden tube. It is blown through the hole in the gourd with the wooden tube pointing downward or under the left arm. Bee wax is smeared inside the gourd which is wetted before it's played only at death dances in union with the drum called naito.
Meme was the first woman in Lugbara mythology. Her womb was filled with livestock. When the gazelle broke out of the womb with its hoof, other animals followed. Dorcus Inzikuru is usually referred to as the Arua Gazelle; she was the 1st Ugandan female to win a gold medal in international athletics. Spirit then put children in Meme's womb and she gave birth to a girl and boy who produced another cycle of girl and boy for generations until boys only, that is Jaki and Dribidu who ate children and was kicked out of his earlier home.
Mukeka is a mat woven from various materials eg papyrus or other plants, sometimes multicoloured with shape designs.
Odro is a rat; used as a totem for Terego Clan. Edible rats include anabia, omba omba, alucaku, ombaya, etc.
O'buka (or a'buka, a'buza, etc) looks like a kobi or luku but with straps. The Lugbara suncover extends over the whole of a child's body.
Ogea is a big harvest basket. Some two handle baskets are woven using elephant grass.
Okuili, literally woman knife is an oblong thin-top-pointed dagger used for weaving. Also called simbili, the tool is an asset for craftswomen.
Olangi, which means bell, is a metallic saucepan.
Opi are county chiefs and take care of politics and fighting within the subclan. Below them are parish chiefs.
Rainstones are clear, translucent quartz artefacts consisting of circular, slightly convex upper and lower surfaces. They were used to make rain, according to a Lugbara stream ritual. The stones were kept in a sealed gourd and when rain was required, the gourd would be broken in a stream and the stones left there for the night. They were then resealed in a new gourd. Conical stones were considered male while cylindrical as female, the larger of the latter regarded as the most potent. It was pointed out that when taken in the hand and held close to the ear, it "called out".
Sabuni is soap made from pawpaws or other ingredients.
Tali is something GOD puts in man, an element which enables any man to influence those around him. It increases in power as the man lives.
Tanure is a Lugbara fashion dress for women made from leaves, plant parts or grass.
Ti is a cow; used as a totem for Ayivu Clan instead of Palabi, a green plant.
Uruleti is High Lugbara language spoken by those living near Kakwa.
Water pipes were smoked by both men and women. Tobacco was ground to make snuff. Special pipes were used for hemp consisting of a bowl below a tray of hot embers. The smoke was drawn through a water-filled container (Uganda Museum in Kitante, 2009).
Wura is colours, Art or skintype. It's how Lugbara express themselves in housepainting, fashion design or bodymarks.
'Ye or arrows were not only used for protection alongside a bow from which they are shot but also bride payments. In modern times, it was equivalent to 5,000 UGX as transport for a married woman's relatives.
Zukulu or gourd is used to store milk. Others are decorations hanged on a wall.
(CC) Plagiarism allowed; correction or suggestion welcome
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