Agofe is the noble title for the chief cultural leader among all the Lugbara people or King of Lado Kingdom [1] which covers the regions of West Nile, Ituri, Torit, Uele and Yei. The term means 'Pillar' or 'Paramount Chief' but a king is also called opi in Lugbara; an opi is usually the clan leader of a lineage. [2] Around 1967, President Milton Obote abolished kingdoms, then the 1995 Constitution reinstated cultural institutions but the Lugbara only chose county chiefs. In 2012, the Government of Uganda finally recognised this revised Agofe institution. [3] The Agofe's duty will be to preserve Lugbara culture through literature and other assignments.
In the past, the Lugbara only had their respective clan chiefs. So, some people opposed this development. However, under the constitution of this modern cultural institution, leadership will be democratic like an elective monarchy in rotational series of five years amongst the six Lugbara counties in Uganda including Aringa, Ayivu, Madi, Maracha, Terego and Vurra plus those in DR Congo and the diaspora. Although a territory for Kakwa people, Koboko is also included because pupils are taught in Lugbara there. A king (Agofe) who has already served one term can be eligible for re-election depending on his performance. Also, a ruling Agofe can be replaced depending on his character and other failings.
Jason Avutia was the 3rd Agofe of Lugbara Kari. Although election of his replacement was planned for 2021, it did not happen until after his 2023 death. [4] He resided in (Mvara Parish of) Arua Town, the cultural headquarters, where he headed the Association of Arua District Elders for two decades. Many people knew him as the Chairman of LULA (Lugbara Literature Association) but he was also an Education Minister in his younger years.
To qualify as the Agofe, any Lugbara must have a minimum age of 55 years. [5]
Idi Amin Dada Oumee was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. He ruled as a military dictator and is considered one of the most brutal despots in modern world history. His political ideology has been termed "Aminism".
Busoga is a kingdom and one of four constitutional monarchies in present-day Uganda. The kingdom is a cultural institution which promotes popular participation and unity among the people of the region through development programs to improve their standard of living.
The Mà'dí are a Central Sudanic speaking people that live in Pageri County in South Sudan and the districts of Adjumani and Moyo in Uganda. From south to north, the area runs from Nimule, at the South Sudan-Uganda border, to Nyolo River where the Ma’di mingle with the Acholi, the Bari, and the Lolubo. From the east to west, it runs from Parajok/Magwi to Uganda across the River Nile.
Rukirabasaija Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, commonly known as King Oyo, is the reigning Omukama of Tooro, in Uganda. He was born on 16 April 1992 to King Patrick David Mathew Kaboyo Olimi III and Queen Best Kemigisa Kaboyo. Three and a half years later in 1995, Oyo ascended the throne and succeeded his father to become the 12th ruler of the 180-year-old Kingdom of Tooro.
The Lugbara are a Central Sudanic ethnic group who live primarily in the West Nile region of Uganda, in the adjoining area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a few living in South Sudan. They speak the Lugbara language, a Central Sudanic language similar to the language spoken by the Madi, with whom they also share many cultural similarities.
A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom.
Kiga people, or Abakiga, are a Bantu ethnic group native to south western Uganda and northern Rwanda.
Moru is an ethnic group of South Sudan. Most of them live in Western Equatoria. They speak Moru, a Central South Sudanic language. Many members of this ethnicity are Christians, most being members of the Episcopal Church of the South Sudan (ECS). The Pioneer missionary in the area was Dr Kenneth Grant Fraser of the Church Missionary Society (CMS). The population of this ethnicity possibly does not exceed 200,000.
Ma'di is a Central Sudanic language spoken in Uganda and South Sudan. It is one of the Moru–Madi languages. The Madi people refer to their language as Ma'di ti, literally "Ma'di mouth".
The history of Buganda is that of the Buganda kingdom of the Baganda people, the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda.
The Baganda also called Waganda, are a Bantu ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally composed of 52 clans, the Baganda are the largest people of the Bantu ethnic group in Uganda, comprising 16.5 percent of the population at the time of the 2014 census.
Lugbara cuisine is one of the meals of East Africa and the ancient Lado Enclave. The Lugbara people of northwestern Uganda and northeastern DR Congo eat not only vegetable dishes, but also animals like goats, cows plus ope (guineafowls) and catch insects like onya for food which is called nyaka in the standard Lugbara language used in Arua. Cassava flour, sometimes mixed with millet or sorghum like posho or ugali, is the staple food and is called enya(sa) and accompanied with a range of soup dishes. Rice, yams, potatoes and matoke are also eaten. Below is a list of some of the Lugbara-styled delicacies found in West Nile Restaurants, Ariwara Town, Arua Park in Kampala and many homes or cafeterias that cherish traditional Lugbara cuisine.
Tara is a subcounty at the north-eastern end of Maracha District of Uganda. It is an area endowed with rocks and is neighboured in the Northwest by Koboko; to the Northeast by Yumbe; to the East by Omugo subcounty plus to the South by Nyadri. Other subcounties in Maracha include Yivu, Aiivu, Oleba, Uriama, Omugo and Nyadri.
The Wanga kingdom is a Bantu kingdom within Kenya, consisting of the Wanga (Abawanga) tribe of the Luhya people (Abaluyia). At its peak the kingdom covered an expansive area from Jinja in west to Naivasha in the East African Rift. The Wanga kingdom was a significant African empire and the most organized structure of government in pre-colonial Kenya politically, economically, and militarily.
The chieftaincy institution in Ghana is a system that structures and regulates the activity of local chieftains in the Ghanaian society and state.
The Arube uprising, also known as Arube mutiny and Arube Coup, was a military coup d'état attempt organized on 23–24 March 1974 by discontented elements of the Uganda Army to overthrow Ugandan President Idi Amin. Led by Brigadier Charles Arube, the coupists aimed not only for a government takeover, but also to remove many influential foreign-born soldiers from the Ugandan military. Although the rebels initially succeeded in capturing much of Uganda's capital Kampala, Arube was killed by Amin as he attempted to capture him, resulting in the gradual collapse of the coup. With the aid of loyal troops from outside the capital, the President was able to put down the coup after two days of heavy fighting.
Lugbara Kari refers to the official traditional and cultural institution of all Lugbara people on Earth and headed by the Agofe.
Ojapi is a parish in the northwestern subregion of Uganda. Originally part of Tara Subcounty, it was carved out to form Ajira Subcounty in Maracha East Constituency, Maracha District.