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' (Chief of chiefs) and was the title given to Jalusiga (an Alur chosen by the British). A king is also called opi in Lugbara though an opi is usually a chief or the clan leader of a Lugbara lineage. [2] Around 1967, President Milton Obote abolished kingdoms, but then the 1995 Uganda Constitution reinstated cultural institutions and by 2000, the Lugbara Cultural Institution had evolved. In 2015, the Government of Uganda finally accepted this revised Agofe institution among the 17 recognised cultural institutions in Uganda. [3] The Agofe's duty is to preserve Lugbara culture through literature and other assignments.
Jalwere Jalusiga (1896-1978) from Alur Tribe was appointed Paramount Chief over the whole of West Nile by British colonialists in 1922. He was called Agofe Obim. [4]
Mariko Boroa from Terego Clan was elected by the Lugbara Association of Elders (Obim removed from title) after Uganda's 1962 Independence until President Milton Obote abolished cultural institutions in 1967.
Jason Avutia from Vurra Clan reigned after the 1986 NRM Liberation and restoration of cultural institutions until his death at 96 years old in January 2023.
Although election of his replacement was planned for 2021, it did not happen until after his 2023 death. [5] Avutia 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.
Manase Yuma Amuku (Ayivu Chief) was elected the 4th Agofe of Lugbara Kari on 13 July 2023 but declared Agofe on 26 January 2024. [6] He retained his election opponent Ismail Tuku as Epife (Prime Minister). Yuma's home is in Angorovu Cell, Pajulu Ward in Arua City.
In the distant past, the Lugbara only had their respective clan chiefs. So, some people opposed the Agofe re-development. However, under the 2024 Constitution of this modern cultural institution, leadership will be democratic like an elective monarchy in rotational series of five years amongst the Lugbara counties in Uganda including Ayivu, Maracha, Terego and Vurra. Aringa who have their own language (though referred to as Low Lugbara) and Ma'di refused to join Lugbara Kari. The 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.
To qualify as the Agofe, any Lugbara must have a minimum age of 55 years. [7]
The Lango are a Nilotic ethnic group. They live in north-central Uganda, in a region that covers the area formerly known as the Lango District until 1974, when it was split into the districts of Apac and Lira, and subsequently into several additional districts. The current Lango Region now includes the districts of Amolatar, Alebtong, Apac, Dokolo, Kole, Lira, Oyam, Otuke, and Kwania. The total population of Lango District is currently about 2,884,000.
Arua District is a district in the Northern Region of Uganda. Like many Ugandan districts, it too shares its name with its administrative center of Arua. The name Arua is said to be derived from the Lugbara name for prison (Arujo) and prisoner (Aru), since the white settlers had a detention center at Arua Hill.
Yumbe District is a district in Northern Region, Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Yumbe, where the district headquarters are located.
The coat of arms of Uganda was adopted three weeks before the proclamation of independence by the Uganda Legislative Council. On 1 October 1962 the arms were approved by Governor of Uganda Walter Coutts, and formally established by law on 9 October.
Alur are a Nilotic ethnic group who live in northwestern Uganda and northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They are part of the larger Luo group.
West Nile sub-region, previously known as West Nile Province and West Nile District, is a sub-region in north-western Uganda, in the Northern Region of Uganda.
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.
Luke Kercan Ofungi was an inspector general in the Uganda Police Force, a businessman in the travel industry in Uganda, and a member of the Alur community.
The Kyabazinga of Busoga is the ruler of the Kingdom of Busoga in Uganda. Isebantu means "father of the people." This name was a symbol of unity derived from the expression and recognition by the people of Busoga that their leader was the "father of all people who brings all of them together", and who also serves as their cultural leader. Traditionally, the Kyabazinga throne rotates between chiefs in a timely election of the Lukiiko.
Lugbara, or Lugbarati, is the language of the Lugbara people. It is spoken in the West Nile region in northwestern Uganda, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Orientale Province with a little extension to the South Sudan as the Zande or Azande people.
Ombaci, also Ombachi, is a neighborhood in Arua City in the Northern Region of Uganda.
Kyabazinga Henry Wako Muloki OBE was a Ugandan Kyabazinga of Busoga, the title given to the ruler of the Kingdom of Busoga, a traditional kingdom within Uganda. Muloki first became Kyabazinga of Busoga in 1955, a position he held until then Ugandan Prime Minister Milton Obote abolished all traditional institutions and kingdoms within the country in 1966. Muloki regained the title of Kyabazinga on February 11, 1995, after the Ugandan government restored the traditional kingdoms.
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.
Mount Wati is one of the highest mountains in West Nile. It is located in Terego District, near the border with Maracha. The peak of Mount Wati also known as Eti is referred to as Ortega Peak. This followed a 28 February 2024 group hike. The Ranges next to it include the Offude Hills. Rebels used to hide there and monitor advancing government soldiers. It is also reported to harbour big snakes that use lights for trapping prey at night. Its elevation is approximately 1250 meters above sea level.
Abdulatif Tiyua is a retired Ugandan military officer and former rebel leader. He served as a Uganda Army (UA) commander during the dictatorship of Idi Amin. When Amin was overthrown in 1979 during the Uganda–Tanzania War, Tiyua was imprisoned by the new Ugandan government. He was freed in 1985, when Tito Okello overthrew Ugandan President Milton Obote. When Okello was defeated by Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Army, Tiyua joined an insurgency in northern Uganda, and eventually rose to deputy commander of the West Nile Bank Front rebel group. Following years of warfare, Tiyua was captured by rebels allied to the Ugandan government in southern Sudan in 1997, and was again incarcerated. After being released in 2000, he became chairman of a veterans association and has lobbied for his former rebel comrades to end their insurgency.
Lugbara Kari refers to the official traditional and cultural institution of all Lugbara people on Earth and headed by the Agofe.
In October 1980, Uganda's West Nile Region was the site of a major military campaign, as Uganda Army (UA) remnants invaded from Zaire as well as Sudan and seized several major settlements, followed by a counteroffensive by the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) supported by militias and Tanzanian forces. The campaign resulted in large-scale destruction and massacres of civilians, mostly perpetrated by the UNLA and allied militants, with 1,000 to 30,000 civilians killed and 250,000 displaced. The clashes mark the beginning of the Ugandan Bush War.
Bako Christine Abia is a Ugandan politician and she was the Arua District woman Member of Parliament in the eighth and ninth Parliament of Uganda. She belongs to the Forum for Democratic Change political party.
Ojapi is a parish in the northwestern subregion of Uganda. Originally part of Tara Subcounty, it was carved out in 2006 to form Ajira Subcounty in the Maracha East Constituency, Maracha District.