Inside West Nile by Mark Leopold
2004. Approx. 288 pp., maps, notes, references, index
Cloth, $65.00/Paper, $29.95
Mark Leopold spent several years in the late 1990s in the West Nile region of Uganda and his experiences and research form the basis of this book. The West Nile region, in northwestern Uganda, has been a region encircled by violence, conflict, and mystery. The home of Idi Amin, one of Africa's most notorious dictators, and a peoples with a history of resistance, the West Nile region and its people have often been misunderstood and marginalized by the international community as well as their fellow Ugandans. The area has been a victim of Arab slave raids, used as a labor reserve by colonial rulers, ignored under Idi Amin, and displaced by vengeful post-Amin armies.
Mark Leopold takes us into the history and culture of West Nilers. Many people have said the region is cursed and that its residents are innately violent, beliefs that have played a large part in the region's relationship to the outside world. Leopold's introduction begins with a history of the region, dating back to the early 19th Century, and tells the story of the people of the West Nile. Often confused with the Acholi of northern Uganda and Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) infamy, the people of the West Nile are in fact located west of the Nile river and sandwiched between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Sudan. The peoples of this area have always flowed freely across boarders and are in many ways closer to each other than they are to their countrymen in Kampala, Kinshasa, or Khartoum. This fact is one reason why conflicts in the DRC and the Sudan have always been linked to Uganda and why Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) fighters have routinely been seen in Uganda. Fighters in the West Nile, including the West Nile Bank Front (WNBF) or Uganda National Rescue Front Part II flow back and forth into both the DRC and the Sudan. This has made the region a particularly volatile one.
Much of Leopold's stay was in the West Nile's major city of Arua, which literally means "prison" among the region's largest group, the Lugbara. The name dates back to the region's history under Belgium rule when the town was said to be a place where people were rounded up and brought. Arua, whose inhabitants are mostly Muslim, is more importantly known as a trade crossroads. The town sees traffic between rural and urban Uganda, and the town's economy is largely based on its position as the trade hub for black market goods that flow between Uganda, the DRC, and Sudan.
Leopold's book spans the mid-19th Century to the end of the 20th Century. Pre-colonial West Nile definitely saw its share of violence. Much of the area's conversion to Islam occurred as a result of Arab influence in the region during the Arab slave raids. The region also had its share of conflicts with neighboring groups. This is not, however, the reason for the perception of West Nilers as a violent people. The roots of the supposed violent nature of the West Nilers, according to Leopold, dates back to 1919 during the Yakan Water uprising by West Nilers against British rule. The Yakan water was a 'drug' that was used in the region at the time and was said to rouse "timid men to warfare". The 'drug' is steeped in the practice of witchcraft and used by participants in the 1919 uprising. Leopold says this event was a major factor in creating the image of West Nilers as a violent and warlike people.
Under the colonial system, the region, as with other regions in Uganda, was taxed heavily by the British. To pay these taxes, West Nilers were forced into migrant labor, traveling to the southern regions of the country to find work. The extent of the labor migration crippled the region and weakened traditional family structures in the West Nile region. But the migrations set a trend. During and after colonialism, West Nilers would make up a large percentage of the lower ranks of the military, due in large part to their perceived aggressive nature. As successive regimes fell into disfavor with West Nilers, these former combatants made up a large percentage of West Nile rebel groups.
The region's role in civil conflict has also been significant. From the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF), the West Nile Bank Front (WNBF), to the Uganda National Rescue Front Part II (UNRF II), the people of the West Nile have also had a history of armed opposition to both the Milton Obote regime as well as the current regime of Yoweri Museveni. Other West Nilers, like a council of elders that was formed to make West Nile grievances heard, have tried to address issues in the region peacefully and have distanced themselves from the rebel groups in the region. The conflicts between the region and the central government have been rooted in the central government's mistrust of the region, given its ties to Idi Amin, and the region's frustration with its marginilization by the central government. This has all led to instability in the region, raids and attacks by SPLA and Ugandan government forces, a lack of government projects in the area, and the area's lag in development behind southern Uganda.
While most West Nilers distance themselves from Idi Amin, whose regime did little to help the region. West Nile's violent history has often been used to explain Amin's ruthlessness and oppressive rule. Leopold's chapter on "Amin, West Nile, & the Postcolony" sheds light on Amin's legacy and his connection to the West Nile region. Leopold examines Amin, the man and the myth, and examines whether or not Amin was a product of the West Nile's supposed violent history and culture or an aberration of it.
Mark Leopold's book wonderfully addresses the misconceptions behind the people of the West Nile. It is almost as if through Mark Leopold, West Nilers have opened up the curtain just enough to give us a glimpse into who they are and dispel many myths, but not enough to uncover the full mystery of who they are and the secrets they hold. Even the mystery behind Idi Amin's true origins is not revealed to Leopold, or other researchers who have preceded him. The people of the West Nile have a complex history that has been influenced by their contacts with Arabs, the Belgium, and the British. While they are Muslim and Christian, traditional beliefs and witchcraft play an important role in their culture and practices. Leopold reveals much of the controversy behind these peoples. Unlike the Massai or the Zulu, the people of the West Nile are not revered as great warriors; instead they are marginalized as troublemakers who only know violence. How much of this is in connection with Idi Amin? What is the true nature behind the West Niler's violent past? These are just some of the questions answered in Inside West Nile.
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Academics, especially anthropologists, sociologists, and historians, will find Mark Leopold's book enlightening and full of detailed historical accounts. Non-academics will have to overcome Professor Leopold's attention to detail and absorb the story as a whole. Either way, the book makes for a great look into the peoples and culture that make up the West Nile region of northwestern Uganda.
Msia Kibona Clark is a Sasakawa Fellow and PhD Candidate at Howard University's African Studies Department. Her dissertation topic examines the impact of African immigration to the U.S. on African and African American relationships. Msia is also the Ugandan Country Specialist for Amnesty International and the Book Review Editor for AllAfrica.com
