In once-dreaded north Uganda, beauty grows from horrors of long war
David Lukani Odwar stands next to a mural of Okot b'Bitek at TAKS. An enthusiastic and ever-smiling man, Odwar’s face belies both his 50 years of age, and trying past. PHOTO | TOM AGABA ONYANGO | NMG
The air was thick with anticipation and a little menacing in the northern Uganda city of Gulu, on the night of December 31, 2022. There were very many young people, and even children, milling about the streets. Everyone seemed jittery. The older folks out on the streets were mostly police and soldiers, in large numbers.
My driver, who had witnessed the spectacle about to unfold several times in the past, parked the car on the side of the street, and said, “wait for it”. And then it was midnight. There were fireworks all over the city, screams, and then it happened. The young people broke out in groups, some numbering over 50, running frenziedly in all directions, ululating, blowing whistles, screaming, banging on store doors, jumping on street signs, waving leaves and sticks. They ran past our car and slapped it violently on the sides, though they didn’t damage it. I feared the worst.
