If they don't want to talk, there's a reason
Uganda- make this is a favorite!
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Given northern Uganda’s violent political history, I was surprised to find virtually no serious political discussion. Political inquiries are often met with blank stares and ambiguous statements that trail off before illustrating anything. I often asked basic questions, such as why Kony and the LRA are fighting. The question usually got the same response, “Even us, we don’t know.” Having worked in conflicted areas of the Middle East, where everyone has an opinion, I was skeptical of this unwillingness to share. After some time, however, certain individuals did open up to me. If done in populated areas, their hushed words were often preceded by a look over both shoulders. This dynamic, which occurs regularly, illustrates the unfinished nature of political turbulence in northern Uganda. The era of Kony and the LRA may be at an end but the legitimate grievances of the Acholi people persist, at great concern to the central government. The region also remains trapped amid larger geopolitical considerations regarding oil, the future of South, or “New” Sudan, alleged weapons testing and other issues not openly discussed. I believe that the Ugandan military and intelligence community maintain a fairly expansive spying network throughout population centers in the north. If people don’t want to talk politics, respect that.
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