Obama’s election has redeemed the Luo

Reaction to Obama's win in Manila Phillipines (Unrelated to the article hereunder)

NEW VISION ARTICLE.

Obama’s election has redeemed the Luo
Sunday, 9th November, 2008


Letter of the day

EDITOR— There is something about the election of President-elect Barack Obama that will appear as a mystery of Luos as rulers that many people, especially in Uganda, had not wanted to associate with. Recently, someone wrote a letter saying that when the Luo from Sudan invaded Uganda, the Baruli were scattered.

There was also talk in Uganda that the Buganda rulers are Luo, something that must have left some subjects of Buganda kingdom shell-shocked and disappointed because they did not want to associate with Luoness. Some people in Uganda had associated the Luo with being foreign even after living in Uganda for more than 700 years. All ethnic groups in Uganda today had their ancestors coming here from elsewhere in the continent.

In 1964 in Zanzibar, a Ugandan Luo ‘Field Marshall’ John Okello led a revolution that overthrew the Arab dynasty lead by the sultan. After that revolution, Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Okello was made to ‘disappear’ when he returned home to Uganda.

To this end someone could speculate that there is something about the Luo gifts to cause ripples in far away lands. We could speculate that there is something adventurous about the Luo continuing something that began in the Luo cradleland.

Some centuries ago in Uganda, the Luo from a country in the north fleeing the Arab invasion and religious intrusion, moved southwards to the western and central parts of Uganda to establish the kingdoms of Bunyoro, Toro and Buganda.

Others stayed in the north of the country, while yet others moved to the present-day Tororo district and continued to preserve their language and culture in the midst of Bantu south. Yet another group moved to western Kenya and northern Tanzania. However, over the years if you were of Luo background in Uganda and Kenya you were likely to face this silent hatred, cynicism and even ridicule because of your Luoness.

After the overthrow of Obote I, some people had to change their Luo names to make them look non-Luo. For example from Okobel the name was changed to Kobel to remove the ‘O’ to protect such a person from easy identification.

Luo names for men usually begin with an ‘O’ and an “A” for a woman.

Among the Luo speakers, it was reported that during one of the many unrests in the country and at some road blocks, people with names beginning with ‘O’ were singled out for persecution and possible arrest or death.

In Kenya, during the last elections there were attempts to eliminate names beginning with ‘O’ in Kibera area that was Raila Odinga’s constituency. Indeed, even Odinga’s name was among the ‘O’ names missing at first on the election-day.

My father seemed to be aware of the persecution of the people with those names and gave us proverbs for names. My own surname is a Luo proverb although it does not begin with an “A” which should have been the case. Luo names are given after ancestors, seasons, events, circumstances or sometimes the time of the day or night that someone is born.

Today in America a name beginning with ‘O’ is the most famous name that everybody is talking about. In East Africa, the election of Barack Obama brings home a revolution to not only all citizens, but particularly to those who are Luo who had felt despised for no apparent reason, except that they are Luo. Let there be healing.

Let us Ugandans be frank and tell ourselves that we have been guilty of marginalising the people of Luo background in our social relations. Barack Obama’s election should be significant and therapeutic to all, especially the Luo in Uganda and Kenya who had been suffering from the trauma of being invisible and isolated.

Jenn Jagire

Ontario, Canada