The people living in Midigo

I think one of the best parts of living in Uganda, was the chance to know the people living in Midigo. So, let me share a little about them.

Midigo is in the Yumbe district of Uganda. This is the northwestern corner of the contry and boarders both Sudan, to the north, and Congo, to the west. It is a very hot and mostly arid place.

The people who live there are called the Aringa. Up until very recently, almost no one knew of them. Their language was un-written and untranslated. Very little contact with the outside world. While only about 40 or 50 miles from a medium sized town, Arua, it would take 4-5 hours of hard driving to get to them.

The Aringa, for the most part, have had it very rough. They have been "run-over" by just about every rebel group to ever exist in that region. More importantly, since these rebel groups have been operating in the region, almost no aid ever reaches them. The UN have labeled it a level 3 security zone. Which is to say, there should not be any unnessary personell staying there.

No power, no communication, but still a vibrant communication within their own people. It amazed me how fast village to village communication was, often faster than I could drive between them.

The social structure of the Aringa seems to center on a group of "elders" who are political and social leaders. There is additionally a smaller group of shamen who were described by the translator as "land lords". They would be responsible for the rains, the allocation of land, and keeping the spirits happy. Finally, the women of the Aringa are really the people who get things done.