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Tall Grass: Stories of Suffering and Peace in Northern Uganda is a personal story of a Spanish priest who was working in northern Uganda when a bizarre group that called itself The Lord's Resistance Army declared war on the government. Within a few years, the conflict had brought large scale suffering and misery to the region. Father Carlos was so pained by the situation that he decided to embark on a quest to find a solution to the problem. But first he had to undertake a tacit and cautious inquiry into the nature and causes of the misunderstanding between the two sides to the conflict. Next he had to find allies to work with in the search for a solution. Father Carlos worked with Acholi Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative and the Justice and Peace Commission of Gulu Archdiocese. He was part of the efforts of northern Uganda's civil society, a peace movement that included traditional leaders, local politicians, religious leaders, media personalities as well as foreign diplomats, all of who could have some influence on the course of event. However, there were occasions in which the priest found himself in conflict with some of them, for different reasons. But Father Carlos would not listen to any of this because he was living in a theatre of horror in which he watched young children being abducted and being forced to join the rebels and young girls being forced to become rebels' concubines. So tormented was he by the magnitude of the human suffering he saw around him that he experienced psychological traumas that affected him deeply and required professional help.This book is Carlos' single minded determination to mobilise assistance for the abducted children and their families as well as for the hundreds of peasants who were driven into displaced people's camps by the war. ... Read more

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Sad Stories of Great Courage
Carlos Rodriguez Soto is a Spanish priest in the Roman Catholic Church.He worked in Uganda from 1984 to 1987 and then again from 1991 to 2008.He worked in the northern part of Uganda, which endured horrific civil war in these years.He describes his experiences in Tall Grass: Stories of Suffering and Peace in Northern Uganda.The book was published in 2009 by Fountain Publishers in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

This book gives a clear picture of life in a region that war has deeply wounded. Father Carlos himself displayed great courage, driven as he was by love for God and love for suffering people.In the book Father Carlos is also brave enough to talk about the mental and emotional consequences that he suffered because of his work for others.But Father Carlos was not the only person of great heart in this struggle:He tells of many others, some of whom sacrificed their lives in the service of peace.Many people in this book give the lie to those who say that peacemakers are cowards.

Many lessons are to be gained from this deeply moving book, but I think one is especially important:Theology matters.On the one hand, the war in northern Uganda would never have happened if the people had had a deeper understanding of the Ten Commandments and the work of the Holy Spirit.On the other hand, the reconstruction and peace in northern Uganda now would never have happened if the people had lacked the fundamental attitudes of love and forgiveness that they do in fact have.Western countries, where the Church blatantly endorses greed and warmongering and self-centeredness with distressing frequency, might profit from a study of people who really are poor both in possessions and in spirit, and really do give us a glimpse of the Kingdom of Heaven.

I give the book 4 stars rather than 5 because it has a few minor editorial errors, its chronology is not always clear, and it could have been more tightly organized.Otherwise I highly recommend it.
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Strong Story
I have read many books about Uganda, even liven for a long while in Kampala. Therefore now that I'm back in Europe- I read books about the place in the world I miss the most. That's the main reason why I bought it. I didn't know the whole story of the first attempt of getting rid of Amin in 1972. But I knew some parts of it and this book gave a reasonable adjustment of the already well known history. It also was a personal attempt to portray how the changes has given the society that exist in Uganda today. Especially the NRM government controlled base and how the tribes from the east have more power than in the Northern had while dictator Amin was ruling. So I knew a lot about it already and enjoyed reading it through this angle. Get it personal from families involved in the transitions between, Obote, Amin and Museveni. Giving the touch of how Tanzania was involved too, give a more understanding of why Amin attracted them and not only was on a stupid crusade as many European writers have told before hand. This book isn't giving the same story as you read in the Ugandan New Vision History packs or Daily Monitor Newspaper. But its a great experience and gives the reader for some new information about what happen in Mbarara at the first attempt to get Amin away from power and why it failed.

So sit down with some ginger tea and lean back, read and enjoy the moment even if it's a little painful to read about others misfortunes, but this is the world we live in. Please don't forget those who made it as we live today. That's maybe the main purpose of the writer. I don't know but it could been so.

Great Book
This book was wonderful. The author was able to weave a personal story through out the history of this war torn country. It is well written, informative and captivating. It is also a great history lesson of Uganda.

Remembering the slaughter in Uganda
Uganda featured prominently in the international news in the 1970s, during Idi Amin's reign of terror. Instability and civil war continued in the 1980s, and then for the ensuing 20 years rebels remained active in the north of the country. The story of one man's quest to bring the murderers of his father to justice is told in this book.

A Commission of Inquiry Into Violations of Human Rights was set up to create a record of past atrocities and recommend prosecutions, but the government ran out of enthusiasm before the Commission's task was complete, and the Commission's findings simply sit on shelves gathering dust. However, through his own investigations Duncan Laki discovered the truth behind the disappearance of his father Eliphaz Laki, and he attempted to bring to justice Idi Amin's henchmen who had murdered him.

The book provides an extremely interesting and readable account of Eliphaz Laki's activities, Duncan's investigations, and the trial. Should people who have committed atrocities in the past be brought to justice, or should sleeping dogs be allowed to lie?Most Ugandans would prefer to forgive and move on, but violent offenders seem to take advantage of that attitude to commit atrocities with impunity.

Utterly Africa and Yet Too Close to Home
I picked up this book assuming it an escapist murder mystery set half a world away, but the story haunts a failed memory that resides unnervingly close to home.

A beautiful country with decent people is emerging from a seven-year-fog during which its rulers claimed a mandate from God, wiretapped neighbors, tortured perceived enemies, suspended civil liberties, and invaded a non-threatening state. Later, reports sink in of how civilians and soldiers were killed on our behalf, but for reasons that remain obscure to this day. Some demand deposed leaders face justice. Others say accountability endangers the foundation of national security. Hmmm...Stop if this sounds familiar.

The Teeth May Smile is set in Uganda's past, a place and time few of us knew, much less forgot. It is palpably Africa, with its Maribou Storks perched on courthouses. Yet within that era and place Rice reconstructs an all-too-familiar state of fear and anxiety, revealing how easy and tempting it is for someone to let our voice go silent, point our finger at others, shrug at wrongdoing, or nod when instructed by opinion leaders that "you know, sometimes it's better to just keep walking."

Duncan Laki refused to keep walking. The story's protagonist stood fast in his quest for the truth and justice, however painful or destabilizing those words might prove. And Mr. Rice had the savvy journalistic instincts to stand behind him - never judging, but incessantly taking notes -- over seven years, from courtroom to banana farm to graveside.

It would be comforting to describe Rice as merely "a superb Africa-based foreign correspondent," or label this book as "casting a fascinating light on Uganda." He is, and it does. But both go deeper. Rice serves a gripping narrative nonfiction story that manages effortlessly to strip away the superficial gauze of tribe, race, party, nationality, and geography.

The Teeth May Smile holds a mirror up to the fragility of human nature, leaving the quiet courage of men like Laki, both son and father, to remind us where we might have buried our moral compass during our own national period of uncertainty, and what layers we might have to dig through to one day get it back.
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The traditional kingdom of Nkore, Western Uganda came into existence around the beginning of the sixteenth century and this book is an attempt by Samwiri R. Karugire, to trace this history on the basis of accounts handed down until the coming of the Europeans during the last decade of the nineteenth century. The study is not exclusively historical or political. Religious beliefs and practices, clan organization and other non-political aspects of Nkore society are examined in varying degrees. ... Read more

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On Uganda's Terms is the gripping tale of the author's experiences as an American nurse during the vicious and brutal reign of Idi Amin. Ms. Hale tells the story of the struggles she faced while striving to improve the Ugandan health care system in the 1960s - 70s. Recalling a saying from the Talmud-"If you can save one life, you can save a generation," she worked to improve health care in the midst of this African nation's most horrific time in history.

About the Author:
Mary M. Hale, RNC, MSN, SRN, SCM, has been a Nurse-Midwife for 35 years.Ten of those years she served under the Ministry of Health in Uganda, East Africa where she set up the first post-graduate pediatric nursing program.Hale has written about these experiences in her first book On Uganda's Terms telling the obstacles to saving lives under the worst of circumstances while working tirelessly against the odds of Idi Amin.
She retired after 27 years in Pediatrics and Obstetrics at Albert Einstein Medical Center, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2006.Her first year of retirement was spent writing her autobiography On Uganda's Terms.In her second year she finished Beyond Nurses Notes - A Journey to Choose Life. ... Read more

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A Most Compelling Story of Nursing Bravery
On Uganda's Terms written by American nurse Mary Hale is the most compelling story of one woman's bravery during the horrific time in Uganda's history. Under the leadership of the dictator Idi Amin, Hale talks about her life threatening experiences while training local residents to be nurses in her efforts to change the quality of life for women and children in a country where children were dying more than living. The book gives an excellent perspective of the day to day dangers and obstacles faced by those nurses who dedicated their lives to set up a medical facility with only primative supplies and medication. Hale's story will make you smile and make you cry. She tells about the tragedy her nurses witnessed after the raid on Entebbe and the burning of one of the Jewish prisoners taken from the hijacked airplane. Hale spent a decade in Uganda trying to make a difference under adverse conditions. Anyone who is interested in the true spirit of nursing and humanism needs to read this book. This book shows nursing at its absolute best. Mary Hale will be a heroine to anyone who learns her story. The book also includes pictures of her staff and patients in Uganda. ... Read more

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An extended piece on the British colonial state mostly focused on the 1940s, arguably the most neglected decade in the study of Uganda's colonial history. The argument at its centre is that the Second World War exposed the central and abiding boundaries of British power; and laid bare the basic truth that the colonial state was inadequate and lacking in the necessary knowledge and imagination to adjust to the demands of the new global context. It further shows how the war transformed conditions of relative African co-operation and acquiescence, and British-Ugandan collaborative economic relationships. The author's thesis is that there is a line of continuity from the colonial state as exposed by the Second World War, to the notorious fragility of the Ugandan state after independence, to the present Museveni regime. He suggests that a useful perspective may be to consider how African society impacted on British rule - besides the usual consideration of the impact of colonialism - and that it may no longer be accurate to consider the colonial period as a historical discontinuity. The author draws further parallels between the similarities of the Ugandan regime of the 1950s and the Museveni governmemt, proposing that a better understanding of this period may shed light on the crux of the problems of present-day government in Uganda. The author is Academic Vice-Principal and Head of the History Department at Dulwich College, London. ... Read more

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Uganda has had a troubled history, and there seems to be no light at the end of the dark tunnel. Right from the time of its inception, as a country in 1891, those who have led the country have used violence, deception, and foreign forces to maintain power. Lugard, a representative of the Imperial British East African Company (IBEAC), used force to get Mwanga to sign a treaty of protection. The British government used violence and deportations to suppress the struggle for independence. Obote manouvered and manipulated the system to shift power from the kingdoms and districts to the central government. Amin lived by the rule 'kill before you get killed'. And now Museveni, with his National Resistance Movement (NRM) machine, uses economics to disenfranchise entire tribes, lies, and has institutionalized tribalism and corruption to stay afloat.

The book questions the validity of the 1967, and 1995 constitutions. The introduction of the 1967? constitution was underhanded, but it was ratified by a duly elected multi-party legislative assembly. The NRM which parented the 1995 constitution has a legitimacy problem. It was ushered into power by Rwandese refugees, and once in power, installed Resistance Committees (RCs) for the sole purpose of aiding the NRM to manipulate elections. For this reason, the ligitimacy of the constituency assembly elections is questionable.

This book exposes the root of the political disaffection in Buganda and the turmoil in the northern and eastern parts of the country. Specifically, it examines the issues concerning the Buganda Agreement of 1900, and the 1962 constitution. It is the author's belief that the solution to the political problems of the country lie in revisiting the 1962 constitution and amending it to the satisfaction of all kingdoms, districts and territories. There is a lack of political maturity at the central government level to allow fair distribution of the national cake equitably to all parts of the country, and only federal jurisdiction can address this. Like an active volcano, the frustration resulting from the lack of a political process that allows peaceful change of government is building up pressure to a point where tragic mass violence is likely to occur. The tremours of Uganda's political volcano are about to turn into a massive eruption. ... Read more

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This volume emphasizes Africa's indigenous institutions as a vital part of the people's past, a source of order and security, and crucial ingredients to an effective administrative system. It reassesses the vital roles these institutions played over the years to anchor nation building efforts. ... Read more

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This work looks at the role different ethnic groups have played in the evolution of Uganda as a nation. It also examines some of the challenges the country has faced in its attempts to create a common identity transcending ethnic and regional differences. It's also a general introduction to Uganda. Subjects covered include ethnic groups and their cultures, geography, history and the economy, and challenges to the legitimacy of the state posed by traditional centres of power and institutions which are regionally entrenched. ... Read more

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Uganda has now joined the list of countries covered by Scarecrow Press' series of Historical Dictionaries of Africa. An introductory essay provides an overview of the geography, demography, and economy of one of Africa's most scenically beautiful and diverse countries. The historical section of the introduction outlines Uganda's chequered development as a British protectorate and then deals with its initial post-independence before outlining its tragic decent into chaos and carnage under Presidents Idi Amin and the reinstated Milton Obote. Finally, Pirouet notes the change of political direction under Yoweri Museveni. A chronology follows which locates events that are dealt with more fully in the dictionary proper. The entries in the main section of the dictionary cover places, historical events and movements, important persons and ethnic groups, languages, and political and other movements up to early 1994. This is followed by a lengthy select bibliography arranged under twelve main heads. The introduction to the bibliography provides a brief guide to the main collections of archival material relating to Uganda. One of the fascinations of Ugandan history is the exceptionaly rich documentation relating to the early colonial period, and the unusual amount of high-quality Ugandan language published and archival source material which characterizes this highly literate society. ... Read more

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Revisiting the history of the Ankole Kingship - a Ugandan Monarchy abolished in 1967 - has been inspired by recent political controversy and violent discourse in Uganda. This centres around the possible restoration of kingship in the southern and western parts of the country and the associated wider social and political implications - in particular in Ankole. This new revised edition sets out to shed light on what has become an insoluble stalemate. The author, and historian, interprets the role and evolution of the institution from the pre-colonial era, to its abolition after independence, and its present day status. He is concerned to understand the kingship on its own terms, and the conflict as part of a wider mesh of geographical, ethnic and administrative loyalties, which were realigned in the wake of social and political change, especially under the colonial administration. ... Read more