As I grow older, I find myself thinking more of and being drawn to my ancestral home-Moyo. I am originally from a people living in the northern part of Uganda,West of the Nile in a district called Moyo. I am of the Ma'di people. Africa is a continent of many countries. Uganda is a country of many peoples. I am not just from Africa, or Uganda. I am also from West Nile, Moyo and particularly the Pamoju Clan. Some people say the Ma'di are the lost tribe of Israel, others say they are originally from West Africa. My parents were born in Moyo. My father from the Pamoju Clan and my mother from the Pa'nyainga Clan. My parents sort of gave me wings, but not so much roots, at least not directly. I learned to speak the Ma'di language early in childhood. I also knew which clan my father and mother belonged to but it was not until I was twenty-nine years old that I visited the land of my ancestors. I discovered that this beautiful place, endowed with natural resources is home to some of Uganda's poorest people. With every trip since my first visit in 2008, the beauty of Ma'diland has ever more evident, yet the level of poverty continues to grow.
Ma'diland is endowed with a variety of natural resources. The majority of the people are farmers growing a multitude of crops. The most widely grown crops are sweet potatoes, maize and cassava. Other crops include: bananas, millet, rice, beans and peas which are grown mainly for domestic consumption. According to the Uganda Investment Authority, Moyo has a strong agricultural raw material supply base for value adding agro processing industries. Fruits particularly mangoes grow organically during the high season. Ripe mangoes fall from the trees wasted and sometimes may grow into seedlings due to the very fertile soils. At the same time, Uganda imports mangoes from South Africa! Mangoes from this part of the world are the best I have ever tasted. Fish particularly tilapia was and should be the preoccupation of the Madi people who live along both sides of the River Nile. You see, the Ma'di people settled on both sides of the River Nile. Originally, the Ma'di occupied one district in Uganda called Moyo before decentralization caught up with them and Adjumani district was created. To get to Moyo, one has to cross the Nile two times, first at Karuma Bridge and then at Laropi. The Laropi ferry has remained an important linkage for the Ma'di people. From Adjumani to Laropi, and then from Laropi to Moyo, beautiful hills can be viewed graced by rock formations. For a very long time, the Ma'di people did not have access to electricity. Now, power lines can be seen crossing the River Nile seeming bringing development to the area. However, majority are too poor to access electricity.
Why then does this seemingly resource rich region of Uganda still suffer from extreme poverty? Why should a land of rocks hardly have any tarmac roads except for a one mile stretch? A song that echoes my sentiments can be found here
https://youtu.be/3oPnY2cvBqI
This is my quest to unveil the beauty of Ma'diland with the hope that the Ma'di themselves will uncover their wealth and improve their standard of living.
