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Northern Uganda has been affected by armed conflict for decades, affecting relations with the dead. This article overviews those changes among neighbouring ethnic groups.
Northern Uganda is a place in which spiritual forces, including ghosts, are commonly experienced in daily life. That has always been the case, but metaphysical presences have a history, and the ways that living people are affected are diverse and have been subject to change. Among many groups, including the Lugbara, Acholi and Madi, the role of male ancestors was central to the moral ordering of lineages. However, wild spirits are common, especially where there has been armed conflict and social upheavals. These ghosts are beyond the control of male elders and may be mediated by diviners and mediums, commonly referred to as ‘witchdoctors’. Also, some individuals have been inspired by their spirits to lead violent cults, such as the Lord’s Resistance Army. Meanwhile, Christian churches have become powerful actors in the region, and divinely inspired Pentecostalism has become widespread. Christian activists have sought to establish authority over communication with the spirit world, often castigating the activities of others as Satanic. This chapter discusses these matters, drawing my own research in the region since the 1980s