Paper short abstract:

Understandings of the spirit world, religion, the allocation of accountability, and wealth accumulation relate to local notions about egregious acts. Very different conceptions of wrong-doing and redress prevail in the region to norms associated with formal judicial processes.

Paper long abstract:

Several murders have occurred in Gulu, northern Uganda. There are stories about the victims having their blood sucked out, and there are tales about child sacrifice, terrifying witchcraft, satanic rites, zombies and the use of evil magic. An election was organised to select the culprit, in which everyone could vote in secret. The alleged perpetrator is referred to as Mr Red, because he wears red clothes and likes blood. The deaths and the rumours have triggered a moral panic, with vigilante mobs seeking the culprit and destroying his property. By contextualising these events, the paper shows how understandings of the spirit world, the allocation of accountability, religion, and wealth accumulation relate to local notions about egregious acts. No conventional evidence has been found to show that the man accused of being the wicked Mr Red is responsible for the crimes, but he has spent time in prison and has had threats on his life. The Mr Red case illustrates widespread phenomena which are too often set aside and ignored, and draws attention to the ways in which local elites, including the Anglican and Catholic Churches, the police and both elected and appointed officials draw on strategies of moral populism to establish and maintain their public authority. The paper also highlights the point that very different conceptions of wrong-doing and redress prevail in the region to norms associated with formal judicial processes.