She couldn’t say it better, so she got out her local musical instrument and played for us a good bye song, she sang in Acholi, a language none of us knew, but at least we could read the message of the song from her sad face. Though she later interpreted the song, I had already guessed she was saying “Have a safe journey, am going to miss you so dearly”

 

It was our last day in Acholi land, the land which will always carry some of my forever memories, I met a young girl in her teens who had no reason to live for another day. Any one could see from her face that she had been torn by the war and its memories, her story was incredibly sad, she lost her mother when she was 6, lost her father at the age of 8 and at the age of 12 she lost her only brother- all because of the war.

 

In this part of the world, many people do not have their limbs due to the effects of the landmines. The cruel rebels of the LRA used to cut of peoples ears, mouths and other parts of the body. So it wouldn’t surprise you to find some one with all the teeth outside with the mouth cut off. The war took around 20 years to end which meant 20 years of suffering, lack of sleep, loss of loved ones and 20 years of having to depend on donor organizations just to have meal.

 

I thought I wasn’t so fortunate until my visit to this place forced me to change my attitude. I wish people could learn to appreciate what they have. Its a matter of realizing that less is more , what I used to call less can in reality  be a blessing to people in this area who have no dream of ever getting even half of it

 

For a long time, the people of northern Uganda were weeping as others were sleeping, the only places safe but also not safe enough were the internally displaced camps where people had no land even to plant a yard of crops. At some times these camps could be attacked by the rebels. I remember a sad moment when the rebels attacked the Balonyo IDP camp in February 2004, they killed hundreds of people and they cooked there meat in pots. More than 300 villagers were shot, hacked and burned to death. Kids were left parentless, and families were separated for ever.

 

At this time, the war is way back in the past, but the tears are still falling mainly from those who were left with nothing. There are no longer battle fields in northern Uganda, and the sad untold stories of the people in the middle of the spoils of war may still remain un known. The war is gone but the suffering continues, tears of the orphans and the all the people who were left with nothing after the war may still flow even outside the battle field.