Lango
This article is about Lango people of Uganda. Distinguish from Lango of Sudan
For other meanings of Lango, see Lango (disambiguation).The
Lango (plural
Langi) people live in Lango Sub-region in the central area of
Uganda, north of
Lake Kyoga. Lango Sub-region comprises of the districts of
Lira and
Apac. The Lango population is about 1.5 million according to the 2002 population census.
Their language,
Leb Lango or Luo, is
mutually intelligible with
Acholi and
Kumam, and related to other
Luo languages of Uganda and Kenya.
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The Lango tribal symbol is the rhino. |
Lango speak a
Western Nilotic (
Luo) language like their northern neighbours, but share many cultural characteristics with their
Ateker (
Eastern Nilotic) neighbours to the east.Some anthropologists assert that they are part of a group that migrated from
Ethiopia around 1600 A.D. and split into two branches, with one branch moving to present day
Kenya to form the
Kalenjin group and
Maasai cluster. The other branch, called Ateker, migrated westwards and entered Uganda from the north-east. Ateker further split into four groups to form the
Karamojong,
Iteso,
Kumam and Lango. The Lango migrated further to the west, and there they encountered the
Acholi, who they pushed northwards from the northern part of
Lake Kyoga. Through prolonged interaction with the Acholi, Lango lost Ateker language and took up Luo spoken by their Acholi neighbours. Many Lango identify with the Luo, refuting the theory that they are Ateker.
:Lango have often been victims of the volatile politics of Uganda. The first Ugandan prime minister and two time president,
Milton Obote, is a Lango.
Idi Amin
:During the 1970s, state inspired violence by the Government of
Idi Amin was used to decimate the elite of the Lango and their neighbours the
Acholi.
Karamojong cattle raids
:Together with the
Teso and Acholi, the Lango have often been victims of attacks by
Karamojong cattle-rustlers.
Lord's Resistance Army
:The 19-year rebellion against the government of Uganda by the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) is behind a massive population displacement in the region. Rebels continue to attack camps for displaced people, burn homes, loot, abduct children, rape and kill, in a brutal campaign of violence.
*
Uganda Bureau of Statistics*
Lira District Website*
Apac District Website*
Uganda History and Politics*
Rupiny - Online news in Lango and Acholi (Luo)
