One World Media Fellow Timothy Niwamanya: Guest Blog on Uncovering a Suppressed Chapter of Ugandan History
As part of his 2024 One World Media Fellowship, Timothy Niwamanya has been investigating the legacy of one of Uganda’s most harrowing and under-reported tragedies: the mass killing of followers of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments in 2000. In this guest blog, Timothy reflects on his journey to uncover the truth behind the events in Kanungu, exploring the complex intersections of faith, memory, and historical accountability in the region he calls home.
Separating Fact from Fiction in a Bid to Preserve a Tragic Spectre of Ugandan History
Written by Timothy Niwamanya
The geographical reaches of present-day Uganda have been privy to some of the most socially-impactful but under-explored events of African history during the common era.
From the displacement of Twa peoples by Bantu migrant groups like my own, the Kiga in the middle ages, to the subsequent Arab and European exploration and eventual colonization by both forces, culture and tradition have intermingled for centuries to provide a unique tapestry of sociocultural integration that has shaped the unique history of the region to both positive and negative effects.
The story I am covering deals with the poorly-investigated demise of The Movement for The Restoration of The Ten Commandments that occurred on the 17th of March 2000. It is a story about religion. It is a story about the insidious effects of forceful indoctrination of religion from the Global North to the native peoples of the Global South.
The leaders of the millenarian cult had “prophesied” a doomsday event on the 1st of January, 2000. In the months following the prophecy not coming to pass, hundreds of the cult’s following were covertly poisoned and murdered at various compounds around the country before 500 of the remnants of the cult were laid to waste in a cult building inferno following a large “banquet”. The tragedy was initially considered a mass suicide before the poorly-equipped Ugandan Police forensic team team discovered the wider reach of the atrocities a week or so later.
Although I was born in the UK, my identity as a Mukiga, now based in Kampala, has been emblazoned on my soul by numerous seasonal visits to Kanungu over the last couple of decades. Quite the paradox for an African atheist and cultural critic like myself. It has also driven me to try and understand how this grisly tragedy actually happened and share the lessons I am learning from the research process to a wider global audience.
The physical remoteness of the Kigezi region of Western Uganda where the story is being reported from provides a formidable challenge in regards to access and the malleability of the memory of a people who a gut-wrenching event occurred close to a quarter of a century ago. It requires a heightened degree of journalistic rigorousness and historical re-evaluation. However, the support of One World Media has edged the story I am telling to completion.
This story’s exposure to an international audience is long overdue and One World Media is playing a vital part in making this come to fruition. For this, I am truly grateful.