Uganda is a country that has a rich history and vibrant culture. Uganda is part of East Africa and is one of fives countries that make up the East African Community. Uganda is a landlocked country but has some of the most fertile land on the continent. This has allowed Uganda to sustain steady growth in the agriculture sector since its independence in 1962.

Ugandan is primarily made up of two ethnic groups, the Bantu and Nilotic people. The two largest tribes in Uganda are the Bugandan people (Bantu) who primarily reside in southern Ugandan and the Acholi people (Nilotic) who are located in northern Uganda. Dating back to colonialism, north-south conflicts have been woven into Uganda’s story and are largely responsible for the violent civil wars, brutal rebel groups springing up, and turbulent political landscape.

One rebel group in particular, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has been one of the most brutal and devastating in recent memory. Starting in 1986 as a model of an earlier rebel group, the LRA became famous for mutilating their victims (cutting off ears, noses, and other limbs) and kidnapping  children to bolster their ranks. Being from the north, the LRA drove an agenda of overthrowing the Ugandan government (run largely by southern Ugandans) and installing one based on the Ten Commandments. The LRA terrorized northern Uganda until 2007 at which point they were pushed out and now operate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Northern Ugandans are just now starting to rebuild their lives and communities as they seek to recover from the 20+ years of terror.

Today, Uganda is a developing society that is attempting to make the transition from an agricultural society to an industrial one but faces many challenges to its development. Some obstacles include poor infrastructure, a low literacy rate, and a lack of access to education. Improvements are being made and Uganda hopes to become an economic powerhouse in East Africa and eventually Sub-Saharan Africa.