Acoli
“Cabit aryo, en pud peya odwogo.” Wonkom LC Owaco ma cwinye pe yom.
“Wagoyo cim bote, ento en pe gamo”
Abedo laling, pa loko. An aciko dano weng ni Kilama pe genne, ento gin owaci an dong atii woko pe angeyo lok wilolobo. . Kadi kumenu, wan ki awobi ni kin wan jwi nen pe tye pa ber .Ada an pe amaro Kilama. Lupaco ne gubedo Jirani wa.. Onongo angeyo Kwaro ne ma en obedo dano ma kite ber mada. . Ki gum marac, en obi too i kare pa Amin. Angeyo wonne bene. Wabedo kacel ikare ma caro wa Lumule ki loko odoko camp ikare ma Kony obedo ka lweny. En otiyo ki dul moo ma pe jenge ikom gamente [NGO] dok abiko ni en obedo ka kwalo kwor pieni en nongo bedo ki cam yako cente cawo ducu. Kilama ilok ada lakwor. Ocake ma en pud tidi, tiku bedo ka kwalo cam ki ipoto na. En bene onongo pwono muyeme ki I dye kala, kun muyeme dwong ata i dye kalgi loyo wa mega .
Ento en nen calo ryek i gang kwan. Kiwaci en aye onongo macci maber loyo ki I Kitgum I kwan me Primary ki I Senior. . Awinyo ni ki coyo pire wa i gajeti , dok ni pieno, en onongo kony ki bot gamente mi culu pi kwane i gang-kwan me pwonye mamalo i Gulu. An pe akwano ci pi meno an pe angeyo gin ma en kwano ento angeyo ni en pud lakwor. An dong gufu na peke me tic ipoto pi mwaka na ma dong ocito, ci pi man dong ajenge ikom lutino awobe na aryo ni. . Gin weng kom gi wac dok atamo ni gin aryoni tye ka tic ki Kilama me kwala . Kilama waci en iwilo cam ipoto ki bot lupur , yako en i cwalo i cuk. Akwero cato jami na bote, pieni en cule rac, ento man lutino awobe na ni bene gitye ka wacani kac me bel tye ka dok piny. Cako bedo kuman nining, ma kun ngomi ceko cam?
Wabedo ka winyo pi two mo ma opoto tye ka neko dano I wilobo lung. Kadi wa lobo ma ki waci gulony adada. . Min Otto, rwed dukan ma i carowa ni waci two ne iromo nongo ne ki bot ngat matye ki aona. En owinyo ki i radio mege ni twoni dong oo i Kenya. Gamente mekwa, waci myero dano olwok cingi maber me juku twoni. Ento lwoko cing romo juku two ma kobo ki aona nining?
Kilama odwogo ki Gulu kun waci ki juku kwane pi two aoni ni. Ocako waco bot dano weng ni twoni obedo two ma rac mada dok ni miro wati matek mi neno ni two ni pe oo i Lumule.
“Kiti wa lutela lobo madito bene tye ka too ki two eni”, en owaco ma obino ka limo awobe na. Kit ma naka jwi, gin oceto ka mato kongo dok lutino awobe na ni, guduku wa orwone. .
Inge kare manok, awinyo ni Kilama obedo ka jogo cente wek icet kwede Kampala. Owaci profeca moma ryek oo i Uganda. Ni en ocike bot ladit lobo ni en iromo yubu yat ma cango twoni i cabit acel. Kilama obedo ka nyuto bot dano weng gajeti mo , yako cimo cal moni, waci eni aye profeca ma tye ka rwate ki ladit lobo t kacel ki lalok madit me ot moko cik/parliament. En owaci ka dano weng gujogo cente mo manoknok, en iromo wot Kampala iwilo yati wek dano weng I Lumule obed maber. .
Angeyo ni en tye ka waco lok nguna. Cente na manoki, akwoyo i bongo na. Kiti wa awobe na pe gi ngeyo. Angeyo ni icawa mukene gin keto otta ka yenyo cente kun nongo gitamo ni anino’oo. Ento wonkom LC obedo dano ma lalworo tutwal dok en aye obedo ka doro yub me konyo Kilama joko cente me wot Kampala.
Tin min Otto owaca ni iwinyo i radio ni twoni dong tye Uganda. Wonkom LC kome dong tye ka myel amyela pieni en oketo gene i kom Kilama ki lokke me yat ma cango twoni. An pe aparo kono ato ki twoni. Dong akwo pi kare malac.. Gin ma aparo en aye ni lutino awobe na aryo ni bi cato ngom ma pi kongo.
English
“Two weeks, and he is not back.” Said the local council (LC) chairman with irritation in his voice.
“We call his number, but he does not pick up”
I sit silently and say nothing. I warned everyone against trusting Kilama, but they said I was an old man who did not know the world. Anyhow, I always seem to have had a grudge against the boy.
It is true that I do not like Kilama. His family are my neighbours. I knew his grandfather who was a good man who sadly died during the time of Amin. I also know his father. We were together when our village, Lumule, was turned into a camp during the Kony insurgency. He worked with one of the NGOs and I suspect he was stealing as he always had food and money. Kilama is definitely a thief. From a young age he was in the habit of helping himself to crops from my land. He would even pick mangoes from my homestead, and yet they had more mango trees than me in their compound.
But it seems he is clever at school. They say he got the best marks in Kitgum at primary and secondary. I hear that he was even featured in national newspapers and because of this he got a scholarship from the government to study at Gulu University. I am not an educated man and therefore I do not know what he studies, but I know he is still a thief. I am no longer able to work on my land because of my age, so I have to rely on my two sons. They are both lazy, and I am sure they are working with Kilama to cheat me. Kilama says that he buys crops from farmers and takes them to market. I have refused to sell to him because he offers a very poor price, but I find my sons are telling me that the yield on millet is reducing. How can this be so when the land is so fertile?
We have been hearing news of a disease that is killing people across the world, even in those countries that we told are very rich. Mama Otto, the shop owner in our village, says that it is a disease that you can catch from someone’s cough. She heard on her radio that the disease is now in Kenya and our government is saying that everyone should was their hands properly to stop the disease. But how can I stop a coughing disease by washing my hands?
Kilama returned from Gulu saying that his studies had been stopped because of this coughing disease. He started telling everybody that this was a very dangerous disease and that we must work hard to make sure that it does not reach Lumule.
“Even presidents from the most powerful countries are falling sick and dying”, he said when he came to see my sons. As usual they went out to the drinking place and my sons returned the next day.
Soon I heard that Kilama was seeking contribution so that he could travel to Kampala. He said that a very clever professor had arrived in Uganda. He promised the president that he will have a cure for this disease in one week. Kilama was showing everyone a newspaper and he kept pointing to a picture saying this is the professor meeting the president and the leader of parliament. He said if everyone contributed a little money, he would get a bus to Kampala and buy the cure so that everyone in Lumule can be saved.
I knew he was lying. The little money I have is sewn into my clothes, not even my sons know about it. I know they have been searching in my hut when they think I have been sleeping. But the LC chairman is a very fearful man, and he led efforts to raise money for Kilama to travel to Kampala.
Today Mama Otto told me that she heard on the radio that this disease is now in Uganda. The LC chairman is panicking because he trusted in Kilama and his promise of a cure. For me I don’t care if I die from this disease. I have lived a long life. My only regret is that I have two sons who will drink away my land when I am gone.
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