This unorthodox rebel movement was founded by Alice Auma, later known as Alice ...
This unorthodox rebel movement was founded by Alice Auma, later known as Alice Lakwena, in 1986. Alice believed herself to be a medium for several years and claimed that a spirit named Lakwena controlled her destiny and was the source of her supernatural powers.
After the fall of President Okello, an ethnic Acholi, many people in northern Uganda feared reprisals against their ethnic group. President Yoweri Museveni, who had seized power in a coup, did indeed attack the Acholi stronghold of Gulu with the aim of bringing the whole country under his control. This was a pivotal moment in the founding of the Holy Spirit Movement. Lakwena was quickly able to recruit thousands of members.
At that time, northern Uganda was much less developed than it is today. Belief in the power of spirits, supernatural powers of self-anointed healers, mediums and witchdoctors was widespread. These unusual characters took control of communities that were constantly threatened by war and deprivation and were responsible for healing serious illnesses. Alice was one of these healers, while also harbouring a desire to become a political leader.
Alice Lakwena wanted to compensate for the poorly armed rebel troops with her belief in supernatural powers. A spiritual controller was placed in every unit of the Holy Spirit Movement, an officer responsible for spiritual ceremonies. In the moments when she was “possessed”, Lakwena would rub oils into her fighters or ordain them with water. According to eyewitness reports, there was a widespread belief in the HSP that they were unable to be harmed. In the end, the Holy Spirit Movement was crushed by President Museveni’s troops. Whereas Lakwena fled to Kenya, the Lord’s Resistance Army was created out of a large part of the movement’s survivors.
Joseph Kony, head of the LRA, also believed himself to be a medium. In contrast to Lakwena, he was not able to unite large numbers of the Acholi. The offer of amnesty made by the Ugandan government appealed to the Acholi, whose culture was characterised by forgiveness and atonement. After this point, Kony fought against his own people.
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