In Leb Lango, the language of the Lango people, the word 'Okere' means a newborn baby. Yet, the origin of this name is laced with a haunting tale from over a century ago, according to the village elders. In the heart of the village lived a woman, a witch whose womb remained tragically barren. Fueled by an all-consuming envy of fertile women, she delved into the dark arts, casting spells to render her peers childless. She even used her evil powers to snuff out life out of little children in the village. Gradually, the village earned a grim moniker, Okere Mom-Kok, a gloomy descriptor translating to ‘that place where you don't hear children crying’. The absence of the tender voice of infants crying was not due to content slumber but rather the malevolent forces at play. Demonic spirits left potential mothers unfertilized, and the bitter angels of death, unleashed by a selfish and barren soul, strangled the laughter of children. However, poetic justice prevailed when the village chief intervened, bringing the witch to account. She lived a miserable life and died shortly. After her death, women once again bore the gift of life, and the pleasant voices of toddlers' cries echoed from every corner, bringing with them an era of happiness and joy. The place where toddlers were once absent and silent - Okere Mom-Kok, metamorphosed into Okere, the cherished home of toddlers bursting with loud cries and beaming with lovely smiles.
Okere is a quaint village nestled amid the expansive savannah grasslands of Otuke District in Northern Uganda, East Africa situated approximately 127 kilometers to the north of the equator. The village is wrapped within the sacred parkland of Nilotica Shea trees and occupies a landmass of about 12 km2. Okere finds its home within the historically significant Otuke District, which served as the initial settlement of the Lango people, a Nilo-Hamitic ethnic group. Located at a distance of roughly 420 kilometers from Kampala City and 70 kilometers East of Lira City, Okere sits in the heart of Otuke District, with its administrative headquarters situated 20 kilometers further away. To the south of Okere, one can find the villages of Agago district in the Acholi sub-region. Despite its location in a semi-arid belt, which extends from the neighboring Karamoja sub-region, Okere's scenery is adorned with woodlots, elephant grass, small streams, swamps, and flatlands where farmers engage in subsistence farming.
Farmers in Okere heavily depend on rain-fed agriculture. The village typically receives an annual average rainfall of 1,200 mm which is insufficient for sustainable agricultural practices. The smallholder farmers in the village achieve only 15-20% of their potential crop yield, largely due to prolonged droughts leading to substantial crop failures. Nonetheless, the local economy in Okere is mostly hinged around agricultural activities which are conducted on a small and subsistence basis. Millet, sesame, and cassava are among the most grown crops both for household consumption and income generation. Whilst each household in Okere owns an average of about 10 acres of land, they can productively utilize just about 3 acres each farming season. Households also rear domestic birds and animals such as cows, goats, and local chickens. On average, each household has at least 15 chickens, 08 goats, and 04 cows.
As a decentralized unit of Uganda’s local government, Okere is one of the six parishes situated within Adwari Sub-County. Comprising 14 villages, each village is overseen by a democratically elected Local Council (LC1) leader chosen by its residents. In each village, there are about 100 households, and each household has an average number of 6 members. As of 2023, there are 6,000 living in Okere Parish, most of whom (about 70%) are children and young adults under the age of 18 years. Most of the people in Okere belong to the Ogora and Okarowok Bako clans. Clans are a cultural standard of societal ordering that was predominant in the Lango Nation before the creation of the Ugandan state by the British colonizers. Whilst their roles and significance have waned in recent times, they remain crucial for cultural identification, unity, and social purpose in Okere. In matters of faith, Okere is predominantly Catholic, with approximately 75% of the population openly identifying as such. About 20% align with the Anglican denomination, while around 04% subscribe to evangelical Christianity and only two households in Okere identify as Muslim. It is important to highlight that religious affiliations in Okere become more visible on Sundays when residents attend Mass or Service, and/or during burial ceremonies or when clergymen are visiting. Otherwise, everyday life in Okere is predominantly shaped by local traditions and values, with Western religions playing nominal roles in our lives.
Pat Oali, a weekly market held every Sunday, adds a distinctive element to the Sunday church experience. Following the conclusion of Sunday Church Masses and Services around 9 am, attendees proceed directly to the market without returning home for breakfast or lunch as Pat Oali offers affordable local meals for as low as 2 pence. I always look forward to a breakfast of boiled goat meat, cassava, and agwaca (a local vegetable made from black-eyed peas leaves) at Akullo's roadside kitchen. The market attracts both large and small trucks from various districts and villages, bringing in hundreds of traders who engage in the buying and selling of diverse goods, including livestock, crops, affordable clothing, household items, and general merchandise. Both sides of the road are typically bustling, and businesses even extend into the middle of the road. Pat Oali serves not only as a hub for tradable goods and services but also as a unique space for social and leisure activities.
By around 3 pm, market-goers seemingly forget the morning sermons, indulging in the combined consumption of local beer known as abwa and moga-amoga, another popular local gin tonic. People get drunk, and sometimes they quarrel and fight. Other times, road accidents occur as drunkards stagger in the middle of the road on their way back home. A blend of traditional rhythms and modern music plays in a somewhat disoriented harmony as people dance with carefree abandon. In one corner, young men and women court each other, while in another, older individuals delight in each other's company. A common joke in Okere suggests that the most unfortunate day to pass away is a Sunday because, if you do, only your close family members will mourn you. Others will only begin mourning your loss the following day. This is not merely a joke; for decades, no burial ceremony has taken place in Okere on a Sunday. If you find yourself in Okere on a Sunday, be prepared to join your hosts on a market trip to Pat Oali, otherwise, you could be left alone at home.