Advertise on podcast: Those Who Came Before Us

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we explore the role of horns in spiritual practice across kingdoms like Buganda, Bunyoro, and Busoga. Often filled, sealed, and carried, these horns were believed to contain forces that could protect individuals from harm but also act against others. Moving beyond simple explanations, this episode looks at how these practices reflect a broader worldview: one in which illness, misfortune, and even truth itself were tied to unseen forces that could be influenced, controlled, or resisted. Sources Bamunoba, Yoramu K.. The Cult of Spirits in Ankole. N.p.: Amazon Digital Services LLC - KDP Print US, 2019. Beattie, J. H. M. (John). "Divination in Bunyoro, Uganda." Sociologus 14, no. 1 (1964): 44–61. Bjerke, Svein. Religion and Misfortune: The Bacwezi Complex and the Other Spirit Cults of the Zinza of Northwestern Tanzania. Norway: Columbia University Press, 1981. Culture Research Centre. Ritual Gestures in Busoga. Jinja, Uganda: Culture Research Centre, 2001. Kodesh, Neil. Beyond the Royal Gaze: Clanship and Public Healing in Buganda. United Kingdom: University of Virginia Press, 2010. Kyewalanga, Francis. Traditional Religion, Custom & Christianity in Uganda. Okot P’Bitek, “Religion of the Central Luo” Kenya Literature Bureau University of Minnesota, 1978 Schoenbrun, David L.. The Names of the Python: Belonging in East Africa, 900 to 1930. United States: University of Wisconsin Press, 2021.

Send us Fan Mail This is the story I didn’t say. In the main episode, I focused on what the envoys meant to Buganda.  Here, I slow things down and follow their journey step by step from the Nile, through Sudan, into Egypt, and eventually to England. This is a closer look at the places they passed through, the people they encountered, and the world they were trying to make sense of. If you want to go deeper, I’ve put together a full written version on Substack, along with a Google Earth flyover map so you can actually trace the route for yourself. Read the full article: (Substack link): https://open.substack.com/pub/thosewhocamebeforeus/p/the-envoys-who-saw-the-world?r=7y1sc9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Explore the journey (Google Earth map): https://earth.google.com/earth/d/1LT04xJD8UvmNS2N_lqMOn4fiw6hqaVnf?usp=sharing Click the slideshow for a better viewing experience. Sources Church Missionary Society. The Church Missionary Gleaner. Vol. 8. London: Church Missionary Society, 1881.  Wilson, Charles T., and Robert W. Felkin. Uganda and the Egyptian Soudan. Vol. 1. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1882.

Send us Fan Mail By 1879, the kingdom of Buganda found itself caught in the expanding shadow of empire. To the north, Egyptian forces were pushing deeper into the Upper Nile, threatening to extend their authority toward the Great Lakes. In this episode of Those Who Came Before Us, we explore how Kabaka Muteesa I responded to this growing danger. Facing the possibility of Egyptian domination, the Kabaka turned to an unlikely strategy: diplomacy with European powers already present at his court. Catholic and Protestant missionaries representing France and Britain, became potential channels through which Buganda might secure powerful allies. Muteesa’s decision to send a diplomatic mission to London in 1879 was not simply curiosity about the outside world. It was a calculated attempt at survival diplomacy, balancing foreign powers against one another in order to preserve Buganda’s independence. Key Themes The Egyptian expansion into the Upper Nile and the fear it created in BugandaHow missionaries became unexpected instruments of diplomacyKabaka Muteesa I’s strategy of balancing foreign powers to protect his kingdom Sources Church Missionary Society. The Church Missionary Gleaner. Vol. 8. London: Church Missionary Society, 1881.  Forbes, F. A. Father Lourdel: Planting the Furthest Seeds in Africa. Reprint, Mediatrix Press, 2017. Harrison, Alexina. Mackay of Uganda: The Missionary Hero of Uganda. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1891. Kiwanuka, M. S. M. A History of Buganda: From the Foundation of the Kingdom to 1900. London: Longman, 1971.  Mukasa, Ham. Backward Never, Forward Ever: Translation by J.N Batte, Simuda Nyuma - Luganda: Ham Mukasa Foundation 2002. Stock, Sarah Geraldina. The Story of Uganda and the Victoria Nyanza Mission. London: Religious Tract Society, 1892.  Wilson, Charles T., and Robert W. Felkin. Uganda and the Egyptian Soudan. Vol. 1. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, & Rivington, 1882.

Send us Fan Mail Lake Victoria has always been more than geography. For the people who lived along its shores in Buganda and across the Great Lakes region, it was a living domain capable of taking life without warning, yet sustaining entire communities. In this episode, we explore Mukasa, the spirit of the lake whose power touched every layer of life: food, labor, kingship, fertility, and the sacred rules that held society together. Through fishing rituals, canoe symbolism, and the discipline of taboo, we uncover an older East African worldview in which nature was not separate from humanity. It was governance. This is not just African mythology. It is the story of how spiritual belief shaped political authority and everyday survival. If you enjoyed this episode, listen next to our exploration of the serpent spirits of Lake Victoria to understand the deeper cosmology behind these traditions. Support the channel: buymeacoffee.com/twcbuchannc Sources Kaggwa, Sir Apolo. The Customs of the Baganda. Translated by Ernest B. Kalibala. Edited by May Mandelbaum. New York: Columbia University Press, 1934. Kenny, Michael G. “The Powers of Lake Victoria.” Anthropos 72, no. 5/6 (1977): 717–33. Kollmann, Paul. The Victoria Nyanza: The Land, the Races and their Customs, with Specimens of some of the Dialects. Translated by H. A. Nesbitt. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., Ltd., 1899. Lyewalyanga, F. X. S.. Traditional Religion, Custom, and Christianity in Uganda. Germany: Freiburg im Breisgau, 1976. Roscoe, John. The Baganda: An Account of Their Native Customs and Beliefs. London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, 1911 Schoenbrun, David L.. The Names of the Python: Belonging in East Africa, 900 to 1930. United States: University of Wisconsin Press, 2021. Speke, John Hanning. Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile. 2nd ed. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1863.

Send us Fan Mail The world’s second-largest freshwater lake is more than a body of water. It is a boundary. For those who lived along its shores in East Africa, Lake Victoria was shaped by unseen presence—spirits, serpents, and forces that governed life, death, and survival. In this episode, we explore Lukwata and the serpent world beneath the waters. These were not just myths, but part of a spiritual system that shaped fear, respect, ritual, and everyday life in Buganda and the wider Great Lakes region. This is part of an ongoing series on African mythology, spirituality, and the pre-colonial kingdoms of East Africa. Sources Kenny, Michael G. “The Powers of Lake Victoria.” Anthropos 72, no. 5/6 (1977): 717–33. McGrath, Andy. Beasts of the World. United States: Hangar 1 Publishing, 2022. Schoenbrun, David L.. The Names of the Python: Belonging in East Africa, 900 to 1930. United States: University of Wisconsin Press, 2021. Speke, John Hanning. Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile. 2nd ed. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1863.

Send us Fan Mail At Kagei the crucial port on the southern shore of Lake Victoria and the main gateway to Buganda by canoe, James Hannington finally steps free after his detention by King Romwa of Buzinza. But just as the last stretch of his journey comes into view, sickness overwhelms him. Too weak to continue , Hannington realizes his long-awaited mission is slipping away. Buganda lies just across the water from Kagei yet it has never felt more unreachable. Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/twcbuchannc Youtube Video Link: https://youtu.be/3Xzsp_FfSwU                                     Sources Ashe, Robert Pickering. Chronicles of Uganda. London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1894 Bennett, Norman Robert. Mirambo of Tanzania, 1840?-1884. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 1971.Berry, Grinton . “Bishop Hannington and the Story of the Uganda Mission.” New York, Revell, 1908“Church Missionary Gleaner (afterwards C.M.S. Gleaner).” [London: Church Missionary Society, year varies]. https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Church_missionary_gleaner_afterw_C_M_S_g/5xkFAAAAQAAJ.Dawson, Edwin Collas. Lion-hearted: The Story of Bishop Hannington's Life, Told for Boys and Girls. United Kingdom: Seeley, 1890.Europeans in East Africa: Biographical Database. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=4252.Hannington, James. Peril and Adventure in Central Africa. Being Illustrated Letters to the Youngsters at Home, by the Late Bishop H. With Illustrations from Original Sketches by the Bishop, and a Biographical Memoir. N.p.: London, 1886.Hartwig, Gerald W. “The Victoria Nyanza as a Trade Route in the Nineteenth Century.” The Journal of African History 11, no. 4 (1970): 535–52.Holmes, C. F. “Zanzibari Influence at the Southern End of Lake Victoria: The Lake Route.” African Historical Studies 4, no. 3 (1971): 477–503.Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. Vol. 1, no. 2 (February 1879): 135–38. Report of the Evening Meetings, Session 1878–79.Michael, Charles D. James Hannington, Bishop and Martyr. London: SW Patridge & C. Ltd. 1910 Rockel, Stephen. Caravan Porters of the Nyika: Labour, Culture, and Society in Nineteenth Century East Africa. University of Toronto, 1997.Stock, Sarah Geraldina. The Story of Uganda and the Victoria Nyanza Mission. United Kingdom: Religious Tract Society, 1894.

Send us Fan Mail After a brutal trek across the interior, James Hannington and two fellow missionaries finally reach the lands of Romwa of Buzinza, exhausted, sick, and desperate for canoes to cross Lake Victoria. But with empty hands and no tribute to offer, they quickly learn that Romwa is no simple chief. He is a wary monarch guarding his sovereignty in a world where strangers mean danger… and nothing comes for free. Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/twcbuchannc Youtube Episode link: https://youtu.be/oII9e6b000c                                      Sources Ashe, Robert Pickering. Chronicles of Uganda. London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1894 Bennett, Norman Robert. Mirambo of Tanzania, 1840?-1884. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 1971.Berry, Grinton . “Bishop Hannington and the Story of the Uganda Mission.” New York, Revell, 1908“Church Missionary Gleaner (afterwards C.M.S. Gleaner).” [London: Church Missionary Society, year varies]. https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Church_missionary_gleaner_afterw_C_M_S_g/5xkFAAAAQAAJ.Dawson, Edwin Collas. Lion-hearted: The Story of Bishop Hannington's Life, Told for Boys and Girls. United Kingdom: Seeley, 1890.Europeans in East Africa: Biographical Database. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=4252.Hannington, James. Peril and Adventure in Central Africa. Being Illustrated Letters to the Youngsters at Home, by the Late Bishop H. With Illustrations from Original Sketches by the Bishop, and a Biographical Memoir. N.p.: London, 1886.Hartwig, Gerald W. “The Victoria Nyanza as a Trade Route in the Nineteenth Century.” The Journal of African History 11, no. 4 (1970): 535–52.Holmes, C. F. “Zanzibari Influence at the Southern End of Lake Victoria: The Lake Route.” African Historical Studies 4, no. 3 (1971): 477–503.Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. Vol. 1, no. 2 (February 1879): 135–38. Report of the Evening Meetings, Session 1878–79.Michael, Charles D. James Hannington, Bishop and Martyr. London: SW Patridge & C. Ltd. 1910 Rockel, Stephen. Caravan Porters of the Nyika: Labour, Culture, and Society in Nineteenth Century East Africa. University of Toronto, 1997.Stock, Sarah Geraldina. The Story of Uganda and the Victoria Nyanza Mission. United Kingdom: Religious Tract Society, 1894.

Send us Fan Mail Frail and fevered, James Hannington reaches the caravan’s camp only to find them seized by dread. Beyond the horizon lies Mirambo’s domain, a land few dare to cross. His name moves through Central Africa like a storm: the warrior-king who defied the Arabs and reshaped the trade routes. When the caravan finally leaves Uyui without him, they are forced to turn back.  And when they return, Hannington rejoins them on the road, with the only path forward being through Mirambo's territory. Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/twcbuchannc Youtube video link: https://youtu.be/HAcydmsgWhM           Sources Ashe, Robert Pickering. Chronicles of Uganda. London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1894  Bennett, Norman Robert. Mirambo of Tanzania, 1840?-1884. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 1971. Berry, Grinton . “Bishop Hannington and the Story of the Uganda Mission.” New York, Revell, 1908 “Church Missionary Gleaner (afterwards C.M.S. Gleaner).” [London: Church Missionary Society, year varies]. https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Church_missionary_gleaner_afterw_C_M_S_g/5xkFAAAAQAAJ. Dawson, Edwin Collas. Lion-hearted: The Story of Bishop Hannington's Life, Told for Boys and Girls. United Kingdom: Seeley, 1890. Europeans in East Africa: Biographical Database. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=4252. Hannington, James. Peril and Adventure in Central Africa. Being Illustrated Letters to the Youngsters at Home, by the Late Bishop H. With Illustrations from Original Sketches by the Bishop, and a Biographical Memoir. N.p.: London, 1886. Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. Vol. 1, no. 2 (February 1879): 135–38. Report of the Evening Meetings, Session 1878–79. Michael, Charles D. James Hannington, Bishop and Martyr. London: SW Patridge & C. Ltd. 1910  Rockel, Stephen. Caravan Porters of the Nyika: Labour, Culture, and Society in Nineteenth Century East Africa. University of Toronto, 1997. Stock, Sarah Geraldina. The Story of Uganda and the Victoria Nyanza Mission. United Kingdom: Religious Tract Society, 1894.

Send us Fan Mail The missionary James Hannington crosses the harsh Ugogo Plains of Tanzania’s Dodoma region, home of the Wagogo people. Battling wind, dust, and disease, his faith is tested in one of the most unforgiving stretches of the 19th-century East African caravan routes. Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/twcbuchannc Youtube video link: https://youtu.be/lKSKkwjdBJQ                      Sources Ashe, Robert Pickering. Chronicles of Uganda. London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1894 Bennett, Norman Robert. Mirambo of Tanzania, 1840?-1884. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 1971.Berry, Grinton . “Bishop Hannington and the Story of the Uganda Mission.” New York, Revell, 1908“Church Missionary Gleaner (afterwards C.M.S. Gleaner).” [London: Church Missionary Society, year varies]. https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Church_missionary_gleaner_afterw_C_M_S_g/5xkFAAAAQAAJ.Dawson, Edwin Collas. Lion-hearted: The Story of Bishop Hannington's Life, Told for Boys and Girls. United Kingdom: Seeley, 1890.Europeans in East Africa: Biographical Database. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=4252.Hannington, James. Peril and Adventure in Central Africa. Being Illustrated Letters to the Youngsters at Home, by the Late Bishop H. With Illustrations from Original Sketches by the Bishop, and a Biographical Memoir. N.p.: London, 1886.Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. Vol. 1, no. 2 (February 1879): 135–38. Report of the Evening Meetings, Session 1878–79.Michael, Charles D. James Hannington, Bishop and Martyr. London: SW Patridge & C. Ltd. 1910 Rockel, Stephen. Caravan Porters of the Nyika: Labour, Culture, and Society in Nineteenth Century East Africa. University of Toronto, 1997.Stock, Sarah Geraldina. The Story of Uganda and the Victoria Nyanza Mission. United Kingdom: Religious Tract Society, 1894.

Send us Fan Mail Today marks 140 years since the death of Bishop James Hannington of the Church Missionary Society, killed on his way to the Buganda Kingdom on October 29, 1885. What many don’t realize is that this was actually his second attempt to reach Buganda. By then, the kingdom had become a prime destination for European explorers, missionaries, and Arab traders especially after H. M. Stanley’s famous letter to Europe, declaring that the Kabaka of Buganda had invited missionaries. In this five-part series, I retrace Hannington’s journey. But this isn’t only his story. It’s also the story of the people he encountered, the lands he crossed, and the African voices too often reduced to the background in European writings. Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/twcbuchannc Part 2 arrives next week.                                                                     Sources Ashe, Robert Pickering. Chronicles of Uganda. London : Hodder and Stoughton, 1894 Berry, Grinton . “Bishop Hannington and the Story of the Uganda Mission.” New York, Revell, 1908“Church Missionary Gleaner (afterwards C.M.S. Gleaner).” [London: Church Missionary Society, year varies]. https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Church_missionary_gleaner_afterw_C_M_S_g/5xkFAAAAQAAJ.Dawson, Edwin Collas. Lion-hearted: The Story of Bishop Hannington's Life, Told for Boys and Girls. United Kingdom: Seeley, 1890.Europeans in East Africa: Biographical Database. Accessed September 27, 2025. https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=4252.Hannington, James. Peril and Adventure in Central Africa. Being Illustrated Letters to the Youngsters at Home, by the Late Bishop H. With Illustrations from Original Sketches by the Bishop, and a Biographical Memoir. N.p.: London, 1886.Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography. Vol. 1, no. 2 (February 1879): 135–38. Report of the Evening Meetings, Session 1878–79.Michael, Charles D. James Hannington, Bishop and Martyr. London: SW Patridge & C. Ltd. 1910 Rockel, Stephen. Caravan Porters of the Nyika: Labour, Culture, and Society in Nineteenth Century East Africa. University of Toronto, 1997.Stock, Sarah Geraldina. The Story of Uganda and the Victoria Nyanza Mission. United Kingdom: Religious Tract Society, 1894.

Send us Fan Mail Enkai is the creator god of the Maasai people. He reveals himself in three colors: white, red, and black. Among them, red and black speak the loudest. Inspired by the oral traditions of the Maasai, this episode follows a lone Maasai woman as she offers a series of prayers, pleas for life, for mercy, for a child. Her voice becomes a bridge between the earthly and the divine. The story is told in a poetic, haiku-like form..sparse, symbolic, and intimate. Inspired by the oral traditions of the Maasai.   It’s an experiment.  Take your time. Listen. Feel it. I hope you enjoy. 😁 Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/JD8Y9LJpmUk SOURCES Naomi Kipuri. Oral Literature of the Maasai. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers, 1983. Dorothy L. Hodgson. The Church of Women: Gendered Encounters between Maasai and Missionaries. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2005. Jomo Kenyatta. Facing Mount Kenya. London: Secker and Warburg, 1938. Douglas E. Thomas. African Religions: Beliefs and Practices through History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2018. Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama, eds. Encyclopedia of African Religion. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2008. Project FUEL. Engai: God of the Maasai. Google Arts & Culture, n.d

Send us Fan Mail The king may be gone but his wives remain. At the royal tombs of Kasubi, a small community of women continues to serve long after death.  They are the royal widows of Buganda: chosen from different clans, bound to the king in life… and still present in his death. From sweeping the tombs to preparing rituals, they carry out their roles with quiet dignity.  Not as relics of the past, but as part of a living royal tradition. Who are these women?  What do they remember?  And what does their presence mean for a kingdom that never forgets its kings? This episode is a journey through royal duty, legacy, and the sacred roles that still echo within the thatched walls of Kasubi. Sources!!!! Kiwanuka, M. S. M. A History of Buganda: From the Foundation of the Kingdom to 1900. London: Longman, 1971.Kodesh, Neil. Beyond the Royal Gaze: Clanship and Public Healing in Buganda. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010. Ray, Benjamin C. Myth, Ritual, and Kingship in Buganda. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. Roscoe, John. The Baganda: An Account of Their Native Customs and Beliefs. London: Macmillan and Co., 1911. Reid, Richard J. Political Power in Pre-Colonial Buganda: Economy, Society, and Warfare in the Nineteenth Century. Oxford: James Currey, 2002.Schiller, Laurence. "Royal Women of Buganda." The International Journal of African Historical Studies 10, no. 2 (1977): 171–188. https://doi.org/10.2307/217347. Wrigley, Christopher. Kingship and State: The Buganda Dynasty. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. CyArk. “Royal Tombs at Kasubi – 3D Explorer.” Accessed June 2025. https://cyark.org/projects/royal-tombs-at-kasubi/3D-ExplorerPersonal Interview with Catherine,  guide at Kasubi & Field Footage (Kasubi Tombs 2025)https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1022/

Send us Fan Mail What if a king never truly dies?  In Buganda, power doesn’t end with a funeral. It transforms. Today, the royal palace is modern, more European in design than ancestral. But at the Kasubi Tombs, the old world still breathes. This episode traces how the king’s presence moved from palace to tomb, how his body became spirit, and how his home became sacred ground. We step inside a world where the roof was measured to the size of his head, where each clan held a cosmic role, and where power radiated from one man like the sun. This isn’t just history.  It’s memory made architecture.  And the king?...Well.  He never really left. Part 2: “Royal Widows” drops August 31st. Youtube Video Link: https://youtu.be/nHKlrbTjKnA Sources!!!! Kiwanuka, M. S. M. A History of Buganda: From the Foundation of the Kingdom to 1900. London: Longman, 1971.Kodesh, Neil. Beyond the Royal Gaze: Clanship and Public Healing in Buganda. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010. Ray, Benjamin C. Myth, Ritual, and Kingship in Buganda. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991. Roscoe, John. The Baganda: An Account of Their Native Customs and Beliefs. London: Macmillan and Co., 1911. Reid, Richard J. Political Power in Pre-Colonial Buganda: Economy, Society, and Warfare in the Nineteenth Century. Oxford: James Currey, 2002. Wrigley, Christopher. Kingship and State: The Buganda Dynasty. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. CyArk. “Royal Tombs at Kasubi – 3D Explorer.” Accessed June 2025. https://cyark.org/projects/royal-tombs-at-kasubi/3D-Explorer     8. Personal Interview with Catherine guide at Kasubi & Field Footage (Kasubi                 Tombs 2025)

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I dive into the chilling legends of the cannibal night dancer said to feast on human flesh and embody the darkest fears of African folklore. But beyond the myths, how did accusations of cannibalism shape perceptions of morality, justice, and otherness? I explore the psychology behind these stories, the real-life consequences of being labeled a night dancer, and how law and society have dealt with those accused of such crimes. Is there truth behind the fear, or are these tales reflections of something deeper within us?  Intro - 0:00 - 2:01 Chapter 4 - “Cannibalism and African Zombies“ - 2:02 - 7:59 Chapter 5 - “Cannibalism, the Banality of Evil and Otherness” - 8:00 - 29:03 Chapter 6 - “Law, Crime and Justice” - 29:04 - 46:31 Conclusion - 46:32 - 48:42 Youtube video: https://youtu.be/Sq7-brM4ppo Local Motion Safaris - https://www.localmotionsafaris.com/ Sources A.B.C  Ocholla Ayayo, “Traditional ideology and ethics among the Southern Luo”, The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies Uppsala, 1976 Harry Johnston, “The Uganda Protectorate”, New York Dodd Mead & Company, 1904. Heike Behrand, “Resurrecting Cannibals: The Catholic Church, Witch-Hunts and the Production of Pagans in Western Uganda” James Currey, 2011 Isiko Alexander Paul, “An Expository Study of Witchcraft among the Basoga of Uganda” International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2019, PP 83-96  Isaac Christopher Lubogo, “Law of Witchcraft in Uganda Sorcery and Illuminati in Uganda, A Philosophical Discourse”, Suigeneris Publishers, 2022. John Beattie, “The Story of Mariya and Yozefu: A Case Study from Bunyoro, Uganda”, Africa: Journal of the International African Institute , pp. 105-115 (11pages), Cambridge University Press, 1964.  J.W. Nyakatura, “Anatomy of an African Kingdom” (New York: Nok Publishers, 1973)  Tibamanya Mwene Mushanga, “Criminal Homicide in Uganda: A Sociological study of violent deaths in Ankole,Kigezi and Toro Districts of Western Uganda”, 2013 Tom Kwanya, “Stigmatisation of Indigenous Knowledge: The Case of Night Running in Western Kenya” Journal of Religion in Africa Vol. 48, Fasc. 4 (2020), pp. 376-392 Okot P’Bitek, “Religion of the Central Luo” Kenya Literature Bureau University of Minnesota, 1978 Web Sources https://ugandaradionetwork.net/story/two-wanted-for-raping-suspected-night-dancer - Aisha Nalwanga https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/night-runners-kenya https://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/night-dancing-is-associated-with-cannibalism-not-mental-illness-ssalongo/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqHpE7wfnC0&ab_channel=SaltMediaUganda https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2015/august/pamela-newkirk-on-ota-benga-at-the-bronx-zoo.html - Ota Benga https://www.lynchburgmuseum.org/blog/2021/8/9/ota-benga-mbye-otabenga - Ota Benga https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/lifestyle/reviews-profiles/bukunja-the-infamous-land-of-night-dancers--1576818 https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1023716-eichmann-in-jerusalem#:~:text=Evil%20comes%20from%20a%20failure,is%20the%20banality%20of%20evil. - Hannah Arendt https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/hannah-arendts-lessons-for-our-times-the-banality-of-evil-totalitarianism-and-statelessness/ -Hannah Arendt https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1047829/proud-cannibal - Benedict Seruwu story Special thanks to Elizabeth Atuhaire and her neighbours for sharing with me their night dancer stories.

Send us Fan Mail In this debut episode of the African Book of Monsters series, we unravel the haunting legend of the night dancer. What makes these figures so feared across communities? And what deeper truths do their stories reveal about the societies they haunt? Join me for a blend of history, mythology, and cultural insight as I explore the night dancer’s place in African folklore. Whether you’re here for a thrill or to learn more about the unseen side of African traditions, this episode has something for you. Monster Entries will be updated on an occasional basis.  Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for more on Africa's untold history. Youtube video link : https://youtu.be/Ccxfp2BNlvc Sources Isiko Alexander Paul, “An Expository Study of Witchcraft among the Basoga of Uganda” International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2019, PP 83-96  A.B.C  Ocholla Ayayo, “Traditional ideology and ethics among the Southern Luo”, The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies Uppsala, 1976 John Beattie, “Sorcery in Bunyoro”, “Witchcraft and Sorcery in East Africa”, Psychology Press, 2004 Robert Blunt, “Anthropology After Dark: Nocturnal Life and the Anthropology of the Good-Enough in Western Kenya” Journal of Religion and Violence Vol. 8, No. 1 (2020), pp. 35-57 Owen Davies, “The Nightmare Experience, Sleep Paralysis, and Witchcraft Accusations”, Folklore Vol. 114, No. 2 (Aug., 2003), pp. 181-203 (23 pages) Published By: Taylor & Francis, Ltd Tom Kwanya, “Stigmatisation of Indigenous Knowledge: The Case of Night Running in Western Kenya” Journal of Religion in Africa Vol. 48, Fasc. 4 (2020), pp. 376-392 Yolamu Ndoleriire Nsamba, Mystique In Sovereigns’ Headgear (Wandsbeck: Reach Publishers, 2016) Okot P’Bitek, “Religion of the Central Luo” Kenya Literature Bureau University of Minnesota, 1978 Victor W Turner, “Witchcraft and Sorcery: Taxonomy versus Dynamics” Africa: Journal of the International African Institute Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct., 1964), pp. 314-325 Kiyoshi Umeya, The Gospel Sounds Like the Witch's Spell: Dealing with Misfortune among the Jopadhola of Eastern Uganda, Langaa RPCID (Feb. 10 2022) Web Sources https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/sleep-paralysis-causes-symptoms-and-treatments https://www.sleepfoundation.org/parasomnias https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12133-parasomnias--disruptive-sleep-disorders https://youtu.be/4FIqsPWiwhg?si=XYiASZ1Imzhkq9km Special thanks to Daniel Brian Omyeri, Elizabeth Atuhaire and her neighbours for sharing with me their night dancer stories.