The ‘iron donkey’: the social lives of bicycles in northern Uganda, 1903–2015

Abstract

This article investigates the history of bicycles – one of the most common technologies – in Acholiland, northern Uganda. Bicycles are among the most common means of transportation in this region, where people are recovering from a brutal armed conflict between the Ugandan government and the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (1987–2006). People who own bicycles in Acholiland often speak of them as local objects. Some owners have even given their bicycles indigenous names. Others have modified their bicycles to fit their worldviews, radically changing the appearance of the bicycles. Examining the history of this ubiquitous technology in northern Uganda unlocks stories of everyday peoples previously unknown to scholars. This article recounts stories of the diffusion of technology in the region, the spread of Christianity and colonial rule, and, most importantly, the domestication of foreign technologies – making them uniquely African.

L’ «âne de fer » : les vies sociales des bicyclettes au Nord de l’Ouganda, 1903–2015

Cet article explore l'histoire des bicyclettes – l'une des technologies les plus courantes – dans l'Acholiland, au Nord de l'Ouganda. Les vélos font partie des moyens de transport les plus courants dans cette région, où les gens se remettent d'un violent conflit armé entre le gouvernement ougandais et les rebelles de l'Armée de résistance du Seigneur (1987-2006). Les personnes qui possèdent des vélos dans l'Acholiland en parlent souvent comme d'objets locaux. Certains propriétaires ont même donné des noms à leurs bicyclettes indigènes. D'autres ont modifié leurs vélos pour s'adapter à leur vision du monde, changeant radicalement l'apparence des vélos. L'examen de l'histoire de cette technologie omniprésente dans le Nord de l'Ouganda révèle des histoires de peuples ordinaires jusqu'alors inconnues des universitaires. Plus précisément, l'article raconte des histoires sur la diffusion de la technologie dans la région, la propagation du christianisme et de la domination coloniale et, plus important encore, la domestication des technologies étrangères – en les rendant africaines à leur manière.

Keywords:

• bicycles
• technology
• Acholi
• Acholiland
• shrines
• domestication

Mots clés:

• : bicyclettes
• technologie
• Acholi
• Acholiland
• sanctuaires
• domestication

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Statement of Ethics

The interviewer clearly communicated the scope and purpose of the research project to all interviewees. All interviewees gave consent to be interviewed for the purposes of this research. All interviewees also consented to interviews being used for publication purposes. The research was conducted with approval from the Bates College. All images were reproduced with permission from the rights owners, where applicable. At the time this study was conducted, Bates College did not require ethical approval to be sought for this type of research.

Notes

1 Patrick Otim, ‘Dissertation Fieldnotes,’ 2013.

2 The only studies on bicycles I could find are McCracken 2012; Ranger 2003; Hunt 1999; Hunt 1994.

3 See Letter of A. B. Lloyd in Patiko, 1904–1908 archived at The Comboni Missionaries House Library in Gulu, Uganda, hereafter CMHLG/.

4 CMHLG/312: A. L. Kitching, 1904–1908.

5 CMHLG/312: A. L. Kitching, 1904–1908.

6 CMHLG/312: A. L. Kitching, 1904–1908.

7 CMHLG/001: Visit to Patigo, 1904.

8 CMHLG/002: A. B. Lloyd in Patiko, 1904–1908.

9 CMHLG/1435: The Letters of A. B. Lloyd and A. L. Kitching, 1904–1908.

10 CMHLG/312: A. L. Kitching, 1904–1908.

11 See Makerere University Archives (MUA):AR/CMS/98/7: The CMS in Acholi, 1904–1907.

12 CMHLG/001: Visit to Patigo, 1904.

13 MUA: AR/CMS/98/7: The CMS in Acholi, 1904–1907.

14 The Uganda National Archives (UNA): UNA/SMP/0214.

15 UNA/SMP/0216.

16 CMHLG/6/ Sewing Machines for Women; for more on the importation of other technologies of mobility in East Africa, see recent works by Grace, African Motors; Mutongi, Matatu.

17 CMHLG/8/ Motorcycle.

18 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

19 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

20 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

21 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

22 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

23 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

24 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

25 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

26 CMHLG/4/ Bicycles.

27 CMHLG/Letter from Gulu and Kitgum; see also Peterson, Ethnic Patriotism, 41.

28 CMHLG/Letter from Gulu and Kitgum.

29 CMHLG/Letter from Gulu and Kitgum.

30 CMHLG/Letter from Gulu and Kitgum.

31 Gulu District, Annual Report: Non-Governmental Organisation in Acholi (Gulu, Uganda: J. B. Enterprise, 2008), 7.

32 Gulu District, Annual Report, 9.

33 Gulu District, “Annual Police Report,” unpublished report, 2009.

34 CMHLG/312: A. B. Fisher/Bicyle.

35 CMHLG/312: Audisio/Alero.

36 CMHLG/312: 1950–1965.

37 CMHLG/4/Abila/Shrine; see also Curley, Elders, 136.

38 Okello, Interview, July 1, 2013.

39 CMHLG/312: A. L. Kitching, 1904–1908.

40 CMHLG/312: A. L. Kitching, 1904–1908.

41 CMHLG/003: CMS in Acholi, 1913–1917.

42 CMHLG/No File Number: Report on Bicycles for Catechist.

43 Gulu District Archives (GDA), Box 568: Report on Agricultural Extension to Gulu Farmers, January 1984.

44 CMHLG/No File Number: Report on Bicycles for Catechists.

45 GDA, Box 571: Report on Agricultural Extension to Gulu Farmers, July 1990.

46 CMHLG/No File Number: Thomas Oloya’s Gift.

47 CMHLG/Letters of Peter Levine.

48 CMHLG/No File Number: Wonderful Stories from Acholi People.

49 CMHLG/No File Number: Wonderful Stories from Acholi People.

50 CMHLG/No File Number: Wonderful Stories from Acholi People.

51 CMHLG/No File Number: Wonderful Stories from Acholi People.

52 CMHLG/No File Number: Stories for Leadership magazine.

53 CMHLG/No File Number: Stories for Leadership magazine.