The Wizard of the Nile : The Hunt for Africa's Mos

by Matthew Green

Part Le Carré, part Gourevitch, the story of a journey into one of the wildest corners of the African continent, and into the psychology of the charismatic altar-boy-turned-rebel-leader who is waging a war without end, for a cause nobody understands

The civil war in Uganda has bled on for over two decades, spilling over into Sudan and the Congo and drawing only occasional interest from the West. The rebel insurgency in the north is led by "the wizard of the Nile," Joseph Kony, whose Lord's Resistance Army is infamous both for its wish to rule Uganda according to the Ten Commandments and its unrelenting brutality.

Matthew Green journeys up the White Nile in order to answer what seemed at first a simple question: "How could one maniac leading an army of abducted children hold half a country hostage for twenty years?" His quest is complicated not only by his plunge into a war zone to find the notoriously elusive Kony, but because the conflict itself continues to resist his, and our, attempts to understand it. He meets the victims maimed or raped by Kony's soldiers; the soldiers themselves, who were first children, victims of abduction; and the political leaders who have their own reasons for preferring war to peace.

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction, History, Politics, War, Uganda, International

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Matthew Green is the author of Aftershock: the untold story of suriving peace, published by Portobello Books, which documents the post-conflict experience of British soldiers.

He has spent the past 14 years working as a correspondent for the Financial Times and Reuters and has reported from more than 30 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan. After studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, he began his career with Reuters, working in east and west Africa and in Iraq, where he was embedded with US Marines during the invasion in 2003. He later joined the Financial Times, working in Nigeria and then Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he spent time with US forces deployed to Helmand and Kandahar provinces in the Obama administration's troop surge.

Green is now based in London and appears regularly as a commentator on the BBC News Channel and World Service radio, and has written for publications including Monocle, Newsweek, FHM and the Literary Review. His first book was The Wizard of the Nile: The Hunt for Joseph Kony, which won a Jerwood Award from the Royal Society of Literature and was long-listed for the Orwell Prize.

Reviews

[Michael Jecks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The video about this guy is floating around now, but I read this some years ago. It's horrific to see how one man can pervert so many kids, persuade them to kill for him, and continue to rule. A vicious, cruel, brutal criminal who should have met his own specially targetted drone missile or SEALS bullet.

The book is a little like "Heart of Darkness", probably deliberately so. It's pretty compulsive reading, if only because of horror at the dreadful situation, but also because it's the sort of thing that people should read. We should all be aware of this evil.

[Adam Oyster-Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to Uganda the last two summers to work with Invisible Children. This book is a great history of the 20 year civil war that has plagued northern Uganda. I really loved how the author, Matthew Green, explored the reasons behind the war being more than just a crazy man's dream to rule Uganda. It's a great read.

[Plamen Enchev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Африка – един континент, който все още остава загадка за много европейци. Континент на контрастите – шамани, говорещи с духове и христианизирано населени, луксът на лъскави сгради и изпълнен с крайна бедност живот в колиби или бежански лагери. Племена, обединени в рамките на една държава, които влизат в конфликти едно с друго. Абсолютна религиозна, социална, политическа, икономическа каша, която сякаш никой няма интерес да оправи и твърде често това, което изглежда като отлично решение и безценна помощ от развития свят, всъщност е поддържане на статуквото и задълбочаване, а не справяне с проблемите.
Уганда – бивша британска колония, получила независимост през 60те години на двадесети век. Преврати и дикататори – два периода на Милтън Оботе, зловещият Иди Амин, ерата на Йовери Мусевени.
Джоузеф Кони – митичният лидер на Божията Армия за Съпротива – изключително жестока организация, тероризираща територията на северна Уганда. Кони провъзгласява, че чрез него говорят духове и самият Бог и твърди, че иска да наложи живот според Десетте Божи заповеди и традициите на Аколи – племето, от което произхожда. Партизанската групировка на Кони действа брутално – отвличайки, убивайки, изтезавайки физически, психически, сексуално десетки хиляди техни сънародници. Групировката е замесена в отвличането на над 66 000 деца, които превръща в свои войници, над 2 милиона души са изселени от родните си места в резултат от действията на армията на Кони от 80те години насам.
През 2008 година Матю Грийн, репортер на Ройтерс в Източна Африка, тръгва на рисковано пътешествие за да разбере истината за събитията в Северна Уганда и да се срещне със зловещия Джоузеф Кони.
Книгата описва събитията, през които авторът преминава, историите, които научава и вижданията му за ситуацията в тази част от света.
Както всяка документална книга и тази е изпълнена с имена, събития и дати, които понякога трудно се проследяват. Повествованието не е твърде гладко, на моменти не е лесна за четене. Историята обаче е любопитна, а книгата може да загатне доста отговори, свързани с полезността от действията на хуманитарните и мироопазващи сили, мръсните политически игри, които се играят не само тук, но и във всяка друга точка на света, зависимостите и фактът, че в голямата игра интересите определят приятелите, а потърпевши са обикновените хора, които плащат жестоката цена да бъдат пешки в нечия безумна стратегия.
В последните десетина години след издаването на книгата Мусевени е все още на власт в Уганда, а Божията Армия за Съпротива е загубила позициите си, като официално преследването и е прекратено през 2017 година, защото повече не представлява заплаха за страната. Предполага се, че по това време армията на Кони разполага с едва около стотина бойци.
„Земята на Аколи бе толкова плодородна, че можеше да изхрани цялата страна, но хората живееха по лагери и нямаха възможност да я обработват. Всеки, който се осмелеше да се върне на нивите си, рискуваше да бъде пребит от войниците или да налети на бунтовници. Правителството беше създало лагерите по класическата схема „Да пресушим езерото за да уловим рибата”, уж за да лиши движението на Кони от поддръжка, като обезлюди провинцията. Но вместо да унищожи по този начин въстанието, то бе произвело огромен брой хора, които ежемесечно зависеха от хранителните доставки и помощи на Обединените нации. Те се чувстваха като затворници, отчаянието задушаваше надеждата.”
Още ревюта на книги, филми и други интересни истории можете да прочетете на блога ми: http://flame16.blogspot.bg/

[Elaete · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book more than a year ago but I would still like to share my very strong opinion on it.

Firstly, I don't understand the aim of this book...

It seemed like some strange mixture of an informational textbook or a documentary in the form of a book, and then a story, I did not understand.

I must admit that there was some imagery in this book that really made me appreciate the country I come from more, but it was so inconsistent and sometimes even purposeless. On top of that, the fact that this is just some random white man who came to Uganda and was like yes, let me try and find some weird madman for god knows what reason just ticked me off. Why are you here? Why do you have to meet him? What's wrong with you?

Yes, I know he is a journalist but please just wait to read the book what he asks when he meets this madman. Oh my god...

A lot of the books written about the conflict in African countries always include very gory and detailed portions of the conflict which is something that this book was successful in including which to me was satisfying as it fit my expectations. There were also some portions which were funny and portions where I felt as if I was in the book. But as these parts were so inconsistent, the entire book was just so boring and so confusing.

What didn't help was that while I was reading this book I was in a phase of not letting myself not complete books before starting another, which clearly, I am no longer in. 😁 So I pretty much forced myself to finish this book for the ending to be so inconclusive and so unsatisfying. Please help.

Additionally, most of the books that I have read on African conflict like What is the What and A Long Way Gone have been quite excellent. So quite obviously this book was a LET DOWWNNNN.

Overall this book was clearly not for me and I still fail to understand why the hell it ended with the worst interview I have ever heard/read in my entire life. It is actually so freaking unsatisfying, none of the questions that build up during the book are answered and it is so frustrating.

[Prathap · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Green’s book while travelling in Uganda since I wanted to read a contemporary retelling of Uganda’s political history and the conflict in the country’s north. Green didn’t disappoint. With his free-flowing prose peppered with riveting incidents, both of that he encounters whilst on his quest to meet the dreaded Joseph Kony as well as of the geopolitical incidents that shaped modern day Uganda, Green has written a book that provided a lot of insights into the workings of what was a longstanding conflict in the hunt of a man who’s still at large. The book reads like a true-crime work - which it may be considered as one - and I devoured it in three days.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't usually the kind of book I go for but seeing as though it was a present I gave it a go.

The book details the search for Ugandan war lord Joseph Kony, hiding out the in the jungles of Uganda and the surrounding areas.

Throughout the book, the author attempts to meet with Kony only to suffer constant setbacks, until one day...

Thought it was a bit slow, and given the quotes from famous people about the book within the covers I didn't think it was the fast paced, exciting book the quotes suggest it is.

[Petar Nedyalkov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Книгата започна доста обещаващо и буквално бях залепен за нея, но малко след средата вече адски доскучаеаше и трудно стигнах до края. Интересен поглед върху случващото се в Уганда през годините и кървавите войни, които се водят там. Научих доста странична информация, на която книгата е богата. Бих я препоръчал на всеки с интерес към африканските конфликти, но за повечето хора съм сигурен, че не би представлявала голям интерес. Изданието е пълно и с много грешки, които дразнят на моменти, но явно издателството не е вложило достатъчно усилия да се представи добре текста.

[T. Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am glad I read this, I had forgotten about this episode in history.

[Valeria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't buy this book, it was given to me by my university as part of the Big Read programme that's supposed to help us get into reading and interacting with the other students who've read the book. Firstly, this programme is so not for me : I'm already a bookworm and frankly this is not a book that would sparks conversation from me in the slightest. I feel a bit bad for not being able to finish it since it was nice of the university to send me a free copy but you can't help not liking a book. It's simply a matter of personal reading taste and this one did not taste well for me.

I actually did think I'd like this book because I am interested in the conflict surrounding Joseph Kony and his army of stolen children. However, for a book about Kony, there was hardly anything about Kony in it. It seemed more like a book about Uganda's history and struggles rather than anything else and while that's well researched, it's not what the book should be about. Furthermore, the stuff that was about Kony wasn't exactly anything you wouldn't know already from watching the news. For example, everyone knows that a dictator like Kony would use fear and violence to force people into obeying him, that he's use religion to claim he was a messenger from God, that he'd use Uganda's poverty and desperation to his advantage by claiming he could eliminate the people's suffering. Pfft, every dictator under the sun has said the same sort of stuff. The point is, I learned absolutely nothing new.

In the end, this book is one big DNF. I just couldn't go on reading irrelevant/ obvious facts and findings. Some people will definitely find this book fascinating but I just did not.

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked some parts of the book, and other parts not so much. It just needed some editing. What I liked: it provided a good introduction to the modern history of Uganda, especially as it relates to Northern Uganda as well as the administration (government) of Uganda. It starts out well, with the big picture. I found it bogged down somewhat in the middle because there were a number of jumping off points where the author took a tangent that didn't really add anything to the overall book. As others have pointed out, the book slips into being a travelogue at times. I found this distracting. However, Green pulls through in the end with a good ending offering insights into Uganda and to the Lord's Resistance Army. I would have liked to see more big picture analysis and less of the travelogue stuff. But as I said, it was a good introduction to the story of modern Uganda. Whether Kony is still in Uganda, or in Sudan, or is still alive, the issues in the book are still relevant I think.

[Anne-marie Coonan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a good review of the LRA in Northern Uganda and it does go a bit deeper than some of the analysis of Kony as a mad man. BUT it's a little dull, the central quest of the book is one journalists quest to meet Kony and I don't care about the journalist enough by the end to see if he succeeds or not. The real story of the book is the Acholi living in Northern Uganda and the book would have been better based around that.

[Chris Steeden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting book by Matthew Green in his search to meet the northern Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony back in 2006 to ask him some big questions. The historical content, interviews (with ex-abductees), travelogue and dangerous situations make this a compelling read. You really do feel that you are on the journey with the author sharing the frustrations at finding this wizard or as Kony puts it 'human-being'.

[Nerissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between a madman talking to spirits and a liberator refusing to leave power it's no wonder that Uganda can't resolve it's civil war. Green is right in his conclusion that the media portrays the men as something they aren't. Both have dug a hole so deep they don't know how to get out of it. It's a shame such a beautiful country is been held hostage by 2 men unwilling to maintain peace.

[Ashley Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

He definitely pulled it out there at the end. I never really love books written by journalists. He is a bit self-conceited and self-important. However he does link the story to the bigger forces driving Kony. I wished he had just talked more about the bigger forces and added more evidence. Easy read and easy intro for those who know little about the conflict. Those who know more will be bored.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the subject matter, which promised to be highly interesting and informative, I found this book strangely uncompelling. Africa is such a mess, and I’m interested as to why, but the answers aren’t really to be found in this book.

[Susu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting up close to the situation in northern Uganda - and why perhaps Museveni doesn´t want to end it - how Sudan is involved - and how difficult it is to piece everything together. Very interesting read - including some eye-openers.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a brilliant book, and it was hard to warm up to the author. But it did keep my interest, and I definitely learned a lot more about Joseph Kony, the LRA and the circumstances in northern Uganda that have spawned this war and keep it going. Nothing is simple.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Must Read When It comes to the conflict in Northern Uganda

[Pam Ela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wonder why he had to meet Kony

[Evgeni Veskov]

Стила е скучен журналистически, разпокъсан, скучна за четене.

[Samuel Beer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tone was a little bit off-putting at times, but on the balance I thought that it was an interesting read for what it was.

[Benjamin]

One of the most complete accounts of the origins and events surrounding Kony and the LRA, a very good read.

[Richard Tait · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. Very informative about a part of the world, and atrocities within, which are not well exposed in the UK (IMO).

[Alisa Wheeler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating story of one mans journey traveling around central Africa investigating the LRA and Joseph Kony.

[Cat Mckaig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this balanced view of Kony-- amidst the politics of Sudan and Uganda

[Niels Broerse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Na een aantal dagen twijfelen besloten toch het boek niet verder uit te lezen. Het boek is min of meer een dagboek, een groot reisverslag als het ware. Jammer, ik had hier veel van verwacht.

[Alan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author strikes me as more focused in writing about his experience than the more interesting characters he encounters in his pursuit of a press conference with Joseph Kony.

[Brendon · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a traveloge.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but probably of more use to a person who wasn't employed for a year doing research on the subject. ;0)