The book offers a firsthand account by William Pike, who ventured into National Resistance Army (NRA) rebel-held areas to document stories during the guerrilla war that brought Yoweri Museveni to power in Uganda.
Following the disputed 1980 elections in Uganda, government forces killed many, but the victims’ stories went largely untold by global media.
In London, Pike connected with exiled Ugandans who supported the NRA, which had launched a war following the contested 1980 elections. These exiles facilitated Pike’s visit to the frontlines in 1984 for a story assignment with The Observer newspaper, marking the beginning of his involvement with the group.
Pike the travelled to the heartland of the guerilla war in Luwero Triangle, interviewing the rebel leader Museveni and capturing harrowing testimonies from victims, accompanied by images to show the state’s brutality against the citizens.
Pike, born in Tanzania to Irish parents, found his purpose in Uganda when he became part of a National Resistance Movement (NRM) that aspired to change the world. He gained a front-row seat with Uganda’s political leadership in the NRM/A.
After the five-year Bush War, he was offered the role of editor-in-chief at the state-owned New Vision newspaper. As a journalist, he experienced the challenges of investigative journalism in a post-conflict environment.
Pike’s memoir reflects the collective optimism of a war-weary nation and the euphoria that marked Museveni’s early years in power with the NRM/A. The book is recommended for those seeking to understand not only the political and military events that have shaped contemporary Uganda, but also the history of print media in Uganda.
Over the years, the early promise of the NRM to empower the people has been tempered by disillusionment. The National Resistance Movement transformed into a political party in 2001 following the return of multiparty politics. Although the rule of law, unity, peace and freedoms were restored, the NRM has been entrenched and remained in power for 40 years.
Today, many political and military figures mentioned in Pike’s memoir have fallen out of favour with the system. Pike resigned from his job with The New Vision in 2006 and now splits his time between Kampala and Nairobi, where he co-owns the Star newspaper under the Radio Africa Group.