Ruins and Memory of Lotuturu Hill in Lamwo District: Tracing Idi Amin’s Presence in Local Narratives and Landscapes in Northern Uganda

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dc.contributor.authorAlidri Agatha
dc.contributor.authorOkello Simon
dc.contributor.authorLaker Angioleta Katya
dc.date.accessioned2026-02-27T11:48:11Z
dc.date.available2026-02-27T11:48:11Z
dc.date.issued2026-02-24
dc.description.abstractThis research investigates the historical significance and contemporary memory of Lotuturu Hill in Lamwo District, Northern Uganda, by examining how its physical ruins and local oral narratives represent “past politics” and contribute to 21st-century nation-building. Historically utilised as a strategic British rest camp and later transformed by Idi Amin into a high-altitude “jungle paradise” for top-secret governance, the site is currently characterised by skeletal structures that embody a complex duality of colonial defence and post-colonial surveillance. Utilising historical accounts, digital archival and secondary data review as the methodology, the study aimed to bridge the gap between official history and local memory, including colonial legends of King George VI’s wartime hideout. Findings reveal a dual legacy: the "Birmingham of Uganda" hideout for the British Royal Family during World War II and a "jungle paradise" where Idi Amin convened top-secret meetings. The study concludes that while Lotuturu remains a powerful symbol of identity for the Acholi people, it is suffering from profound environmental decay and institutional neglect. Thus, the paper argues for the urgent documentation of these narratives and the rehabilitation of the site’s infrastructure to unlock its potential for cultural tourism and historical education, preventing the permanent erasure of this vital landscape from Uganda's national heritage.
dc.identifier.citationAlidri, A., Okello, S., & Laker, A. K. (2026). Ruins and Memory of Lotuturu Hill in Lamwo District: Tracing Idi Amin’s Presence in Local Narratives and Landscapes in Northern Uganda. African Journal of History and Geography, 5(1), 28-43. https://doi.org/10.37284/ajhg.5.1.4566.
dc.identifier.issn2790-7597
dc.identifier.otherDOI: https://doi.org/10.37284/2790-7597
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14270/731
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherEANSO
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 5; Issue 1, 2026
dc.subjectRuins
dc.subjectMemory
dc.subjectLandscapes
dc.subjectLotuturu
dc.subjectLamwo
dc.subjectNorthern Uganda.
dc.titleRuins and Memory of Lotuturu Hill in Lamwo District: Tracing Idi Amin’s Presence in Local Narratives and Landscapes in Northern Uganda
dc.typeArticle

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