By Tasia Doreen

Moyo

Knowledge of Madi symbols still low among the people in moyo district. The madi anthem is a song that calls for unity from all the madi people to develop their region. It calls political leaders, business men to join hands in the struggle for development of its people. The madi anthem was composed in 2012 by Luzira Gabriel the former resident district commissioner moyo after approval by the council for both adjumani and moyo district in a joint council meeting.
Apparently the madi anthem is the greatest song of the madi people which can be seen while the song is being sung, as every madi person is humbled and places their right hand on their chest, shows true identity and love for ones culture with the sense of belonging. The madi anthem has a very powerful lyrics in its stanzas right from the introduction which starts with aulogo’’, the white cock which symbolizes the uniqueness of the madi people as timekeepers, home guard, if you hear its sound crowing, it communicates the time and also describes ownership in a home. I spoke to a few people in moyo district about what they love most in the madi anthem and this is what amoko Denis a business man with in moyo council who says  that he feels   too proud while singing the anthem especially the stanza that says”,Omba alu’ ‘meaning, we stand together as the madi people emphasizing unity.

The District vice chairperson moyo Lulua kanta Leri narrated that though the anthem is being sang a number of people still do not understand its meaning who the anthem was composed. She explained that when luzira came up with idea to the council, it was moved and later approved by the two districts councils which was later adopted by the people adding that the madi emblem alone was not enough to identify the madi.
 
Besides the anthem calling for unity and development, it also entails too much about the madi culture which according to Mawa Bashir the security minister Rendike chiefdom in moyo district makes the anthem even more passionate and relevant to the madi people especially a verse, lofu ka’cira so, lofu means the clouds white in color in the anthem that describes the madi people as peaceful people. As time goes by, the madi people have learnt to appreciate and also adopted singing the anthem at different functions and schools in the district and it is also being sang by the madi people in south Sudan.

The district education officer moyo Mali Michaels explains that when madi was celebrating 50yrs of independence along with the rest of the country , madi at 50” it was proposed that there is need to come up with madi symbols and anthem then the composer came up with the idea and it was later adopted and being caught in the schools. The madi people are majorly subsistence farmers, in which the main crops are sorghum, maize, cassava, groundnuts and tobacco
Madi is a group of people of more than 150,000 who inhabit both banks of river Nile in north western Uganda in south Sudan, they speak a central Sudanic language of nilo- Saharan language family and closely related to the lugbara, the neighboring to the west.
 
The white color of the cock symbolizes peace, justice, innocence hope, and hospitality of the madi people, the yellow legs describe the sunshine, climatic condition in the sub region and then the red color on the comb stands for brotherhood.