All the Glimmering Stars

The Ugandan Civil War, sometimes referred to as the Ugandan Bush War, lasted from 1980 to 1986 in the African country of Uganda. The primary objective was to overthrow President Milton Obote, who ruled with the power of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). Although he was democratically elected, widespread claims of election fraud sparked the start of the Ugandan Civil War and the rise of several insurgency groups. The National Resistance Army (NRA) seized control in 1986 and placed Yoweri Museveni in power.

Following the end of the Ugandan Civil War, Uganda underwent decades of internal struggle during attempts to overthrow Museveni’s government. One of the primary opponents to Museveni’s rule for more than 20 years was the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), founded by Joseph Kony in 1987 to seize control of the government. As All the Glimmering Stars describes, one of Kony’s primary objectives was to establish a Christian state rooted in Biblical law. Anthony learns Kony’s “Ten Commandments” (79), which mirror their Biblical namesake in their focus on discouraging theft, murder, and sex—except when sanctioned by the LRA. Kony claimed that he was blessed by the Lord and possessed by several spirits, giving him a mythical quality that instilled fear in those who sought to challenge him.