Mandela Obino bot Leah

Acholi

Janet Abaneka Akao

Ku’ jali owaco, ‘Bedo agonya I tic ki lok pe mito dic’

Ci tol ping-go odiyo lamony macon me Robben Island.

‘Ku’ lamego owaco, ‘Ngec tye pi weng labongo apoka-poka’ Calo wang latic me Pakistan, Poyoo ento labongo lworo.

‘Ku’ jali owaco, ‘Niyee pe myero obed ki dic’ –

Calo dwon mabuc I Dapchi, ngic kun opong ki pyem 

Mac toc-ce odok piny iyi bunga pa oteka lweny

Kumeno pi kare weng, dwon pa ma giwiro

Mandela, Malala, Leah Sharibu – mac me 

‘Ku, Prometheus owaco’, mac ki lubaro,

Nongo kama ongeny, malyel mac maryeny 

Chibok ki Dapchi, pi caro lobo odoco

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Read the English translation – Mandela Comes to Leah by Prof. Wole Soyinka

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Janet Abaneka Akao is a Lwo linguist affiliated to Makerere University Institute of Languages and a freelance field Lwo interpreter for the International Criminal Court. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts and Social Anthropology from Makerere University Kampala and a Master degree in Conflict Transformation majoring Post-Conflict Recovery and Development from the School for International Training, USA. Since 2002, Janet has undertaken several tasks related to Lwo language that required transcription, translation and back translation, interpretation, voicing, pretesting, and tutoring on a wide range of topics including health, gender, legal, social, military and finance among others. She is the volunteer translator for the Kolibri E-learning platform user interface as well as the African Storybooks in Lwo (Acholi). Contracted translator for the Oil and Gas quarterly newsletter by Action Aid Uganda. Contracted translator of research tools by the Makerere University Institute for Social Research (MISR).