Ugandan dignitary vists campus
Q&A with one-time guerilla leader
Jillian Melchior
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: News
Once, a violent Ugandan guerilla leader would have given a great deal of money for Col. Walter Ochora's neck - because the colonel had wounded Joseph Kony, and Joseph Kony wanted revenge.
It wasn't the first time the colonel had risked his life. Before he attacked Kony's Lord's Resistance Army for leading an uprising and kidnapping thousands of Ugandan children, Ochora had led a successful coup, treason punishable by death, to overthrow a dictator. History claims he was president for three days; he claims he did what his country demanded, then handed the power over to someone who could better protect it. Ochora later led talks with Kony, venturing into his territory knowing he was risking his life.
Now this man, who might inspire fear or awe or admiration, is a farmer, albeit one who travels as the Ugandan president's dignitary, flying to Michigan to study American farming techniques. He sat in a chair in the lounge of the Dow Leadership Center last Friday, visiting Hillsdale and senior Heidi Schroeder, who lined up appointments with farmers. The evening before, Ochora had addressed Hillsdale students. Schroeder's father introduced him, pausing and trying not to cry.
"I am in the presence of greatness," he said.
But Ochora spoke humbly, just as he did in the Collegian Q&A, explaining his mission and the plight of his country.
Q: It must have been terrifying to negotiate with Joseph Kony, who is such an evil man and who wanted to kill you.
Walter Ochora: There's a story about some cats. They decide they want to put bells on the necks of cats so they can hear when the cats are coming. And nobody wants to put the bell on the cat. In this particular case, most people were given a military option and a diplomatic option. Just like in the U.S., with the debate about Bush invading Afghanistan. A lot of people were blaming my president that he is a warmonger. The only option was a military option that would make the LRA cry out for a peace talk. Then it came down to, who will meet the LRA? Who is going to bell the cat? I just took a risk. All were saying talking was the best option. I took a satellite phone, called the LRA and got to Kony and said I intended to visit. Kony said, 'I can't believe that kind of courage.' Then I had to convince my wife, the president and my friends that I should meet with this evil, this devil.
It wasn't the first time the colonel had risked his life. Before he attacked Kony's Lord's Resistance Army for leading an uprising and kidnapping thousands of Ugandan children, Ochora had led a successful coup, treason punishable by death, to overthrow a dictator. History claims he was president for three days; he claims he did what his country demanded, then handed the power over to someone who could better protect it. Ochora later led talks with Kony, venturing into his territory knowing he was risking his life.
Now this man, who might inspire fear or awe or admiration, is a farmer, albeit one who travels as the Ugandan president's dignitary, flying to Michigan to study American farming techniques. He sat in a chair in the lounge of the Dow Leadership Center last Friday, visiting Hillsdale and senior Heidi Schroeder, who lined up appointments with farmers. The evening before, Ochora had addressed Hillsdale students. Schroeder's father introduced him, pausing and trying not to cry.
"I am in the presence of greatness," he said.
But Ochora spoke humbly, just as he did in the Collegian Q&A, explaining his mission and the plight of his country.
Q: It must have been terrifying to negotiate with Joseph Kony, who is such an evil man and who wanted to kill you.
Walter Ochora: There's a story about some cats. They decide they want to put bells on the necks of cats so they can hear when the cats are coming. And nobody wants to put the bell on the cat. In this particular case, most people were given a military option and a diplomatic option. Just like in the U.S., with the debate about Bush invading Afghanistan. A lot of people were blaming my president that he is a warmonger. The only option was a military option that would make the LRA cry out for a peace talk. Then it came down to, who will meet the LRA? Who is going to bell the cat? I just took a risk. All were saying talking was the best option. I took a satellite phone, called the LRA and got to Kony and said I intended to visit. Kony said, 'I can't believe that kind of courage.' Then I had to convince my wife, the president and my friends that I should meet with this evil, this devil.
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