Acholi Dictionary -English

Foreword
This dictionary is published without any funding or assistance from any source. I published this
dictionary through the Ongee Foundation, Gang kwan me Acholi. It is money I earned personally
from work as an interpreter which has enabled me to write this book under the name of my business.
As a language Acholi is used in business, culture, telecommunications and travel.
Acholi is spoken in Uganda and South Sudan. Small numbers of Acholi people migrated to
Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, UK, Europe and Scandinavia and some of the older people
who settled in those countries still practise the language. Because of the activities of the Lord's
Resistance Army, who, for some time, have terrorised the Ugandan civilian population, the Acholi
language has been used in the International Tribunal Court to try those who have committed human
rights abuses against civilians in Northern Uganda.
This dictionary is intended for those who are already fluent in speaking and writing Acholi. If you
do not feel you are advanced in speaking and writing the Acholi language then you should use an
Acholi beginner dictionary rather than this one.
English words are rich in figurative language and I have attempted to provide the equivalent phrase
in Acholi (as well as supplying the literal meaning).
Due to funding restrictions I have not been able to employ a peer editor and so have decided not to
use phonetic characters and accents. Unfortunately, this includes those words which have the same
spelling but can only be distinguished by the accents. With increased funding I hope to rectify this
is in future editions.
I finished High school in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya and from therew migrated to Australia
in 2006. In Kakuma, I worked as a Deputy Head Master in a primary school and a volunteer editor
for the Kakuma News Bulletin. In Australia I graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2010
with a Bachelor of Media degree with Honours.
I have worked with several companies in Australia as an interpreter working on-site, over the
telephone and also in the detention centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru employed by the
Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Please enjoy your reading or studying.