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What if a king never truly dies?
In Buganda, power doesn’t end with a funeral. It transforms.

Today, the royal palace is modern, more European in design than ancestral. But at the Kasubi Tombs, the old world still breathes. This episode traces how the king’s presence moved from palace to tomb, how his body became spirit, and how his home became sacred ground. We step inside a world where the roof was measured to the size of his head, where each clan held a cosmic role, and where power radiated from one man like the sun.

This isn’t just history.
It’s memory made architecture.
And the king?...Well.
He never really left.

Part 2: “Royal Widows” drops August 31st.

Youtube Video Link: https://youtu.be/nHKlrbTjKnA

Sources!!!!

1. Kiwanuka, M. S. M. A History of Buganda: From the Foundation of the Kingdom to 1900. London: Longman, 1971.
2. Kodesh, Neil. Beyond the Royal Gaze: Clanship and Public Healing in Buganda. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010.
   
   
   
3. Ray, Benjamin C. Myth, Ritual, and Kingship in Buganda. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
   
   
   
4. Roscoe, John. The Baganda: An Account of Their Native Customs and Beliefs. London: Macmillan and Co., 1911.
   
   
   
5. Reid, Richard J. Political Power in Pre-Colonial Buganda: Economy, Society, and Warfare in the Nineteenth Century. Oxford: James Currey, 2002.
   
   
   
6. Wrigley, Christopher. Kingship and State: The Buganda Dynasty. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996.
   
   
   
7. CyArk. “Royal Tombs at Kasubi – 3D Explorer.” Accessed June 2025. https://cyark.org/projects/royal-tombs-at-kasubi/3D-Explorer

8. Personal Interview with Catherine guide at Kasubi & Field Footage (Kasubi Tombs 2025)

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In this episode, I dive into the chilling legends of the cannibal night dancer said to feast on human flesh and embody the darkest fears of African folklore. But beyond the myths, how did accusations of cannibalism shape perceptions of morality, justice, and otherness? I explore the psychology behind these stories, the real-life consequences of being labeled a night dancer, and how law and society have dealt with those accused of such crimes. Is there truth behind the fear, or are these tales reflections of something deeper within us?

Intro - 0:00 - 2:01
Chapter 4 - “Cannibalism and African Zombies“ - 2:02 - 7:59

Chapter 5 - “Cannibalism, the Banality of Evil and Otherness” - 8:00 - 29:03

Chapter 6 - “Law, Crime and Justice” - 29:04 - 46:31

Conclusion - 46:32 - 48:42

Youtube video: https://youtu.be/Sq7-brM4ppo

Local Motion Safaris - https://www.localmotionsafaris.com/

Sources

A.B.C Ocholla Ayayo, “Traditional ideology and ethics among the Southern Luo”, The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies Uppsala, 1976

Harry Johnston, “The Uganda Protectorate”, New York Dodd Mead & Company, 1904.

Heike Behrand, “Resurrecting Cannibals: The Catholic Church, Witch-Hunts and the Production of Pagans in Western Uganda” James Currey, 2011

Isiko Alexander Paul, “An Expository Study of Witchcraft among the Basoga of Uganda” International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2019, PP 83-96

Isaac Christopher Lubogo, “Law of Witchcraft in Uganda Sorcery and Illuminati in Uganda, A Philosophical Discourse”, Suigeneris Publishers, 2022.

John Beattie, “The Story of Mariya and Yozefu: A Case Study from Bunyoro, Uganda”, Africa: Journal of the International African Institute , pp. 105-115 (11pages), Cambridge University Press, 1964.

J.W. Nyakatura, “Anatomy of an African Kingdom” (New York: Nok Publishers, 1973)

Tibamanya Mwene Mushanga, “Criminal Homicide in Uganda: A Sociological study of violent deaths in Ankole,Kigezi and Toro Districts of Western Uganda”, 2013

Tom Kwanya, “Stigmatisation of Indigenous Knowledge: The Case of Night Running in Western Kenya” Journal of Religion in Africa Vol. 48, Fasc. 4 (2020), pp. 376-392

Okot P’Bitek, “Religion of the Central Luo” Kenya Literature Bureau University of Minnesota, 1978

Web Sources

https://ugandaradionetwork.net/story/two-wanted-for-raping-suspected-night-dancer - Aisha Nalwanga


https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/night-runners-kenya

https://ugandansatheart.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/night-dancing-is-associated-with-cannibalism-not-mental-illness-ssalongo/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqHpE7wfnC0&ab_channel=SaltMediaUganda

https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2015/august/pamela-newkirk-on-ota-benga-at-the-bronx-zoo.html - Ota Benga

https://www.lynchburgmuseum.org/blog/2021/8/9/ota-benga-mbye-otabenga - Ota Benga

https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/lifestyle/reviews-profiles/bukunja-the-infamous-land-of-night-dancers--1576818

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1023716-eichmann-in-jerusalem#:~:text=Evil%20comes%20from%20a%20failure,is%20the%20banality%20of%20evil. - Hannah Arendt

https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/hannah-arendts-lessons-for-our-times-the-banality-of-evil-totalitarianism-and-statelessness/ -Hannah Arendt


https://www.newvision.co.ug/news/1047829/proud-cannibal - Benedict Seruwu story


Special thanks to Elizabeth Atuhaire and her neighbours for sharing with me their night dancer stories.

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In this debut episode of the African Book of Monsters series, we unravel the haunting legend of the night dancer. What makes these figures so feared across communities? And what deeper truths do their stories reveal about the societies they haunt?

Join me for a blend of history, mythology, and cultural insight as I explore the night dancer’s place in African folklore. Whether you’re here for a thrill or to learn more about the unseen side of African traditions, this episode has something for you.
Monster Entries will be updated on an occasional basis.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast for more on Africa's untold history.
Youtube video link : https://youtu.be/Ccxfp2BNlvc

Sources

Isiko Alexander Paul, “An Expository Study of Witchcraft among the Basoga of Uganda” International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE) Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2019, PP 83-96

A.B.C Ocholla Ayayo, “Traditional ideology and ethics among the Southern Luo”, The Scandinavian Institute of African Studies Uppsala, 1976

John Beattie, “Sorcery in Bunyoro”, “Witchcraft and Sorcery in East Africa”, Psychology Press, 2004

Robert Blunt, “Anthropology After Dark: Nocturnal Life and the Anthropology of the Good-Enough in Western Kenya” Journal of Religion and Violence Vol. 8, No. 1 (2020), pp. 35-57

Owen Davies, “The Nightmare Experience, Sleep Paralysis, and Witchcraft Accusations”, Folklore Vol. 114, No. 2 (Aug., 2003), pp. 181-203 (23 pages)

Published By: Taylor & Francis, Ltd

Tom Kwanya, “Stigmatisation of Indigenous Knowledge: The Case of Night Running in Western Kenya” Journal of Religion in Africa Vol. 48, Fasc. 4 (2020), pp. 376-392

Yolamu Ndoleriire Nsamba, Mystique In Sovereigns’ Headgear (Wandsbeck: Reach Publishers, 2016)

Okot P’Bitek, “Religion of the Central Luo” Kenya Literature Bureau University of Minnesota, 1978

Victor W Turner, “Witchcraft and Sorcery: Taxonomy versus Dynamics” Africa: Journal of the International African Institute Vol. 34, No. 4 (Oct., 1964), pp. 314-325

Kiyoshi Umeya, The Gospel Sounds Like the Witch's Spell: Dealing with Misfortune among the Jopadhola of Eastern Uganda, Langaa RPCID (Feb. 10 2022)

Web Sources

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/sleep-paralysis-causes-symptoms-and-treatments

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/parasomnias

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12133-parasomnias--disruptive-sleep-disorders

https://youtu.be/4FIqsPWiwhg?si=XYiASZ1Imzhkq9km

Special thanks to Daniel Brian Omyeri, Elizabeth Atuhaire and her neighbours for sharing with me their night dancer stories.

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