Anthropological study of musical and dance forms in the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement allows us to understand some of the ways that material and aesthetic categories are employed to express and negotiate identity, social transformation and political upheaval in ways that are active dynamic and contribute to the creation of new social relations and norms. Song lyrics are found to deal with a range of issues of concern to the group, including the Sudanese conflict that led to displacement and insecurity in northern Uganda. Dancing is discussed in relation to a visual and behavioural aesthetic that provides insights into the changing roles and social relations of women in particular. Following on from this, the final section of the paper on discos suggests that these social events have become a contested domain, in which inter-generational conflict and concerns about inter-ethnic relations within the settlement are played out. The paper concludes that music and dance have been used by the residents of Kiryandongo to negotiate competing and overlapping identities. As such, they provide a forum in which both a specifically Acholi identity, as well as a more inclusive Sudanese identity, can be asserted and explored.
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