african history

Beninese journalist and writer Marcus Boni Teiga challenges the conventional view of the Luo solely as an East African people. Drawing from research and personal journeys, he linguistically connects Luos to West Africa, Egypt, and India. His book Africa-The Luo People: Its origins, Related Nilotics, Languages and Ancient Migrations Across Africa and the World, redefines the Luo people’s journey across Africa. It reveals how Luo history and African history were distorted through the stories that were ignored or oversimplified by the colonialists, and the artificial and arbitrary boundaries they created across the continent.

When Marcus Boni Teiga first journeyed through parts of Cameroon and Nigeria, he experienced a profound sense of familiarity. Despite being thousands of kilometers from his home in Benin, the rhythms of speech, the structure of communities, even the cadence of personal names, echoed those of the Luo people he grew up among.

In an interview published in the Afrique Destination a publication that focuses on African culture published in Cote d” Ivoire, Boni Teiga shared a striking perspective: that the Luo are not just an East African people, as history books often suggest. Instead, he argues, the Luo are an African people — their story stretching across the continent, woven into a much broader migration narrative that predates colonial borders.

A Continental Journey

"The Luo identity has been fragmented by the way Africa was divided up during colonialism," Boni Teiga says. "But when you dig into oral histories, languages, and cultural practices, you find a strong Luo footprint beyond Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania."

He highlights the striking similarities between DhoLuo spoken in East Africa and the Nateni language of West Africa, spoken by communities like the Natemba in Ghana.

The linguistic connection points to a shared ancestry, suggesting that both groups were once part of the same larger Luo speaking community before branching off and settling in different regions of Africa.

“Linguistic interpenetration is the most common thing when two social groups that do not speak the same language meet for a time or coexist for a long time.”

Teiga identifies language as a reliable tool in understanding historical information and movements of ancient peoples.

He draws a connection between the Luo language and other ancient languages including Egyptian and Dravidian languages from India. This supports the theory that the Luo people were part of a much larger, interconnected world long before colonial borders fragmented Africa.

The research further reveals that the Luo speaking people in West Africa, such as the Natemba, Dagbamba, Nanumba, and the Mamprusi of northern Ghana share cultural and linguistic similarities with the Luos in East Africa.

“My most interesting discovery, at least for my part, is to know that the Nanumba, Dagomba and Mamprusi of Northern Ghana and the Natemba of Northern Benin Republic in West Africa share the same ancestors with the Luo and many other related peoples in East Africa”, he told Afrique Destinations in an interview.

“And all these people from whom the ancient Egyptians descended shared the same language long before the founding of Egyptian Civilization. While some migrated from South Sudan to West Africa, others did so towards India. It is for this reason that the Natemba language still shares the same linguistic substrate with ancient Egyptian and Indian languages. In a word, Yoga was born in the Nile Valley before being transported to India by migrants who left the Nile Valley at least 15,000 years before Christ”, he added.

He notes that although there may have emerged some linguistic differences between the East and West African Luo communities, they still share a foundational linguistic and cultural identity. Teiga attributes this to their resilience and ability to preserve their identity despite centuries of migration and cultural exchange.

A journalist, writer, and historian, Teiga is passionate about uncovering forgotten histories of African peoples, with a focus on the Luo.  His book challenges the narrative that the Luo people are confined to East Africa. His personal connection to both East and West African Luo communities lends a unique perspective to his research.

He draws parallels between his background and the historical movements of the Luo across the African continent, offering a narrative that combines personal experience and scholarly investigation.

His exploration discovers the forgotten diaspora of the Luo people and their enduring cultural and linguistic legacy; the Luo people of East Africa share linguistic and cultural similarities with the Luo in West Africa- parts of Cameroon, Nigeria, and even Central African regions. Teiga points out the use of common prefixes in names, the structure of age-set systems, and social ceremonies that mirror Luo traditions.

These observations challenge the familiar narrative that the Luo migrated in a straight, isolated line from the north into East Africa. Instead, they hint at a complex, interconnected web of movements over centuries — movements that colonial history books largely ignored or simplified.

Reclaiming African Agency

Beyond the Luo story, Boni Teiga’s argument invites a deeper conversation about African identity itself. In his view, African ethnic identities were never meant to be confined by rigid borders. His research points to an ancient migration pattern that links the Luo to communities long before the colonial period. People moved, intermarried, traded, and adapted across vast spaces long before European powers carved up the continent. 

"Colonialism forced static definitions onto dynamic peoples," he explains. "But our identities were always fluid, always connected."

Understanding the Luo's continental story, therefore, is not just an exercise in historical curiosity.

It is part of reclaiming African agency — recognizing that the peoples of Africa have a shared history of migration, innovation, and resilience that transcends colonial categories.

His findings emphasize that the Luo are not a localized group but a pan African people whose migrations have shaped the cultural and linguistic landscapes of the continent.

Teigas work is a reminder that African history is deep and offers the opportunity to understand the continent’s interconnectedness.

In a time when many Africans are rediscovering their histories and challenging inherited narratives, Boni Teiga’s message is timely. He urges Africans, particularly the younger generation, to look beyond national borders and explore the deep cultural ties that link communities across the continent.

"When we see ourselves in one another, across these artificial borders, we heal the fractures of colonialism," Boni Teiga says. "We rediscover that to be Luo — or to be African — is to be part of a much larger, beautiful story."

As Africa continues to grapple with questions of identity, nationhood, and unity, voices like Boni Teiga’s remind us that the past holds keys to imagining a freer, more connected future.