#middala

If you are interested in creating content for the Ugandans, please check this out for pictures, lines and more! --> LINK TO DOCUMENT

Read below for more info!

If you are an artist looking for images only, go (here!)

I decided to create a resource post (in a google doc, since it’s so detailed) for all the background Ugandans for any content creators who might need it! I hope it comes in handy. Let me know if you have anything to add that I might have missed (with sources preferably!) and I’ll do so!

The characters include: Sadaka, Asmeret, Mutumbo, The Butcher, Middala, Gotswana, Kimbay, Kalimba, and Ghali. 

I tried to include a range of references from different casts.

I include each character’s lines, transcribed from the script. I didn’t include songs, with the exception of Joseph Smith American Moses (and the Hello Reprise for Ghali) – a lot of the lines are spoken in this number and I feel as if the parts they play reflect on the characters themselves.

The final section is notes I compiled based on what I think we see of the character and what I have personally witnessed from watching the show. I tried not to delve too much into headcanon territory, but just provide a starting point for any creators! :)

This is a master list made by me, @paladinofmoonlight and @vi-writes-bom

We had a lot of fun writing all these HC’s and we’re probably gonna come up with even more, so without further ado here’s the list

Sadaka: She loves creating pictures and drawings, and loves to sing; she also draws small doodles on paper and in the dirt wherever she can. As well as looking after the family’s goats, she is quite fond of animals and helps take care of the chickens after the butcher is killed. Good friends with Naba - very protective of her whenever danger is around, grew up with her and was there for her when she struggled with the loss of her mother.

She is Gotswana’s daughter, and they have a bit of a rocky relationship. They often don't get along and she has trouble trusting him after he nearly cut her clit off even though he says he was trying to stop her from being killed by the General. She tries to distance herself from him by swearing less, and being softer and kinder in general. She is very open and friendly to people she likes and often flirts to show her affection.

Ghali: He loves his bike and he loves dogs. He wants to pet all of the dogs. Rides his bike everywhere. Good at tinkering and fixing things. Has great taste in shorts. Collects rocks and arranges them in his yard/room in different patterns + arrangements. Naba’s best friend since childhood, they make little flower crowns for every Elder that goes to District 9. He was pretty much raised by Mafala since his mother and father neglected him since he was very young.

Gotswana: Probably owns one of if not the only generator in the village. Swears a LOT. He has a rocky relationship with his daughter, Sadaka, after the he tried to cut off her clit, but he tries his best to make up for it. He made a necklace out of rocks with Naba’s help for his daughter’s birthday. He really enjoys playing chess with Mafala and Ghali, in general he just loves board games. He owns 2 board games for himself, Backgammon and Sorry. He didn’t know the rules until the Elders showed up and taught him. He beats almost everyone in Backgammon.

Mafala: He often worries about Nabulungi and her future especially if he’s not going to be around to protect her and the majority of the people she knows will die of AIDS. Ever since her momma died he has tried to let her be a child, but also trying to teach her how to fend/protect herself. His biggest wish is for Naba to have a better life and for her to get out of Kitguli and get an education.

He loves books, once when his wife was still alive her and Naba went to market and found a book for him, it’s his favorite book. He loves to read for Naba even now that she’s a big girl.

He knows most of his books by heart and will often quote them.

Often makes really bad dad jokes and laugh at his own jokes.

He owns a chess board, but he’s not really sure about the rules, so he made up his own. One of the Elders tried to teach him how to play it properly, but he’d rather stick to his own rules. He often plays against Ghali and Gotswana.

He keeps a journal, it helps him organize his thoughts and it will give Naba a piece of him when he’s gone. He sometimes writes small letters/notes to his wife even though she is not there anymore

Nabulungi: Has a chicken called Dembe, she loves to walk around with it on her head. Babysits the kids in the village. The kids love her and she loves them, they are like her mini army. She plays soccer with them and Ghali. She loves stargazing, because she thinks if she looks hard enough she can almost see her mother looking down to her. She often sings up to the stars when she misses her mom. She has an abacus she loves to play around with because her mother gave it to her and it helped her learn basic math when she was a kid

Kalimba: She is super strong. She’s the big momma everyone is afraid of, she always steps in when people are fighting, and when she brings out The Slipper™ everyone just stops what they’re doing and apologizes to her. Everyone in the village respects her. She’s quite crafty, and makes pots out of clay and gives them to the other people in the village. She has an amazing sense of humor.

Middala: He/she is very excited when the Elders arrive and he/she wants to know everything about what is cool and modern, meaning he/she develops a close friendship with Arnold. They bond over Arnold describing entire sci-fi movies to him/her and acting them out and Arnold teaches him/her things like white boy dancing and dabbing. He/she has trouble with English sometimes and switches to a mix of Swahili when he/she is super excited about something.

Mutumbo: After the preachings of Arnold come to the village he slowly learns to break away from the harmful traditions of his family and learn to do better while finding his own beliefs. He has so much fun performing the pageant he becomes one of the biggest preachers of the book of Arnold, passionate about trying to teach people how to be better and becoming a really good speaker as a result. He becomes a strong leader figure and likes to give motivational talks for the others when things seem tough to inspire them to be strong.

Asmeret: Although she is quite young she already has a baby of her own to look after, and sometimes the others see her as too immature or carefree with it. She gives off the impression of a tough, loud and rude exterior, but beneath that she can be extremely soft and caring when she needs to be. She has helped Naba out a lot when she was growing up almost like a big sister, teaching her to be tough and not let the world get to her.

Kimbay: She has gone through some of the biggest struggles among the villagers. On top of having AIDs, her husband was killed right before her eyes and she has trouble teaching with very little resources. However, she has developed a strong optimistic attitude and never lets the kids see if she’s sad. She always says that things will get better and never gives up. She is very motherly and nurturing, and as her family has been broken by the loss of her husband she is always willing to take in others who also feel like they are missing family such as Naba. When Naba was younger she helped raise her a lot and teach her things and Naba views her like a mother. She taught Naba how to say ‘hasa diga eebowai’ at a very young age to help make her laugh when she was sad and Mafala was very annoyed.

Ship HCs

Ghali/Michaels: Ghali fell in love with Michaels the second he laid eyes on him, so naturally he focused all of his confused feelings into intricate gifts for the young elder, as one does. Michaels eventually noticed Ghali’s Obvious Pining and started to slowly but surely warm up to the young Kitguli boy.

NABULUNGI: I’m 5′6″, about as tall as Arnold! For the height of my fellow villagers, here’s a chart we refer to!

though kevin deserves happiness, i think kimbay deserves happiness too??

Their reaction to my bunnies made me cry <3

im so sorry if some of these pictures are a bit blurry! if you have clearer pictures, maybe reblog and add them/post them!! and also if some information here are wrong, feel free to correct me!! and each picture does not have the same cast,, i used some from the chicago boot, some idk. this is not complete tho, some characters are unnamed (everything under the cut!)