The traditionally pastoral people of Karamoja live in an environment fraught with violence, poverty and disorder. However, they also just live life. In this article, I speak out against an imbalance, which I claim exists in the literature on Karamoja; namely that it focuses primarily on the negative aspects of life in Karamoja, i.e. crimes, violence and excessive drinking. In this article I want to
nuance this. The data I present is gathered amongst youth in Karamoja living outside a pastoral life within the biggest town of the region. A group of people practically ignored in the literature. And albeit I recognise the fact that violence, crime and excessive drinking exist, I want to shed a more positive light on the everyday life of the Karimojong. I use the institution of drinking in semiformal
drinking groups as a lens for giving an insight into this; how the way of being together in a drinking group can become a space of freedom, unity and order in lives lived in an area of chaos and disorder, how negative drinking behaviour is scorned and sanctioned in order to keep the negative sides to drinking under control, and how being a member of a drinking group can be a means to move forward in life.