Throughout most of the Rev. John Lule's life, he has witnessed political strife, dictatorships and a mushrooming health crisis in his country. Yet when Lule speaks of his native homeland, the beauty of the culture and its people's strength shine through the chaos.

Lule will present a series of four lectures about his African homeland of Uganda on Thursdays beginning next week. The 54-year-old priest has divided his presentation into the "British Colonization of 1886 to World War II of 1945"; "The Scramble for Africa, 1945 to 1971"; "The Struggle for Democracy, 1971 to 2008"; and "The Historical Presence of the Catholic Church."

Last July, Lule arrived in Rapid City, having served as a priest in his homeland for nearly 26 years. It was his discussions of his home, its troubles and the wars that continue to drain the nation that prompted colleagues to urge him to develop a series of lectures.

"I organized the talk because people were interested in the wars that have taken place as well as the history of the country," the soft-spoken priest said.

Born into an African clan system, his grandfather was the first of his family to convert to Catholicism. Lule attended seminary school in sixth grade as a third-generation Catholic and became the first priest in his family.

"My tribe - our kingdom - was started in the 14th century. We didn't have the privilege of having everything written down, but there is a lot that is known," he said.

"But I'm not going to talk about that; it will divert us from the Uganda issues," he added.

Those issues begin, in Lule's presentation, with the 1844 introduction of cloth that was manufactured in Massachusetts and brought to Uganda by Arab traders.

"We have had a relationship with your country for a long time," he quipped.

In the mid-1800s, the British were on their way to creating an empire. Uganda was known as part of the Dark Continent, not because of the color of the people's skin, Lule said, but because what was drawn below North Africa was unknown. British explorers were funded, outfitted and launched into Africa's interior.

"They were looking for other lands to conquer," he said.

Roughly the size of Wyoming, Uganda straddles the equator. To the south are the rolling hills, tropical forests, the Nile and the shores of Victoria Lake. Lule describes the northern country as a bit flat, an expansive savannah-like plain that is drier, but certainly no desert.

"We have a beautiful country," he said.

In addition to its beauty, it is richly veined in gold and encrusted in diamonds and other resources, making Uganda a prized country of wealth. It has struggled for independence from its British empire and for a true democracy with interesting times along the way.

Lule will describe the political careers and subsequent overthrow of Milton Obote (twice), Idid Amin Da Da, the Uganda National Liberation Front, Tito Okello and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who came into power in 1986 and currently runs the country.

"What is special about me is that I'm a bit older than the nation of Uganda and older than my diocese," he says.

He will talk briefly about the AIDS pandemic, which has left 200,000 orphans in his area.

"Whole villages were washed out by the disease leaving only the very old or the children. … It's a great challenge," he said.

His last lecture, while not completed as of two weeks ago, will focus on the history of the Catholic Church in Uganda. Under directives from the British monarch, missionaries were sent into the countryside to teach and introduce Christianity to the natives.

"I think what I'll show is the connection between politics and the church as they are sewn together. It may have had a negative effect for the country." It promises to be an intriguing series, he said.

If you go

What: "The Curse of Diamonds and Gold" lecture series by the Rev. John Lule

When: 7 p.m. Thursdays, May 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Cost: Free

Where: Large meeting room in Cathedral Hall at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral, 520 Cathedral Dr.