It is called the world’s smallest war, which currently being fought between Kenya and Uganda. It occasionally pops up in the news when Ugandan soldiers arrest Kenyan fishermen and steal their fish catch. While the small war is between Uganda military and Kenyan police, little is known about the invisible warlords – the pirates that roam in the waters of the second largest freshwater lake in the world.

Maritime piracy has existed since mankind mastered the art of sea navigation. Piracy on Migingo Island in Lake Victoria is just a microcosm of what is happening on the world’s largest rivers, lakes and oceans. It is about resource control, experts say.

Less discussed though, is that fact that piracy over the course of history has shaped democracy, governance, constitutionalism, law and order, commerce and the common denominator all the foregoing.

According to The Independent newspaper of Britain: “The (Migingo) island – smaller than a football pitch and at its highest only 15 metres above the water level – was soon covered in shacks which house hundreds and make it one of the most densely populated spots on the planet. In addition to fishermen, smugglers and pirates arrived, exploiting the suddenly booming population. Fours bars, gambling dens and a brothel are said to be among the businesses operating on Migingo, as is a pre-school crèche and a pharmacy.”

The dispute kicked off in earnest in 2004 when Uganda sent armed police to Migingo ostensibly to protect its fishermen from pirates but also to collect taxes for fishing rights. Kenyans sharing the island objected. Uganda raised the stakes by accusing Kenyan fishermen of crossing the border into Ugandan waters to catch fish. The Kenyans responded by saying they had traditionally fished there with no impediment. When Kenya sent marines to confront the Ugandan police the battle lines were drawn, according to an earlier report by Tell Media.

According to The Independent, “Around the turn of the current century, a handful of fishermen hoping to catch Nile perch – or mbuta – decided that instead of travelling out from the edges of the lake every day, they could stop over on Migingo, then occupied by only birds and snakes. As their catches grew, they were quickly joined by others mainly from Kenya, but also from Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Once only popular with locals, mbuta’s reputation has spread and it’s now found on the dining tables of plush European and American restaurants. Catching it has become lucrative, especially since the lake’s waters have been receding. Its shores have been overfished and have become clogged with rapidly growing water hyacinths. The fishing grounds in the deeper waters surrounding Migingo are now even more profitable.”

Wikipedia defines piracy as “an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, and vessels used for piracy are called pirate ships. The earliest documented instances of piracy were in the 14th century BC, when the Sea Peoples, a group of ocean raiders, attacked the ships of the Aegean and Mediterranean civilisations. Narrow channels which funnel shipping into predictable routes have long created opportunities for piracy as well as for privateering and commerce raiding.”

Conquests by pirates have been in many instances an inspiration to sportsmen, musicians and filmmakers. Tales of conquests by pirates are stuff of the impossible. Piracy can easily be the byword for heroism, which mankind craves.

At the start of the ongoing Gaza Strip, European sea merchants expressed fears of the return of pirates in the Red Sea and Somali coastline. The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies documents that the raids were piling risks and costs onto shipping companies also contending with repeated drone and missile strikes by Yemen’s Houthi militia in the Red Sea and other nearby waters.

More than 20 attempted hijackings since November 2023 have driven up prices for armed security guards and insurance coverage and raised the spectre of possible ransom payments, according to five industry representatives. Two Somali gang members said they were taking advantage of the distraction provided by Houthi strikes several hundred nautical miles to the north to get back into piracy after lying dormant for nearly a decade.

Across the high seas of history, pirates carved their names into legend – not just as lawless raiders but as surprising architects of modern ideas. From the notorious Blackbeard to the fearless Anne Bonny, these sea marauders of the 17^th and 18^th centuries left behind more than buried treasure. They shaped the world through influencing democracy, international trade and even popular culture, historians and maritime organisations aver.

Historians and constitutional experts observe that democracy evolved from the give-and-take life that runs maritime business that in turn manifests as live-and-let-live.

Long before the world embraced “power to the people,” historians recorded, pirates were already living it. On pirate ships, captains were elected by their crews. Discipline, loot sharing and daily operations were governed by votes. In a time when kings ruled by divine right, pirates were among the first to practice egalitarian leadership.

“Pirate ships operated as floating democracies,” notes Dr Helen Morris, a maritime historian. “The fairness of their codes inspired later thinkers about how power could be shared.”

Far from the chaotic free-for-all as often seen in Hollywood films, pirates followed strict written codes – contracts that spelled out everything from punishment for theft to compensation for injuries. Modern maritime laws still echo these early pirate agreements, which emphasised accountability and fairness on the open seas.

By raiding the heavily protected shipping lanes of European empires, pirates disrupted global commerce. Their attacks forced governments to invest in stronger navies and rethink trade security, laying the groundwork for the safer international trade routes we rely on today.

“Pirates were an unexpected catalyst in the evolution of global shipping,” says trade expert Captain Lionel Ricks. “Their threat forced countries to tighten maritime regulations.”

Piracy wasn’t just a man’s game. Female pirates like Anne Bonny and Mary Read smashed gender barriers by fighting alongside male crews and commanding respect. Their defiance paved the way for conversations about women’s leadership and gender equality centuries before women gained political rights.

“They were bold, they were dangerous, and they refused to be side-lined,” says gender historian Dr Amina Kato.

Today, pirates are immortalised in films like Pirates of the Caribbean, children’s stories, sports logos and even global celebrations like ‘International Talk Like a Pirate Day’.

Their Jolly Roger flag – a skull and crossbones – has become a universal symbol of rebellion and freedom.

Though the cannons have long fallen silent, the influence of legendary pirates sails on. They changed how we think about

Leadership, fairness, and freedom. Ironically, those who lived outside the law helped shape some of the laws and liberties we now hold dear.

As the saying goes, dead men tell no tales – but in this case, the tales of pirates continue to steer the modern world.

• A Tell Media / Compiled by Emille Martin from agencies