Wa Winye II: The Complexity of Forgiveness

Forgiveness: the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offence, difference or mistake or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.

In northern Uganda, the idea of forgiveness has been put on a pedestal as the ultimate path to reconciliation. Since I started learning about this region in 2008, I’ve been told by various religious, political and community leaders that the community, seeing their children abducted to serve as fighters, porters and sex-slaves, wanted amnesty instead of punitive measures for crimes committed while in the bush. It was this popular sentiment that led to the Amnesty Act of 2000, which granted those who came forward and surrendered, a pardon for their role in the LRA insurgency. Because of its selective application, however, the Amnesty Act has been met with much controversy. Top level LRA commanders have received “amnesty certificates” alongside the very children they abducted.

What makes this problematic is that abducted children are placed in the same category of individuals as those that led the rebel movement. Victims thus are treated as perpetrators.

In a strange twist of events these young people (many now in their mid-twenties and older) literally sign a certificate that says they “denounce all rebellion against the government” … a rebellion that they did not start, but were forcibly recruited into. While some actors feel that amnesty is part of the Acholi culture and was initiated by the victims, others have contested this by saying that Amnesty is the government's forgiveness not the community’s and that is was first initiated by religious and political leaders. I have no official stance on this, but the concern that I want to express is at what stage does the government ask for forgiveness from abductees and survivors for failing to protect them?

I’m still working my way through this idea of forgiveness and how applicable it is to the northern Ugandan community in terms of what the community really wants and as a blanket method to resolve an issue that has many different players. The type of forgiveness that I believe the community wants to extend is one that will bring as many abductees back home as possible. However, dozens and dozens of communities have been destroyed by violence perpetrated by the LRA. Thousands of lives have been devastated in horrific physical and psychological ways, making peaceful co-existence that much more difficult or some would say impossible.

This is not to say that there are no punitive judicial methods being sought. There are numerous being pursued, not without their own criticisms though, by the International Criminal Court, the International Crimes Division and at the local level with traditional and transitional justice processes such as Mato Oput, Iluc or Ailuc, and Cayo Cuk.

It may be true that a significant portion of the Acholi community along with other groups such as the Langi and Teso do not regard abducted children as criminals, but it would be reductionist to assume that the whole does not. I have encountered many civil society organizers and workers who’ve suggested very strongly that the community is not ready to receive former soldiers. So if forgiveness and amnesty is not truly coming from the grassroots then the real benefits of its power cannot be harnessed by the public.

I’m a believer that forgiveness can create trust, restore broken human relationships and promote healing.But it is this very tough reality that needs to be confronted before real reconciliation and forgiveness can take place on the community level.

*Wa Winye is “let us agree” in Luo

The Gulu Study and Service Abroad Program

GSSAP is the first program of its kind at the University of Tennessee. Taking place is Uganda, East Africa in the largest town in the northern part of the country; the program focuses on international service learning in a post conflict society. An outgrowth of the Jazz for Justice Project (http://www.knoxjazzforjustice.org/) the program has been in the works since 2004 through the diligent efforts of JfJ core members and UT students. It has been through the relationships and connections that that they have formed from previous visits to northern Uganda that has formed the base of the GSSAP program.

GSSAP allows students from any major to apply to earn 6 credits while studying post-conflict reconstruction and volunteering in a local organizations in Gulu for 5 weeks. Academic credit includes 3 credits in Anthropology 491: Conflict and Peacebuilding in Northern Uganda and 3 credits in Religious Studies 492: International Service Learning in Northern Uganda. Students will have the opportunity to engage in international service learning - combining academics with internships in order to learn while providing assistance to individuals and groups who have been prominent figures in peace-building.

You can follow their journey here: http://gssap.blogspot.com/

Being Lost

Words seem to fail me each time I attempt to describe returning to Uganda. I’d been dreaming of this time since my departure last year in July.

My dreams have come true as you can see. And with that, I recognize what a privilege it is to be able to travel back to Uganda. Reflecting on this opportunity, I realize that having the means, freedom and desire to travel is something that many people take for granted. In years past, a few of my Ugandan friends have applied for U.S. visas and not only have they been denied, but they have been subject to severe interrogative interviews. These individuals have personally been invited by my the Jazz for Justice Project to participate in music and art workshops and lectures on how these art forms are helping to establish peace and mitigate conflict in northern Uganda. However, questions such as “what makes you so special?” and “why do they want you to come over” are routine, making the process extremely intimidating and dehumanizing.

For me, I sent in my application and money and waited for my passport to come in the mail. When I arrived in Uganda I filled out a visitor’s card and paid 50 USD to have my passport stamped with a Ugandan visa. That was it. Each time I travel internationally, I remind myself that in every corner of the world, a person’s place of birth and economic status is the determining factor that will open or close the door to the right to travel freely and unimpeded.

With this in mind, I embarked on my second journey to Gulu in northern Uganda where I’m greeted by the common saying “you are lost!” … meaning you have been gone for enough time for people to take notice. So I’ve been lost for a year now, but I’m delighted that I have found my way back to a missing piece of my heart.

Uganda is incredibly beautiful with a rich cultural history stemming from its 56 linguistic groups and their specific ethnic identities. Notable groups such as the Banyoro, Iteso, Langi, Acholi, Baganda, and Karimojong inhabit the lands of this country known as the “Pearl of Africa.” My knowledge of the country’s history pre-colonial, during colonialism and after independence has deepened as my research continues on peace education in northern Uganda and as I meet various political, community, and religious leaders and actors. The saying “the more I see the less I know” remains true as I take this history and work through my understanding of concepts such as justice, reconciliation, peace, human rights, traditional culture and modernity.

I’ve been here now over a week now and I still can’t put into words how wonderful it feels to be back. Each morning I wake up with a smiling heart because I have one more day to be in Uganda. My joy is only overshadowed by seeing the joy on the faces of the students that have joined me this time around. We are here piloting our university’s first study and service learning program in East Africa: The Gulu Study and Service Abroad Program or GSSAP! (see my next post for information on GSSAP).
I hope to share my new reflections here on "Now She is Rising", but also on gssap.blogspot.com pulling together the themes listed above with the reality on the ground.

Please stay tuned to watch this amazing program grow and the impact it will have not only on UT students, but the northern Ugandan community that has welcomed (yet another) group of foreigners. We remain committed to exploring very deep topics with our colleagues and friends all across Uganda who are participating and working with us.

It’s extraordinary that I find myself back here in Gulu to implement this new study abroad program and to continue my research on peace education. Each time I venture out in Gulu town I meet an old acquaintance or friend who reminds me that I’ve been lost … but with every hug, smile, handshake I know that I am found.