Affirming God Present

Everything in me wants to not turn my back on them, but to affirm the love of God that has sustained them and brought them and all the people of Acholiland through immense sufferings; to affirm God present in their midst and to be privileged to walk with them.
-- Marion Weinzapfel

Dear All,
Greetings from Uganda--this land of stunning sunrises and sunsets. I love walking over to the Cathedral in the morning getting the view through the large palm trees—tugu. Jo and I usually walk on a variety of little trails around here after supper and we time ourselves to be back as dusk becomes dark! We always walk with at least one flashlight and phone just in case!

On Monday morning Archbishop invited us to attend a celebration of cleansing at the Rwot Arcana or the place where the Paramount Chief and elders gather to carry on the traditions, called Kal Kwaro. Because he was also wanting to attend the priests' retreat day, he asked us to drive him. Jo and I were free to go. Pat has started teaching a morning math class at St. Joseph's school here. It was a really great experience. All of us, including the Archbishop had thought we'd be there just an hour or two. However, it turned out to be critically important for him to stay and speak. He was not on the original agenda; yet when he arrived, they asked him to say the opening prayer and put him on the long list to speak.

The event was focused on welcoming back returned LRA. 7 young men and later 1 young woman joined the group. They stepped on an egg and walked through a line formed by the elders and chiefs. The idea is that when anyone returns to a community after many years they bring things from the outside that might bring evil or harm to the people. Thus they remind themselves that any experiences of death [broken egg] they've had outside should be left outside while they are brought back to their family and clans. They step over a lira, a stick or tool that is used to open the granary which holds the food for the village; being aware that they now need to safeguard what is inside the home. There is a second part where they tell the story of what has happened outside and then, if there has been killing, the next step of sending a trusted person to go to the clan where injury was done and arrange the very involved and lengthy reconciliation service of mato oput. In the course of this event, one young man spoke for the rest. He had been taken as a very young boy and had spent 20 years in the bush. He talked in general terms about looking ahead to a new life and leaving the past behind. The real truth telling occurs first in the families or with someone very trusted, usually the mother, aunt, or uncle. It was wonderful to have the Archbishop filling in these little details.

The event began with wonderful dancing and drumming and the dancers returned several times as part of the ritual interaction, before the chief spoke, and to entertain. The dance of royalty is the bwola dance that we have seen performed each year and in other events, but I've never seen it done for the Rwot for whom it is primarily intended. There were speeches—lots by some of the NGO's like GUSCO or US Aid or local organizations like the Amnesty Commission whose charge is threefold: to forgive, to build capacity in the returnees, and to reconcile the community.

Certainly not everyone agrees with the "Forward ever; backward never" determination of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (the Archbishop and his group) and the cultural leaders (chiefs and elders.) Yet, I think Northern Uganda is probably one of the few places on the face of the earth today where the individual dignity of even the perpetrators of this misery is held in high regard while dialog as a way to end violence forever is brought to a fine art. Archbishop Odama in his remarks first commended the cultural leaders on their initiative to celebrate the ancient ceremony of cleansing and welcome. He noted that earlier there seemed to be some question of how this was viewed; but that he strongly commends it. Then he focused on the young returnees and spoke to them in this vein: " You have come in to a holy place. Your home, clan, and tribe are holy. Remember what you have destroyed outside. Come and share the same granary and eat together. No more going back to the old way. Say to your family what went on outside and express sorrow to your family for what was done out there."

Both Jo Ann and I were moved to tears when the archbishop then knelt down and apologized to these young people for not having done more to prevent what happened to them. In this culture, women and children, especially, kneel to the Archbishop all the time; so this is all the more stunning.

Then the Archbishop commented on the peace process and said he "...personally accepts to be a fool for the peace process. We will not stop. Some of us have already died in the process of searching for peace. "

The chief concluded the speeches. He told the young people, "God can make a way for you coming back to your roots." He spoke to the parents there, the leaders, and community all to accept these young people because in many ways they are being rejected.

Afterwards we all ate a very nice meal and then the Archbishop went to greet the young people, some of whom he recognized from his several trips to the bush. I followed and was happy to shake hands and several of the parents were just elated. It was a privilege.

I tried to take some pictures with my camera phone but only today realized that I never removed the little plastic cover over the lens! Sheesh! Still haven't found the battery charger for my camera that is misplaced—maybe when we move…

So having gone about 10 AM we returned home later very deeply moved by this graced day.

Wishing everyone peace and love!
Marion