{UAH} Culture and Domestic Violence Among the Acholi

Culture and domestic violence

 

The Acholi are a Lwo people currently occupying seven

districts of northern Uganda namely Gulu, Kitgum, Pader,

Amuru, Agago, Nwoya and Lamwo. They are also found in

the Magwi County of Southern Sudan. The Acholi are patrilineal.

There is a small handmade stool in every typical Acholi

home. It is called “Arwot ki Oda” (Personal communication

with Antonio Okee, an Acholi elder). Only the man, the head

of the family, sits on this stool. This is his symbol of authority

over the household. “Arwot ki oda” is translated as “I am the

paramount chief in this home”. The man, among the Acholi,

is a patriarch. He owns all assets of the family including land,

animals, birds, crops and anything movable or immovable.

He also wheels control over his children and wife/wives. In

case one of the wives or children gives out or sells anything

belonging to them without the permission of the man, he

is entitled to discipline the culprit. The disciplinary measure

may take the form of spanks, lashes of the cane, hard work on

the family garden or strong reprimand.

 

Property ownership is clearly written in the unwritten rules

governing the Acholi family. The man owns everything. His

deputy is the first male born. A woman who wants to slaughter

a cockerel for the family meal will get permission from the

head of the family or her first male born. The irony is that every

member of the household contributes to the acquisition

of the family’s asset. The land, for instance is tilled by men,

women and children. Crops produced, however are owned

by the man. Excess surplus is always sold by the woman and

the money given to the man to spend sometimes on drinking

sprees. Women and children have no authority over the

crops they produce and all this is because the lands on which

the crops are produced belong to the man.

 

This brings me to the issue of freedom of movement in northern

Uganda. On days or hours when the man is not engaged

in his daily chores at home, he is free to travel, say to visit

friends and relatives and on market days, he can spend time

with folks till late or till the next day. Some actually spend

two to three days. They don’t have to explain to anybody

where they delayed. Men and boys control their movements

while the wife and girls are controlled by their husbands and

brothers respectively. Onen Lateny, an Acholi elder said to

me that there is a popular saying among the Acholi that “Ka

wot pa coo pe kipenyo” loosely meaning “Men don’t have to

explain where they are going or have been”. If a man or boy

is leaving home or has returned home after unusually taking

long out and his wife, mother or sister enquires where he is

going or has been, the man or boy is often offended. His

answer will be “ka wot pa coo pe kipenyo”. Women and girls

on the other hand, cannot leave home or spend long outside

without the permission of their husbands and brothers. The

exception to this is when they are working on the family garden

or doing such roles as collecting firewood and drawing

water. But even here, the women are not expected to take

long. They are supposed to return early and release the men

to go for whatever they chose including fool’s errands.

Division of labour is equally abusive. Acholi culture promotes

hard work but women are expected to perform extra duties.

The man, his wife/wives and children of seven years and

above are expected to work on the family garden. Children

lead the way, followed by the wife and the patriarch is last.

As they return home in the evening, the woman, her baby on

the back, is carrying firewood, the cassava or sweet potatoes

for today’s dinner, her hoe and the man’s. The man is empty

handed or carrying an axe or spear. Upon reaching home,

the woman’s additional responsibilities begin including fetching

water, bathing children and preparing dinner. Children

and women are overworked in this setting yet they get the

least reward for their labour. When the women or children

complain, they are punished for acting contrary to cultural

dictates.

 

The least reward women get for hard work is because they

are regarded as foreigners. The Acholi political systems, like

most systems of Africa, are clanic. The wife is regarded as

member of another clan. “Dako pe wati”, or “a wife is not

your relative” is a common adage. Not a relative because

she belongs to another clan (Personal communication with

Geresoni Obong, an Acholi elder). A relative must be a clan

mate. When boys are being tested whether they are old

enough for marriage, they are asked “If ordered to kill either

your wife or daughter, which one will you kill and why?”

The intelligent boy is expected to say he will kill the wife

because he can be exorcised of that crime. The Acholi believe

that one who advertently murders a relative will never be

cleansed. One’s daughter is a relative because she is a

clan mate. This opinion about women is not unique. A Dinka

(southern Sudan ethnic group) riddle poses that: If you were

crossing a river with your cow and wife and there is danger

of drowning and you can save only one of them, which one

would you save? The answer is that you save the cow because

with it you can marry another woman.

 

Conclusion

Domestic violence as stated by (Guileine, 2012) is a crime

that can include physical abuse, emotional abuse, economic

abuse, and sexual abuse. It is a pattern of behavior used to

establish power and control over another person through

fear and intimidation, often including the threat and use of

violence. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual,

gay, or lesbian; living together or dating. Those involved

in a domestic violence situation may be romantically involved

or not, e.g., they may be related to each other or simply living

in the same house or belong to the same family. Among

the Acholi, like most Africans, domestic violence stems from

culture. Cultural attributes empower men and boys to have

absolute control over their wives and sisters. In the process of

exerting their cultural hegemony, the men and boys commit

domestic violence inadvertently. Due to cultural dominance,

the victims may not even know that domestic violence has

been committed.

 

INDIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH X 289

 

EM

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