{UAH} Elders resort to rituals in hunger stricken north eastern Uganda

KOTIDO Uganda (Xinhua) -- Uganda's Jie Karimojong women ploughing land in preparation for the planting season in Kotido sub county, Kotido district, Uganda. Among the Jie pastoralists who occupy the northeastern part of Uganda, women plough the land for farming, build shelters and do domestic chores while the men herd livestock. XINHUA PHOTO - DANIEL EDYEGU

Elders resort to rituals in hunger stricken north eastern Uganda

by Daniel Edyegu, Ronald Ssekandi KOTIDO, Uganda (Xinhua) -- With his arms held out in supplication, Longoli Chapchap, an elder from Orwakol clan in the northeastern Ugandan district of Kotido sets the Edula (Granary) cultural ritual in motion. "It's now a while since it last rained here. "If anyone in this village has wronged the gods, we are gathered here to seek for forgiveness," Chapchap went on to pray in Nga'karimojong language as the other elders nodded in unison. The Edula ritual ceremony is an annual cultural fete where elders from all the seven ethnic Jie Karimojong clans converge to pray for the seeds at the onset of the planting season. Besides prayers, the ceremony provides a forum to chat away emerging issues in their communities and seek ways of redress. This year's granary ritual dwelt on prayers for better rains and pastures for the animals. Northeastern Uganda also known as Karamoja is a semi-arid region and has faced the brunt of harsh climate change effects. The region has a single rainy season that stretches from March to August. Lately, there have been extended dry spells that stretch up to May. For a pastoral community, this is not good news. The harsh climate conditions have forced the region to depend on food aid for over 40 years. Recent attempts to farm drought resistance crops have been foiled as the climate change effects have become harsher. The hunger situation in the region caused the country's President Yoweri Museveni last month to call for food relief. The elders now say they have to turn to their ancestors to seek solutions to the harsh climate. Three huge saucepans of Ebutia (traditional sorghum brew) were placed at various spots of the kraal, each manned by an elder who passes around the brew in a calabash to the other elders. An enormous black 100-liter drum, bearing the same brew placed at the heart of the kraal. The ritual derives its name from the small traditional granary believed to be having supernatural powers, where clan elders from each of the seven Jie clans send a portion of the sorghum yields for joint storage after the harvest. The caretaker of the granary, Joseph Apa Kenewa, is a revered fore-teller from the Ngijimosa royal clan. The position is hereditary. "The granary is so special. "It's our heritage and a symbol of obedience to the ancestry," Kenewa explained. If ever there were any doubts about the magical powers of the granary, then events that transpired at the thick of the army disarmament exercise in the village in 2005 spoke volumes. In an operation to recover illicit guns from the area, government soldiers burnt all the huts and granaries in Jimo village. "They never set fire on the hut of Ekeworon or the granary. "If you attempt to do anything wicked on that granary, say steal the sorghum stored inside or burn it, something bizarre could happen to you," Kenewa said, noting that you may either get a snakebite or run mad. The granary has rules too. First, nobody accesses it without permission from Kenewa or any reigning caretaker, not even the wife of the caretaker or member of his family. Secondly, it is never opened during daytime. Even the sorghum stored in the granary is spread out at night to rid it of weevils. The fete is a men's affair, as culture dictates here. Women follow the proceedings through the cracks on the walls of the wooden fence. "There could be things discussed in the meeting concerning us and we could catch wind of it here outside and pass it on to others," 72-year-old Mariana Longora told Xinhua. At end of the meeting, each elder picks a share of the 'blessed' sorghum that the elders have prayed for and delivers to each of the community members. "The farmers mix the 'blessed' sorghum with their seeds. "Better yields of all crops are largely guaranteed after this," Kenewa said.

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Gwokto La'Kitgum

"Even a small dog can piss on a tall Building", Jim Hightower

"But this I know, UPC believed and still believes in

very high education. We can call Obote all bad names we have, but the bottom line remains that he got more scholarships for Buganda than all previous Uganda leaders combined. That includes Sir Edward Mutesa, President Lule, President Binayisa, up to and into Ssabasajja Mutebi. Who all happen to be Baganda leaders." Mulindwa

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