One more week has passed

And a week goes so fast in Kampala, especially if you are sick, as I (Wictoria) have been. Now we are done with almost half of the interviews. Our plan is to do the rest of the interviews next week, but we dont know if this is possible yet. It’s not always so easy to find nurses to interview at the hospital because they have a lot to do. But the interviews are very interesting so all the struggle is worth it.

Carl

Besides, the interviews we also had the time to visit a handicraft market in Kampala. It was nice, but it’s the same things as everywhere else in East Africa. I love the crafts, but if you seen one shop – you’ve seen it all. We also had some fresh passion fruit juice at a café. That is to die for here. The best thing you can drink in Uganda!

I had to visit another hospital on Thursday, so now I been a patient as well. My stomach haven’t been so nice to me so I needed to visit a doctor. I got some antibiotics and worm medicine. The doctor said that here in Uganda everyone should take worm medication every 6 month because you get worms in the food you eat even though you are careful. So both me and Carl bought the medication and took like the cats we are. I feel a little bit better now when the antibiotics are over, but now entire fine. So, I have to evaluate tomorrow or Tuesday if I have to go back to the hospital if it’s not getting any better. Well, life outside of Sweden has it’s downsides aswell…

Wictoria

The plan for next week is just work and no fun. Maybe visit a tailor and make some new clothes, but our friend Halima is trying to find out if her friend can find time for us. This is the holiday season so eveyone makes new clothes so all the taylors are so busy!
Until next time!

Bye,

Wictoria and Carl

We are in Uganda!

The view from
Our balcony

 

First week in Uganda is done. It was a somehow a rocky start for us. The hospital we were in contact with and thought we were gonna do our interviews at changed their minds so we had to start over. Our contact person took us to a hospital and we met the research officer there who gave us papers to fill in, asked us questions about our bachelor thesis and wanted her to give her our proposal. We left there a bit confused and asked our contact person about the proposal and she told us that it is our project plan. So that night we went home, filled in all the papers and changed some things in the project plan. We met the research officer some days later again at the hospital and gave her everything and at the 28th they going to do a ethical review of our project plan at the hospital. We are hopeful that after that we can start interviewing nurses!

Kampala from one of the hills

We are also trying to get to know our new town Kampala. And get used to all the traffic. Because it is so much traffic and it is always a jam, no matter what time it is. If you have an appointment you need to get an Uber at least 1,5 hour in advance even though the distance isn’t even that far. We have gone with motorcycle taxis a couple of times (here it’s called boda or boda boda), but they drive very fast and so far there have not been any helmets involved for the passengers…

The monkey wants the cookies
Happy monkeys

We went with our contact person and now also friend to the Zoo in Entebbe. It is not just a zoo, it is also a rescue and education center. The coolest animals was the wild monkey though that came to the zoo when it started to get cooler in the afternoon. They were so many and not at all afraid. We bought some cookies to have on the way home but on the way to the car a monkey with a baby saw them from far away and started to run towards Halima who held them! She started to scream and the monkey was persistent to get the cookies and Halima surrender fast! It was hilarious to watch.

Becase there are still time until we can start doing interviews we are going to Nairobi, Kenya. Then we are off for two nights and tree days in Masaai Mara and hopefully getting to see The Big Five!

Wictoria and Carl

Surprises and endings in Gulu (for now)

For the past weeks, I have been finishing up my field study, recovered from malaria, visited Kampala, and enjoyed my last time in Gulu (my home away from home). Last Friday, I even went further North to Kitgum and visited the Memory and Peace Documentation Centre. It is the only one of its kind and founded by the Refugee Law Project. It is very interesting to visit as it contains important information on the previous armed conflicts in Uganda as well as a library. I want to thank, Jerry Oyet, for showing us around, explaining everything, and answering all our questions. Most impressive exhibition to me was the one showing a copy of the letter written by Joseph Kony himself. On our way back to Gulu, we stopped at Aruu Falls. A gigantic and beautiful waterfall with a rainbow. It is definitely worth the visit although you must be very careful about when and how you hike down to the bottom of the falls.

Kitgum Memory and Peace Documentation Centre
Letter written by Joseph Kony, the LRA commander in chief
View from the top of Aruu Falls from where we hiked to the bottom.
Aruu Falls, wild and beautiful.

  

I am very satisfied with the results of my 9 weeks in Gulu. I have successfully conducted 30 interviews of 30-90 minutes each with both former abductees and community leaders, professionals from different NGOs, and a district official. I am looking forward to writing the thesis and sharing it with all my friends here, at home, and abroad.

I have a lot of mixed feelings leaving Gulu and all the warm-hearted people, I have been so fortunate to meet here. I cannot give enough thanks to those who welcomed me to their homes, shared their personal stories, hopes, and challenges with me, and to my friends who have made it so hard for me to leave this beautiful country. Lastly, none of this would have been possible without the support and encouragement of my local partners, in particular, Hope and Peace for Humanity as well as People’s Voices for Peace and War Affected Networking and Betty Children Foundation. You inspire me and gives me hope that, together, we can work for a better tomorrow. If anyone wishes to support Hope and Peace for Humanity’s upcoming project which will empower 150 female victims of violence, the Global Giving Platform will boost any contributions made on Wednesday the 20th of June.

Yesterday, my friends from Hope and Peace for Humanity also surprised me with lunch, kind words, a gift and a maize roasting at night. It left me speechless. You are truly the BEST, and I will miss each and every one of you. Now, I am heading off to bounty beaches, drinks, and 2.5 weeks of holidays in Tanzania before going home to Denmark/Sweden.

Roasting of maize on my last night in Gulu
Hope and Peace for Humanity (HPH) family

Survivors and Safaris

The 19th of May 2004 was a horrifying day for the people of Lukodi (a village 17 kilometers North of Gulu town). On this day, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) raided the village and carried out a massacre, taking the lives of more than 60 people. 14 years later, Dominic Ongwen is being tried at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his role in the massacre while survivors request for the government’s assistance to reconstruct their village and rebuild their lives.

Apart from the massacre, Lukodi was one of the villages in Northern Uganda that suffered from persistent attacks by the LRA. Last week, I talked to some of the survivors who also stressed the responsibility of the government to remedy the human rights violations as it failed to protect them from abduction and other atrocities during the armed conflict. One was even abducted from the “protected” IDP camp (i.e. internally displaced persons) while others were abducted from their homes or the school. One thing is for sure, the survivors and their families continue to struggle psychologically, economically, and (at times) socially.

In the weekend, I enjoyed a leisure trip to Murchison National Park and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. All of the following animals were encountered in their natural habitat and under their conditions: lionesses and lion cubs, hippos, buffalos, crocodiles, elephants, antelopes, a hyena, red monkeys, baboons, warthogs (Pumba), giraffes, vultures, rhinos and much more. It was also a real baby boom to the enjoyment of all of us! Lastly, most of the animals were seen up close at a distance of less than 30 meters. Going on a safari is one of the most expensive things to do in Uganda (as well as other tourist activities) but it is a once in a lifetime experience that is worth every shilling!

Baby Rhino, Madam, born the 26th of August 2017 in Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary.
A young elephant (Murchison Falls National Park).
A family of lionesses and their cubs resting in Murchison Falls National Park.
A baby giraffe with its mother (Murchison Falls National Park).

 

 

Reunion in Jinja!

In the past week, I have worked on transcribing my interviews and met with YOLRED (Youth Leaders for Restoration and Development – an initiative founded by former abductees and others who were affected by the war to support youth).

I went to Jinja last Friday. The journey started with a canceled bus at 8 AM and a one-hour delayed post bus from Gulu to Kampala. The trip was quite long (7 hours) as the bus stops several times on route. In Kampala, I changed to a matatu (the shared taxis) to Jinja with the help of the brother of my contact. The drive was … interesting. There are at least 15-20 persons in the car with all their luggage (be it bags of corn, rice, weekend bags). After dark, much rain, and delays due to queues, our driver decided to drive off-road – against traffic! After 3.5 hours, I finally arrived in Jinja where Matilda picked me up. Matilda and I met at the MFS preparation course in Hӓrnӧsand. It was so much fun to reunite in Uganda. On Saturday, we went river rafting, sightseeing in town, and had a delicious dinner right next to the Nile. Unfortunately, I had to go back already on Sunday morning to reach the last afternoon bus to Gulu which leaves at 1 PM. After the experience with the matatu on Friday, I decided to go with a safer, more comfortable, and expensive option: The Pineapple Express. I can only recommend it. We arrived in just 2.5 hours and that included a stop at the bank. The service is a hire car and driver, which takes you from point A to B with whatever stops you desire (hence, the higher cost).

This time, I will be back in Gulu for just three days as Matilda and I are going to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to track the gorillas. I am so excited!

Matatu – the locally shared taxis (photo from http://www.livinginkampala.com/information/transportation/transportation-in-kampala/)

The first rapid aka. a four-meter waterfall
The boat actually did not flip but 50 % of the crew went for a swim
On our way to the rafting site in an open truck
Monkey on one of the main roads in Jinja
Local artist in Jinja
The Nile (Jinja)

African Time….

This past week has been very busy and productive thanks to my local contact. It is just the second week of my field study, but I have already managed to conduct several interviews with both community leaders, professionals working in psycho-social care, and state officials. Last week one of the interviewees included a bishop from the district who is seen as a hero around here. He is one of the religious leaders that have taken a very active role in promoting reconciliation and aiding the reintegration process. I have even interviewed three formerly abducted persons about their experiences of return. While I am quite happy with the results, some challenges remain. First, African time is both a blessing and a challenge. I love not scheduling my whole day which makes me feel less stressed than usual. At the same time, calling interviewees at the time of our meeting to find that they cannot make it or are several hours late is not my favorite way to spend my time. Secondly, the day I was interviewing former abductees, my interpreter got sick (he is feeling better now!). Thus, I had to make use of another guy from one of our partner’s office. It was my first time doing interviews with the use of an interpreter and I am not sure whether I am fully satisfied with the translation. I, at least, felt like some details might be missing. The solution is that my interpreter will go through the recordings and transcription this week.

In the evenings, I had dinner with the founders of Gulu War Affected Training Center and Backup Uganda. Both were a very pleasant experience that must be repeated soon. On Saturday, I went out with my roomies and some friends to the restaurant O’ café for the Open Mic Night. We had Rolex (a wrap with eggs), some drinks, and enjoyed the dances, music, and spoken word performance. It is a biweekly event that is also used as a venue for raising funds to cover the medical bills of some local beneficiaries.

Now, I am looking much forward to tomorrow’s Labor Day celebrations and to visit my friend from the preparation course in Hӓrnӧsand, Matilda, who is doing her field study in Jinja. I am keeping my fingers crossed for good weather, so we can go river rafting and cruise the Nile.

Traditional huts and preparation of sim sim and millet (among others)
Delicious Ethiopian food at Abyssinia (highly recommendable!)
Laundry day in Uganda
Open Mic Night at O’ Café

 

Forgiveness after the Atiak Massacre

“When there is peace, anything is possible” – Godfrey Canwat, Hope and Peace for Humanity, Uganda.

Thursday the 20th of April 1995, the senior LRA-commander Vincent Otti and his troops claimed the lives of over 300 people in the Atiak Massacre. Among those killed were 48 students and two teachers from the Atiak Technical School. Atiak is a village 71 kilometers North of Gulu town. It is situated in Kilak County (Amuru District). After the brutal killings, several young boys and girls were abducted. Some are yet to return, 23 years after the Massacre. A monument bearing the names of some of the deceased was raised in 1996 at the Atiak Trading Centre. Notably, several of the perpetrators live in the community alongside the victims and their families. Forgiveness is highly valued in the Acholi cultural region. It is believed that some things (e.g. murder) cannot be changed through retributive justice (as it cannot bring back the dead). Hence, the Acholi uses other procedures such as the mato oput ritual (the cleansing of the spirit) which seeks to reconcile the community, perpetrator, and victims.

Today, we participated in the 23rd commemoration of the Massacre and the inter-faith memorial prayer. Prayers and blessings were officiated by heads of the Protestant, Orthodox, Catholic, and Muslim faiths. The need for forgiveness was stressed throughout the prayers. Forgiveness for all engaged in the war and for “the brothers and sisters” that committed the crimes in Atiak.

After my first (and quite late) interview, I will spend the rest of my Friday night with my roomies and lots of music.

Kop Ango! from Gulu

I have arrived and settled in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa! And what a welcome. I do not believe that I have ever met as kind, open, and welcoming a people before. Everyone is very eager to chat and help if needed.

After a long but comfortable journey with Qatar Airways (Copenhagen – Doha – Entebbe), my host, Paul (the brother of my classmate and friend, Peter) picked me up at the airport. I spent the first 3 days in his home in Seeta village outside of Kampala, being welcomed by his loving family and housemates. The connection to the family and community is very important and I felt honored to be welcomed and addressed as Auntie or Sister.

On Sunday, I met my contact, Mr. Godfrey Canwat (the Executive Director of Hope and Peace for Humanity), and my two Swedish roomies, Hedvig and Shima, at the bus station in Kampala and we set out for the 6 hours bus journey. Our house in Gulu is very central. It is just a two-minute walk from the office of Hope and Peace for Humanity and less than 5 minutes from Gulu Main Market. At the market, you can get everything! The fresh, gigantic, and tasty avocados are my favorite. And they come at a price of less than 2 SEK. In the house, we also live with the French volunteer, Aude, and (at times) Mary, who is the daughter of the landlady.

Gulu is often described as the “Capital of the North.” The district of Gulu was among those most affected by the war (1986-2010). A conflict that has complex roots and continues to impact the population. Sunday, the 15th of April, was the Good Deeds Day – a day to do good for and with the communities. As Sunday is a day of rest in Uganda, Hope and Peace for Humanity and their partners invited us to celebrate it, Monday the 16th. We went to Atyang village where we did different good deeds with community members including cleaning the public toilets, planting trees, slashing (cutting the grass using traditional slashers/knives), giving kits with mosquito nets to expecting mothers and much more. The Good Deeds Day is a day where individuals do something good, large or small, “to improve the lives of others and positively change the world.” While this is a global annual tradition, I aspire to, and encourage others to, try and do good deeds every day.

For now, I am enjoying the hospitality of the locals in Gulu, getting used to the “Ugandan” time, enjoying the local cuisine (Matooke, Posho, Kalo, and Cassava), and waiting impatiently for the mango season. We have our very own tree in the garden! On a last note, and to much amusement for the Ugandans, I managed to get sunburned on Monday. Lesson learned – my sensitive skin is now protected even in the cloudy, rainy weather.

I am looking forward to the next two months in a place where I already begin to feel at home.

The amazing organization that is helping me out. Read more about their projects on www.hphuganda.org.
My outdoor toilet and an avocado tree in Seeta village
My study place in Paul´s garden (Seeta village).
The local bus from Kampala to Gulu where local and Christian music is played on the screen.
Some of my lovely roommates. From the left: Shima, Mary, and Hedvig.
The fruit and vegetable section at Gulu Main Market.
Planting trees at the community health center.
Doing some manual labor to support the local community in Atyang village.
The team of the day, including Hope and Peace for Humanity´s employees, volunteers, and partners as well as community members.
A perfect breakfast setting.

Såren efter en långdragen konflikt

Hej allesammans,

snart har det gått en vecka sedan jag ankom till Uganda. So far, so good. Jag är bosatt i norra Ugandas “huvudstad” Gulu. Min kandidatuppsats kommer att handla om forna barnsoldater som är delaktiga i rehabilitering genom en icke-statlig organisation som heter Community Network for Social Justice. Denna NGO är väldigt liten och verkar i mindre samhällen där det finns barnsoldater. Idag är flertalet utav de forna barnsoldaterna tonåringar eller unga vuxna. Att tala om psykiska besvär i Uganda är väldigt stigmatiserande. Vad denna NGO gör att dessa personer får dela med av sina erfarenheter genom gruppsamtal eller privata samtal.

Idag var det min första dag ute i fält. Jag var i staden Atiak, Amuru distriktet. Landsgränsen till Syd-sudan är relativt nära. Vad denna stad är “känd” för är Lord’s Resistance Army’s  (LRA) massaker 20-onde april 1995. Ungefär 300 människor dog. Totalt så har Atiak och resterande norra Uganda levt i konflikt (hög och låg-aktuell) i 20 års tid. Vad jag gjorde i Atiak var att träffa och presentera mig för flertalet lokala ledare i staden. De alla välkomnade mig och sade att de skulle hjälpa mig så gott de kunde. Sedan bestod min dag av observationer i Atiak. Jag tyckte att det var lugnt och rofyllt i staden. Men till och från slog tanken mig när personer passerade förbi mig med trasiga, smutsiga och illaluktande kläder – att detta är en stad som har lidit och lider av en avslutad konflikt. Flyktinglägerna är borta och människorna är åter till sin primära bostad. Människorna är fattiga och flertalet bor i lerhyddor med halmtak.

En man fångade mitt intresse när jag skulle besöka Atiaks Lwani Memorial College. Han låg och grävde under ett träd som såg ut som en bikupa (svårt att förklara). Han var smutsig och såg härjad ut. Min key informant, och fältmedhjälpare Chris stannade och pratade med honom på Acholi (språket som talas här). De alla skrattade och sedan körde Chris vidare. Jag frågade då Chris vad han höll på med och till svar fick jag “He’s digging for a rabbit”, “a rabbit?” sade jag och såg fundersam ut. Då fick jag förklaringen av Chris brorson att denne man var psykiskt skadad efter LRA och att han har inte varit sig själv sen dess. Såren från en konflikt finns fortfarande kvar i Atiak.

Chris utanför sitt barndomshem i Atiak
Chris utanför sitt barndomshem i Atiak
"Apan i buren" försöker smälta in med afrikansk klänning
“Apan i buren” försöker smälta in med afrikansk klänning
Minnesmonumentet för massakern 1995 i Atiak
Minnesmonumentet för massakern 1995 i Atiak