political organisation of the acholi political organisation of the acholi

Encyclopedia.com. Most political organizations take the form of a voluntary association of persons or organizations that pools its members' and constituents' financial and other resources, and engages in conventional political actions to affect policy-making outcomes. The LRA received much of its financial, logistical and military support from the Khartoum government in neighbouring Sudan. state, political organization of society, or the body politic, or, more narrowly, the institutions of government. families living together in hamlets. Malandra, Alfred (1939). a civil resistance movement started forming in the region. named Luo. the nations capital Kampala in 1988. L. No. Contemporary versions or amalgams of these practitioners continue to function in Acholi. It was a system of governance fully integrated with their religion and cosmology. Behrend, Heike (1991). Hansen, Holger B., and Michael Twaddle, eds. Orientation Okot p'Bitek's epic poem, Song of Lawino, debates Acholi customs around the time that Uganda became independent. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. These include Christian marriage (with or without bride-wealth), elopement, and single parenthood. The Age-set spokesmen handled affairs involving interclan cooperation. Deep-rooted divisions and polarization remain between different ethnic groups, and these have been greatly exacerbated by the way in which the countrys leadership has developed since independence. Archaeological and linguistic evidence suggests that from early in the Christian era, Acholi was settled mainly by Central Sudanic (or "proto-Central Sudanic") speakers in the west and Eastern Nilotic ("proto-Eastern Nilotic") speakers in the east. From the Village to Entebbe: The Acholi of Northern Uganda and the Acholi chiefdoms ranged in population from under 1,000 to as many as 20,000 people and consisted of a number of fenced villages, each with recognized land rights vested in the patrilineal lineage (kaka ) at its core. As they have for centuries, Acholi farmers rely mainly on iron hoes and other hand tools. The combination of the two events, have put pressure on the LRA to lay down its arms. Medicine. limited wealth in the society and redistribution. Acholi men say, Property cant own property, and the notion of women having independent land rights is an anomaly to them. An Exploration of Linguistic Practices and Language Attitudes in Gulu, Northern Uganda. others who benefited from the new dispensation, including collaborators Acholi: Talking Politics in Northern Uganda Many Ugandans follow politics with keen interest, and President Yoweri Musevei's 34-year tenure notwithstanding, politics is a frequent topic of in-depth conversation and spirited debate among friends and acquaintances, and my conversations with my mentor are no exception. Despite the years of leadership by men from the North, that region continued to be marginalized economically after independence, and has suffered higher rates of poverty than other areas of the country. the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), echoing some of the spiritual themes used by the Holy Spirit London: James Currey. By the mid-nineteenth century, about 60 small chiefdoms existed in eastern Acholiland. Mothers are responsible for the initial care of their children and for much of their socialization. Historically, the most important public ceremonies were probably those associated with birth, planting, harvesting, and the killing of a large animal or another human being. 2.4. Each clan was administered by a council of elders chosen because of their outstanding military performance and because of their senior position in the community. The word 'Acholi' is a misnomer that became adopted for convenience over the years. Since the British had set up their administrational centre in the Uganda - Government and society | Britannica The Song of Lawino, one of the most successful African literary works, was written by Okot p'Bitek, published in 1966 in Acholi, and later translated to English. Acholi have played a pivotal role in the turbulent post-independence era. Ruhakana Rugunda, the Ugandan minister of internal affairs and leader of the government negotiating team, noted the effectiveness of the traditional system. Webster, J. The movement hopes to strengthen the political and economic power of women in society and so push back destruction of the natural environment. Identification. Uganda's current army, various local rebel groups (some headed by apocalyptic "prophets" such as Alice Lakwena), and heavily armed Karamojong raiders have all raped, looted, killed, and destroyed, making any kind of normal life in Acholi impossible. ETHNONYMS: Ebantfu ba kwa Ngwane (the people of Ngwane), emaSwati, emaSwazi, Swati PUBLISHED: 30/01/2023. find its conclusion until the 19th century. However, this number is most likely considerably Customs may reinforce social justifications for inequitable land rights for men and women. element of the social and political environment of the region. [11], After defeating Okello and his Acholi-dominated Uganda National Liberation Army, now-President Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Army conducted revenge killings in the north. The relationship between the Acholi and the British had for a long time been rather loose and Despite their common language and ethnic designation, the Acholi of Uganda and the southern Sudan have distinct origins and developed along different historical trajectories; the remainder of this cultural summary will focus on the more populous Uganda Acholi. connected and intertwined chiefdoms. The Holy Spirit Movement and Its Fight against Evil in the North." Sons have traditionally learned about farming, hunting, herding, and lineage and chiefdom traditions from their fathers and other lineage males; girls learn farming and domestic duties from their mothers. Starting in the late seventeenth century, a new sociopolitical order developed among the Luo of Northern Uganda, mainly characterized by the formation of chiefdoms headed by Rwodi (sg. More the area around Lake Victoria as early as the fourth century B.C. were able gain wealth by trading mainly in ivory. According to the Although polygyny has often been presented as an ideal, limited means have always made it rare in practice. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But when Idi Amin overthrew Obotes first spell in power, and when Yoweri Musevini ousted Okello, the Acholi paid heavily for their allegiances. ." Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Nairobi: Oxford University Press. Pottery and basket making were widespread and relatively nonspecialized arts, carried out by both men and women. M.A. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press. Ethnohistory 36(1): 19-43. The full integration of the Acholi into the British colonial complex happened comparatively late. Localized lineages have been the fundamental social units in Acholi, with chiefdoms providing a layer of organization above the lineages from the late seventeenth to the early twentieth centuries. Okeny, Kenneth (1982). Certain rwodi and Due to its central location and the close London: Oxford University Press. Kasozi, A. During the later nineteenth century, the emergent Acholi became involved in the international trade in ivory and slaves, which were exchanged mainly for cattle, beads, blankets, cotton cloth, and firearms. formations in the form of chiefdoms and kingdoms by the end of the first millennium A.D. that included areas now belonging to South Sudan and the northern regions of Uganda. political organisation of the acholi Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Marriage. During the colonial period, political leadership in Acholi was contested among those with traditional leadership qualifications and others who benefited from the new dispensation, including collaborators with the British and those who managed to obtain Western education. their clans, giving them the ability to accumulate wealth and power beyond their rights to land Since independence, a relatively few Acholi army officers have managed The available evidence suggests that conflict in Acholi before the end the northern parts remained ignored for a long time. [10] General Tito Okello was an Acholi, and came to power in a military coup. Kinship Terminology. Most prominent among them was the Uganda People's Army (UPA) in Teso and Lango sub region, the West Nile Bank Frontiers (WNBF) in the West Nile region, the Uganda People's Democratic Army, the Holy Spirit Movement and the LRA in the Acholi region. Girling (1960) notes that as late as 1950 there was still no system of individual land tenure in Acholi; however, such tenure has become increasingly common since independence. It was also during this period that the name Acholi was coined by the Arab traders, calling outsiders: The Arabs had established a killing government on Acholi, some of the chiefs who Some Acholi mothers exclaim that they do not know their sons after they have been away in the army. The cult-like militia has abducted an estimated 25,000 children over the years, forcing them to commit heinous atrocities against civilians. Killing of a person was prohibited but if it took place, negotiations for blood money were led by the victim's family, with agreement followed by rituals of a reconciliation ceremony to restore the killer to the community, and to bring peace between clans. second term, Acholi soldiers played key roles in the massive conflict in This term then In precolonial Acholi, lineage heads and elders were most responsible for social control, though one of the attractions that assisted the development of chiefdoms seems to have been the ability of rwodi to help settle disputes that involved more than one lineage. "The Concept of Jok among the Acholi and Lango." PDF University of Bradford eThesis coming from the territory of present-day South Sudan over a period spanning multiple centuries. Required electronic filing by tax-exempt political organizations. It does not correspond to any user ID in the web application and does not store any personally identifiable information. [17] Most of the LRA returnees, numbering 12,000, underwent nyono tong gweno ('stepping on the egg') after returning to their home villages, to help restore them to home. The Acholi were considered a martial people by the British, and many joined the military. Idi Amin (1971-79) the Acholi were severely persecuted and their men systematically executed for their past association with the colonial army and for their support of Pres. This belief underlies the customary land tenure rule that prohibits women from having rights to land independent of their relationship with their father or husband. (Ugandan Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs 1997. For example, among Acholi, husbands pay a bride price to their wives fathers, and this payment supports the traditional belief that women are the property of the husband, since a payment was made for her. In addition to these six languages, some authors also classify Labwor (Ladefoged, From the Holy Spirit Movement, the notorious Lords Resistance Army (LRA), led by Acholi Joseph Kony, emerged. with the Gulu district being by far the most populated one (Uganda, 2016). 1orthern Uganda or Acholiland is formally known as the Acholi sub-region, an area inhab N - ited primarily by speakers of the Acholi language, whom I refer to as the Acholi. prefix a- denoting the 1st Person Singular (Whitmire, 2013, p. 51). This cookie is set by Youtube. and created larger political This cookie is used to enable payment on the website without storing any payment information on a server. In 1986 Alice Lakwenas charismatic Holy Spirit Movement mounted an insurgency in the Acholi region. "Land Tenure in Acholi." Peace negotiations to end the long-running rebellion by the Lords Resistance Army continued, while security in the north improved through 2007. With colonial rule came a new hierarchy of chiefs, clerks, and policemen, all under the authority of a district commissioner. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Since independence, formal schooling has provided a strong socializing influence from outside the home for more and more Acholi, especially those attending secondary school. However, to what degree this emergence was accompanied with the creation of a common Farming and hunting dominated the live in this rural Crazzolara, J. P. (1950-1954). "[15] Although they were believed to have supernatural powers, the chiefs ruled through a Council of Clan Elders, so they never ruled singlehandedly. With colonial rule aimed at achieving clearly-defined political goals, which typically benefit the interests of their members. Given the anti-Museveni sentiment of most Acholis, the LRA's inability to mobilize support - or to at least avoid repudiation by its own ethnic base - is remarkable. development of the chiefdom and clan system in the 17th and 18th century that is still a vital (1936). Uganda journal 27(1): 15-30. 1 Northern Uganda or Acholiland is formally known as the Acholi sub-region, an area inhab-ited primarily by speakers of the Acholi language, whom I refer to as the Acholi. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website. The size and nature of this occasion depend on the age and status of the deceased, with the most lavish and festive celebrations taking place when the person who died was both aged and important.