Acholi Empowerment
(The Search for Peace with Dignity)

Walter Odok-Ogwal
President
Nile Heritage Foundation, Inc.,
Hutchinson, Kansas-USA

WE, the people of Acholiland have historically been a peaceful people. We made peace with all our neighbors. We conquered no territories. We always allowed neighbouring clans to freely assimilate with our clans. We made allies out of our enemies. We, the people of Acholiland are a proud people, proud of our Ancestry, our Culture, our God-given Land, our Faith, our Heritage.

Historians may debate about the roles Acholi people played in the shaping of modern kingdoms in present-day Uganda: for us Acholi, Bunyoro/Babiito is our neighbour and ally, Buganda is our neighbour and ally. We, the Acholi people have no animosity against any ethnic people within present day Uganda borders, we have no quarrels with our immediate neighbours(ethnic), to the north, in Sudan; either.

We, the people of Acholi became subjects of the British Crown, though reluctantly at first, and proved to be very loyal subjects. During World War I our fore- fathers served with distinction in the hills of Abyssinia against the enemy of the King, and to preserve our way of live. After the war these brave soldiers formed the base for British East Africa Administration, law enforcement. Again during World War II., Acholi sons were conscripted into the army, King African rifles (KAR). The East African Brigade, or some such group, my father included were shipped off to Burma, to engage the enemy. A whole battalion perished at sea, the Indian Ocean, sunk by a Japanese torpedo. My father lost two close Acholi buddies in this tragedy! As before, Acholi sons helped win the war to preserve our freedom. Again, ex-soldiers were employed as police constables, prison warders, game guides, and foot soldiers in the fight against tsetse flies, and other natural hostile elements.

Immediately after Independence, Acholi sons, and daughters were again drawn into the now polarising politics of a newly formed nation. Tribalisation of Uganda politics drove a wedge between Acholi and traditional ally Buganda. Further use of the armed forces, dominated by Acholi sons and daughters, as political leverage by the party in power did not help.

We, the people of Acholiland are a peaceful people. The vilification of our Clans, is but a fraudulent survival tactics used by politically unpopular generals and dictators to gain favours from an increasingly sceptical Uganda ethnic. Through all these, we, the Acholi people continue to look outwards, for help, to heal a nation torn by war, mis-administered by soldiers, crooks, and inept politicians. It has taken a toll on us. Our Pride, our Values, our Lives, our Heritage is systematically being destroyed by evil forces from without and within our community.

We still continue to look to our former ruler, the British government to see our plight. We ask United States of America, the leader of a free world, a free world which we, Acholi people sacrificed so much for, to see our plight. We ask Canada, Australia, a free Europe, countries and peoples of goodwill to see our plights, but all these requests must compliment our efforts to act as one people.

Our common goal therefore, is unity for peace and development. Every Acholi national must do his/her best to work individually as well as collectively to reach our common goal. It is of no consequence whether you are a supporter of the Museveni regime, or opposed to it. Acholiland continues to be ravaged by war. Let us all keep our eyes on total peace.

Many years of hardships at the hands of fellow countrymen has turned many of us into cynics. Cynicism is where our enemies want us to dwell, because cynics cannot organise, cannot unite for a common purpose, usually hide in their small individual "hole" they call "comfort". We must break out of this condition. I beg each and everyone of us to get out of "our comfort zone"(arwot ki I oda) and join civic, and community organisations in our neighbourhoods: learn how communities are nurtured, because we have a lot of work to do back home.

I am very proud of our Acholi Parliamentary Group. That is the spirit of Unity I am advocating. Because they represent constituencies, they meet with, and, indeed work with other parliamentarians with different priorities, but at times, their priorities meet. If possible, APG should initiate a move to incorporate into the constitution, A Bill Of Rights similar to that of the US Constitution, Uganda is a Republic. I just want every citizen of Uganda to be equal under the Law. If permitted by law, our united MPs, APG should communicate our plights to friendly foreign governments in the hope that those governments would put pressure on the Museveni regime to act on our wishes.

I wish to suggest to our Church Leaders that the Community of Christ tires not in the search for Peace. I am aware that many amongst you have been ridiculed; in fact Bishop Janani Loum was murdered! But that is the road of Christ for us, believers. Continue to seek support and prayers from your colleagues, the world over. Write them letters, send them newspaper clippings about the plights of your parishioners.

For those of us who dream of homeland from distant strange lands, nothing is better than home. The least we can do as individuals, families, community of clans, is to seek a way back home to Acholiland, even if we work anywhere else on earth! But there is a price to be paid, and we must be ready to pay that price. Survival in the diaspora cannot now be considered successful living for an Acholi, we must invest in the financial markets, we must excel in the ability to do more for ourselves and our people with less.

The war will end. Construction and rehabilitation will begin then. What resources, natural or otherwise do we have, if not our people and our land? What occupations do our people have other than agriculture and all its diversity? Our people and our land is our biggest asset, and therefore those of us who are able should invest at home, immediately after the restoration of peace with dignity. Some of us risk and invest at home anyway.

Acholi people, clan-by-clan have lost very few wars because they engage in just wars, wars their God demands must be fought and won!

May our God bless us all.