Uganda’s cultural tapestry: Building peace and embracing unity

Ugandans are generally warm and welcoming. Their unwavering commitment to forging connections, resilience, and tolerance has enhanced interactions between diverse groups.

Uganda is a multiethnic and multireligious country, with over 52 ethnic groups belonging to the Bantu, Nilotes, and Nilo-Hamites language groups, as well as Christianity, Islam, and traditional African religions. 

Community activities and initiatives foster harmony and reconciliation and remind us of our rich cultural heritage, which contributes significantly to peacebuilding. 

The International Day of Living in Peace, marked annually on 16th May, promotes peace and harmony. It reminds people from diverse backgrounds and cultures of the importance of peaceful coexistence and understanding. Inter-ethnic organizations bring people from different ethnic backgrounds together, fostering a deeper understanding of social roles and cultural practices.

Formally, the education system has played a pivotal role in weaving the fabric of peaceful coexistence, transforming societies, and inspiring a hopeful vision for a harmonious future. Education serves as a vehicle for people to appreciate each other better and thus live together. 

The Rotary Peace Fellowship program hosted at Makerere University allows participants to embark on annual excursions, gaining a firsthand understanding of various cultures and their significant contributions to peacebuilding.

Traditional groups in Uganda have a structure where elders and community members with high moral reputations are accorded special recognition and roles in settling conflicts. Couples often call on their parents, uncles, and aunts to resolve disputes and misunderstandings at home. 

Though the practice might vary, the traditions’ underlying principle, which seems familiar to most groups, relies on truth-telling, acceptance of wrong, and the willingness to make amends. It requires tact and diplomacy to get one party to acknowledge its mistake. Elders know how to facilitate this process. 

Depending on the gravity of the matter, prescribed punishment varies in degree, ranging from engaging in community work and paying a fine to even admonishing from the community if such is deemed the befitting punishment. 

Although individuals at fault may not willingly embrace such punishment sometimes, they generally abide by what is asked of them for the good of the community, promoting sustainable peace and reconciliation. Community dialogues, a crucial tool in promoting peace and reconciliation, are structured discussions that address conflicts and promote understanding.

These dialogues bring together individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives, encouraging them to listen to each other and find common ground. They equip individuals with diverse skills and attitudes, fostering a culture of dialogue and understanding essential for peacebuilding. 

These dialogues often rely on external facilitators and support, demonstrating their effectiveness in fostering sustainable peace and reconciliation. The Rotary Peace Fellowship generally provided me with academic training that triggered my zeal and desire to learn, improve, and develop my ability to think, explore, consider different viewpoints, engage, and much more. 

Early involvement at various levels of society, regardless of any undue biases, could also be a strategy to empower youth as agents of peacebuilding. 

Rotaract and Rotary clubs develop and implement youth exchange programs and action groups to promote community peacebuilding. The Rotary Peace fellowship broadened my horizons and allowed me to critique situations, identify appropriate allies, and evaluate possible outcomes of different scenarios. Gender roles in many African societies, even though rapidly changing, are still pretty much understood to conform to specific prescriptions. 

However, societies realised that inclusive community engagements present more benefits than drawbacks and are probably making great strides in their development and peacebuilding.

Gender norms and power dynamics influence the perception of peace and conflict resolution. However, it should be understood that power influence largely rests on the extent to which an individual is informed, even if this is informal. 

Strengthening individuals’ engagement capacity increases the ability to promote gender-inclusive peacebuilding initiatives. However, other strategies could be implemented. For instance, initiatives could specifically target the less-represented gender, providing them with the necessary resources and opportunities to participate. Additionally, efforts could be made to neutralize the strength held by one gender at the expense of others by promoting a more balanced distribution of power and responsibilities. 

Let us adopt a balanced strategy that recognizes and builds on the strengths of all community members to promote gender-inclusive peacebuilding initiatives to foster a more equitable and peaceful society.

Opata Peter Paul is a Rotary Peace Fellow and Program Manager Finnish Refugee Council in Uganda