This thesis explores the dilemma and possibilities of building durable peace in post war northern region of the Republic of Uganda. It focuses on rediscovering traditional practises as a possible solution to the dilemma. Its conclusion is therefore derived from research on the possibility of incorporating traditional practises of peacebuilding into the existing national peacebuilding framework of Uganda. It did this against a backdrop of a two decade armed conflict in that region of the country.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER ONE: A PSYCHOANALYTICAL APPROACH
1.1 THE MAKING OF AN AUTHOR
1.1.1 The Early Years and Fears
1.1.2 Coming of Age
1.2 RESEARCH INTEREST
1.3 DEFINING KEY WORDS
1.3.1 Peace
1.3.2 Peacebuilding
1.3.3 Traditional Peacebuilding Practises
1.3.4 Modern Peacebuilding Practises
1.3.5 System(s)
1.4 MOTIVATION AND INTEREST
1.5 INITIAL PROBLEM
1.6 RESEARCH PROBLEM
1.7 RESEARCH QUESTION
1.8 SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
1.9 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1.9.1 Research Process and Methods
1.9.2 The Research Location
1.9.3 Ethical Standards
1.9.4 Data Reduction and Analysis
1.9.5 Reporting
1.10 LITERATURE REVIEW
1.10.1 Conflict versus Peace in Uganda
1.10.2 Peacebuilding
1.10.3 Post War Development
CHAPTER TWO: THE HISTORY OF ARMED CONFLICT IN UGANDA AND EARLIER ATTEMPTS AT PEACEBUILDING
2.1 THE HISTORY OF ARMED CONFLICT IN UGANDA
2.1.1 Pre-Colonial Times
2.1.2 Colonial Times
2.1.3 Post Colonial Times
2.1.4 The Entry of Museveni´s Government and the Outbreak of the 22 Year War
2.2 ATTEMPTS TO END THE PRESENT CONFLICT AND BUILD DURABLE PEACE
2.2.1 Political Attempts
2.2.2 Legal Attempts
2.2.3 Developmental Attempts
2.2.4 Peacebuilding Attempts
2.2.5 Peace Making Attempts
2.3 WHY PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS HAVE FAILED
2.3.1 Government Views
2.3.2 Views of Civil Society Organisations
2.3.3 Views of the Victims
2.3.4 The Present
CHAPTER THREE: TRADITIONAL PEACEBUILDING PRACTICES IN UGANDA
3.1 TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING IN LANGO
3.1.1 Traditional Peacebuilding Practices in Pre-Colonial Lango Society
3.1.2 The Current Traditional Peacebuilding Practices in Lango Society
3.1.3 The case for the Development of Hybrid Practices of Peacebuilding
3.1.4 Community Initiatives from Traditional Peacebuilding Practices in Lango Society
3.2 TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING IN ACHOLI
3.2.1 Traditional Practices in Pre-Colonial Acholi Society
3.2.2 The Advent of Colonialism and Thereafter
3.2.3 Comparing Acholi and Lango Traditional Practices
3.3 THE TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING IN TESO
3.3.1 Traditional Practices in Pre-Colonial Teso
3.3.2 The Lasting Effect of Colonialism on Teso Traditional Practices
3.3.3 Comparing Lango and Iteso Traditional Practices of Peacebuilding
3.4 TRACING PEACEBUILDING TRADITIONS WITHIN THE KARAMOJONG
3.4.1 The History of Violence in Karamojong Society
3.4.2 The Culture of Peace
3.5 TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING OTHER PARTS OF UGANDA
3.5.1 Traditional Practcses of Peacebuilding in Buganda Society
3.5.2 Traditional Practices of Peacebuilding in Ankole
3.6 FRAMEWORK FOR ALL TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING IN UGANDA
3.6.1 An Outline of a Framework
3.6.2 A Call to Integrate Traditional Practices within National Programmes
CHAPTER FOUR: MODERN PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING IN UGANDA
4.1 A CONTEXTUAL DEFINITION
4.2 TYPES OF MODERN PEACEBUILDING PRACTICES IN USE IN UGANDA
4.2.1 Pacification
4.2.2 Use of ‘experts’ input in CSOs Interventions
4.2.3 Peace Talks
4.2.4 Media Peacebuilding
4.2.5 Government Peacebuilding Projects
4.2.6 Peace Education
4.2.7 Justice before Peace or Peace before Justice
4.2.8 Amnesty
4.2.9 Researching for Peace
4.3 COMPARATIVE INDICATORS
4.3.1 Source
4.3.2 Nature
4.3.3 Ownership
4.3.4 Funding
4.3.5 Effectiveness
4.3.6 Skills and knowhow
4.3.7 Acceptability by beneficiaries and donors
4.3.8 Ease of Integration into National Programs
CHAPTER FIVE: CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATING TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING IN NATIONAL PEACEBUILDING PROGRAMMES.
5.1 SPECIFICITY DUE TO CULTURE AND LOCATION
5.2 DESIGN: TOP-DOWN VERSUS BOTTOM-UP
5.3 FUNDING CHALLENGES
5.4 TRADITIONS VERSUS CONSTITUTIONALISM AND ABUSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
5.5 NO “EXPERTS”
5.6 UNFAMILIARITY AMONG THE NEW GENERATION
5.7 CONFUSION ON THE GOVERNMENT ROLE
5.8 ERODED AUTHORITY OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS IN UGANDA
5.9 EXTREME AND PECULIAR NATURE OF CONFLICT
5.10 DIRECT CONFLICT BETWEEN THE TWO SYSTEMS
CHAPTER SIX: CONTOURS OF A COMMON PEACEBUILDING SYSTEM
6.1 A RECAP OF THE THESIS IDEA
6.2 TRADITIONAL PRACTICES
6.2.1 Specific Traditions
6.2.2 Cross-cultural
6.3 MODERN PEACEBUILDING SYSTEM
6.3.1 Contradicting the Traditional System
6.3.2 Agreeing with Traditional Values
6.4 TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM
CONCLUSIONS
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis investigates the dilemma of building durable peace in post-war Northern Uganda, specifically analyzing whether traditional peacebuilding practices can be effectively integrated into the existing national peacebuilding framework to create a hybrid system that is more culturally acceptable and effective than current top-down approaches.
- Historical context of armed conflict in Uganda and failures of previous top-down peace interventions.
- Comprehensive analysis of traditional peacebuilding practices among various tribes (Lango, Acholi, Teso, Karamojong, Buganda, Ankole).
- Evaluation of modern, externally imposed peacebuilding practices in Northern Uganda.
- Analysis of structural, political, and cultural challenges in integrating traditional mechanisms into national policy.
- Development of a framework for an integrated, hybrid peacebuilding system.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1.1 The Early Years and Fears
There are two types of fears, the fear of paper tigers and the fear for life. During my early years in this life I seldom confronted the first type of fear but grew up with the second. I spent my first four years hanging from my mother’s back, often strapped by her but in some occasions I just clung. It was not only because of the mother’s love for the child, but more the mother’s instinct to protect from harm, for there was a lot of harm around us at that time.
I was born to two ex-police personnel. Both of them had left the services before I was born. My father left because he was forced to, reason being that he was half Ugandan and not entitled to full working privileges and therefore he could not earn much to keep the family going through the month. The real issue was my Tanzanian grandfather who married my Ugandan grandmother and produced my father. As for my mother, she left the forces because she needed to be near my father in order to raise the four boys they had produced prior to my birth. My family’s background therefore made us a minority within a minority of Uganda and this plunged me in a search for my identity. This search would shape my future life, resulting in my dissatisfaction with my original profession of law and lead me into Master of Arts in Peace Studies.
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER ONE: A PSYCHOANALYTICAL APPROACH: Explores the author's personal background as a conflict survivor and researcher, and defines key terminology relevant to the thesis.
CHAPTER TWO: THE HISTORY OF ARMED CONFLICT IN UGANDA AND EARLIER ATTEMPTS AT PEACEBUILDING: Traces the history of conflict from pre-colonial times to the present and reviews the failure of various government-led peace initiatives.
CHAPTER THREE: TRADITIONAL PEACEBUILDING PRACTICES IN UGANDA: Examines indigenous conflict resolution and peacebuilding mechanisms across several major Ugandan tribes.
CHAPTER FOUR: MODERN PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING IN UGANDA: Investigates externally imposed peacebuilding strategies and their limitations when applied without community input.
CHAPTER FIVE: CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATING TRADITIONAL PRACTICES OF PEACEBUILDING IN NATIONAL PEACEBUILDING PROGRAMMES: Identifies structural and conceptual obstacles to blending traditional practices into official national policy.
CHAPTER SIX: CONTOURS OF A COMMON PEACEBUILDING SYSTEM: Proposes a framework for a hybrid peacebuilding system that reconciles traditional and modern mechanisms.
Keywords
Northern Uganda, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution, Traditional Practices, Modern Practices, Hybrid System, Lango, Acholi, Post-War Reconstruction, Reconciliation, Forgiveness, Government of Uganda, Civil Society, Local Ownership, Human Rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this thesis?
The research explores the potential of incorporating indigenous, traditional peacebuilding practices into Uganda’s national peacebuilding framework to address the failures of previous top-down, modern interventions in the conflict-ridden northern region.
Which specific themes are addressed in this work?
The core themes include the historical legacy of conflict in Uganda, the limitations of modern "expert-driven" peacebuilding, the restorative nature of traditional tribal rituals, and the challenges of integrating these diverse systems into a coherent national strategy.
What is the core research question?
The thesis asks what traditional peacebuilding practices exist in Northern Uganda that have been ignored by official efforts, and whether these practices can be successfully adapted or replicated in national policies to build durable peace.
What research methodology is employed?
The author uses a retrospective approach, drawing on their personal background as an indigenous member of the Lango community, combined with document analysis, previous field research, focus group discussions, and participant observation.
What are the primary contents of the main chapters?
The work moves from an initial psychoanalytical approach of the author to a historical analysis of conflict, followed by a comparative study of traditional practices across tribes, an investigation into modern peacebuilding strategies, and finally a discussion of the challenges and requirements for a hybrid peacebuilding model.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The study is characterized by concepts such as peacebuilding, traditional practices, modern practices, hybrid system, conflict resolution, local ownership, reconciliation, and post-war reconstruction in Northern Uganda.
Why did the author specifically choose to study the Lango community?
The author chose the Lango community as a primary case study because they are an indigenous member of this tribe, providing them with deep personal familiarity and access to the cultural nuances and working knowledge required to analyze these practices effectively.
How does the author characterize the role of the government in peacebuilding?
The author argues that the government has historically relied on paternalistic, top-down approaches that ignore local needs and traditional systems, resulting in failed programs like the PRDP; they suggest a need for a more inclusive, participatory, and locally-owned government strategy.
- Quote paper
- Adams Rajab Makmot-Kibwanga (Author), 2009, Rediscovering Traditional Peacebuilding Practices in Post War Northern Uganda, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/454739
