UGANDA: PRESIDENT MUSEVENI APOLOGIES TO ACHOLI CHIEFDOM; HANDS OVER COVID-19 KITS

Martin Ojara Mapenduzi condemned Acholi Traditional norms of demon casting (Ryemo Gemo) as earlier on stimulated by various local Radio stations in Gulu.  This was prominent in mobilizing Acholi communities for spearheading what he expresses to be satanic worshipping.

“Leave what belongs to Ceaser to Ceaser. Let Acholi people handle their own cultural norms.”

GULU-UGANDA: President Museveni on Thursday April, 2, 2020 for the first time apologized to Acholi Chiefdom, Ker Kwaro for being misled about Acholi tradition of demon casting, Ryemo Gemo which occurred on March 31^st 2020.

Esther Mbayo Minister for Presidency delivered President Museveni’s apologies to Ambrose Oola the Prime Minister Acholi Ker Kwaro. This happened when President Museveni was addressing the nation, the world rose why Acholi culture  allow local radio stations to mobilized people for ryemo gemo, She told Acholi Prime at Acholi chiefdom palace in Gulu.

“The president sent me to hand the message to His Excellency Rwot David Onen Acana II, noting that world is highly aware to what has happened Ryemo Gemo.” Mbayo urged.

Adds on that His Excellent called Rwot Acana to help addressing VCOVID-19 pandemic in his communities. He requested Acholi to join the fight against COVID-19 through Acholi cultural chiefdom, says the Minister for Presidency.

Minister for presidency further argues the Acholi Prime Minister to address the message the government has put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19. He further imparts that they received information that some cultural leaders went to the mountain to ask for spiritual guidance from evil spirits that told them they are the origin of COVID-19 pandemic, she informed Olaa Acholi Prime.

“But we are here to tell you COVID-19 started in China, the president apologies to Rwot Acana over misinformation.” Mbayo revealed.

After addressing the media she handed over COVID-19 campaign kits to Acholi Prime Olaa

Olaa Acholi Prime Ker Kwaro Acholi responded to statement of misinformation about cultural leaders on COVID-19,  by answering that  Acholi cultural chiefdom has sent two representatives to help as COVID-19 task force.

“As Ker Kal kwaro Acholi we want to face this pestilence, we have already known that you are coming here, the world knows.” Olaa reasoned.

But for us there has been misinformation to misinterpretations and misreporting, His Highness reiterates about the issue of propaganda, but wanted to get to the bottom how the matter of misinformation arises, Acholi Paramount Chief demanded, Olaa urged.

Ker kwaro Acholi’s response to statement of disinformation about cultural leaders on COVID-19:

Greeting from Ker Kwaro Acholi and best to all, as the world is at peril with COVID-19.

A lot has been doing rounds regarding a concern brought before His Excellency the President during his briefing on COVID-19 on March 31^st 2020 that stated that media houses were misleading Acholi public that cultural leaders consider COVID-19 an evil spirit and are mobilizing the community to cast out the evil spirit and consequently the president issuing a warning to cultural leaders in Acholi.

The position of ker kwaro Acholi has been clear right from the beginning, His Highness Rwot Onen Acana and Prime Minister Olaa Ambrose came out clearly with the  statement to the public in their communication on COVID-19 that all must comply to the directives by HE The President.

In no instance have any of the 57 chiefdoms in Acholi issued counter directives or appeared in any of the media platform. Ker kwaro Acholi Participates in most COVID-19 District task forces and reports its activities.

Ker kwaro Acholi has gone further in its communication to simply the understanding of the presidential directives using analogies’ that Acholi for centuries have used in epidemic or pandemic control and management in Acholi.

Tradition in Acholi further bars traditional chiefs from engaging in acts that relate to evil spirits, ker Kwaro Acholi believes that COVID-19 is a concern to all and that there must be a common understanding in dealing with it.

It reminds us of the concerted efforts fighting Ebola, Nodding Disease Syndrome and other afflictions in Acholi.

It must however be understood that for generations and centuries traditional Acholi has developed elaborate methods of handling epidemic and other forms of crisis like conflict.

This was as part of the key social, political, economic and religious structuring of the society. Over the years the understanding of these traditional has been affected by the conflict eliminating the knowledge.

Time and space for large section of the community to learn, inherit and practices. Other factors like type of education, religion have eaten into this space and tried to undermine the values in tradition.

However, the social, political, economic and religious formations remained somehow functioning and executing their responsibilities. Socially the Acholi existed in related clusters in chiefdoms, clans, extended families and households.

In these structures there were key responsibilities to guarantee society\s survival. These responsibilities included; those for production were the production chiefs a male and female (Rwot Kweri and Rwot Okoro).

There were deities and Oracles that guide the religious lives of the people, diviners and medicine men to take care of the community health. In principle every aspect of Acholi life was created for within society’s structure.

Within this arrangement Acholi developed codes that translated into norms, value, taboos, and practices. This formation is common in many African societies.

With the advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the associated threats that comes along, all the units of traditional society responsible for protecting the people from such calamities thought it wise to evoke traditional epidemic control practices to support presidential directives.

Fortunately, most of the traditional practices were very similar to the presidential directives and people were knowledgeable about. This was important because it would help to translate and communicate the presidential directives and the people were knowledgeable about. This was important because it would help to translate and communicate the presidential directive in a way people understand.

One particular incident created a fundamental misunderstanding that was wrongly relayed to the president. A deity Lagoro conducted a traditional prayer and pronounced that people should perform a ritual of cleansing the land (Ryemo Gemo). This act is performed individually in household where noise is the primary tool used in anticipation that this noise will throw out all bad omen and warn people of an impending danger.

There an epicenter and the action snowballs all through the land, so everybody got whatever could make noise including shouting to send away evil or bad omen.

It is also used as unique communication method to warn people of an impending threat and that people should be prepared. We remember in Uganda during the HIV/AIDS pandemic how t drum became an effective tool to warn the public of the Pandemic.