A Dog With a Bone in its Mouth Can’t Bite
Saturday, 07 Nov, 2009
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Malia in Uganda
A tale of transformation in Uganda by Malia Everette
My old globe sits and swirls on my desk as it has for almost 30 years. I remember procrastinating on 6th grade book reports and glaring up at the cut outs from National Geographic magazines that adorned my walls as I’d take my pointer finger tilt and spin the globe and run my finger on its cool topography invoking sights and scenes that I’d fantasize about. Over and over it would stop on East Africa, and I’d day dream about soaking my toes in Lake Victoria, going on Safari, and then I ‘d outline the border of Uganda…all along knowing that one day I’d travel to experience these places for myself.
I suppose it is no accident that even back in the late 1970’s I’d look up country profile facts in my father’s encyclopedia and read about the colonial era of Uganda and the then current state of affairs under Idi Amin Dada. My wander lust and curiosity about the world has inspired my vocation as has my life’s path which has exposed me to the incredible beauty and suffering of the human condition.
With a commitment to social justice advocacy, citizen diplomacy and socially responsible tourism I have been blessed to direct and uphold the mission of the Reality Tours program at Global Exchange. Yet only after more than a decade did I dare to seriously entertain the necessity for creating our educational human rights journeys to Uganda. I truthfully felt compelled to do so but I never could have expected the power that this trip had on my spirit.
I say compelled because Global Exchange for the previous two years had created a deep working partnership with the abolitionist organization Not For Sale. As a human rights organization we partner together to educate groups of individuals to travel abroad and learn about the root causes of human trafficking and to inspire and mobilize participants into the international abolitionist movement. After organizing delegations to many other countries on the smuggling and trafficking of human beings into slave labor and sex slavery, we recognized the importance of examining what has been happening for decades in Uganda with the mass abduction of children into armed conflict. Learning about Uganda for me as a weaver of an experiential travel program meant exploring a quintessential example of the complex and unique tasks facing post-colonial African states and understanding the unique history of this region.
I started reading about “child soldiers” and about the political struggles in Uganda and what led to the birth of the LRA (the Lord’s Resistance Army). Established in 1987 the LRA engaged in an armed rebellion against the Ugandan government in what is now one of Africa’s infamous conflicts. During my visit to the IDP camps ( for internally displaced peoples) we drove by the old haunting spots or the LRA’s leader, Joseph Kony, and I could not help but feel the immediacy of this place and the astonishment and fear that many must hold in the hearts for one who proclaims himself the "spokesperson" of God and a spirit medium, primarily of the Holy Spirit, which the Acholi believe can represent itself in many manifestations. Thus because of the need to learn about the struggle for peace in East Africa and especially in Northern Uganda, we decided to develop a reality tour that would examine not only the beauty of Uganda and its biodiversity, but fundamentally to investigate the legacy of conflict and the last remaining active rebel group, the LRA.
The LRA is accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, sexual enslavement of women and children, and forcing children to participate in hostilities and incursions. Lord’s Resistance Army fighters have achieved a sad notoriety by turning on the Acholis they claimed to represent, hacking off lips, ears and noses, killing thousands and abducting more than 20,000 civilians, mostly children. The conflict continues to have devastating effects on the Ugandan people, Museveni’s political legitimacy, and countries in the region that have experienced increased strain due to the flow of irredentist populations. Simply put, the need for people to learn from the stories of communities in Uganda that have been affected themselves compelled us to offer a series of delegations in the summer of 2009 called, Human Trafficking in Africa and Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Trafficked Girls and Boys coerced into being Child Soldiers in Uganda.
Arriving into Kampala I recall the delightful heat of the air. I had to wait in line to purchase my visa and was behind a group of missionaries from the US who were excited and complaining about the slow speed of our processing. I felt awkward about one of the gentleman’s statements about bringing God to “these people” and decided to not engage in a discussion about salvation and religion. I sat thinking about what I’d experience, what my stereotypes were and remembering how much I learned about the world (and especially about myself and my own gender assumptions) staying with the Masai in Tanzania the year before.
After leaving the airport I was met by one of the hotel staff and I was whisked away into the night and off for what seemed like a long drive. I was met at the hotel by some of the bright and free spirited students from Suffolk University and sat up talking with them about the the first day in Uganda. I quickly learnt that these young women knew the issues and were really excited and nervous to meet with youth from Sister Rosemary’s project the next day. Finally I entered in to my room, named after Ezekial, I laid my head down on a pillow and I allowed my mind to race, I thought of my sons, and I kept thinking what would I do if someone came into my home in the middle of the night and took one of my sons…
Over the course of the next few week and a half we met with many individuals and organizations that are committed to rebuilding their communities and lives. We met with women and men supporting the rehabilitation and psychological recovery of these children that were “child soldiers” and “bush brides”. I’d like to highlight a few of the amazing stories that will always be part of who I am and the work that I will do. All of them leave me mesmerized and inspired the tenacity of the human spirit.
Looking back on my time in Uganda on of the most amazing moments was sharing a large living room with about two dozen North Americans and two dozen Ugandans. We had invited two amazing women representing their groups efforts working with the child soldiers in Gulu and Lara to travel to Kampala to meet with our group, share their stories and exchange. I had no idea how fabulous this encounter would be. First we met with Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe is the Director of the St. Monica’s Girls Tailoring School that is next to a refugee camp in Gulu, Uganda. Her school’s focus is on what the Ugandans call ‘child mothers’ -women ages 12 to 18 who were abducted child soldiers.
We heard these young women’s stories of abduction, of rape by their captors, their struggles to survive and their hopes for the future. Some that spoke were mothers and they shared their hopes for their families. The next day we were joined by Lina Zedriga and heard the similar but unique experiences of the youth under her wing. She is a lawyer and magistrate that has tirelessly advocated for women, peace and security. As we listened to the youth with her you could hear a pin drop. Each of us connecting to the stories, some of us with tears, some of us with clenched arms, and others bent over themselves taking notes.
There was such magic of healing in that room too. What was it like for these children who have a shared experience to be listening to others like them? What was it like for all these children to travel to the capital for the first time? I allowed myself to observe the faces. In a pause, as one of Lina’s girls spoke and had to stop and gather herself to resume her story, I admired her strength and then I also thought what was it like for these young University students from the US, knowing what I do statistically of violence against women in the US? I thought about the self selection of people who are attracted to these types of programs and who dedicate themselves to justice.
As the exchange ended, we all dispersed after hugs and thank you’s, ready to break for a spell before dinner. Some of the kids went off to play soccer. I went to confirm our departure for Gulu. Dinner was full of laughter. It was a choir of voices. All of us mixing, talking, and sharing. I closed my eyes and listened to giggles and heard people talking about music and the best places to dance. I smiled. Plans were made for groups to go out and enjoy some local night life.
Friendships had been made. I wrote in my journal that night a rhetorical question, “How can one so young, so innocent, see so much brutality, endure so much pain, inflict pain on others still find the internal reserve to live, laugh, heal and dance? I left Uganda imprinted with the faces of these children and with one of them carrying a 25kilos sack of sugar on her head into the bush, walking for hours and hours and hours. I left Uganda with such respect to the tenacity of the human spirit, with a broader understanding in our human capacity to endure and compelled to hear truth, unconditionally love and take a stand.
For more information please feel free to reach Malia Everette at [email protected]
Www.realitytours.org for more on human trafficking see Www.notforsalecampaign.org
Please consider also supporting the creating and development of THARCE, the Trauma Healing And Reflection Centre-Gulu ( THARCE-Gulu) Lina Zedriga, Director Training & Advocacy [email protected] or [email protected]
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