The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America April-June 2015 - (Page 10)

ConFlICT TransFormaTIon Songs of Victory in Uganda Report from a Conflict Transformation Training by Lancelot Muteyo U ganda has seen dozens upon dozens of rebel groups in the last three decades. These groups have not spared lives-even of unarmed women and children. Many children and young men have either been killed or forcibly enlisted in the different rebel armies. Most of these atrocities were based on greed, hate, ethnic prejudice and many other evil forces. The government was not immune. It had its own share of atrocities perpetrated on rebels or those depicted as assisting rebels. It was a vicious aggressor-oppressor cycle. It reminds me of the assertion made by one of Africa's champions, Stephen Bantu Biko, when he said, "The greatest oppressor is the one who has been oppressed." The largest rebel group in Uganda was known as the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), led by the charismatic (and often depicted as "evil") Joseph Kony. The LRA fought against the government army and several other rebel groups, mainly in Northern Uganda, for many years. Many inhumane deeds were done during these sad moments in Uganda's history. These included rape, kidnappings, torture, abductions and the forcing of young girls and boys to join the army. I recently received an invitation from an American NGO called Children of the Nations Uganda to facilitate a Conflict Transformation training, for trainers and teachers of orphaned children. In my mind's eye, I thought I was going to see the sorrowful, helpless faces of children. What I saw was breathtaking and therapeutic! Each night after the training, I met with children around a village bonfire. In just three days, I heard stories of children who had escaped from the bush, where they had been captured by rebels. I sang songs with children who had their lips cut off with machetes. I told them stories from famous African folklore, poetry and proverbs, as they listened attentively, though some of their ears had been cut off during the war. It was moving to see how they sang from their hearts. Their mouths could not sing, their ears could not hear, but the melody of their heartbeats was enough to connect with their broken mouths and fractured eardrums. In Africa, we say if you can talk, then you can sing, and if you can walk, then you can dance. Here, I saw children with broken limbs dancing to songs of joy. They had last witnessed the war just three years ago in some parts of that small village in Lira, and, they were truly suffering from post-traumaticstress disorders. But unless you heard about their experiences, you would never notice it in their social behaviour. Their will to survive could not be taken from them. It seemed as if they had been twice betrayed and seven times crucified, yet they survived. Their smiles were worth a huge fortune. Left: Lance Muteyo leads an empowerment exercise with Ugandan children. Photo courtesy of Lancelot Muteyo. 10 Baptist Peacemaker APR-JUN 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America April-June 2015

Crossing Borders in 2015
BPFNA Welcomes New Office Manager
Unsettled By Truth: A Border Awareness Experience
What Nagaland Needs: Report from a Conflict Transformation Training
Songs of Victory in Uganda: Report from a Conflict Transformation Training
It Was a Large Day: Reflections on the US-Cuba Policy Change Announcement
My Vocation as a Peacemaker
Christians & Commitment To Truth & Justice: How Churches Are Responding to the Ayotzinapa Kidnapping
Report from the SOA Watch Vigil
BPFNA World Peace Network to Fund Five African Peace Projects
In the Land of the Willing: A Review of Ken Sehested's New Book
Prayer & Politiks: A Review of Ken Sehested's Online Journal
Resources & Opportunities
2014 BPFNA Highlights
Contributors
Rags of Weariness

The Journal of the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America April-June 2015