Leaders moot plans to revive Acholi Sub- region’s lost glory

By: Brian Komakech

Gulu

Leaders in Acholi Sub-region have drawn plans to revive what they describe as the “fundamental collapse” of the sub-region’s identity, culture, education, economy, and sense of pride.

At the fore of these plans are; Chief Justice of Uganda Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, and former Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party President Dr. Olara Otunu.

Speaking recently to media personnel from the Acholi Sub-region, Justice Owiny-Dollo described the sub-region as “collapsing” and called for concerted efforts for its gradual restoration.

Justice Owiny-Dollo, said it is no longer a secret that the Acholi Sub-region’s societal fundamentals are crumbling, arguing that the situation is already visibly dire.

“Our homeland is experiencing drastic collapse, we entirely accept that the situation is already grim, and we shouldn’t let the situation go on,” said Justice Owiny-Dollo.

Justice Owiny-Dollo revealed that following several concerns from people about the fundamental collapse of the Acholi society, he had a lengthy discussion with Dr. Olara Otunu, and they resolved to start working instead of lamenting.

“The Acholi have had several meetings. We have given out many ideas and stood up when something is wrong. But there is one thing that we have not done, as Acholi, have we sat down, have we had dialogues, have we investigated where our problem emanates from?” he asked.

From their discussions, Justice Owiny-Dollo said they formed a group of members from the sub-region to brainstorm solutions to restore Acholi.

“We have now created small committees, those tasked with investigating the source of the problem, how it started, and how it can be resolved. it’s a 16-member committee of people volunteering without any allowance,” he said.

To provide a consolidated solution to the challenges facing the Acholi Sub-region, the leaders have organized a Pan-Acholi convocation of political, religious, and cultural leaders.

Slated for December 27 to 29th, the convocation dubbed “Gurre me Pongdwongo” (the Assembly at Pongdwongo) will be at Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School in Pece-Laroo Division in Gulu City.

Dr. Olara Otunnu said the purpose of the convocation at Pongdwongo is to understand the reality facing the sub-region and suggest concrete plans and solutions to address the challenges.

He highlighted that the region is partly grappling because of the two-decade-long conflict that pushed hundreds of thousands of people into Internally Displacement Persons’ camps.

“We decided that the best way to tackle this is to put our heads together. We did some consultation and then decided there should be a Pan-Acholi convocation to wrap our minds around the radical collapse and existential situation facing our society,” said Otunnu.

According to Otunnu, the existential situation facing the region manifests in two forms. Firstly, the collapse of material well-being which encompasses formal education, a lagging economy, an incredible level of poverty, and the various issues on land. The second form, he said, is the collapsed identity, pride, and sense of history critical and needs to be addressed.

“At Pongdwongo, we shall be addressing these fundamental collapses at both levels, what is happening at the intangible, metaphysical, visible, and non-visible issues,” he said.

Otunnu, however, said the convocation won’t be a medium of finger-pointing at the government or the legislators in the sub-region, but to self-challenge the Acholi Community on what to do to reverse the already bad situation.

Hunt for finances

According to Otunnu, the Pan-Acholi convocation will require about 150 million shillings to facilitate a successful meeting. He called on all willing people who care about reviving the Acholi community to help raise the money for the event.

Monsignor Mathew Odong, the Vicar General of the Gulu Archdiocese acknowledged that the Acholi Community is lagging in many critical aspects that deserve deep reflection by all stakeholders to resolve.

“Acholi as a tribe is in the dark in this country. We are completely down the grave, and we need to come out. But it takes unity, togetherness, and sacrifice, and I think we shall manage to rebuild what has gone wrong,” he said.

With the two-decade insurgency orchestrated by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels that devastated lives, forced about a million into displacement, and left hundreds dead, the Acholi Sub-region to date ranks among the poorest regions in the country. 

The 2019/2020 Uganda National Household Survey report conducted by the Uganda National Bureau of Statistics places the sub-region among the top poorest in the country, with the poverty rate at 68 percent, higher than the national estimate of 47 percent.