What is the Lord’s Resistance Army?

When I started this blog, I mentioned possible subtopics that might come up. One of those subtopics was the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Because I am planning on working in northern Uganda this summer, where the LRA originated, this topic is particularly relevant for discussion.

So what is the LRA?

The Lord’s Resistance Army is a rebel group in Uganda led by Joseph Kony. The LRA originated in 1987 among the ethnic Acholi people. Joseph Kony, who is currently ranked 9th onthe World’s top 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, is a native Acholi. Initially, Acholi banded together for protection against the Ugandan government. Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the Ugandan government committed serious acts of oppression against the Acholi. Thus, there was a sense of unmet justice that left natives feeling debilitated, marginalized, and powerless. It was time to fight back.

Before explaining further, it is important to understand who the “government” was at this time. Why was this group of people oppressed? Who oppressed them? We often talk about the LRA, but the whole contextual basis of the problem seems to be lost.

So here is a history lesson:

After Uganda gained independence from Britain in 1962, there was 5 years of democracy under President Milton Obote. As time progressed, however, his regime evolved into a violent dictatorship. In 1971, a non-commissioned army officer named Idi Amin Dada overtook Obote. It was a successful coup welcomed with wide Ugandan support!

However, Idi turned the tables on Ugandans, as his abuse of power was worse than Obote’s. Idi dissolved Parliament and changed the Constitution so that he would have absolute power over Uganda. He eliminated the possibility for any opposition by simply eliminating people without batting an eye. During his 8-year rule, he violently killed hundreds of thousands of Ugandans. Among these victimized Ugandans were the Acholi people.

            Idi specifically targeted Acholi people of Northern Uganda for 2 main reasons:

1.     They supported the power of his predecessor (Abote) instead of his

2.     They comprised a large majority of the army

Idi sought to kill as many Acholi as possible in order to weaken the army and consequently remove any chance of an army uprising. He was utilizing extreme violence to protect his power.

 It seems he also could not accept a situation that didn’t go his way. For some reason he drew this logical conclusion to just wipe out any sort of threat to his power. Human life became meaningless. Over time, Ida devastated Uganda by destroying the economy and banning all Asians . By doing this, he weakened the merchant commercial business that brought money into Uganda.

           

Fortunately, a Tanzanian backed rebellion (including current president Yoweri Museveni) overthrew Idi in 1979.  Afterwards, rigged elections reinstalled Milton Obote to power. I am not sure why this was a good idea, but I guess anyone looks good next to Idi…

Obviously, Obote’s power was abusive as it had been before Idi’s reign. He committed massive human rights abuses, which ultimately sparked a guerilla war led by Museveni in 1981. In 1985, a group of guerilla Acholi’s led by general Tito Okello overthrew Obote. The new government led by Okello then tried to negotiate with Museveni’s guerilla forces. However, Museveni did not stop fighting until he seized power at Kampala. In 1987, Museveni’s National Resistance Army established a “no-party democracy”.

So back to the LRA…

Somehow, in the midst of this chaos, Acholi forces joined to start the LRA. I don’t really understand this, as Museveni’s rise to power looks like a light at the end of the tunnel. However, this is not something the people could have predicted. The damage was already done, the trust was already broken. They were broken, and it was time to right the wrongs.They were not interested in submission to another potentially heinous ruler.

However, support for the LRA was short lived because it too became a means of serious oppression. The LRA got intensely more violent toward civilians and even targeted fellow Acholis . Under Joseph Kony, the LRA became one of the world’s largest monstrosities. It was the complete opposite of “justice”, as the LRA “killed thousands of civilians in Northern Uganda and mutilated many others by cutting off their lips, ears, noses, hands, and feet”. In addition, more than 40,000 children were abducted, brutalized, and forced to serve as soldiers in the LRA. Many of these children were required to torture and kill their own family members.

In the LRA’s early years, its political goal was to overthrow Museveni. Apprently, Kony wanted to create a state based on his interpretation of the 10 commandments...

BUT, the LRA no longer operates in Uganda, so no one really knows why it still exists other than for complete terror. Political goals are hazy, and lives continue to be lost for no real reason…

Fortunately, there haven’t been Uganda LRA attacks since 2006. The LRA has quieted down due to aggressive suppression by both US and Ugandan troops. At this point,  Kony is just hiding out and trying to survive.

"Killer Nurse" Injects a Baby with HIV

While scrolling through Ugandan news, I was completely floored by this headline: “Nurse Accused of Spreading HIV inUganda”. Wait a minute…someone spread HIV on PURPOSE? I was simultaneously angry and appalled. I was even more enraged when I read the label “killer nurse” and the alleged crime: injecting a 2 year old with her HIV-infected blood. 

However, once I read the entire article, I was forced to confront my ignorance head on. I felt a mix of confusing emotions, as my anger was completely redirected. Relief, sympathy, and anger overwhelmed me for a completely different reason than the title of this article suggests.  It reminded me how sometimes we need to remove ourselves from the sensationalized fray and really take a look at the full picture. What is the truth? Thus, I must unpack this story.

In March, a 64-year-old Ugandan nurse was charged with attempted murder and sent to jail without bail. Her crime? Injecting a baby with her HIV infected blood. Okay, so your first reaction is “GOOD”. What a terrible crime! Of course, something so incredibly inhumane rattles us. It is particularly enraging because an innocent baby was victimized. This baby cannot defend him/herself, or even have the knowledge of the crime. How could someone be so cruel to a defenseless baby?

This is where I say to keep reading.  If anything, the story highlights how hospital standards must be stricter to prevents accidents such as this. Sadly, the nurse was so instantly demonized that the important message of this story is completely lost…

            This is what happened: While the nurse was trying to give the child a shot, she accidentally pricked her finger. Instead of ignoring the wound, she responsibly left to get a Band-Aid. When she returned, however, she resumed administering the shot with the contaminated needle. Her negligence stirred the mother’s concern that her baby could have been exposed to HIV. Consequently, the nurse was screened for HIV and exposed as HIV positive. The "killer nurse" was immediately sent to jail without bail because she “posed a grave danger to the public”.

            Doctors then gave the child post exposure treatment. They are currently waiting to see test results confirming whether or not the child has HIV.

           

It is true the nurse could have acted maliciously, but what are the odds? What would be her motive? This is a situation that sounds very much like carelessness rather than attempted murder. Of course, the woman should face consequences for endangering the life of an infant. However, there is an immeasurable difference between a planned attack on a person’s life and an accident.

            Fortunately, this fact was recognized. During the trial, the charge was revised to criminal negligence. I sighed in relief. However, I couldn’t escape a haunting feeling that there was still something fundamentally wrong about this whole story.

I soon realized that my blood was still boiling because of HIV prejudice.

            The nurse shouldn’t be on trial in the first place. Instead, her mistake should have been 
“referred to the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council, a statutory body charged with protecting the public from unsafe nursing practices”. 
 She should have answered to them. This realization completely changed the story, as it illustrated the horrific reality of an HIV stigma that plagues Uganda. The nurse was on trial for having HIV. She was treated with immediate hostility and brutality. She instantly became a villain because of her HIV status.

According to AIDS-Free World, the case illustrates  
“the failure of both the media and the prosecutor's office to act responsibly" and could set "a dangerous precedent and could have grave consequences for the fundamental rights of people living with HIV and AIDS in Uganda and beyond”.

            If she is convicted, the wrongness of this misdirected hatred and HIV prejudice will be unaddressed. The importance of this story will slip through the cracks…According to Fox News, "public knowledge of one's HIV-positive status can destroy a life". The horrific treatment of the nurse exemplifies this, as she is permanently branded with the word evil. This unwarranted hatred needs to be destroyed, or those with HIV will continue to suffer.

Wow! What an incredibly misleading title, right? Yet, the sad reality is that many people take this message at face value and sharpen pitchforks for all the wrong reasons. What a daunting and horrific reality, knowing that we can get something all wrong. Plain out ignorance is catastrophic, as it terrorizes communities and perpetuates stigma and violence that can ruin people’s lives.

Revised Profile and Voice

Profile
 

Meet my mate Charlotte! Charlotte is a witty Brit who documents her Ugandan volunteer initiatives on a travel blog called “Diary of a Muzungu”. Charlotte conveys herself with such passion and excitement that she makes even elephant feces interesting...yum!

  Five years ago, Charlotte joined an international development charity called VSO (Voluntary Services Overseas). VSO strives to find a long-term solution to global poverty. The four main focuses are health, participation and governance, secure livelihoods, and education. These focuses encompass a holistic approach to global issues that parallels my public health aspirations.

In 2009, Charlotte joined the Uganda Conservation Foundation (UCF) with the goal of “achieving the balance between human development and wildlife and habitat conservation”.

       Since then, Charlotte dramatically expanded her blog into organized sections called “Adventure”, “Conservation”, “Diary”, “Society & Culture”, “Travel Tips”, “Travel”, and “Volunteering”. Because she posted monthly, this organization was important to filter posts into appealing themes. No one wants to read through 5 years of posts! This functionality might be one reason why her blog is popular. Over 50% of viewers spend 2.5+ hours reading her blog, and the average viewer reads her blog 3x a day. 

It’s encouraging to see such growth in Charlotte’s blog because it reveals the enormous capabilities of my own blog. Charlotte started her blog like mine-to document research and volunteer initiatives. However, her small-scaled means of Ugandan research evolved into a massive outlet for future learning!

Charlotte’s strong voice was another reason her blog caught my attention. Her words captivated my interest in both her volunteer work and in who she actually was. The voice behind her words is the inspiration that charges her words with purpose. This voice component is a tremendous reason why Charlotte’s blog has grown over the years. She started her blog with a shy, noob-like tone saying, 

“I’m just learning the ropes here with blogging but thought you might be interested in hearing about my journey ‘pre-departure’.” 

Her only tag was “Uganda”, and she had no links to support the networking aspect of her posts. This is exactly what my noob blog looks like, as I am still finding my voice and figuring out how to contribute my ideas to the social network.

Now, she is confident, funny, and opinionated. This successful blog growth/voice development is a direct product of Charlotte’s personal growth. “Diary of a Muzungu” was an outlet for Charlotte’s character development as she evolved from a shy blogger with one tag into a smooth, humorous blogger who invites you in by saying,

 “I am the Captain for your tour of the Pearl of Africa”. 

Now, her posts are filled with tags like this:
 

       
She is also very detailed as she links to pictures, other websites, and other blog posts. If she mentions a topic she previously discussed, she links the reader to that post by integrating the link into her sentence (rather than providing a daunting list of references). 

The resulting voice appeals to both common readers and academic scholars/ professionals because she speaks intimately and factually. She reveals emotions and opinions, but her content is supported by research and understanding. Thus, her personality-infused content delivery attracts common readers while her research attracts professionals (e.g  Wikipedia cites her for Muzungus). 

I aspire to model "Diary of a Muzungu", as Charlotte portrays a wonderful integration of her voice/personality with the details of her work/experiences. I want to surpass my noob status by capturing her ability to both educate and entertain a wide range of audiences.

Examples of some of her interesting posts are:

  1. 50 Reasons Why I Love Uganda; 

This post appeals to the common reader part of me who just wants to know what to look forward to when I go to Uganda!

   2. Interview with a Rebel: Ugandan Cultural Activist Stephen Rwangyezi

This post appeals to the scholar part of me because it details the history of the Ndere Cultural Centre and the Uganda Development Theatre Association. The topics are: dance, development, the impact of colonialism on traditional culture, and the conflicts of homosexuality and born-again Christians.

However, our blogs will differ because I’m going to Uganda for human based public health initiatives instead of animal conservation. My posts will also be limited because my service is restricted to 3 weeks. BUT, it is possible that my blog, like Charlotte’s, will evolve into a broader, more comprehensive outlet for my future travels and service!

Voice Critique

Meet Tumwijuke Mutambuka (say that 3x fast!). She is a brutally honest Ugandan journalist who authors Ugandan Insomniac. The words that scramble out of her unfiltered mind paint her posts with vivid social commentary and humor. She depicts life in Uganda with a satirical simplicity that elucidates larger societal issues. In this way, her spontaneity and passion arouses laughter. On the other hand, her words highlight deeper, serious issues.

       For example, in “Mr. Museveni, Please Come to My Wedding”, Tumwijuke utilizes extreme sarcasm while addressing President Museveni in a submissive manner. However, her sarcasm conveys a sense of feisty-ness that contradicts submissiveness.  For example, she says:

“Mr. President, I don’t have a husband-in-waiting. I’m searching for one, but the hunt is hard... I felt your pain when you admitted to being tormented because only you had the power of foresight for Uganda. I identify, Mr. President. I identify. There are no men who live up to my one and only requirement that they be men. Masculinity and vision are hard to find these days.”

Through these words, she highlights an unrealistic oppression-like attitude toward women. She agrees with Museveni’s strife for “vision” and “power of foresight for Uganda” in order to disagree with and undermine him. She  idolizes Museveni's authority when she repeats words like “I identify” next to "Mr.President". She is ironically idolizing his supreme and seemingly unquestionable authority. She doesn’t actually identify. Her feigned submissiveness undermines Museveni and highlights a larger societal issue.

This is especially apparent when she says how her “one and only requirement” is that “they be men”. The view that women don’t have needs or expectations other than simply having a man is patronizing towards women and their complex humanity. This jaded oppression of women deprives them of the empowerment, understanding, and respect they deserve.

 

            Later Tumwijuke sarcastically invites Museveni to her wedding and says:

"A congregation full of people… clapping at my unwise decision to choose a five-time divorcee as my marriage counselor... smiling hoards bless my man and I, ignoring the fact that he is a known thief and scoundrel. It’s beautiful, Mr. President.”

Because the only requirement is that he be a man, the quality of her husband’s character doesn’t matter. This is downright ignorant and stupid! Museveni would rather see traditional marriages/gender roles among scoundrels than nontraditional marriages of people with true love and upright character. It doesn’t matter that her husband is a “thief” and a “scoundrel”, because he only needs to be a man. 

This schleps all Ugandan women into the same E-harmony boat with the sole spouse criteria of “strong, masculine, man”. Her overstatement depicts Museveni’s wrongness for focusing solely on gender to define matrimony.

But hey, “it’s beautiful”. This is ironic because no one would agree that being married to a thief and scoundrel is “beautiful”.

Tumwijuke’s ironic and sassy attitude displays her strong opinion. Through artfully crafted word choice, she stirs your opinion in a conversation that dives beyond surface humor. Her sarcasm and wit display a profound understanding and awareness of her environment. “Laughing at Our Own Absurdity” is a great example of this.

She prefaces her post with “jus” saying that she has no constructive options to offer. Her use of “jus’” creates a nonchalant colloquial tone that identifies her post as a funny rant. However, she follows her preface with suspenseful “…” punctuation.

To relieve the suspense, she discusses how ridiculous Ugandans are for commercially marketing children. Although she presents this problem in a humorous manner, the  “…” creates an ominous vibe in the recognition of a terrible problem. 

Tumwijuke then personifies Uganda:

“Yes, Uganda knows how to sell its children.”  

       The personification villainizes Ugandans as it implicates all Ugandans in the responsibility for marketing children.The sarcastic use of “yes” sets an artificial encouraging tone that reiterates the issue as something so easily accepted and promoted.

Her encouraging tone depicts how Ugandans are blinded to their blunders. Good job Uganda! Thus, her encouraging tone is used to discourage this abuse of children.

        Continuing her hyperbolic language, Tumwijuke interjects with “Eeeeeh? Aaaaaah!”. These interjections magnify the absurdity of marketing children like animals on display.

Furthermore, she overstates the issue when she says:

“They are doing a good job! They are raising good money for the underprivileged in Uganda…Their mission is higher than any because it is a mission directed by God”
 

            Her sarcasm underscores ignorance. They really are raising money for Uganda, BUT this skewed moral justification (using the bible!) for selling children is ridiculous.Thus, Tumwijuke utilizes an excellent rhetorical appeal to human rights and morality to convey her messages.

Her firm and clever delivery of Ugandan issues is something I wish to emulate. However, Tumwijuke's opinion blog differs from my blog because my blog is more fact/research based. Fortunately, her opinion and first-hand accounts of her country are wonderful insights for health professionals to use as community analysis tools. Her brave endeavor to tackle societal issues can guide future health research and effective solutions.

         

Ebola

It is time for a new topic! My previous posts have been heavily focused on homosexuals and human rights. In case you are just tuning in, the reason for this is because President Yoweri Museveni just signed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill on February 24^th, 2014. 

As a recap, the bill calls for the potential lifetime imprisonment of homosexuals living in Uganda. This is a “hot topic” right now, as the bill has only magnified and capitalized on preexisting prejudices against homosexuals. Homophobia and its related oppression and discrimination has remained a toxic and pervasive problem in Uganda. The Anti-Homosexuality law merely confirms these notions and fuels the fire of historical homophobia.

But today my new topic is EBOLA.

Current global health initiatives have been so heavily focused on other things, that it is so easy to dismiss something as incredibly important as Ebola. I kind of forgot it existed… Smallpox was eradicated in 1977. Wasn’t Ebola also sort of “eradicated” at some point?...No.

So I decided to do some digging, and discovered Ebola's history in Uganda. Ebola is a deadly health concern that warrants discussion.

For starters, let’s talk about what EBOLA is. Ebola is a deadly "virus disease". It is also commonly known as Ebola hemorrhage fever. Yes, it is as horrible as it sounds.

Ebola was first recognized in 1988 in Sudan. For you geography geniuses, Sudan is actually Uganda’s northern neighbor.

Since the outbreak, professionals have recognized 5 major kinds of Ebola. The 5^th kind of Ebola, Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) was actually recognized in Uganda. The Ugandan Ministry of Health recognized BDBV in 2007. The Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization confirmed this outbreak of Ebola as a new species of the virus. Fortunately, the epidemic in Uganda ended in 2008 with its last recorded case. (however, Ebola is not eradicated. It outbreaks sporadically in African countries.)

Before discussing Ebola further, let’s talk about the symptoms of Ebola.

Here are the devastating symptoms of Ebola outlined by Wikipedia:

 

If you don’t follow that dense terminology, Ebola is pretty much a flu-like disease that causes fever, hemorrhaging and severe diarrhea. According to the World Health Organization, Ebola is “one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind”. Unfortunately, 25-90% of Ebola cases end in death. It is highly fatal, and symptoms appear very abruptly. This means you can suffer gastrointestinal bleeding, bleeding from your eyes/ears/nose, skin rash bleeding, genital swelling , etc all very quickly. These symptoms typically lead to a death marked by suffering. Thus, Ebola is gruesome and fatal.

In an interesting article, Linda Poon, a public health writer, talks about an Ebola outbreak in Uganda in 2000.  She start off with saying  “understanding local customs — and fears — can go a long way in getting communities to cooperate with international health care workers”. Okay…this makes sense. I immediately wanted to know why she said this…

Apparently, Ugandans were very scared to bring their sick loved ones to health care clinics during the outbreak. They were afraid of the international healthcare workers because sometimes they would never receive word that their family members had died. In fact, the bodies were disposed of without any notification. Bodies needed to be zipped up quickly into body bags and disposed of so that the virus didn’t spread. Could you imagine putting your grandpa in the hospital one day only to wonder what happened to him the next day? Sounds like a law-case in the US. Because of this, Ugandans were actually skeptical that Europeans were working in a body-parts business. Naturally, they felt angry and disrespected by these international healthcare workers.

This fear of the healthcare workers becomes a huge issue in terms of Ebola because it deters people from seeking the healthcare they need. According to Barry Hewlett, a medical anthropologist, 

“This fear could have been averted by allowing family members to see the body in the bag and allowing family members to escort the body to the burial ground."

He further concludes that efforts to contain the virus must be culturally appropriate and sensitive, in order to ensure that people are accessing the health services they need rather than running away from them. I couldn’t agree more!

As a result, 3 major changes are helping increase access to care:

1. Removal of large tarps surrounding isolation area so that family members can talk to sick relatives
2. Medical team members attending funerals as a sign of respect
3. Addition of anthropologists to Doctors Without Borders program in order to help doctors understand how a local population perceives disease. (e.g blaming Ebola on sorcery rather than contact with body fluids)

By cultivating a cultural understanding among health professionals, they can work within the context of the community they serve in order to cater health services in a respectful and effective manner.  Doctors must maintain sensitivity to cultural beliefs in order to deliver their services to an accepting community.