Kidega is a former child soldier who grew up in Acholiland, in the village of Acaya. All Kidega ever dreamed of was playing football for Kampala City Council F.C. (KCC) just like Latigo. (Latigo originates from Kitgum District in Northern Uganda; he captivated the nation with his football [soccer] talent. What Michael Jordan achieved in basketball, Latigo achieved in soccer). But then, at the age of thirteen, Kidega's life was eclipsed by the death of his family and his abduction and training as a soldier. Kidega undergoes Mato Oput, a cleansing ceremony, in his journey of forgiveness and reconciliation. Kidega remembered Ladit Naptali Ocoo's words: "It is possible to break the cycle of hate and revenge. It is possible to find peace again". As Kidega stood there, on the edge of his new life, with the pain and devastation of the past behind him, he knew, finally, that this was true.

Mato Oput

The drinking of a bitter potion made from the "Oput" treeBy Dinah Senkungu Walusimbi

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Dinah Senkungu Walusimbi
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-4700-9

Contents

Acknowledgements.............................................................viiAbout the author.............................................................xiPrologue.....................................................................xiiiChapter One The squabble during the Harvest Celebration......................1Chapter Two The gruesome massacre of the Amone family........................13Chapter Three The abduction of Kidega........................................19Chapter Four The burial of the Amone family..................................23Chapter Five Kidega watched a man writhe in flames...........................25Chapter Six Life in the camp.................................................31Chapter Seven The death of two boys in the camp..............................35Chapter Eight The attack and the departure from the camp.....................43Chapter Nine Life in Acaya and Labwor village................................49Chapter Ten Searching for forgiveness........................................57Chapter Eleven Kidega meets Ladit Naptali....................................63Chapter Twelve The Nyono Tong Gweno ceremony.................................69Chapter Thirteen The decision on Mato Oput Ceremony..........................75Chapter Fourteen The Mato Oput Ceremony......................................79Chapter Fifteen More Mato Oput candidates....................................89

Chapter One

The squabble during the Harvest Celebration

Kidega, Anena's thirteen-year-old son, raced an old car tire around the village, dodging the village elders that slowly gathered for the harvest celebration. He paused as the aroma of roasted meat hit his nose and stirred his appetite. Agena, Kidega's twelve-year-old sister, tried to snatch the tire from him.

"Kidega, please let me try!" Agena pleaded with her brother.

"Play nice!" Their father, Amone, yelled at both of them while roasting a goat over an open fire. Kidega pushed the tire in the bushes and picked up a ball he had made from banana fibers and started dribbling the ball in and out of his foot. He imagined himself playing in the World Cup as he hit the ball with his chest and then his thigh. He moved near where his father was cooking and watched the juices running from the meat and fueling the fire.

Amone made an unlikely traditional cook. He wore a pair of jeans instead of the small piece of goatskin worn by the traditional men. He turned the meat carefully to allow it to cook evenly. He was known for cooking his meats to perfection. His mother raised him in a traditional Acholi household, teaching him the art of roasting meat from a very young age. This technique was passed down to him from generations of great cooks.

On the other side of the compound, a good number of excited children and women watched as the men dug a hole in the ground and lined it with stones. These were special stones the men found in the mountains. The pit was then filled up with hot charcoal and smoldering oak and mesquite chips and shells of hickory nuts to add to the flavor.

Meanwhile, a good-size hefty pig was being seasoned with thyme, bay, and rosemary and then wrapped up in layers and layers of banana leaves. One eager boy helped the men place a large mango in the pig's mouth to keep it open while cooking. With the help of several men, the pig was carefully lowered into the pit and covered immediately with dirt. That pig will come out red and ready way past midnight for the last dance.

The sound of drums echoed throughout the village. Anena danced while motioning to the young ladies to join her. Sounds of laughter and food being served were interrupted by the entry of the Resistant Council (RC) chairman and his entourage from the National Resistance Movement (NRM). It was the year 1986 when the NRM came into power, and in their effort to bring about peace in the village, they introduced the RC and officially authorized them to be part of the local government. With the introduction of the RCs in villages, the NRM government curtailed most of the powers of traditional chiefs. The NRM's main goal was to bring together the traditional style of government and the modern democratic government. It was no wonder that they showed up for this dance.

Rumor had it that they attended all village functions in search of members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA was a militant group that had formed in 1987 right after the NRM came into power and engaged in an armed rebellion against the NRM. The LRA abducted children and indoctrinated them in their movement against the government. Their main belief was a concoction of local religious rituals and the Ten Commandments. They blended Christianity with traditional beliefs. This group was led by a man who proclaimed himself a spirit medium of the Holy Spirit.

Some of the people from Acholiland were still bitter about the overthrow of their own son, Tito Okello. Their joy of having a Kitgum-born president was short-lived when the NRM came into power. Tito Okello had been in power for six months, to be precise. People from Lango also had ill feelings against the NRM because of the NRM involvement in the fight against Milton Obote, a smart son of a chief in Akokoro village. To most of the people from Lango, he was esteemed as the first president of Uganda. Not everyone was in agreement, but they kept these feelings to themselves. Obote was a joy to his people, and they missed him; some of them gave sacrifices for his protection and safe return to power.

The festive mood of the people at the party turned into somber looks and hushed noises as they watched the entourage make their way to the center of the gathering. The harvest dance attracted many people, but this year there was growing tension. Anena looked toward her husband before joining the village women who were dressed in vibrant colors with matching head garments crowning their heads. Some of the fashions had been influenced by the Buganda Busuuti that became popular during the reign of Milton Obote, who married a muganda woman whose elegance in a Busuuti influenced the Luo women. This muganda woman was a daughter from one of the largest traditional kingdoms in Uganda; ironically, Obote abolished the kingdom of the Baganda. Now some of the women dressed in Busuti and some of them wore their beautiful traditional attire. The women were laughing and chattering loudly. Kwete, the local beer, was flowing freely. The celebration was just getting started.

Anena kept an eye on Amone and she noticed that he was nervously calling the children. This was a side she'd never seen during village gatherings. Children were normally allowed to dance, climb trees, chase one another, eat, sing, and play football as they pleased. But this day, the parents summoned their children to stay nearby. Anena tried to fight the sensation of fear that was gnawing inside her, lurking at the pit of her being and not seeming to go away. She spotted the presence of the Ker Kal Kwaro members, a group of elders who were chosen by the people and known to be impartial in the conflict facing the people of the village. They represented the chiefs of the Acholi land. Anena's heart raced with the same rush she felt when she noticed the obvious presence of the NRM members.

It had only been a few days ago...