Local people have wisdom and traditional knowledge on how to use and manage their land and other resources. Modern African states, however, rely on state law and policies for natural resource control and management.
In her paper titled “Traditional Wisdom in Land Use and Resource Management Among the Lugbara of Uganda: A Historical Perspective”, BSU Fellow Dr. Agatha Alidri argues that while pursuing development as well as addressing its challenges, it is important to consider local knowledge and practices.
Mentoring is described by the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary as “the practice of helping and advising a less experienced person over a period of time, especially as part of a formal programme.” In their paper, titled “Teachers Perceptions of Mentoring on Teacher Effectiveness in Government Aided Secondary Schools in the Acholi Sub-region,” published in the International Journal of Scientific Research, three researchers present evidence to show that mentoring improves teachers’ effectiveness and helps them to realise their potential in the teaching and learning process.
John Bismarck Okumu (Gulu University), Wycliffe ScotWafula (Makerere University) and Victoria Tamale Kaggwa (Makerere University) argue that way teachers perceive mentoring is likely to affect their views of mentoring on teacher effectiveness.
They recommend that the Ministry of Education Science Technology and Sports should create awareness of the impact and issues related to mentoring in educational institutions, policy makers should include a mentoring programme within the delivery of core national curriculum subjects, and school administrators should have close relationship with specialists in educational mentorship and other agencies that regularly practice mentoring processes.
The 1995 constitution recogises Nubi as one of Uganda’s tribes but Nubians’ citizenship is still questioned by many members of other tribes in the communities among which they live. That contestation of their citizenships has led to discrimination, human rights violation and conflict.
In his paper “Contested citizenship, religious discrimination and the growth of Nubian identity in Northern Uganda”, published in the journal Globe, BSU Fellow Charles Amone discusses how discrimination has helped Nubians to build their ethnic identity and sustain it among people in northern Uganda. You can access the abstract and the full paper through Globe.
To guarantee stability and rights, there is a need for developing new forms of democracy that find a balance between state autocracy and citizen involvement through good governance. This argument is fronted by researchers Florence Indede ( Maseno University), Inger Lassen (Aalborg University) and Charles Okumu (Gulu University) in their paper titled Unpacking the concepts of stability, democracy and rights. They further argue that citizens have collective agency and are capable of developing new strategies for survival. The abstract and the full paper can be accessed through Globe: A Journal of Language, Culture and Communication
Although international capital is vital for the [Northern Uganda] recovery process, where it involves natural resources such as land, its effectiveness is likely to be affected negatively unless local communities are included in the planning process; which calls for an inclusive rather than a top-down recovery strategy. This conclusion is drawn from Sulayman Mpisi Babiiha’s paper International Capital, Inclusive Planning and Post-War Recovery: The Case of Acholi Land, Northern Uganda. The abstract and the full paper can be accessed through the Journal of Governance and Development
Schools should create a democratic environment where students in schools in the whole country can achieve equal performances in the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations and the School Performance Index (SPI), argues Dr. Stephen Odama in his paper “The impact of examination ridden system of education on democracy in education in Uganda: an implication for policy change”. You can access the abstract and the full paper through Globe: A Journal of Language, Culture and Communication.
Land rights are critical for women escaping gender-based violence in all its forms and from remaining destitute when marriage breaks down. Polygamy remains a big barrier in ascertaining women’s land rights as the already cramped land is continuously competed for by both wives and male children, argues Laloyo Stella Apecu in her paper “Gender, land rights and fragility in Northern Uganda: the case of Amuru District.” The abstract and full paper can be accessed through Globe: A Journal of Language, Culture and Communication
The impact of the twenty years in the Camps fractured traditional Acoli culture but did not break the people’s resilience. This article explores the impact of the LRA armed conflict on the Acoli population with special emphasis on internal displacement. The article can be accessed through Globe: A Journal of Language, Culture and Communication
Participatory design (PD) allows for democratic developments at work place
thus giving users powers to make decisions on what affects them. The result of using such a method is sustainable systems for change with collective responsibility. Follow this link for the abstract and full paper
Indigenous knowledge has traditionally been the most important source of information about agricultural practices and production in many rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Modern, scientific knowledge has increasingly contested and replaced this knowledge, but has itself not always been adapted to local conditions, in contrast to indigenous knowledge that has evolved over time and is very place-specific. Since most indigenous knowledge is held in oral expressions; like proverbs, folklore and songs, documentation of the knowledge is important for its preservation and possible future use. Follow this link for the abstract and full paper.
Social disorder, violence and crime are a product of the clash between indigenous and modern law, states Agatha Alidri in her paper “Rethinking Indigenous Knowledge in the Maintenance of Law and Order: A Case of the Lugbara of Uganda”. The abstract and full can be accessed through this link.
Although a segmentary society, the Lugbara used indigenous wisdom and lived experience to develop traditional law to guide in the management of land, flora, fauna, and water for posterity. Cultural beliefs, values, norms, and practices that guided land use and resource management were handed down by word of mouth through generations. Clan elders were the custodians of clan resources, guiding the people in negotiating the pitfalls and contradictions of human life. Development and its associated problems could be addressed using indigenous knowledge and wisdom. The beneficiaries need the capacity to sustain development by using the available local knowledge and resources. Rethinking traditional knowledge and wisdom could act as a strategy for sustainable development.
The reluctance of wildlife officials to engage northern Uganda communities in policy discussions, and internal weaknesses in the governance structural systems, combine to frustrate efforts in the local community to recover their livelihoods for a better standard of living. Follow this link for the abstract and full paper.
Book of abstracts 2022: Building Stronger Universities (BSU) project – Gulu University can be downloaded through this link.
This Policy Brief highlights steps that should be followed if compensation of war victims of northern Uganda is to be meaningful. Published in May 2023, it is based on research conducted in 2022 by researchers from Gulu University. The brief can be accessed through this link
The Covid-19 lockdown registered the optimum use of mobile digital technology, attracting more students to offer history, building lecturer’s confidence in the use of emerging technologies, and improving performance. Through this paper, Dr. Agatha Alidri explores how emerging technologies and digital tools could transform education. The full paper is available through this link.
We are a research project which aims to establish the impact of COVID-19 on the sexual and reproductive health of the youth and adolescents in northern Uganda. Click Here
The government of Uganda should give ample recognition to the Ndrukpa as an independent ethnic group. This should come with degazettment of Lendu Forest, extending to them all the benefits that go to cultural institutions in Uganda, and affirmative action especially in local government representation and in the sectors of infrastructure, health and education.
This policy brief highlights the neglect and social exclusion suffered by the Ndrukpa from pre-colonial to present times, and explains why they deserve special attention at this point in time.
Building Stronger Universities (BSU)-Gulu is a multifaceted programme aimed at strengthening research capacity at Gulu University in northern Uganda
Addss: P.O.Box 166, Gulu (U)
Phone: +256-774-784-232
Fax: +256-774-784-232
Email: bsu@gu.ac.ug
Open: Mon – Fri 8:30 – 5:00PM
