On a warm Thursday morning at the gate of the Acholi Cultural
Institution, a crowd gathered in anticipation. One foot bare and solemn man approached an egg, a pobo
tree branch and a stick
used to open a granary, locally known as layibi, all placed one after the other.
In silence, he stepped on the egg, walked over the pobo branch, and layibi. The rest of
the returnees followed his footprint, in the delicate act of carrying the weight
of forgiveness, healing, and return.
That is the Acholi ritual of “nyono tong gweno”, loosely
translated as “stepping on the egg”- a traditional cleansing ceremony used to welcome
one who has stayed away from home for years, willingly, or otherwise.
On this day, the ritual
was performed to welcome 23 former combatants who returned from the Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA) in the Central African Republic in 2023. Among them, were
at least 7 children born in captivity. They are part of 141 former LRA fighters
who returned to Gulu in December 2023.
The Acholi believe that
if one stays at home daily, their spirit lives harmoniously with other living
things surrounding them.
However, when they are away, their spirit mingles with
bad spirits and strange creatures, so they require a cleansing ceremony.
Rwot David Onen Acana explained
that the egg used in the cleansing ritual is alive, pure, mouthless, and
innocent, meaning it does not judge or stigmatise. The stick for opening the granary symbolises feeding
and motherhood.
“In Acholi, we know
that if someone gives you water or food, they cannot turn around and kill
you…it means you have reconciled or created a relationship with them, so you
can’t harm them,” Rwot Acana explained.
The pobo- an indigenous
tree that has very slimy sap- was used as soap by the Acholi before the
conventional soap became known to them. Its use during cleansing is symbolic of
the removal of any dirt, impurities, or bad omen one might have encountered
while away from home.
//Cue in: “Manyuti
nicakke…
Cue out: … uwok ki I
iye.”//
Although only a section
of the returnees took part in the ceremony, Rwot Acana explained that the
ritual implies that all the Acholi have welcomed the former fighter, and no one
should raise the issue again in the future.
Rwot Acana emphasised
the need for forgiveness and unity now that the war is over and the fighters
are returning home, so that the sub-region focuses on working hard toward
fighting poverty, which is very high in the sub-region.
//Cue in: Tekwaro pa
Acholi…
Cue out: …madit tye kombedi.”//
Rwot Acana also
appealed to the government to find a sustainable way of ending the protracted
cattle rustling by Karamojong and attacks on farmers by the armed men from
South Sudan, saying such attacks might re-traumatise returnees, especially
those who will go to live in the affected districts.
//Cue in: “Ma kare ducu…
Cue out: …ayelagi odoko
piny.”//
Rwot Acana pledged that
the cultural institution would give 5 million shillings for the returnees to
start a Sacco.
Alice Akello, the
regional head of the RDCs in northern Uganda, to live with people and denounce
violence in their homes and their communities.
Akello also appealed to
the religious leaders to preach to the returnees, to help them grow spiritually.
Maj. Doctor Acaye, who
led the team of returnees, expressed joy about returning home and thanked the
chiefs for working hard to ensure their return.
“We are happy to be
back in Acholi land. Thank you, Rwot
Acan, for welcoming us back to Acholi. I
thank God for giving you a kind heart towards us. I want to thank our government and the
president for forgiving us. For listening to you, chiefs, to forgive us,” Maj Acaye
said.
He also commended all
Ugandans for forgiving and welcoming them back as Ugandans, adding it was not
their will to be in the bush and commit atrocities.
“God willed whatever
happened to us. It was not our will or plan. We were taken away from you
forcefully. Who among you parents would accept your child to go to the bush at
such a tender age?” he asked.
James Ojwiya Okot, the
chief of Patiko, who also conducted the ritual, explained that the ritual goes
beyond stepping on an egg if one is killed while in captivity and knows the
clan of their victim.
//Cue in: “Ka an aneko…
Cue out:…wigi ajola
paco.”//
“If you tortured someone and killed them, tell your parents, and
if you know their tribe, say it so that the mato
oput ritual is performed to
appease the spirit of the dead, otherwise, you will be continuously tormented by
the spirit of the dead,” Rwot Ojwiya explained.
