LUGBARA KARI MOVES TO REVIEW HARMFUL CULTURAL PRACTICES

By Sabir Musa

Arua city

The Lugbara Cultural Institution, also known as Lugbara Kari, has started a process to review some of its pronouncements on harmful cultural practices with the main aim of ensuring that community is protected.

This was revealed by Lugbara Kari Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Ismail Tuku, who informed that the process is slow and requires patience. “The process is slow, you can’t stop it overnight. All the clan leaders were brought they said no, it must remain there, it is a disciplinary measure. Then we said very fine, if it is a disciplinary measure, it must happen to both the man and the woman, you don’t see it as a disciplinary action for a woman alone. So, that is where we have reached,” the Prime Minister informed.

In 2021, Lugbara Kari made 25 pronouncements on harmful cultural practices in relation to HIV, Sexual Reproductive Health, Sexual Gender Based Violence and Maternal Child Health.

Some of the pronouncements like ‘aruba’ a cultural practice meant to reconcile couples that first considers formal justice system and wife inheritance are seen as practices that are against rights of women and men.

According to SIHA Uganda Project Officer, Jackie Bless, partners are willing to work with Lugbara Cultural Institution to review some of the pronouncements. “It is high time we need to revamp the space because we do not need money to review this, we have lawyers within us, and we have social workers within us, we have people with experiences within us,” she said, adding that “the support we need is how do we go ahead and do consultative meetings that we can seat down to draft this and all review.”

However, a Community Based Advocacy Focal Person at CEFORD, Harriet Fikira, is hopeful that several cases of Gender Based Violence in communities will reduce as cultural leaders are incorporated in regular sensitization programs. “Because I see cultural leaders have started coming out. The more we involve cultural leaders during our sensitization meetings, people will come to realize (especially men) that it is my right to come out of this issue, that is the one chance I have seen,” Harriet said.

Negative cultural practices still remain major factor hindering the effort to address some problems in community like Gender Based Violence, according to report from Child and Family Protection Unit of Uganda Police Force in West Nile.