ENKOLA MU BASOGA EKHOZESEBWA OKHUMALAWO OBUTAGHEMAGANA (CONFLICT RESOLUTION STRATEGIES AMONG THE BASOGA)

Jacob Waiswa
Situation Health Analyst
Dishma-Inc.
P.O. Box 8885,
Kampala-Uganda
Tel. +256392614655/+256752542504
dishma.imhs@gmail.com
www.situationhealthanalysis.blogspot.com

Background:
An estimated 3 million Ugandans speak Lusoga. Busoga region is shaped by Lake Victoria to the west, Lake Kyoga to the north, and Mpologoma River to the East (Wikipedia, 2011). Basoga have strong historical ties with the Luo (Ayo, C. 2008). The socio-cultural structure made it easy for the Basoga to prevent and resolve conflicts.

It was a segmentary social system comprising of numerous, relatively small autonomous groups -who generally regulated their own affairs, and who could periodically come together to form larger groups and who, in some senses, may collectively appeared to be a single large community (Answers Corporation, 2011).

Jurisdiction was defined according to those levels –with each having power to convene a court session and make decisions without the interferences of the other levels (LoveToKnow Corp., 2006). Indeed Basoga are peace-loving people (Jinja Tourist Center, 2006).

Ebitti Ebyendhaulo Abasoga Byebakozhesa Okumalhawo Obutabanguko
(The Different Branches for Resolving Chaos Used by Basoga):
The main branch was that of ancestral spirits (or emisaambwa) headed by Lubaale –the creator (Uganda Visit and Travel Guide, 2011). The spirits fed Clans (ebikha) with wisdom. The relationship between the spirits and the clan was like that the main river and its main tributary. The clans were headed by Abakulhu abebikha (Clan heads).

Extended families were responsible to the clan heads in as far as preserving the unique behavior of each clan was concerned like not eating specific animals and plants and desist from in-breeding. Amakkha (homesteads) comprised of the Baaba (father), Maama (mother), Abaana (children) and abhenganda (relatives). They also subscribed to large communities with similar traditional norms, culture and origin.

Okubwoigokelha Abaana (Barking at or Rebuking Children)
Anything forbidden or undesirable if done was barked at to prevent it from happening again. Doing so was a responsibility of any member of the community -who could be older siblings, parents and other relatives.

Okubonerezha Abaana (Punishing Children)
Different from rebuking, Okubonerezha Abaana involved smacking or caning them. This, too, was a responsibility of any responsible member of the community. This commenced from as early as 3 years.

Okhuwa Ebiraghilo (Giving Instructions or Laying down Rules)
This was preserved for the parents and any senior member of the community –who could be older siblings, Aunties, Uncles, older cousins, and grandparents. What entailed ebiraghilo were the dos and don'ts (do this... don't do this). Also began from 3 years.

Okubulirirha (Lecturing)
It featured older young men and women –who had passed the stage of being punished by cane or being rebuked (16+ years). Okubulirirha carried an element of gender roles -where boys and girls were lectured about their roles and responsibility according to sex and help to equip them with tools with which manage future challenges; for example on issues regarding hard work, respect, dressing, and marriage.

Different people helped do this kind of job much as uncles and aunties were most favored. Others included mothers, fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers. They intervened in case of mishaps in desired behaviors of young adults.

Okutyaamya Mmu Lukiiko (Being Compelled to Sit Down in a Meeting)
This involved summoning wrong doer from wherever he or she was to attend a stated yet compulsory meeting. The meeting is called to discuss the unacceptable behavior of the wrongdoer and determine the way forward.

The way forward is a resolution reached by the entire community gathered -a meeting that constitutes elders, married people, and chaired by a clan leader. Actions taken include: caution, compensation, fines, and expulsion from the clan. Expulsion from the clan was the highest decision. It was so terrible that individual would not wait until such decision was reached.

Okwheta Abasweezi (Calling for the Services of a Spirit Medium)
The Chwezi influence in East and central Africa left no stone unturned in Busoga. This was a person or group of people –through whom the spirits could guide the community in decision making.

Some of the tasks were to forcefully have the wrongdoer who has just rejected the elders summon to attend the meeting to do saw by 'remote control' or by works of the spirit medium; revealing the truth in cases where wrong doers denied wrongdoing; identifying wrongdoer if he or she was unknown, and so on.

Merits:
Community Participation
Participants represented widest of the society. No costs were attached. Indeed, community participation was social capital for conflict resolution (Skidmore, P. Etal, 2008).

Consensus Building
Decisions reached were democratically voted upon by the community. There was no dictatorship or monopoly in the decision making process.

No Need for Investigation
There was no need for investigations as culprits were well-known. So in the meeting, it was a matter of the community letting the culprit know that they were aware of his misconduct, and whether he or she was aware of his or her misbehavior. That saves time.

Reintegration, Reconciliation and Community Harmony
The major aims of the Basoga justice system were to provide sufficient space and distance for reintegration of culprit into the community, reconciliation through forgiveness, and necessary compensation arrangements.


Demerits:
Summon to Attend Community Meeting had to be Adhered to
There was no way one would say no to attending the meeting once summoned. Even as far as overseas the spirits would posses him or her and bring him or her for the meeting.

No Defense Lawyer for the Culprits in Case they had Phobia to Face Public
Not every person can stand before a huge gathering to explain his or her wrong doing to the public. Some could have social phobia.

Listening Fatigue:
Lectures were often so long that listener developed listening fatigue. As a result, they soon turned out to be more of a punishment than a necessary source of knowledge.

Some Actions Used by Basoga are Today Forms Child Abuse:
Barking at children and caning today constitute physical abuse, emotional abuse and psychological abuse. Basoga are famed for that (Nalunkuuma, M. 2004).

Harmful Spirits:
They are widely believed to cause mayhem to the community by causing illnesses and death until rituals were organized to free person of the harmful spirits and eventually get well. They can be powerful weapons in a conflict (Ultimate Media, 2011).

Conclusion:
The socio-cultural design of the Basoga society was both conflicts preventing and resolving in its functioning. Little or nothing has been done about the lack of written materials on conflict resolution among the Basoga.

The responsibility now shifts from the elders whose source of information is their memory to the new generation –who have gone to school (Kakamwa, C. 2010). And some methods are in conflict with the contemporary thinking and practice, which threaten the traditional Basoga justice system. A common ground ought to be set to avoid possible conflict between traditionalism and modernism.