Mato Oput: The drinking of a bitter potion made from the "Oput" tree - Softcover

Walusimbi, Dinah Senkungu

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1468547003 ISBN 13: 9781468547009

Publisher: AuthorHouse, 2012

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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 when Amone organized a big night of prayer and sacrifice that lasted for three days. Anena knew that something was wrong. She knew that the rebels of the LRA had been sighted in the village and there had been numerous reports of children abducted from the nearby villages. Amone never shared much politics with Anena. The men whispered together by the roadside while the women made up their stories in the field. They made up stories of the fury of the ancestors being mixed up with the Holy Spirit.

Mrs. Okumu, a head teacher at the high school, frequently met with the village women and filled them in on politics. She talked in stifled tones about the spirit that possessed Alice Lakwena, who was a prominent member of the LRA.

Fear gripped the women when they learned that this movement was the doing of a dead Italian army officer who possessed Lakwena. The ancestors robbed Alice of children and she became insane. Now her spirit became a spirit of terror that was terrorizing the village.

Amone himself had gone through a mixture of emotions and worries he had never experienced before. A cold chill went through his body as he vacantly watched the dancers. It was the same sick feeling he had had when Archbishop Luwum was shot. Luwum was well known in Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.

He was a son of Muchini village. A fist of nausea rolled up in Amone's stomach and his pulse seemed to bump along the same rhythm as the drums. Luwum had been accused of being an agent of Milton Obote and eventually was killed. Amone thought about the audacity and courage of Luwum speaking up against the killings and disappearance of so many people during the former government of Idi Amin.

Idi Amin's notoriety received a lot of attention, and Luwum became a voice of the people protesting the dictatorship of Idi Amin. Deep down, Amone wished the men of Acaya village would take up the cause of ending the abduction of children.

He was determined to protect the children of Acaya village and eradicate the LRA Movement—something he was not about to share with Anena, who was incapable of understanding the seriousness of this matter and also predisposed to the LRA movement.

Anena stopped her dance and called out to Kidega.

"Put that ball down. Come here! You should try dancing." She encouraged Kidega to dance as she reached out for his hand. She always wondered why both of her children never liked to dance. She forced his hips to move as she sighed under her breath.

"You should at least know how to dance the Bwola, the Royal Dance of dignity that everyone worth an Acholi name should know! The Bwola dance will give you the power of seduction and authority; simply let your body respond to the rhythm of the drums."

Anena believed that, through dancing, people commune with the spirits. Kidega tried dancing with her, but he simply could not get his body to move the way a dancer's body should. Kidega's legs wobbled and trembled beneath him as he reached out for support.

Dancing was an important part of village life. Anena used to train the young girls in the Bwola dance, the Royal Dance. This was the dance that welcomed special guests. Even at an advanced age, Anena was preferred among all the women to dance the Bwola before the chiefs of Acaya village. Anena was a great dancer. She was known to have danced for the elders and to have awakened the lazy spirits with her provocative and graceful movements. Anena watched Kidega dance with disapproval in her eyes and shook her head. She put her hands around his waistline and tried to twist his waistline to the rhythm of the drums.

"Dancing has always been part of Acaya village," Anena explained to Kidega as she stopped her dance and pulled him away from the dancing clearing.

Although Anena had never attended any formal school, she was gifted with great wisdom. The village life was her curriculum and school. She learned most of her lessons from her parents and from life. Most of her wisdom was passed down from her ancestors, and she reinforced the values of good character in her children.

Anena had a story about everything in life. In fact, she had a story for all her children's names and husband.

Her first born was named Kidega (loosely translated as "hated and despised") because Anena felt she was disliked by her in-laws. Anena endured so much hardship living among her in-laws that the family eventually moved to Acaya village, a small village where Anena had been born and raised. Anena's husband, Amone, was supposed to be married to a Lango girl that his parents had arranged for him when he announced his engagement to Anena. His parents were displeased, even if they eventually ended up accepting her as their daughter in-law.

Anena tried hard to please her mother-in-law, but she always had something to complain about and sometimes withheld food from her. It was Amone's idea to move the family to Acaya.

After they moved to Acaya, a daughter was born. She was named Agena, ("hope") because Anena and Amone felt that her birth was a sign of hope. As for her own name, Anena, she took pride in knowing that her name represented beauty. According to her mother, people had traveled from many villages to see her and admire her beauty when she was born—unlike her husband, Amone, who was born during the time when there was tension among the Acholi and Lango people. Amone represented that time and the tension between the Acholi and Lango people.

Anena is from Acholiland and Amone was born and raised in Lango. He always teased Anena that great rulers were born in Lango, like Milton Obote. Even if Amone argued that Obote was the first president of Uganda, Anena knew not to argue with him. She knew that Sir Edward Mutesa of Buganda was the first president. Amone would argue with her that Mutesa could not have been a king and a president at the same time. The argument would go on and on. Anena would give in while reminding him that great spiritual leaders were from Acholi, like Archbishop Luwum.

"Don't forget Alice Lakwena!" Amone mused cynically, knowing the reputation of Alice Lakwena, who turned against her own people, including the abduction of Tito Okello's younger brother Opira. Opira was abducted surprisingly in his late seventies. Anena cast a knowing grin at him and that ended the conversation.

Kidega watched Anena get carried away by the rhythm of the drums. She moved sideways and wiggled like she had no bones. She suddenly switched to Dingidingi dance, captivating a huddle of men who had been drinking a pot of kwete for a long time. They started whistling and clapping their hands. Kidega watched his mother's elegance and demeanor as she twisted her waistline. Anena always said that this was a dance of passion.

Suddenly, with fire-filled emotions, a man with a pronounced limp staggered on the stage and started dancing flirtatiously after Anena. He was favoring his left leg. He followed Anena on to the stage and started twisting his waistline seductively. In his drunken stupor, he reached out to touch her waist. It was not acceptable for a man to lust after another man's woman. Something about the way the man was limping towards Anena ignited fire in Amone. Amone was a little too tipsy to control his reactions, and when the other man appeared openly spellbound by his wife, it infuriated him. When the man moved much closer, his body almost in contact with Anena, Amone was fit to be tied. He got off his stool and pushed the man.

The man turned with surprise, his glare boring right through Amone. Amone stepped back and matched his glare. The man made a quick jump with his strong leg and tried to crash into Amone's stomach. Amone pivoted quickly and kicked the man right between his legs. The pain shot through him as he grabbed his groin. Amone cocked both his hands like two pistols and threateningly pointed at the man.

Anena stopped dancing and cried out loudly, "My husband! Where is the Lango blood in you? Why have the spirits of your ancestors left you? Have you become jealous? You think I am going to run away with that drunkard who looked at me moving my behind! A competent and self-confident Luo man is incapable of jealousy in anything! Jealousy is something that was brought by the white men from the Bantu people who live at the other side of Lake Kyoga `Bunyoro' and jealousy is a symptom of insecurity!" She then stood in front of Amone, arms akimbo and whispered in his ear. "Omiro Lak Tong!"—meaning "The Langi died by the blade of spears." Amone hesitated as he looked around to make sure that she had not been overheard by the people from Lango. Anena knew better; she would not say this openly because it was offensive to people from Lango. When Amone realized that she had only whispered to him, he raised his eyebrows as he responded: "Dog man omiyo lee oneko Otwee." These were the words a woman had spoken that had led to Otwee's death by an animal. According to the proverb, Otwee had been a Lango man who had failed to kill any animal while everybody else who went hunting came back with something. His wife's words drove him to go hunting by himself, and he came upon a buffalo that killed him.

Amone walked away laughing. Kidega loved to watch his parents teasing each other. It was an inside joke between them because of what they had endured from their families when they got married.

Anena caught Amone staring at a woman dressed in tight jeans, high shoes, and a short blouse, while exposing her belly button and a lower back tattoo. Anena shook her head and lamented how Amone was fascinated by the Bantu people's mannerisms. It was only this morning that Anena had told him that the Bantu people are too quick to copy customs of the other people, ignoring the teachings of their ancestors. Anena went up to Amone and spoke while pointing an accusing finger in his face.

"These caricatures of the so-called Europeanized women are simply anemic to womanhood; they untraditionally walk while spreading their legs like cows from Kitgum. Some of them carry themselves like spiritless dancers of an Alobo nightclub without the glow of an African woman, as mothers and women commanding respect and admiration." Anena said this while imitating a woman walking in high-heeled shoes and almost falling.

"La kucel pala Loka—one-edged like a Bantu knife," Amone fired back at Anena.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Mato Oputby Dinah Senkungu Walusimbi Copyright © 2012 by Dinah Senkungu Walusimbi. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1468547003
• ISBN 13: 9781468547009
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 108