In April, I had the privilege of traveling to Uganda with University of Notre Dame faculty, staff, and administrators for a conference "in the field." The idea of holding a conference in Africa was sparked by this year's Rockefeller Visiting Fellows program, which focused on religion and conflict in Africa. But the conference also reflected the Institute's growing relationship with alumni and other peacebuilders in East Africa.

One of my most memorable experiences from the trip underscored how scholarship and local realities can interact in unexpected ways. Several of us attended Mass on Palm Sunday at a local parish near Jinja. The church building consisted of a large tin roof supported by rough-hewn beams. We learned that the structure had blown down in a storm, and the congregation had only recently restored it, this time using nails instead of twine to make it more stable.

While the facility was not ornate, it did ably fulfill its purpose: keeping off the rain. As the rain grew heavier throughout the morning, a throng of people - several hundred by my count - squeezed together under this roof to sing joyful, rhythmic songs of worship.

After the service, the sun broke through the clouds, and the congregation reassembled beside the church. Accompanied by makeshift instruments, a group of mostly women appeared in the middle of the human circle and began a series of energetic dances. During one of the dances, the parish priest leaned over and said, "The dancers are from Gulu. Many members of the parish have taken them into their homes." He didn't need to say more.

In his keynote address at the conference, Archbishop John Baptist Odama from Gulu had described the devastating toll that conflict has taken on the people of Northern Uganda, particularly women and children who are abducted by militant groups. Many have fled to overcrowded refugee camps for safety. Visiting Fellow, Rosalind Hackett, who visited Gulu following the conference, observes that many children around Gulu flee their homes in the country every night to sleep in the relatively safer confines of the city (see page 13).

The priest's comment shed new light on these issues. I realized that the dancers were also part of the growing number of Internally Displaced Persons, or IDPs, in Uganda. But their living conditions contrasted sharply with the dismal situation in the refugee camps. The congregation not only welcomed these "strangers" into their home, they also celebrated and honored them by allowing them to perform their traditional dances following the service.

The experience provided a concrete example of how religious groups can constructively respond to violent conflict. On that Palm Sunday morning, I saw how a congregation that obviously had great needs could nontheless play a role in peacebuilding through ordinary acts of hospitality.

 

 

Hal Culbertson
Associate Director

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