In early 2009, Becky Matthews and Clare Struthers traveled to an Internally Displaced
Persons camp in Pader, Northern Uganda, to meet and document six Acholi tribes women
as they married at a seminal mass ceremony. During twenty years of civil war these
women have suffered the most losing their homes and livelihoods. Often facing abduction,
abject poverty, sexual abuse, mutilation and death. Following the 2006 peace process,
relative calm has been restored to the region. The wedding of these six women is symbolic
of the new start facing all women in Uganda, as they form the foundation for stronger
communities and a stronger country.
The wedding was the brainchild of American Katie Karpik and her Acholi husband Ocitti
Pelgrine who established the Flames of Fire ministry in Pader. Their aim is to work with
these women to rebuild their communities and break the dependent mentality created from
living for two decades in an IDP camp reliant on NGO handouts.
You will see that the wedding was a makeshift affair, with every aspect of the the ceremony
constructed using only sheer resourcefulness. With everything borrowed, built or donated,
the event was the polar opposite to the traditional UK spectacle, but the day could not
have been more perfect.
“A week before the wedding we still had no cake, chairs, rings...but it just came
together”. Ocitti Pelgrine, Organizer
This wedding has also united the women of Pader with women in the UK. Moved by the
situation of the Acholi, over fifty wedding dresses were donated by women here. By sharing
some as meaningful as their wedding dress these women from the two nations now
also share a bond. Their generosity also means a sustainable income for the women of
Pader as they open a dress rental business.
Put yourselves in the shoes of the Acholi to appreciate the day. After surviving twenty
years of civil war and the struggles of living an IDP camp. This day is a very visual display
of the what the future of the Acholi people can hold if they work together. You will see from
the photographs that the day was both glorious and overwhelming for the couples. As
bride Akello Grace put it
“I don’t have any family, it is really difficult to live in the camp...but today I can see a
great light in front of me, I can literally see I have a future”.
Akello Grace, bride
The History of Civil War in Northern Uganda
Northern Uganda has experienced armed conflict for two decades. The underlying cause
of the insurgency can be explained as an attempt by the LRA (Lords Resistance Army) to
regain the political power that Northern Uganda lost in 1986. Both the Ugandan army and
the LRA have been accused of committing egregious human rights violations and also violating
international humanitarian law. In Northern Uganda the war has been characterized
by great brutality, carried out by the LRA. The severely affected people are the Acholi from
Kitgum, Gulu and Pader. The abuses by the LRA include cutting off hands, breasts, lips or
ears of individuals perceived to be sympathetic to the government of Uganda, abduction of
civilians, including children, and forcing children to be soldiers or sexual slaves for the LRA
commanders. One of the most enduring effects of the conflict on civilians was, and still is,
the massive displacement of around 1.8million people into IDP camps. In which living conditions
in relation to shelter, hygiene, health and nutrition is poor. Since 2006, with the cessation
of hostilities between the parties following a peace process, an uneasy calm has
returned to the region.
Victims and survivors of human rights violations committed during the conflict still bear the
scars of these violations. Little has been done to ensure that victims and survivors have
access to effective reparations which address their continued suffering and help them to
rebuild their lives.
“...these people are so amazing, so strong, so resourceful. For northern Uganda
to move forward it will have to be the people that do this.” Katie Karpik, Organizer