Taking off the rosy glasses

The Ugandan government has lately been rather bubbly about the resettlement of IDPs in the north. The media followed suit, republishing figures and statistics that were all a little mysterious to those of us here among the displaced people. I found myself asking, "Are they going to the same camps that I am?" Turns out they weren't, as this article from Uganda's 'Daily Monitor' explains. It's a very informative read.

The report from the Refugee Law Project that the article cites claims that only about 10% of IDPs in the Acholi subregion have begun returning home. This number, which seems accurate in my experience, reflects the continuing sense of insecurity among residents of northern Uganda. They still live in fear of a return to war. It's happened before. Twice.

And the negotiating parties in Juba who have responsibility for establishing peace in the long embattled region still seem to think it's okay to risk progress for the sake of exchanging witty barbs at each others' expense, as this current controversy over the LRA's request for $2 million has shown.

We are not out of the woods yet, my friends. Not with the ICC still looming like an immutable cloud over the proceedings and Joseph Kony still firmly entrenched in a remote region of the already remote Democratic Republic of Congo. Instead of my predictions I'll give my hopes: The US sends a high-level envoy to observe the talks and finds them progressing, but sees the road block that is ICC warrants waiting to halt progress not far away. The US works together with other international stake holders to convince the ICC to suspend the warrants for a period of time in order to allow the government of Uganda and the LRA to engage in local peace processes that will fulfill the ICC's conditions for justice. Thereafter the warrants are dropped and peace settles like a deep breath over northern Uganda. My friends move out of the camps and know freedom, some for the first time.

Now is the time to make this happen. Work with Resolve, Enough, UgandaCAN and Invisible Children to get this ball rolling before it's too late.

Rubanga? Issue 2 open for submissions

In June my friend Kevin and I launched a new project, a journal of arts comprised of the thoughts, reflections and creations of people around the world who are concerned with the plight of northern Uganda. Our first issue included poetry, short fiction and photography from artists in Uganda and America, which were hailed by one reader as "searing the soul."

The journal's title is a question of sorts. The word 'rubanga' has two meanings in the Acholi language of northern Uganda: 'God' and 'hunchback'. This linguistic tension holds a pervasive significance in the situation of northern Uganda, which Kevin and I try to capture by asking on the cover of each issue, "Rubanga?" The same tension fills the pages, as artists from Uganda, America and around the world explore the great questions of humanity.

Now we are inviting you to continue this exploration with us in the second issue. We now accept submissions from anyone concerned with northern Uganda - whether you have casually wondered about the conflict or have lived your life in this war zone. And don't feel that you need to take northern Uganda as your subject; all subject matter is welcome.

We accept any type of creation that is publishable in the form of a digital book, such as poetry, short story, essay, photography, illustration, computer aided graphics, etc. All writing should be submitted as Microsoft Word documents or plain text files. Photography and artwork should be submitted as high-quality jpegs. Unfortunately we can't publish every submission that we receive, but know that we do appreciate and consider every piece that you send.

We are extremely excited to see the creations that we'll receive for this issue. Please send all submissions to rubangamara@gmail.com by August 15, or to Kevin or I, if you have our email addresses. The 2nd issue will be published online in September here at jamestravels.com.

Fine Print: By submitting to Rubanga? you give us permission to publish your creation in this or any future issue. However, unlike some publishers we don't restrict you from publishing your work elsewhere as well. In fact, we retain no rights to your work, save sharing them in our little journal, and we appreciate you giving us permission to do so. After all, we're not paying you. If you submit a written creation whose formatting is important, please make a note to that effect on the top of that document, and all efforts will be made to retain the original formatting.

Day in the Life: Lunchtime in Gulu

There's a little restaurant where I like to eat in Gulu. The food is good, and cheap. Barely a dollar for lunch and it comes fast. And it's never crowded. That's why I go there.

And the windows are mirrored on the outside. All along the side of the building a line of gold-tinted mirrors. And lunch time for me is also lunchtime for the kids.

Hundreds of children in all colors of washed, faded uniforms - blues and pinks and yellows - flood the streets and wander into them and dance around each other and laugh. And they stop at the mirrored windows.

They make faces and point at each other. They laugh and yell. And they can't see me, for once they can't and aren't pointing at me, the white man. But they're still laughing in the windows.

That's also why I go there.

Rubanga? Eidtor's Note

(This note was supposed to be included in Rubanga? but somehow got deleted in the final draft. Here it is, in its entirety.)

“Rubanga” is a word from the Acholi language of northern Uganda. The most common of its two meanings is “God;” the word that the many Christians of Acholiland use to address the Most High. The other meaning is “hunchback” – the same word wafted to heaven in the incense of prayer is placed like a crown (of thorny irony?) upon the tilted heads of those with scoliosis or growths on their backs.

The title of this journal – “Rubanga?” – is a question that draws its breath from that paradox of the Acholi language, and when it speaks asks the voiceless questions of humanity – those questions that art was created to pursue. But maybe not to answer.

I have been a seeker of answers, my rationality curbed only by a rational understanding of rationality’s limits. And in my quest I have heard them, read them, repeated them – answers to questions that have always been asked, answers that claim for themselves triumph over the most gravitational uncertainties in history. Thus far I have found the answers lacking.

The questions – ah, there are the wonders. The great questions are doors to worlds in which the bravest and most fascinated men have walked, climbed, left their hieroglyphics on the walls. Many of the answers I have learned seem like locks, little shiny padlocks on those doors. Locks locked because behind those doors are mountains of paradox and seas of confusion. Locked because the worlds found through the questions are epic, and explored only with great effort and at great cost. Locked because if the door opens we are compelled to explore.

For me the question “Rubanga?” is such a door, and this journal is part of the exploration. I invite you to join me, not in searching for answers, but in exploring a world or questions.

James A. Pearson
Editor of Various Miscellany