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Dear Michael Poffenberger,
Once again thank you very much for your quick response to my reply to some of the concerns raised as a result of the UK resolution put before the UN Security Council, concerning the situation in Northern Uganda (The on-going Peace Talks in Juba in Southern Sudan).
In my previous communication I did not elaborate on the concept of justice, as it is understood by the world, as compared to how it is understood by the Lwo community. According to the world justice is always done as soon as the truth is revealed or made known concerning the crimes committed against humanity with impunity. In other words, one must know the truth and minister justice through punishment, either by killing or through life imprisonment or through paying heavy fines or through severe beatings.
In South Africa, the new Government has established 'Truth and Justice Commission', in order to deal with the aftermath of the Apartheid era in the new South Africa. However, this Truth and Justice Commission only helps the people of South Africa to tell their stories so that the truth is revealed or made known to the world. However, the Truth and Justice Commission does not help the people who have been affected by the apartheid era to go through the healing and reconciliation process. As a matter of fact, it leaves the people who have been terribly affected by the apartheid era hanging in the air. The healing and reconciliation process does not take place in the lives of those who have been affected by the apartheid era.
On the other hand, the Lwo cultural mechanism of Mato Oput fully explains the significance of real justice, as a new model of healing through the new culture of non-violence, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace. According to Lwo culture, justice cannot be reached without mercy or forgiveness. When a crime is committed against humanity with impunity, an individual person who has committed such a crime must be the first witness against himself or herself. He or she must stand outside the Gate of the Village and tell the people of the Village, his or her name, the name of his or her father and mother, and of his or her uncle. What he or she has done and why he or she has done it the way it has been done. Once he or she has given his or her testimony, the elders of the Village immediately take collective responsibility, on behalf of the member concerned. The elders then perform the rituals of stepping on the fresh egg (nyono tonggweno) by the individual person who has committed the crime before he or she is allowed inside the fenced Village. However, he or she will be kept in complete confinement inside the fenced Village, but will not be allowed to come into contact with anybody. The Nyono Tonggweno is the ceremony of purification because the fresh egg is a symbol of purity. When someone who has committed crimes against humanity with impunity goes through such a ceremony, he or she is purified from his or her sinfulness which cuts him or her off from the rest of the community. However, the purification ceremony does not in any way remove the state of sinfulness in which he or she is in. He or she will have to go through the whole process of healing and reconciliation before the two communities involved in the violent conflict are finally reconciled with one another through the Mato Oput (Healing and Reconciliation) Process.
A young girl will be allowed to give such a person the basic necessities for life, such as drinking water, cooked food, and fire. He or she must not talk or have contact with the girl who is ministering to him or her. The drinking water and cooked food will be put in separate containers to be kept by him or her (the one who has committed crimes). The containers for drinking water and cooked food are placed at the collection-point on daily basis in order to avoid personal contact with the girl selected to minister such basic necessities to him or her.
The elders of the Village contact the third person from another Village to become an arbitrator between the two communities who have been involved in the violent conflict. The Village of the third person takes full collective responsibility to accept the role of arbitration between the two communities concerned.
The Process of Mato Oput
The Lwo Cultural process of Mato Oput is a very elaborate process that leaves no one with any doubt in mind or heart about the effectiveness of Mato Oput as the best model of Conflicts Resolutions in the whole world.
First of all, the world must know that there was no court among the Lwo communities for the criminals. When a crime occurred among the community or between the communities, the clan or the community responsible for the crime must take full responsibility to inform the clan or the community wronged by one of their member. The Lwo communities were being guided by the principles of non-violence, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace. Thus, there are Five Guiding Principles to help the Lwo Society to co-exist peacefully with one another. The first guiding principle is, do not commit the first offense to anybody in the world. The second is, have respect for all without any discrimination. Thirdly, tell the truth all the time. Fourthly never, never under all circumstances tell lies, even if your neck is being cut off. It is better for you to die for the truth than to tell lies. The fifth one is, do not steal. Hence the reason why the Lwo people have the simplest door called "kika" as symbol of non-violence, forgiveness, reconciliation and peace. The kika was not meant for the burglary proof or for protection. The truth was the guiding principle for any judgment to be used by the Lwo community to settle conflicts among themselves. The Lwo community is probably the only community in the world who do not pass death sentence to criminals, so long as those responsible for the crimes genuinely accept their responsibility. However, the Lwo community does not condone any crimes committed against humanity with impunity. But, when acknowledgement and the responsibility of the crimes have been accepted, there is no way the Lwo community can deny forgiveness to those who long for it. Otherwise the Lwo community will always be much obliged to revenge for any crimes committed against humanity with impunity, if those responsible for the crimes have refused to accept responsibility. The aggrieved community will have the Lapir (Justification) to revenge for the wrong done against them. This means that forgiveness is not automatic to whoever commits any crimes against humanity with impunity. Forgiveness is very costly because peace demands the truth, mercy, and justice to stand together before peace can be delivered to the transformed people or communities or society.
Acceptance of responsibility for the crimes committed was the yardstick for the measurements of the Truth, the Sincerity and the Purity of the Heart. The telling of the Truth or revealing of the Truth must be something that comes from the conviction of the heart. However, people must not be compelled to tell the truth, but it must come freely out of the conviction of the heart. The Truth will always prevail or reveal itself whether we like it or not. For this reason, the Lwo community strongly believes in the power of the Truth that will all the time come to light on the side of the oppressed and the poor.
However, the Truth is always very bitter, naked, dangerous, and deadly. It needs to be covered by Mercy in order to be accepted or received by those who have been affected by the violent conflict on both sides. Mercy can only come from the hearts of those who have been wronged innocently. In a situation of conflicts, Mercy can only come from the community who has been victimized. According to Lwo culture, once someone accepts responsibility for his or her crime against humanity with impunity, the victim community has no option, except to forgive, even if the crime is so painful. Here, Truth and Mercy meets and kisses each other. The intimate kissing between Truth and Mercy gives birth to real Justice. Thus, Truth, Mercy, Justice, when brought together, the three gives birth to Peace. When Truth, Mercy, Justice, Peace, all meet together and kiss each other, the Peace process is complete. This means that the Victim community has made a complete difference through deliberate decision to forgive those who have wronged them maliciously. This is the gracious way of God to make a complete difference in order to bring about real justice in the world which has never known justice.
Thirdly, the Victim community demands for the payment of compensation from the perpetrator community. The compensation can be paid, either by ten heads of cattle, if the crime is not very serious or by a young girl to be given for adoption, as one of their daughter, if the crime is very serious. The young girl must be between the ages of 8 to 12, only. This is the moment of great vulnerability for the perpetrator community due to the nature of the crime one of them has committed. The commitment of the crimes puts the whole community at a great risk that makes the group to become very vulnerable in the neighborhood. The presence of this girl-child in a complete new situation becomes a bridge between the two communities concerned. Her physical presence also guarantees the safety and the security of every member of the two clans. As innocent as she is, she becomes the symbol of peace, harmony, and peaceful co-existence between the two communities concerned. Her presence sets the people of the two communities free to regain their freedom and liberty to interact, inter-marry, and to visit with each other without fear of any attacks from any quarters.
Once compensation is paid in good faith the two communities now move into the last rituals of Mato Oput which is the climax of Reconciliation. However, before the two clans embark on these last rituals of drinking the bitter herbs of Oput juice, the two clans will be required to bring a live lamb without blemish each for the sacrifice. The two lambs will be brought to stand side by side, each facing the opposite direction. The lamb from the perpetrator community will be standing facing the victim community pleading for mercy. While the lamb from the victim community will be standing facing the perpetrator community giving assurance of forgiveness and mercy. The two lambs will be cut across from the middle into two halves. Each clan will take a half of the front legs of the lamb from each other and cook it together with the lower legs of their own lamb. The blood and waste matter from the two lambs will be mixed together and used to be smeared on the chest, on the forehead, at the back, at the back of both hands, at the back of both feet, of each of the participant. The two lambs have to be sacrificed on behalf of the two communities involved in violent conflicts. The sacrifice of the two lambs shows the importance of the sanctity or the sacredness of human life in the eyes of God.
Once the sacrifice of the two lambs is over, the two communities will now move to take part in the drinking of the bitter herbs of Oput juice mixed with local brew. The drinking of the bitter herbs is done in pair and in turn, each side sends one person to form a pair. The two people kneel down on both knees with both hands held behind their backs. They begin to drink the bitter herbs while their foreheads touching the forehead of each other. This means that the ceremony of Mato Oput, as the climax of Reconciliation, is being witnessed by God Himself, the living-dead, the living, and the environment around us. This ceremony marks the beginning of the full restoration of the broken relationships. Lastly, but not least, the two communities and the two peoples who have been in violent conflicts become completely transformed, as new community and as new people. Thus, complete transformation takes place instantly in the life of the two peoples and the two communities. This is a miracle because forgiveness is a special gift only from God to His loving peoples of the world from generation to generation. This is the beauty of the healing and reconciliation process, as the best model of Conflicts Resolutions for the whole world. I hope the peoples of the world will one day adopt this model for the world peace.
Child-salvation is very biblical in nature and meaning of redemption of humanity from death and sinfulness. For instance, Jesus Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross was a child-salvation sent by God to redeem the whole world from sin. The Lwo community also has a child-salvation story. How Obibi (Monster) ate all the peoples in the whole world, except a woman who hid herself in the cave. She was pregnant and eventually gave birth to a baby-boy. The boy grew and grew. One day the boy asked her,' Mother, where is my father and where are other people? Why are we the only people on earth? Why are we alone here on earth? The mother told the boy to grow bigger and bigger. The boy grew bigger and bigger. The boy asked the mother again, 'Mother, where are the people? The mother told him to make for her many skirts. So the boy killed very many duikers and made many skirts for his mother. The boy asked the mother again, 'Mother, where are the people? The mother told him to make many arrows. So the boy made many arrows. He asked his mother again, 'Mother, where are the people? The mother told the boy to cultivate for her a garden of finger-millet. The boy did. When the finger-millet was ready in the field, the mother made the boy to sit down in front of her. The mother told the boy how Obibi ate all the peoples in the whole world, except her who hid herself in the cave. She told the boy that he was still in her womb when this tragic event happened to the peoples of the world including his father. Then she asked the boy, if he wanted her to call Obibi to come. The boy gave her an assurance that he really wanted her to call Obibi to come. Then the mother went to the garden and climbed up on the plat-form and shouted, 'Caa aac, winyo ni gwok wutyek bela'. (Ho, birds do not finish my finger-millet). When Obibi heard the sound made by a human-being, Obibi broke the branch of a huge tree, pushed it into his ears. Obibi roled it round and round in his right ear and swallowed the wax. The he broke another huge branch and pushed it into his left ear and rolled it round and round and swallowed the wax. Then his ears became very clear. Obibi started making terrible noise,'Muuu! Muuu! Muuu! Kibwor yo! Nga kara matin lwongo an ni Kibwor yo! Muuu! Muuu! Muuu! An atyeko dano ducu dangdang. Nga mono ma tin lwongo an ni Kibwor yo! Muuu! Muuu! Muuu!' Then Obibi got the wind direction of the garden where the human voice came from. Obibi started running straight towards the garden. There was dust that rose high up into the sky. When the woman saw the huge dust almost touching the sky, she started running away from the garden with the long skirts around her waist tied on top of the other. No sooner had she left the garden than Obibi arrived. Obibi found the long skirts tied on top of each other with the first skirt tied around the waist of the woman. Obibi immediately started eating the long skirts of the woman. In the meantime, the boy started shooting at Obibi with sharp arrows, 'put, put, put, put, put, put, put, put, put, put'. However, Obibi did not know anything about the boy. Obibi thought that it was the flies that were biting him. Obibi continued to make noise while eating the long skirts saying, ' Aaa, Lwangi ni, wek kong anen dako ni. Aaa, Lwangi ni, wek kong anen dako ni'. (Ho, ho, Flies please let me see this woman first. Ho, ho, Flies let me see this woman first). However, the boy continued to be busy shooting the Obibi with sharp arrows. 'Put, put, put, put, put, put, put, put, put, put' (put, put, describes how the arrow was falling at the target with precise accuracy. Obibi continued to complain to the flies to allow him get hold of the woman first. Obibi never knew what was going on at all. The woman continued to run towards home. She was completely exhausted and sweating profusely. Her speed became slower and slower until she could run any more. She fell just in front of the Obibi that also fell dead just behind her. The boy came and poured cold water on his mother until she regained her full consciousness. The mother gave the direction to the boy how to burn Obibi. The boy made a huge fire over the Obibi. Obibi burnt and burnt and burnt and turned into the most beautiful necklaces. The mother ordered the boy to throw it back into the fire. Obibi again turned into the most beautiful pot. The mother told the boy to throw it back into the fire. Obibi again turned into the most beautiful girl. The boy told the mother that the beautiful girl was going to be his wife, but the mother ordered him to throw her back into the fire. Obibi then burnt and burnt into white ashes. The mother put the white ashes in the new white calabash and both of them took the white ashes into the seas and poured it into the seas. The woman beat the drum saying, ' Kodi pa Obibi ogaki, kodi pa Dano odwogi. Ci Dano ni yekyekyek, ci Dano opongo Lobo odoco'. Ci Dako ni gin ki Wode giketo gi dok Rwot. (Let the Seed of Obibi perish forever, and let the Seed of Humanity come back to life. Then all the peoples of the world eaten by the Obibi all came back to life. Once again, the world was filled with different peoples of different races, languages and cultures). Then this Woman and her Son were made the Rwot (King or Lord).
In both stories of redemption a woman and a child plays a very significant role in God's economy to save Humanity from the broken world. Here we all see God as the Source of Life, Wisdom, and Truth. Thus, God is merciful and compassionate who loves every human-being on earth created in His own image. Thus, the world peace for all would be possible, if the peoples of the world would look at peace from the perspectives of God.
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