Beyond Painful Memories: Dealing with emotions relating to conflict among the Acholi society

Abstract (English)

　The Acholi societis straddles the northern part of the Republic of Uganda and the southern part of the Republic of South Sudan, in eastern Africa. Violent conflicts had been widespread in both countries since independence, and two decades of regional conflict had broken out in northern Uganda since 1986. This presentation will examine ways to represent several ‘pains’ of individual related to groups in these social contexts.
The vocabulary for physical ‘pain’ is rit in Acholi language. Generally speaking, rit does not imply emotional or social difficulties. It is used in a sense limited to physical sensations. On the other hand, emotions similar to ‘pain’ are expressed in the condition of organs such as the liver and stomach. For example, ‘liver spilling’, means grief. Negative situations and difficulties surrounding individuals and groups are also described as ‘bitterness’. Thus, in Acholi society, unlike English or Japanese, different expressions are used depending on the subject who feels the ‘pain’ and the factors causing the pain.
At least three of the above-mentioned expressions of ‘pain’ over the past 20 years, as represented by the Acholi people, have been linked to religious rituals. In particular, the perpetrator's conflict in his/ her inside has been described as a disaster by the dead and linked to social stigma. The grieving of victims' families has also been alleviated by appropriate mourning processes for the dead. Thus, it can be said that the ‘pain’ of those who have experienced conflict has expanded and contracted across individuals and groups as they have been linked to religion.
This presentation will attempt to examine social responses to ‘pain’ by focusing on narratives of spiritual presence and rituals of mourning with the dead in post-conflict Acholi society.