StrengthsAgogongOpen mindedness : Angara NgatametaThinking ahead : Strategy : Knowledge & Skill :Wisdom : Creativity : InspirationCare & Knowledge : Akiithitiya Loothe *Knowledge & Skill : Looking after thingsRespect : AkereruMaking good arguments : Cooperation :Friendship : Unity : Good counsel : FamilyLaw : NgikithilaTradition : LeadershipFlexibility : AwowoukHard work : Initiative : Courage :Determination : Physical Strength44*Akiithitiya Loothe literally means using something with care and knowledge.
When we analysed all the storiesand interviews we found a commonpattern <strong>of</strong> strenghts in almost all <strong>of</strong>them. We identified five main strengths; flexibility,open-mindedness, respect, care and knowledge,and law. People are using them towardsbuilding the life they want. These strengths havebeen mostly ignored by those who come herefrom outside.FlexibilityThe miners take risks to go down deep holesand work hard between life and death. Thosepeople need strength and courage. The peoplequarrying stone take risks on the mountainside.A young woman who goes out for firewood isalso courageous. Even when she goes out sheis not scared. She doesn’t look around. Shegoes a very far distance to get her firewood. Ifthe young women leave in the early morning,midday they get home. Next morning at dawnthey leave for the market. It shows the physicalstrength <strong>of</strong> the youth.If you are creative and hardworking you canmake money and buy what you need. You donot rely on only one thing to make a living, youare ready to do many things. You adjust fromone activity to another. Even when you fail youpersevere.Open mindednessBeing open minded is having broad thinkingand using your mind to achieve something. Ifyou are mining gold, you should not consumethe whole <strong>of</strong> what you get. You should reserve apart for the future. It means learning skills fromANALYSISothers, like the women who learned to usethe basin and water in gold mining. Wisdom, anatural understanding <strong>of</strong> what to do, is whenwarriors mark the direction to walk without acompass, or when people can find water in adry riverbed. If women make charcoal, sell it,buy grain, make beer, sell it, and buy food fortheir family, they are being strategic to increasethe little that they have.Our team member Naputaria has initiative. Hegoes hunting and uses the money from it to payfriends to help him dig murram. He saves themoney from that to buy goats, then he cultivatesand now he has cows. You have to havethinking and strategy for getting beyond hardwork to a simpler life.Respect between peopleEven the research has brought unity amongus. We have learned from each other. Since wevisited those places we have made friends withthe people we met, and we can build on that.When one <strong>of</strong> us is breaking stones, all his or herfriends will do it for him. Old enemies supporteach other in the gold mines and quarries.We go for firewood and herd together in groupsfor safety and company. While young men andwomen are doing the harvest, young girls cantake charcoal to market and buy food for us. Itreinforces the work. When a woman has madebeer she shares it with friends.We make peace through networks <strong>of</strong> agematesand use our experience <strong>of</strong> war to makearguments for peace. The fighters must agreethat it is enough. If an age-set leader goes tothe other side he will not be hurt because he isknown. From Matheniko when he goes to meetthe age-set leader <strong>of</strong> Bokora, he will be the oneto be listened to. It comes automatically. Ournetworks go across Karamoja.Care and KnowledgeThis is about using something with care, knowledgeand wisdom. Elders make sure that thegrass is not finished before the animals move onto another area. They give their knowledge toyounger people. When the young people went forpeace they were showing wisdom. The peace hasinfluenced everything, because it allows peopleto use all their strengths.When a young man is managing his cows, andwhen the grass is near and the water is near, hehas strength. He is rich. He is thinking about howto look after them and about getting married. Hecommands respect. The products <strong>of</strong> the cow cancare for whatever size <strong>of</strong> family he has.LawIn Karamoja we have laws that show the correctway <strong>of</strong> behaving. Even in the goldmines there arerules for how each person should behave nextto the others. With murram it is agreed withoutsaying that no one should take from someoneelse’s pile, even if he leaves it for a long time. Thetraditional law and the system <strong>of</strong> age sets is ourculture. The leaders guide the age mates in whatto do. All <strong>of</strong> these rules and laws are strength,because they guide and protect our people.45
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