The Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU) was in Fort Portal city last week conducting a 3 day culture in development training for state and non-state actors from Kyegegwa and Kasese districts; including local government officials, religious leaders, cultural leaders and representatives of civil society organizations. The training was aimed at enhancing the capacity of the different stakeholders to identify and utilise a culture in development approach to prevent VAWG and promote respect for human rights.
A cultural leader from Kyegegwa expressed gratitude to CCFU for coming to support them with their mandate of preserving culture through the culture-in-development approach. He especially noted that with this approach, the positive aspects of culture are emphasized hence making our culture more relevant. Through the training, participants admitted that their eyes were opened to look at culture more as a resource which can be used to promote women’s rights and human rights in general.
The Senior Community Development Officer on behalf of the District Community Development officer of Kasese District Local Government, expressed gratitude to CCFU for the opportunity granted to them to be part of the training. He noted that culture in development poses a good opportunity for the utilization of the available cultural resources within their respective communities and thence urged all the participants to also share with other colleagues who were not part of the training. He also noted that our culture is currently being distorted and it is up to us to restore the positive aspects of culture while abandoning the negative altogether. He called for the mainstreaming of the culture in development approach in the local government plans to be able to achieve a holistic society.
The training was conducted as part of the “Culture for Her” project being implemented by CCFU with the aim of strengthening the capacity of cultural institutions and their communities to promote and protect the fulfilment of gender equality and human rights in a culturally responsive environment in Uganda. It is implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and the Council of Traditional Leaders of Africa (COTLA) – Uganda chapter (which brings together 18 gazetted cultural institutions) and 6 district local governments of Arua, Gulu, Kitgum, Kasese, Kyegegwa and Tororo with financial support from UN Women in Uganda.
