CCFU mobilises Uganda’s Indigenous Minority Groups to commemorate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

Ms. Petua Isabirye from Uganda’s Equal Opportunities Commission presented a paper titled “Positioning young people from Indigenous communities for climate action

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples takes place annually on 9th August to celebrate Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge and raise awareness about the protection of their rights. From 15^th to 17^th August 2023, CCFU supported Indigenous Minority communities in Uganda to commemorate the day through a 3-day event organized in Kapchorwa which attracted representatives from 15 communities. During the event, whose theme was “Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination” the communities reflected on the gains and challenges in the realization of their cultural rights since last year. In line with the theme, Ms. Petua Isabirye from Uganda’s Equal Opportunities Commission presented a paper titled “Positioning young people from Indigenous communities for climate action”.

During the event, the Benet community had an opportunity to launch and disseminate a publication and film which highlights their oral history, culture and traditions. The Local Council Five of Kween district launched these important resources.

All the participating IMGs had another opportunity to showcase their unique cultural heritage resources through a 2-day exhibition which took place at Noah’s Ark Hotel in Kapchorwa town.

At the end of the celebrations, the IMGs especially those involved in the promotion of cultural enterprises had their capacity enhanced to establish and sustain vibrant cultural enterprises through marketing, publicity and value-addition.

IMGs noted that whereas there has been significant progress in terms of promoting the realisation of their cultural rights in different parts of Uganda, there is much more that needs to be done. For instance:

1. The issue of compensation and resettlement of Indigenous Minority Communities that were evicted from forest reserves or national parks should be resolved
2. There should be fair political representation of the Indigenous Minority Groups both at local and national levels, at least there should be a Member of Parliament to represent all IMGs in Uganda
3. Address the issue of statelessness which is affecting a number of communities such as the Benet, Bagabu and Katibong among others
4. Support the communities to develop orthographies for their languages so that they can taught in areas where IMGs constitute large populations of learners
5. Provide for affirmative action for the IMGs to meaningfully participate and benefit from government development interventions such as the Parish Development Model, Youth Livelihood Programme and Emyooga