Memory, suffering, survival tactics, and healing among Jopadhola women in post-war Uganda

Abstract

This ethnographic case study addresses the question of how women in Jopadhola patriarchal society in Eastern Uganda remember three decades of civil war and violence and survived its aftermath. When the war ended, little changed for these women, who are still exposed to a continuum of gender-based violence and continue to use the same tactics that, during the war, enabled them somehow to live with their suffering. Local NGOs, with the support of the government, have started to assist Jopadhola women to improve the quality of their present-day lives. By rebuilding their human and social capital, these NGOs are also creating the space for women to heal their war memories.

Keywords:

• Civil Society
• Conflict and Reconstruction
• Gender and Diversity
• Rights
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgements

We especially thank the Jopadhola women who were willing to share their life histories with us, and entrusted to us the analysis and subsequent publication of what they told us. In addition, we thank all the Ugandan people who graciously supported our field study and commented on earlier drafts of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marijke Abel

Marijke Abel is a registered nurse (specialised in trans-cultural nursing) and medical anthropologist, with a post-graduate degree in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology of Non-Western Societies from the University of Amsterdam.

Annemiek Richters

Annemiek Richters (corresponding author) is a physician and anthropologist and is Professor in Culture, Health and Illness at the Leiden University Medical Centre, Department of Public Health and Primary Care Section, Medical Anthropology. Her main areas of interest are violence, health, and human rights from a socio-cultural and gender perspective.