![Sample our Social Sciences journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110822/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Social-Sciences.jpg"})
Abstract
Abstract This article uses a case study of Uganda to examine the contentious politics surrounding Indigenous land rights in contemporary Africa, notably regarding the right to ‘free, prior and informed consent’ (FPIC). Drawing upon insights from recent fieldwork, it contrasts the diverse struggles of two of Uganda's most prominent Indigenous groups. Whereas the Batwa constitute a small group of (traditionally) hunter-gatherers from the southwestern District of Kisoro (and surrounding areas) who have low capacity to challenge the state, the Karamojong are a much larger group of agro-pastoralists from the northeastern region of Karamoja who have a long history of conflict and opposition to the central government. These cases highlight the diverging capacities of groups to protect their traditional lands, yet their shared struggle to secure both legal recognition as Indigenous and their right to FPIC from a hostile government. Given the obstacles facing these groups and the potential for FPIC to deepen cleavages between—and within—communities, the article concludes with some reflections for advancing the rights of Uganda's Indigenous peoples without enflaming the divisive identity politics that can accompany Indigenous land rights movements in certain political contexts.
Acknowledgements
Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the European Conference of African Studies (2019), the ‘Beyond the Boundaries of International Relations: Power, Indigeneity, and the Settler State’ workshop at the University of Victoria, Canada (2019), the Building Bridges and Association francophone pour le savoir speaker series at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada (2019, 2020), and the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting (2021). The author received many thoughtful questions and comments from the participants at the aforementioned meetings. The author wishes to particularly thank the anonymous reviewers and editors of Ethnopolitics for their constructive feedback and detailed suggestions which greatly helped to improve the manuscript.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 In Kisoro District, the author conducted interviews in the town of Kisoro and surrounding area. In Karamoja region, the author conducted interviews in the following towns: Kaabong, Kotido and Moroto.
2 While all Batwa interviewed could be classified as non-elites, some Karamojong could be described as elites, notably individuals leading high-profile NGOs or who are MPs.
3 Interview, NGO, Kampala, 16 May 2019.
4 Interview, NGO, Moroto, Karamoja, 29 May 2019.
5 Interview, government official from Uganda Law Commission, Kampala, 15 May 2019.
6 On the devastating socio-economic effects caused by the creation of Bwindi, see Laudati (Citation2010).
7 Interview, NGO, Kampala, 14 May 2019.
8 Interview, senior government administrator, Kisoro, 21 May 2019.
9 Interview, senior government administrator, Kisoro, 21 May 2019.
10 Other organizations have also played critical roles in supporting the land rights of the Batwa, including the Forest Peoples Programme, Minority Rights Group International, and Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda.
11 Interview, Batwa community leader, Kisoro District, 22 May 2019.
12 Interview, Batwa community member, Kisoro District, 24 May 2019.
13 For a countering interpretation of the relationship between guns and cattle raiding, see Knighton (Citation2003, Citation2010).
14 On the gendered dimensions of the impact of disarmament, see Hopwood et al. (Citation2018).
15 Interview, MP from Karamoja, Kampala, 5 June 2019.
16 Interview, NGO, Moroto, Karamoja, 29 May 2019.
17 Interview, Community Organizer, Kotido, Karamoja, 31 May 2019.
18 Interview, NGO, Moroto, Karamoja, 29 May 2019.
19 Interview, MP from southwestern Uganda, Kampala, 6 June 2019.
20 Interview, NGO, Kisoro, 24 May 2019.
21 Interview, Community Organizer, Kotido, Karamoja, 31 May 2019.
22 Interview, senior government administrator, Kisoro, 21 May 2019.
23 Interview, NGO, Moroto, Karamoja, 29 May 2019.
24 Interview, NGO, Moroto, Karamoja, 29 May 2019.
25 At the time of the researcher's visit, the official rate was $600USD to track and observe gorillas for a few hours. The Batwa in neighbouring Rwanda face a similar challenge, as lucrative national parks and gorilla tourism have displaced them from their traditional territories (Collins et al., Citation2021, p. 9). Interview, Batwa elder, Kisoro District, 24 May 2019.
26 Interview, legal expert, Kampala, 17 May 2019.
27 Interview, NGO, Kampala, 16 May 2019.