The Bishop of Northern Uganda, the Rt. Rev Nelson Onono-Onweng, drew a large crowd and great respect for his activities as a founding chairman of the Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, meeting the rebels, including Kony, by night out in the bush. As a mark of solidarity with the thousands of children who flee to the cities for safety each night, he spent four nights sleeping unprotected on the open tarmac. The action resulted in the building of shelters for them.
Bishop looked to women to make a difference, citing the women of Japan after Hiroshima. I am now looking at women as the agents of peace. Those fighting are children born of a woman, so the women can talk to them.
On arms, he protested: “In Uganda, we don’t make arms, but small arms are everywhere. Where are they coming from? Why should they be there for us to kill ourselves?”
This was during the Greenbelt festival that attracted about twenty thousand people from across the world. This year theme is Heaven in the Ordinary.
During the week, Rev. Willy Akena accompanied by Revd Canon Stuart Taylor met with the Archbishop of Canterbury International Secretary David Peck at the Lambeth Palace, where they discussed support to the Diocese of Northern Uganda and the peace process.
Bishop Nelson who is currently in the UK for a three weeks official visit together with his wife Brenda and Rev.Willy Akena will this Sunday 2nd September speak at St. Andrew’s Church Cobham, St. Peter Henleaze and St. Philip and St. James in Bath. Thereafter the entourage will leave for Oxford where among others the Bishop will meet Acholi Community in the Diaspora, Church Mission Society, and Mothers Union.
As appeared in the Church Times, London 31st August 2007, additional reporting by Rev.Willy Akena in UK
1 comment:
It is good for London to notice (and for the citizens there to do something - anything) the plight of Northern Uganda.
It is better, however, if their governments stop creating the situations that inspire all such occurrences like Northern Uganda. Poverty creates war. War creates poverty. Britain retains African debt. African debt creates poverty. Poverty creates war ...
Lip-service is easy. They'd have spent a night outdoors for fun, even. It is the real deal where there is a real sacrifice to make (for the sake of the sufferers) that is harder to pull off.
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