Memory, Suffering, Survival Tactics, and Healing among Jopadhola Women in Post-War Uganda

Citation:

Abel, Marijke, and Annemiek Richters. 2009. “Memory, Suffering, Survival Tactics, and Healing among Jopadhola Women in Post-War Uganda.” Development in Practice 19 (3): 340-49. doi:10.1080/09614520902808050.

Authors: Marijke Abel, Annemiek Richters

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: gender-based violence, healing, civil society, conflict and reconstruction, gender and diversity, Rights, Sub-Saharan Africa

Topics: Armed Conflict, Civil Wars, Gender, Women, Gender-Based Violence, Patriarchy, NGOs Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Uganda

Year: 2009