Advancing the plight of minority groups

On August 9, Uganda joined the rest of the world to celebrate the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. This day aims to recognise the value and diversity of the cultures of the world’s indigenous people.

In Uganda, this year’s national celebrations were held in Kasese District under the theme “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge”.

Although the Third Schedule of Uganda’s Constitution recognises all tribes that were in existence at the date of colonisation as indigenous, there are some that are considered as Indigenous Minority Groups (IMGs). These include Bavanoma, Napore, Benet, Ik, Ethur, and the Bahehe, among others.

Uganda does not have a legal definition for IMGs, however, some of their characteristics include maintaining close ties to the land in both cultural and economic practices and suffering from economic and political marginalisation.

At the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), we have received a number of complaints from IMGs in regard to the enjoyment of their rights. Where indigenous people and IMGs have been displaced from their ancestral land (either because of conflict or in national interest), access to land as a source of cultural identity is a key issue.

There is also limited use of IMG languages in schools and lack of language boards to develop their orthographies. Quite often, their presence has been swallowed by the dominant ethnicities. The EOC has also received a number of complaints on limited representation of IMGs on statutory boards such as district land boards. There is no special attention to IMGs in the government economic empowerment programmes such as Emyooga. Lastly, there is limited showcasing of cultural rights objects for these groups in government museums.

In 2017, the EOC, through the department of equity and rights, working together with civil society organisations (CSOs), including the Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU), Minority Rights Group International and Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, formed the Coalition for the Rights of Indigenous Minority Groups (IMG Coalition) to enhance the human rights of indigenous minorities in Uganda in order to improve their status and reduce marginalisation.

CCFU has worked with 21 IMGs in Uganda to address issues relating to the enjoyment of their cultural rights and has supported the establishment of their regional (Rwenzori and Karamoja) platforms to advocate for their rights, documented their oral history and promoted cultural resources, supported women in cultural enterprises, education and worked with government agencies such as Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and National Forestry Authority (NFA) to promote access to cultural resources in protected areas.

As a constitutional body mandated to fight discrimination and inequality in all its forms among individuals or groups, the EOC has been coordinating and advocating for the rights of indigenous people and minorities.

During this year’s celebrations, CCFU, in collaboration with EOC, and other members of the national IMG coalition, organised activities to highlight the plight of IMGs between August 8 and August 10, including a mini-exhibition of unique cultural resources of 20 IMGs in Uganda, a dialogue with human rights duty-bearers, and a press conference on August 9.

We also had a capacity enhancement event on cultural enterprises of women from IMGs.

The IMG coalition calls upon stakeholders to consider affirmative action in their programming for IMGs and indigenous people, to recognise them, safeguard their dignity and other aspects of their heritage, as well as to promote their political voice.

Ms Petua Babirye Isabirye, principal education officer at Equal Opportunities Commission. [email protected]