The Amsterdam Gulu Walk

Tomorrow, Saturday 24 October 2009, Ugandans and friends of Uganda living in the Netherlands shall converge in Amsterdam south East to join 100 other cities in the world to walk for Gulu. 

The Gulu Walk is an initiation of 2 Canadian men who first heard the stories of the night commuters of northern Uganda in the spring of 2005. These night commuters were children totaling sometimes 40,000 who used to walk to Gulu town every evening to sleep in relative safety and avoid being killed or abducted by the rebels who roamed the rural country side at night.

It is this plight of these children that sparked the idea of the Gulu Walk. “Every evening in July of 2005, Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Haywardwalked 12.5 kilometers into downtown Toronto to sleep in front of city hall. At sunrise, after about fours hours sleep, they made the trek home. Both men continued to work full-time and attempted to maintain their daily routine to mimic the lifestyle endured by the Acholi children of northern Uganda. Over the 31 days, they walked 775km in 154 hours 18 minutes and 872,739 steps.” http://www.guluwalk.com/about 

Since the first walk in 2005, thousands around the world have walked to tell the story of northern Uganda and bring attention to the plight of its people. Since it’s inception, the event has raised over $1-million for the children of northern Uganda.

While the commuting has stopped because of the relative peace in Northern Uganda, the need for rebuilding in northern Uganda is ongoing. In the midst of the conflict, more than 1.7 million people have been displaced from their homes and forced to live in squalid camps.

In Amsterdam the route will be as follows:

·      2.30 pm - converge at outside Ganzenhoef station in Amsterdam South East

·      3.00 pm - Start from Station Ganzenhoef and walk towards Kraainest

·      Kraaiennest back to Ganzenhoef via Kikkenstein and Gooioord) to

·      Winkel Centrum Ganzenhoef-Bijlmerdreef by the Saturday market, 

·      3.30pm - Bijlmerdreef-Amsterdamsepoort,

·      Amsterdamsepoort-Bijlmer Arena(round the Arena) and back to Amsterdamsepoort.

·      4.00pm - End of Walk and address; Hoptille 183 (Kalema's) for Tea /Coffee and other refreshments

I am again honoured to be the Amsterdam Walk chief coordinator.

www.balunywa.blogspot.com

 

 

The Den Haag Gulu Walk 2008

As I was writing an introduction to the Amsterdam Gulu Walk tomorrow, I thought it prudent to give you a report of what happened last year in the Hague where the Den Haag Gulu Walk took place on 25-Oct-2007. It started at 1430 hrs from the Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in The Hague. The walkers went through the town centre via the parliament, market to Holland spoor train station in The Hague. They continued through the peace palace and end at the ISS. 

Pearl of Africa foundation, an organisation for Ugandans living in Netherlands was responsible for organising the Den Haag Gulu Walk in The Hague. It started with around 40 people but by the end of the programme, 50 people had registered. 

Most of the walkers attired in orange T-shirts and caps walked while singing, blowing the trumpet and whistling. Some people in the areas we passed through joined the walk. A walk document given to bystanders and delivered in mailboxes along the route. The walk document was colourful and was in both English and Dutch. It briefly explained the walk.

The Gulu walk of 2007 was part of the Global effort to raise awareness and funds for the emergency humanitarian support for the parentless, helpless, homeless and hopeless children who had been walking tens of miles every day in search of safety, food and shelter between the jungles and towns in Northern Uganda for the last twenty years. The children remained caught up between the government, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and other rebellions between the people of Northern Uganda and the Government for the last twenty years.

The Walk of 2008 however, the emphasis was on support for the ongoing peace talks and resettlement. 

The Den Haag Gulu Walk had Ugandans of different tribes and political affiliations from the Netherlands and Belgium. Unlike last year we did not have representatives from Uganda. The walk took about 2 hours going through densely populated areas of the Hague shopping centre.

Unlike previous year  where we were supported by 2 police officers, this time we were escorted by the many police who later described our walk as very peaceful and orderly compared to other such-like demonstrations involving immigrants! 

At the corner café near ISS where we assembled after the walk, a keynote address was given by WSO Akwero. He explained the  Gulu walk history as an event that started with just two people in July 2005 and has now grown into a worldwide peace movement. GuluWalk continues to have global reach and has been featured in media outlets all over the world, with GuluWalk co-founders Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward being recognized in 2005 as Newsmakers of the Year by Maclean's magazine

He gave a background of the Gulu conflict history outlining how Uganda has been at war for the last 20 years. Approximately 2 million people were living in camps in Northern and Eastern Uganda.  They suffered quietly until Jan Engeland, then U.N. under-secretary general of Humanitarian Affairs,  exposed the catastrophe as the worst humanitarian crisis, the forgotten war worse than Darfur and Iraq...! 2 decades of armed conflict between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government in the Northern Uganda caused some nearly two million civilians to be displaced from their homes. Ordered into so-called protected camps, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) face heightened insecurity, appalling living conditions and the lack of means of subsistence. Abuses against these communities are rampant; the LRA has committed war crimes and gross violations of human rights including the abduction of over twenty thousand children, widespread maiming, rape and murder against the civilian population. These attacks have led to secondary displacement in which up to forty thousand children commuted nightly from the camps to sleep in the relative safety of town centres.

While the LRA have been perpetrators of these crimes, the Ugandan People's Defence Forces (UPDF), the national army, has also committed human rights violations against civilians that include arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings, torture and rape. The UPDF, whose mandate is to protect civilians, has not only failed to prevent attacks and abductions by the LRA, but has also perpetrated grave abuses against civilians in a climate of impunity

In 2006, Halima Namakula graced the Amsterdam Gulu walk, Youths from Youth Service Initiative in Utrecht, Ugandans from Sweden and Germany and some few Ugandans from the Netherlands. There were more non-Ugandans who participated in the walk than Ugandans!

The peace talks have brought the belligerents on table to discuss peace. A cessation of hostilities agreement was signed last year and there has been some semblance of Peace in Gulu. Some people have returned to their homes from the internally displaced camps. However, the victims seem not to be represented.

Pearl of Africa the organizers of this walk joined Gulu Walk Canada in order to contribute in its small way to support the peace talks and fundraise for the returnees. Pearl of Africa also has a project  in Gulu to build a day care centre for the children of former abducted girls to enable them return to school or seek employment. 

 

 

“The Internet is the Most Important Media Tool”, Cissy

Ali Balunywa in Gulu, Uganda

The Monitor office unlike the New Vision’s in Gulu has several female reporters and correspondents. Cissy Makumbi is one of them. She joined the Monitor in 2007 as a correspondent. The Monitor is Uganda’s other second daily newspaper. It is an independent daily founded by a group of journalists. Currently, it is owned by East Africa’s biggest media house, The Nation Group of Companies that publishes the biggest circulating newspaper in East Africa. It also owns radios and televisions in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

For Cissy, a typical day depends on what is happening in the region. However, she is always at the office by 8.00am to attend the editorial meeting. Thereafter she goes to the field in search of news, following up tips or to conduct interviews.

After getting her stories, she goes back to the office and discusses them with her boss before typing them. The discussion involves establishing what angle the story should take. The computers are not networked, so Cissy uses a flash disk to pass the typed story to her colleagues and bureau chief, before sending it to the Monitor in Kampala.

To Cissy, the Internet is the most important new media for journalists. She uses it for communication via email, yahoo and messenger. She also uses it to access news from other sources and to beef up her stories with the Google search engine. She does not blog, nor belong to any social networking sites, but she relaxes with the Solitaire computer game.

The other tool Cissy uses most is the mobile telephone. Her phone has a camera, recorder, radio video and texting in addition to making and receiving calls. She is a proud user of all the functions of her telephone.

Basic ICT tools for the Media

Ali Balunywa in Gulu, Uganda

Justin Muboka works in the Monitor’s Gulu Bureau. The Monitor is Uganda’s other second daily newspaper. It is an independent daily founded by a group of journalists. Currently, it is owned by East Africa’s biggest media house, The Nation Group of Companies that publishes the biggest circulating newspaper in East Africa. It also owns radios and televisions in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Justin holds a diploma in education. She joined the Monitor in 2008 and she holds the post of news reporter.

Every morning, Justin gets to office by 8.00am to get to office in time for the editorial meeting chaired by the bureau chief. During the meeting they discuss how to improve on the paper. They also exchange news tips and receive assignments.

After the meeting, Justin goes to the field in search of news. After gathering the news she returns to the office to type the stories. She passes the typed stories to her colleagues and bureau chief using a flash disk. If the story is fine, the bureau chief sends it to the Monitor in Kampala.

Justin’s use of the new media is limited to the computer, Internet and mobile phone. She does not blog or belong to any social networking site. She uses the intern for research, email, Gmail and news; She uses her mobile phone for communication, texting, receiving assignments and reporting.

 

New Media, a Blessing for Upcountry Journalists

Ali Balunywa in Gulu, Uganda

The New Vision regional office in Gulu is located in the very heart of Gulu town in Northern Uganda, The New Vision newspaper is a member of the New Vision Group of companies and it is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug).

Chris Ocowun is the bureau chief of the New Vision in Gulu. He holds a diploma in journalism and mass communication. His typical day starts with an overview of the previous day, what was done or not done. He also looks at how stories can be improved or built on.

Every Tuesday, he chairs the editorial meeting between 8.00 am and 9.00am. They share news tips and ideas and assign duties to every one.

Every day Chris sends his staff out to the field in search of news or to follow up on stories. Every reporter is computer literate. Each types out his/her story on the computer and emails it to the editor. Deadlines for stories are 10.00am though breaking news stories can be sent much later. 

In the Gulu office newsroom, reporters share stories with each other before sending them to the editor to ensure that the grammar is right and facts are in order. The Gulu office has 6 reporters.

Chris observed that the new media is a blessing for upcountry journalists. It all starts with the computer, which is used for typing stories, editing them and forwarding them via email to the editor. It is also used to spell check and for obtaining background information.

Chris also uses Yahoo messenger for conducting interviews, collecting data and clarifying on some information. He however does not belong to any social networking sites, nor does he blog.

The office has a digital camera, which is used to take photos that are attached to stories. The photos are uploaded on the computers, cleaned up and instantly sent to Kampala.

The mobile phone is also used at the office in the line of duty. It is used for gathering news, making appointments, clarifying on stories and sometimes sending stories to Kampala.

 

 

Oketch Bitek, not Okot B’tek!

Ali Balunywa in Gulu, Uganda

When Oketch Bitek told me his name, I automatically assumed that I heard Okot B’tek the famous poet and novelist. However, he explained to me that he was no relative of the poet. Oketch is a freelance journalist with the New Vision.

The New Vision newspaper is a member of the New Vision Group of companies and it is the biggest multimedia house in Uganda. It publishes 8 newspapers and 5 magazines. It owns 3 FM radio stations and a television network. (www.newvision.co.ug) 

Oketch is a university graduate. He is in possession of a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. After school he first worked with the Monitor newspaper as the Northern Bureau chief. He was also a reporter for the Central Broadcasting Services FM Radio and at the same time a researcher for international television stations.

Oketch arrives at the office every, day at 8.30 am. He asks his boss if there is any pending assignment. If not, he goes through the book to establish if there is any unaccomplished task or invitation to a function or event.

He also checks the Internet for any pending invitation or local issue. He then peruses through the local papers to see if there is any issue that they overlooked or to get tips for new stories.

After writing his articles, Oketch types them using the office computer and sends them to the bureau chief, who sends it to Kampala if found okay.

On the new media technology, Oketch confirmed that he uses the computer for Internet, email, spell checking, retouching photos and reading other newspapers. He however admitted that he does not use the search engines, chatting or social networking sites nor does he blog. 

Oketch uses the mobile phone for communication, receiving assignments, texting and reporting. He owns a laptop, which he uses to write his stories and send them to the editors or/ and bureau chief. He also listens to FM radios to get story tips.

 

 

The Mobile Phone is King of the Media

Ali Balunywa in Gulu, Uganda

Moses Akena is a freelance journalist who joined the Monitor early this year 2009. He is a graduate of Literature. The Monitor is Uganda’s other second daily newspaper. It is an independent daily founded by a group of journalists. Currently, it is owned by East Africa’s biggest media house, The Nation Group of Companies that publishes the biggest circulating newspaper in East Africa. It also owns radios and televisions in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

The first thing he does in the morning is to send stories generated the previous day to Kampala. The deadline for upcountry stories is 10.00am. So stories that are collected after that are sent the next morning unless they are breaking news stories. 

Moses goes out in the field in search of news after mailing Kampala. Later in the day, he attends an editorial meeting chaired by the bureau chief. After the meeting, Moses types his stories. There is no network at the bureau offices, so stories are transferred using flash disks. Stories get peer review and then they are sent to the bureau chief before emailing them to Kampala.

Moses being a fresh graduate makes limited use of the New Media. He does not belong to any social networking site, does not blog, does not use a digital camera nor can he edit photos. However, he use the computer for typing in stories, editing, Googling and emailing.

He also constantly uses his mobile phone for receiving instructions, texting, interviewing and reporting. He thinks the mobile phone is the king of the media and the best tool that has revolutionized the media.