A team of ten youth from Germany who are currently in Uganda for their 16-day exchange visit to Uganda under the project dubbed “Youth Team Exchange on Gender Justice”, goal number 5 among the 17 sustainable development goals have revealed their heartfelt impression on how Acholi culture promotes embracing of gender equality.
The German youth came to Uganda through international partnership between eineweltnet (one-word network) in German and Grassroots women and men association for development GWAD.
GWAD is a non profit making local NGO based in Gulu city its goal is to reduce poverty at the grassroots level by empowering rural communities around Gulu economically, socially, politically and culturally.
According to Giftty Claresa wiafe, the team coordinator for German youth, they came to Uganda to learn on legal, civic, cultural and social aspects of gender justices in Uganda.
The 10 youth arrived in Uganda on the 1st December 2023 and they have been able to visit Civil society organization, cultural institution, academic such as Gulu university, and as well visited homesteads of their Ugandan counterpart youth to learn on how gender roles are being shared in Uganda.
Yesterday the German youth accompanied by their Ugandan counterpart were led to Ker Kwaro Pageya Place at St. Jude Bardeg-Layibi division in Gulu city.A
At the cultural institution, a number of cultural exhibitions pertaining how Acholi people embrace gender justices and gender roles were showcased while nitty-gritty were also explained to them.
The participants were entertained with varieties of Acholi cultural dances such as Dingiding, Ajere, Bwola, Orak among other dances.
Talking-to favor FM during the side interview Gifty Claresa Wiafe, the team coordinator for German youth expressed her impression saying the dances were so emotional, physical and included both genders to participate.
Klaas Janowsky, participant, says there is a need for global unity to strengthen gender equality, reorganizing that cultural institutions can adopt dances to unify both genders to achieve gender justices.
Solomon Racakara, the field officer for Grassroots Women and men association for development who is championing the Youth Team Exchange on Gender Justice Project explained that the Project emerged from his visit to Germany in 2019 after one of his proposals was vetted by one donor from Germany.
His previous idea was looking at promoting sustainable development goal number 5 which is gender equality, where he was trained on civil society organization administration and investment.
According to Rackara, under the youth team exchange on gender justice project, a total of 10 youth from Uganda will also travel to Germany in march 2023 to learn the gender equality concept and module of German.
