Kakwa people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 422,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Uganda | 246,000 |
 South Sudan | 134,000 |
 DR Congo | 42,000 |
| Languages | |
| Kakwa,English | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly: Christianity Significant minority: Sunni IslamandAnimism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Karo people | |
TheKakwa peopleare aNiloticethnic group and part of the Karo people found in north-westernUganda,south-westernSouth Sudan,and north-easternDemocratic Republic of the Congo,particularly to the west of theWhite Nileriver.[1][2]
The Kakwa people are a small minority but a part of the largerKaro people,an intermarried group that also includes theBari,Pojulu,Mundari,Kuku,Ngepo, andNyangwara.Their language,Kutuk na Kakwa,is anEastern Niloticlanguage.[5]
The major cities of the Kakwa people are the city ofYeiandMorobo County(South Sudan),Koboko District(Uganda), and Imgbokolo andAba(Democratic Republic of the Congo). The Kakwa people sometimes refer to themselves as "Kakwa Salia Musala", translated directly as "Kakwa three country's" a phrase they commonly use to denote their 'oneness' in spite of being politically dispersed among three countries.[6]
According to the Kakwaoral tradition,they migrated out ofEast Africa(Nubian region) from the city ofKawain between thethird and fourth cataracts of the Nile.First intoSouth Sudan,and from there southwards intoUgandaand the Democratic Republic of Congo.[1]Some of the Kakwa who bordered Uganda, converted to Islam, accepting the Maliki school of Sunni theology in the medieval era. They were annexed into theEquatoria regionclaimed by the Egyptian Islamic rulerKhedive Ismail(Isma'ili Pasha) by his descendantTewfik Pashain 1889. As theBritish colonial empire[7]expanded intoEast AfricaandEgypt,the region with Kakwa people became a part of theUganda Protectorate.[1]
The Kakwa people rose to international prominence when GeneralIdi Amin,[8]of Kakwa ancestry, assumed power inUgandathrough a military coup.[9]He filled important military and civil positions in his administration with his ethnic group,[9][10][self-published source][11][6]andNubians.[12]He arrested and killed officials from other ethnic groups such as theAcholiandLangopeople, whom he doubted.[1]Idi Aminalso supplied arms and financed theSudaneseKakwa people in the first civil war of Sudan.[13]The Kakwa officials inIdi Aminregime were later accused of many humanitarian crimes. After Amin was deposed in 1979, many Kakwa people were killed inrevengekillings, causing others to leave the area and fled toSudan.[1]However, they have now returned to their native areas in theWest Nile regionofnorthern Uganda.[14]
Ethnic violence
[edit]
For most of theSouth Sudanese Civil War,the fighting was focused in theGreater Upper Nileregion. After theclashesin Juba in 2016, thefightinglargely shifted to the previously safe haven ofEquatoria,where the bulk of SPLM-IO forces went for shelter.[16]Accounts point to both sides targetingcivilianson ethnic lines between theDinkaand the dozens of ethnic groups among the Equatorian who are historically in conflict with theDinka,such as the Karo, who include theBari.[17]Witnesses reportDinka soldiersthreatening villagers that they will kill all Kakwa people for their alleged support to Machar and killingPojulu peoplewhile sparing those who they find can speakDinka.[18]AUNinvestigation saidrapewas being used a tool of ethnic cleansing[19]andAdama Dieng,theU.N.'sSpecial Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, warned ofgenocideafter visiting areas of fighting inYei.[20]
Lifestyle
[edit][3]The traditional Kakwalivelihoodhas been based on cultivatingcorn,millet,cassava,fishing and cattle. The traditional villages of Kakwa are linked by theirlineage,with males forming councils of elders. Polygyny is accepted and practiced, whileChristianandIslamic traditionsform part of the Kakwa people’s [cultural value systems and living style].[1]
Countries where Kakwa are located
[edit]Cultural food consumed by the Kakwa people
[edit]- Maize
- Casava
- Sorghum
- Millet
- Beans
- Cowpeas
- Sesame
- Groundnuts
- Palm oil
- Yams
- Sweet potatoes
- and local fruits[5]
See also.
[edit]Schools in Kakwa Land in Morobo County
[edit]Secondary School
[edit]Kanyara secondary school
Primary Schools
[edit]- Moroboprimary school
- Epc primary school
- Alpha nursery and primary school
- Bright Future Islamic primary school
- Luanga primary school
- Kanyara primary school
References
[edit]- ^abcdefAnthony Appiah; Henry Louis Gates (2010).Encyclopedia of Africa.Oxford University Press. p. 629.ISBN978-0-19-533770-9.
- ^"AFRICA | 101 Last Tribes - Kakwa people".101lasttribes.Retrieved7 January2024.
- ^abc"AFRICA | 101 Last Tribes - Kakwa people".101lasttribes.Retrieved21 May2024.
- ^petnah (25 April 2020)."The Kakwa people - the kakwa people uganda, uganda culture and tribes".petnah.Retrieved21 May2024.
- ^abKakwa languages,Ethnologue
- ^ab"Idi Amin's home developing through cross-border trade".Daily Monitor.Retrieved20 August2020.
- ^Chandler, Gemma (29 June 2020)."British Empire facts!".National Geographic Kids.Retrieved22 May2024.
- ^"Biography of Idi Amin, Brutal Dictator of Uganda".ThoughtCo.Retrieved22 May2024.
- ^abKefa M. Otiso (2006).Culture and Customs of Uganda.Greenwood. pp. 31–33.ISBN978-0-313-33148-0.
- ^Thabani ka Sigogo Sibanda (2011).Conflict Issues Across Disciplines: Conflict, Negotiation, and Mediation: African Experiences.Xlibris. pp. 67–68.ISBN978-1-4568-1761-9.[self-published source]
- ^Phares Mukasa Mutibwa (1992).Uganda Since Independence: A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes.Africa World Press. pp. 79–81.ISBN978-0-86543-357-1.
- ^Donald L. Horowitz (2001).Ethnic Groups in Conflict, Updated Edition With a New Preface.University of California Press. pp. 491–492.ISBN978-0-520-92631-8.
- ^Donald L. Horowitz (2001).Ethnic Groups in Conflict, Updated Edition With a New Preface.University of California Press. pp. 274–281.ISBN978-0-520-92631-8.
- ^The Republic of Uganda,Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^"dinka men with necklace traditioal - Google Search".google.Retrieved21 May2024.
- ^"Who can stop the threat of genocide in South Sudan?".irinnews.org. 14 November 2016.
- ^"South Sudanese flee as country edges closer to 'genocide'".reuters. 1 December 2016.
- ^"US seeks sanctions on South Sudan rebel leader, army chief".washington post.19 November 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 20 November 2016.
- ^"UN:Rape used as a tool of ethnic cleansing in South Sudan".CBS news. 2 December 2016.
- ^"Hatred spills beyond South Sudan along with refugees".Reuters. 15 December 2016.