From: Dickson Ogwang

To: "cogole@gmail.com" <cogole@gmail.com>

Sent: Sunday, June 7, 2015, 4:11:53 PM EDT
Subject: transitional justice

Apwoyo Caesar,

I just sent you a personal email but now can see you want others to benefit from the same knowledge:

1. Kayo cuk is a Lango Traditional Reconciliation Ritual performed between two clans after an offense involving
blood occurred (murder or manslaughter) For non Lawyers, offense of murder is where the act of the offender
causing death was done with intention to kill whereas manslaughter is where the act that caused death was without
intention to kill. Eitherway, death was ensured. And in Lango whether the deceased died with an act intended to kill
or not, Culu kwor has to take place and events, Kayo cuk follows. That is why in Lango if a woman dies even of
child birth at your home and you had not yet married her with full dowry paid you and your clan will still have to go
through culo kwor, at times including marrying the dead wife by paying bride price to her clan and family.

2. Mato put is a similar reconciliation ritual done by the Acholi Cultural people. It involves drinking a bitter
concoction (oput) by two people each representing a conflicted clan, done after culu kwor to symbolize
reconciliation. The two representatives will bring their heads together to chip from the same gwata until their foe
heads meets with their mouths inside the guard. It's a symbol of drinking the bitter pass away and sharing in the pain
caused by the conflict to both clans.

3. Culu kwor now I believe you can understand from the above explanation. It is simply a means of compensating
for a loss of a loved one who has been killed by a member or members of another clan. In Lango the conciliatory
process is always handles by 'odonge kwor'. Besides Awitong (clan leader) there is always Adwong Kwor whose
role becomes active whenever a clan member of his clan is killed or a member of his clan causes the death of
another clan member.

Note: The term 'culu kwor' is only used to refer competition for a deceased killed by a member of another clan in
Lango Culture.

It does not matter whether or not the offender is undergoing terms of imprisonment or sentenced to death for the
capital offense of murder, his or her clan will still have to culu kwor.

If by any chance the offender is released from prison after serving his sentence or from remand after acquittal, he
will be accepted to community where culu kwor and the reconciliation ritual of kayo cuk had been done.

In Uganda this reconciliation parties is recognized and entrenched in our 1995 Constitution under Article 126 (2) d
that encourages the Courts to promote reconciliation in cases both civil and criminal in nature.

4. Transitional Justice is a huge topic in itself. It does not necessarily apply in Lango specific as a cultural practice
unlike the above. It involves a number of process in an effort to restore peace and stability we after a period of
violent confluct. It's a process of transitioning from a period of violent confluct to a state of order, stability, good
governance while dealing with individuals who have been involved in conflict both as perpetrators and victims.

It involves things like traditional justice as discussed above, amnesty, disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation
and reintegration of ex combatants. It's a huge topic that I can not exhaust in this email as I type from my Android
phone.

For now, I hope I've given you some learnings. In case you need no reason explanation please do not hesitate to
give me a call or inbox me privately.

Wish you all a good night and God bless!

Dickson