Rituals in the Reintegration of Female Ex-Child Soldiers in Northern Uganda

Addressing a very sensitive and a theme that has existential significance, namely, the role of rituals in the integration of female ex-child soldiers among the Acholi in Northern Uganda, this is a timely and highly strategic study. It is a significant contribution to decolonial scholarship by an African woman researcher. Where some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and Western researchers might have dismissed ritual action as mumbo-jumbo, this study carefully unpacks the valuable role that rituals play in the integration of female ex-child soldiers in a concrete context. The appropriation and deployment of rituals in the successful integration of female ex-child soldiers in Northern Uganda confirms the importance of utilizing Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in Africa. While religionist scholars want to overstating the role of religion, this volume acknowledges the critiques of ritual and highlights the equally key role accomplished by other processes. This ensures that the study has a balanced and holistic outlook.

One of the most impressive aspects of this study is how it succeeds in weaving together insights from extant scholarship and data from fieldwork. The dimension of fieldwork is particularly critical in ensuring that African scholars contribute to the transformation of African societies. Data from the field can be processed to ensure that the policies that are crafted speak to the lived realities of Africans. In this way, universities and other institutions of higher learning in Africa cease to be ivory towers but become spark plugs that initiate development in Africa.

Those of us who are keen to narrate the powerful story of “Africa rising,” that is, the perspective of Afro optimism, where Africa is stirring and taking its rightful place among other global players, must pause and pose serious questions in relation to the phenomenon of child soldiers. There is a need to interrogate the historical, socio-economic, political, and other issues that have a bearing on the painful reality of child soldiers in Africa (and other parts of the world). In this regard, the fine scholarship communicated in this volume is valuable as it provides a solid platform for an activism that is better informed. The challenge, therefore, is not simply to understand reality (conditions that give rise to child soldiers) but to contribute toward generating a more ideal reality (where African children thrive and flourish).

Finally, I am deeply impressed by the “passion and compassion” (acknowledging the influence of the title by Oduyoye and Fabella, 1988) that the author brings to this study. She exudes empathy and is dedicated to the task of ensuring that female ex-child soldiers in Northern Uganda are successfully integrated. In this way, she confirms her commitment to African decolonial scholarship. Thus, while our scholarly research should reach the best possible heights, it will be better, more relevant, and strategic if it is transformative. I am delighted to commend the current volume to various categories of readers and doers, readers who are doers, as well as doers who are readers, in pursuit of the ongoing transformation of African societies.

Ezra Chitando

Decades of brutal war left behind a generation of young women whose lives were aggressively disordered by abductions and profound trauma in Northern Uganda. This book explores the role of ritual in the reintegration of female ex-child soldiers within Acholi communities. It is not exclusively an academic inquiry; it is also a tribute to resilience. It honors the courage of young women, the authority of elders, and the cultural frameworks that continue to offer pathways to healing where formal interventions and international support have sometimes proven limited. In a world increasingly shaped by standardized responses to conflict, this study underscores the enduring relevance of local knowledge and the sacred rhythms through which communities repair what war has shattered.

This book is written for students, scholars, practitioners, and policymakers engaged in post-conflict reconstruction and recovery, gender justice, and culturally grounded approaches to healing. Above all, it seeks to foreground the voices of survivors and to illuminate the transformative potential of ritual in rebuilding fractured lives.

This research was both intellectually rigorous and emotionally humbling. Bearing witness to the various narratives deepened my respect for Acholi cultural knowledge and reminded me of the quiet yet continuing strength that perseveres in the aftermath of unspeakable harm. I offer this work not as a definitive account, but as a gesture of solidarity and as an invitation to recognize the wisdom embedded in local traditions.

Dr. Christine Mbabazi Mpyangu, Kampala, Uganda, February 2026

First and foremost, I thank God for His grace, love, strength, and wisdom!

I also thank the team of mentors at VID Specialized University, Norway, formerly the School of Mission and Theology in Stavanger, Norway, and the Department of Religion and Peace Studies at Makerere University for their support.

I especially thank all my informants and translators involved in this study for providing useful information about rituals, Acholi society, formerly recruited girls, the conflict in Northern Uganda, and the entire process of reintegration.

To my children, David, Ruth, Theophilus, and Jethro, thank you for being so understanding, cooperative, and patient. I am deeply indebted to my husband, Godfrey, for his love, prayers, and support.

To all friends, colleagues, and collaborators that continuously expressed interest in my work, thank you very much.

I am forever grateful to Prof. Knut Holter for his mentorship and unwavering support in identifying talent, nurturing, and following up until the best is obtained. Thank you very much!

Finally, I thank Dr. Phillip Dunshea and the team at Peter Lang Publishers for providing an opportunity for me to publish this work. Your guidance, support, and patience have been instrumental in this process.

Topics of child soldiers and girl soldiers continue to be of significant concern in contemporary research. The major issues include abductions, recruitment, and use of children, particularly girls in armed conflict. Current research highlights issues of prevalence globally, and rebel groups continue to attack and destroy lives. For example, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is still active in the Central African Republic.1 I examined the role of rituals in the reintegration process, for female ex-child soldiers.

The study aimed at investigating the role played by the Acholi traditional and Christian rituals, in the process of reintegration of female ex-child soldiers in Northern Uganda. In modern challenges of war, child soldiering and armed conflict, it is easy to dismiss religion as having no role to play at all. But in this study, I chose to find out what rituals can do, to enable the formerly recruited girls in Northern Uganda reintegrate. To unearth this reality, I focused on the ritual dimension of religion.

I deliberately chose to reflect on relevant literature in the areas of child soldiering, ritual and reintegration. Here, several scholars are of great use in identifying the gap that I wanted to fill, and with whom I discuss in the following chapters. Among the scholars are; Victor Turner, Mary Douglas, Roy A. Rappaport, Catherine Bell, Tom F. Driver, Lisa Schirch, Alcinda Honwana, Thomas Harlacher, and Erin Baines, among others.

In an attempt to find out the use of rituals in this process, I spent some time reflecting on the function and failure of rituals in society. In this section, I note that there are two schools of thought regarding this, namely; one school which believes that rituals play a vital role in such processes as reintegration, and the other holds the view that rituals are irrelevant and useless, with no capacity to contribute constructively to the reintegration process. The former category is represented by scholars such as Tom F. Driver, who see rituals as very instrumental with its social gifts of order, community and transformation. The latter group is exemplified by a scholar like Ute Husken, who cautions that rituals can go wrong, and can fail. This put together, brings to the fore an important discussion on the functioning of rituals in society. In light of reintegration, rituals are part of the many mechanisms at work, to facilitate the transition of girls from the bush, and enable them settle down.

This study investigated the role of traditional and Christian rituals in the reintegration of female ex-child soldiers in Northern Uganda, specifically among the Acholi community. Fieldwork was essential, to capture the lived experiences and perspectives of the formerly recruited girls, regarding ritual use in their reintegration process. This firsthand approach, discussed in the methodology section, allowed an immersive observation of the rituals, their perceived value, and the nuances of community interactions with the returning girls.

Initially, religious studies largely focused on texts and narratives; however, this study adopted field methods, to explore how rituals tangibly influence the reintegration process. Chapter 1 presents foundational theories on the role and limitations of rituals in society. Through an analysis of Acholi rituals—such as nyono tongweno, lwoko, pig wang, lakerket, and mato oput—it became evident that these rituals play a critical role in the social acceptance, and healing process for returning girls. This is especially true within the Acholi framework, where forgiveness and reconciliation are deeply embedded cultural principles. These rituals enable healing, promote forgiveness, and foster restored relationships, with some of the returning girls even finding pathways to marriage and employment—key indicators of social acceptance, and community reintegration.