Paramount Chief of Acholi, Rwot David Onen Acana II, greets his subjects during the Acholi Cultural Festival last weekend. Photo by David Okema.
GULU— President Yoweri Museveni has urged the different cultural tradition in Uganda to modernize their custom by embracing education.
Speaking as the chief guest at the Acholi cultural festival in Gulu town at the weekend, Museveni said the modern culture must include education to prevent children from suffering due to lack of knowledge.
“We can talk of tradition but the tradition must be dynamic and absorb new things and so today, our tradition includes education, modern religion. The parent must know that without modern education, your child will be in trouble,” President Museveni said.
He said parents should shift their role from policing their children to imparting ideas.
He noted that African culture was without religions like Christianity and Islam but due to modernization, the two religions were adopted as part of African culture.
He, therefore, emphasized that modern culture must include education.
The President encouraged traditional leaders to emphasize the teaching of language and marriage and desist from teaching politics because the country already has plenty of politicians from grassroots level to the President.
The paramount chief of Acholi, Rwot David Onen Acana II, also concurred with the President, adding that many Acholi children living in different part of the world do not know their language because they are not being taught, hence resulting to the loss of Acholi culture.
He blamed parents for taking their children of three to four years to boarding school, something he said limits children to learn cultural practices from home.
The paramount chief, however, urged the Acholi to stand firm and protect their culture from some modern practices that can erode it.
He called for more literature on Acholi culture and the establishment of a museum to further learning for the young ones.
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