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Heavy responsibilities for elder aunt among the Logooli

With Seenge Fonesi. She is the elder grand daughter of Isagi and elder daughter of Amugasya. She is often present in functions involving the family of Amugasya. Pic taken on 18/4/2024. The elder sister soon becomes the elder aunt. It is this “seenge munene” (elder aunt) tag that she is tied to many cultural responsibilities – back home. To her marital family she may appear as any other woman, but she is not so in the eyes of her people. Marriage does not steal her away as it would happen with other daughters of the old man. To her, as days go and the old man and woman of the estate are dependents, she becomes increasingly present.  Her brothers also need her for almost all traditional markings. They are marrying, she needs to welcome the new wife. They are giving birth, she needs to come to midwife or “bless” the new born. They are paying dowry she needs to lead the women delegate. There is a conflict she needs to come for a hearing.  And many others. Traditions does not expect her to

Speech during official S-CBO Library Opening


                                                                                                                                       30/06/2018
Greetings to the Guest of Honour, Wangulu community and all attending.

Today I am humbled to be with you on this occasion of a dream come true, S-CBO Library. It is a journey that started long before and today as the building stands before us, deep inside us we are quenching a thirst of such a necessity that we have been missing around for ages. And there has been an overwhelming support from the community that nothing in our minds will stop the gradual continuation.

Saniaga Community Based Organization was out of the need to join the many Self Help Groups registered as Saniaga by the ministry of Labour, Social security and Services. We all know that Saniaga is among the great fore fathers who founded the larger Maragoli people we are descendants to. We are therefore proud to gather here as one family. If you are not directly a descendant then you greatly relate to Saniaga through family, relatives, friends and association. The name therefore is power among us. That is why we cannot see such a worthy inheritance unexploited.

Our action as a CBO is to attain a RESOURCE CENTRE in this community where there is a community library, a community hall, a computer center and importantly, a community museum. We are on the track because today one key action is being implemented – the Library.

And the one great purpose as to why it was Wangulu and not elsewhere to site the Resource Centre is because S-CBO was given birth to with an aim of collecting, preserving, disseminating and archiving pedigree information to facilitate positive development in the community. We shall not veer off this purpose till all oral history is archived, all our elders have been reached, all traditional practices have been archived, all library users are involved and taught the very things, and importantly, till we come up as many literature materials in Maragoli as possible. That is why it was Wangulu. And we believe that it is rich with information we need.

The Library before you is going to complement the educational facilities around and it shall go a step ahead to offer auxiliary services that a community needs information on. We are open to ideas and ready to work together on issues that will empower this community. We will not light a lamp and then put it under the bed. You will find us in advocacy, motivational talks, support services and importantly offer role model volunteer and leadership practices worth to be adopted elsewhere.

In quick take off, the Library is going to have a local overseer committee to work with S-SCBO derived from all expertise starting from religious to educational to welfare institutions. They shall offer guidance, volunteer efforts and advice the S-CBO management committee on continuum programs. 

To the community, the Library is being opened today to offer reading services. Writers and artists will have an ambient place to bring out their talents and words. Elders and the young will meet in for talks, guidance and storytelling. Information lovers will find a daily newspaper and magazines to update themselves. And people from far shall come to copy us. That is our hope.

More about the passion we have for information and best community engagements shall be shared as we keep interacting and working together. It is in this conclusion that I say THANK YOU to everyone.

Sincerely,
Lung’afa Patrick
S-CBO Programs Director.

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