Humanist

Until we receive the final disaggregated data from the most recent Uganda Population Census 2024, I continue to hold our first nation, Iteso, as the 5^th largest of Uganda.

Be that as it may, there is a disturbing trend revealed by the preliminary results of the 2024 census that Iteso, for whatever reason, are increasingly not living within the geography of Teso and are completely abandoning life in Teso.

In terms of proportion of population of Uganda hosted, Teso is in eighth position, hosting only 5.4 percent of Uganda’s population, 2.5 million people. Apparently, many Iteso have migrated to and now live mostly in Busoga and in Buganda.

In Busoga, reportedly, Iteso form a significant proportion of cane cutters at sugarcane plantations for sugar factories that are located in Busoga; significantly contributing to the population resident in Kakira, for example.

In Buganda, in Kampala, especially, Iteso form a significant proportion of security guards for private security firms, it world appear. Apparently, there are now entire villages in Namugogo and Seeta, case in point, predominantly populated by Iteso.

Sadly, in addition, for the first nation of Iteso, it would appear, its people are very easily assimilated into other cultures. Iteso living out of Teso are increasingly taking on the cultures of others and abandoning theirs.

A noticeable example of Iteso abandoning their own traditions is the manner in which marriage ceremonies of Iteso are now conducted. Many Iteso are no longer familiar with Iteso marriage ceremonies and have increasingly adopted those of the Baganda, especially.

Aspects of Iteso marriage traditions sadly no longer known by our generation of Iteso, include, for example, “marriage preliminaries”, as described by J.C.D. Lawrence in his book, “The Iteso”:

• Informing the Parents – When a boy and girl decide to get married they inform their parents.
• First Visit – On a pre-arranged day the boy’s relatives visit the girl’s relatives to discuss bride-price. Beer is provided.
• Deciding Bride-Price – In deciding bride-price, pieces of wood are used; the father of the girl hands so many pieces and the boy’s relatives drop some until mutual agreement is reached.
• Engagement – The girl is now engaged and may wear an iron ring on her arm.
• Second Visit – On a pre-arranged day the girl’s relatives come to see the cattle. They refuse to eat or drink until they have seen them.
• Bride-Price Approved – If an agreement is reached, bear is drunk and the boy is thereafter called amuran (son in law). A goat is provided by the boy’s relatives and eaten.
• Third Visit – On a pre-arranged day, the cattle or some of them, are handed over in their kraal to the girl’s relatives by the boy’s relatives before witnesses. Beer is provided and a goat eaten.

Among our ancestors, Iteso in the past, these preliminary ceremonies were a source of pride for the couple for these ceremonies were the signal of acceptance and blessings from their families. It is only after these preliminaries were done that the huge marriage ceremonies were done, starting with:

“The bride is escorted with much noise and jubilation from her parents’ to her future husband’s home by her female relatives and by those of the bridegroom …”

Now days, sadly, for some Iteso parents they get to know their child is married after the fact; and if they are lucky they may be invited to the white church wedding. Some never get to truly know the kin of their child’s spouse beyond the brief interaction at the church wedding, in the case of Christians, for example.

Yes, in these our times, as astutely observed by Daniel Okiror:

“Most of the new Iteso generations left their villages to the urban centres and diaspora and are now contented with a westernized lifestyle which makes them feel modern and superior to their village counterparts, therefore, they tend to look down upon their remaining elders and their traditional knowledge as illiterate and backward”

For example, many of the children of Iteso born outside of Teso, reportedly do not know how to and do not speak Ateso, the language of Iteso. As exemplified by Observation that:

“Young Iteso cannot construct a full paragraph in Ateso without mixing it with English or Luganda.”

 I agree with Okiror, this status quo should concern each and everyone of us Iteso, Ugandans and Africans as whole that:

“UNESCO has reported “that the Ateso language and Iteso culture generally is at the verge of extinction within the next 50 years!””

Extinction of a culture is extinction of a civilization.