UGANDAÂÂ5/2/2004Â8:50
LIRA: âBALA STOCK FARMâ, AMONG THE JOYFUL BEGGARS OF PEACE
The refugee camp of âBala Stock Farmâ, just over 15 kilometres south of the northern Ugandan town of Lira, is covered in a layer of dust. A strong wind, blowing from the nearby region of Karamoja, makes the air unbreathable. Between the attractive palm trees and the majestic acacias, the huts of the camp - some of them covered by the waterproof tarpaulins supplied by humanitarian organisations â stretch out into the distance.
The natural beauty blends dramatically with the misery of an assemblage where human dignity is trampled day and night, from dawn until dusk. âBala Stock Farmâ is a sort of circle of Hell where the senses, from smell to hearing, from touch to sight, react violently to a world which Father Guido Cellana, a Comboni father, describes as "afflicted and crucified humanity". As the jeep belonging to the Catholic mission of âNgetaâ moves forward at a snailâs pace, it is surrounded by a crowd of smiling children. "I donât see a single healthy one, they are all ill," whispers Sister Fernanda Pellizzer, a Comboni sister from Treviso.
A nurse by profession, she holds back the tears and pretends to play with the children, whose faces and tiny bodies bear the signs of undeserved suffering: general malnutrition, skin diseases â in particular scabies â eye and respiratory infections, dehydration, malaria, measles and diarrhoea.
Only those who manage to eat half a bowlful of âpolentaâ and beans find the strength to play with a ball made of rags, elastic bands and maize leaves. The women demand âcem, pii and yatâ (food, water and medicines), begging with the characteristic dignity of the Lango people. At least 50,000 refugees from the districts of Pader, Lira and Apac live in âBala Stock Farmâ. "
For them, this is a paradise, even if they are obliged to live like vagabonds," comments Father Sebhat Ayele, from Eritrea, Secretary and spokesman for âLango Religious Leaders Forum (LRLF). Meanwhile, the fear of further attacks by the rebels of LRA (Lordâs Resistance Army), especially in the eastern part of the Lira district, is still very real, and serves only to fuel the exodus of civilians towards the west.
On Wednesday, 13 people were killed in three different localities, not far from the Catholic mission of Aliwang. What is striking is the cruelty displayed by the rebels, who murder without pity, at close quarters, whoever happens to cross their path. Sister Fernanda wonders why journalists do not brave this remote periphery, devastated by the violence of the rebels loyal to Joseph Kony, a visionary madman backed by the government of Khartoum.
Meanwhile, the state radio has announced that the regular army is soon to enter Sudan to destroy the LRA bases. "The obvious question is: why is the enemy being hunted in the neighbourâs garden when he is already at home, and has been for a while?" And to think that until a few days ago the newspapers in Kampala were reporting that the war was over, and that the âolumâ (meaning âgrassâ, the rebelsâ name in the local Acholi language) had been defeated. Here in Lira and in the surrounding area, as well as in Gulu, were abductions continue, the exact opposite seems true.
At âBala Stock Farmâ in the late afternoon a group of young displaced people from Aliwang sing and dance with their catechist in preparation for the Sunday Mass. They have a passion for life and they tell it to God, in whom they continue to believe and hope. Father Sebhat calls them âjoyful beggars of peaceâ. (Translation of an article by Father Giulio Albanese)[LC]
"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the state."
- Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels - Hitler's propaganda minister
