WIFE and MOTHER
The Acholi people of Uganda say that a man's first wife is his mother. Having spent nearly his entire life in the company of other men, a new husband has learned little from women. It is his first wife that polishes him and prepares him for manhood.
Okot p' Bitek's Song of Lawino tells the story of Lawino, an Acholi woman whose husband has taken a western lover. Feeling spited, Lawino's song, directed at her husband Ocol, is a defense of traditional Acholi ways under threat from western influence.
#185, Seydou Keita
The Acholi people value the art of storytelling. Often accompanied by instuments, they use song and dance to retell history, define social norms, instill moral values and vent individual differences.
The Acholi have traditionally passed their history along and taught moral behavior through a series of specfic songs and dances. Some songs and dances like the otole involve the whole community in a reenactment of past exploits. The ceremony has the. . .
Song and Dance in Acholi Culture
