Food and African spirituality : a case of millet in Lango society of northern Uganda

Abstract

In this dissertation, I discuss food and African (spi)rituality with focus on millet in the Lango society of Northern Uganda. The objectives included to: describe the religious and (spi)ritual practices of Lango people in which food is used; explore ways in which the religious elements in millet use can contribute to food sustenance and explain how millet is used in religious and spiritual activities among the Lango people. The study adopted a qualitative approach and artefacts were descriptively discussed. Interviews, Focus group discussion and observation methods with their respective tools were used to collect data from a sample of fifty (50) respondents constituted by traditional healers, traditional leaders, elderly, community members and religious leaders. Findings indicated that; the people of Lango believe in life after death and a spiritual authority or power called Jok which is responsible for human welfare. They have rituals for rain-making, Child cleansing, healing with their related ceremonies and performed by elderly people. Many of these rituals are conducted using millet either directly or mixed with other herbs. Upholding such rituals can promote production of millet and other foods thus mitigating famine. This practice has been negatively influenced by modernity and Christianity. It is recommended that: ordinances should be enacted to promote food production by all households; traditional practices that have positive influence on people’s livelihood should be upheld and it should be permissible to practice both Christianity and traditional religions; a hybrid approach of mechanization should be used to boost millet production; and a relevant ecological theology and tree planting initiatives need to be developed to conserve the environment.