Why A Punishment Island
Our cultures (mine being Kiganda culture of the Baganda people of Buganda Kindgom) constitute many practices that have never ceased to amuse me. I don't refer to the 'barbaric' ones of course. It's those highly regarded ones which with the emergency of new information, diseases and the alteration of beliefs in this age, thanks to civilization, have also fallen suspect.
In a week or so, more storytellers will join the #KoikoiUG series of Ugandan storytelling to the Western part of Uganda and for some reason, I haven't been able to shake the feeling of disgust that comes with the memory of some tales of the Bunyonyi islands. The Koikoi UG crew visited these islands over the 2017 Easter break in the #KoikoiSW expedition.
Lake Bunyonyi, a "Place of many little birds", located in South Western Uganda has 29 islands at present. One of which is the "punishment island", also known as Akampene in the local dialect. Of course the largely picturesque L.Bunyonyi bears many beautiful stories and memories for those who have gone, those who visited and those stayed, but this particular story of the punishment island is a pitiful and personal one for me.
The Punishment island is a small, now almost submerged island on which one withered but still standing memory of a tree, once full of life, stands at the center. A long time ago, if the 30's and 50's are that long ago, young Bakiga girls who got pregnant out of wedlock were cast out of their homes and communities and 'exiled' on the punishment island without food supplies, left to starve or die while trying to escape, or at the mercy of 'rescuers', usually poor young men who would otherwise not have afforded bride price enough to marry a girl. These men then did the girls a favor by rescuing them and giving them a home in exchange for wifely duties which included bearing children, tilling the land, raising their families and whatever else came with the premise of being a wife.
Our guide, 29 year old Andrew on my first trip to L. Bunyonyi earlier in the year had told the tale of the punishment island with a hint of amusement in his voice. This story only added to my deeply troubled thoughts of the things that really matter to us and our people. The act of throwing these unmarried pregnant girls out of their communities in order to scare other young girls into upholding the sanctity of marriage is indeed righteous, but still deplorable.
Of what use is perceived purity if society continues to rot on the inside? People will get punished for showing signs of sexual immorality but not necessarily for being proven guilty of sexual immorality! I'm certain that even these communities were aware of unmarried boys and girls who were sleeping around who got away without as much as a slap on the wrist, as long as they did not conceive, huh! What was ever done to boys and men who got these girls pregnant? As such, why is the purity of one gender important and that of the other not? Those are some of the world's wonders.
Let me get to the part of the personal.
When I lay eyes on the punishment island, tears nearly flooded my eyes, but at the same time utter amusement came over me. Here's why. I attended an all girls secondary school for 6 years. A missionary founded school, previously attended by daughters of Buganda nobles and princesses. With an emphasis on virtues like Godliness, Excellence, Time management, Integrity etc, we were to stay on the straight & narrow. Law & order was kept and enforced by typical pedagogical scare tactics including a "Punishment Book" and a "punishment tree".
These two were carefully crafted instruments of psychological trauma.
Punishment Tree
Throughout the week, students went about their business, doing good and bad. The authorities that be (prefects, non-teaching staff and teachers) also went about policing our lives. At any given time, if these teachers deemed your actions fit punitive measures, without the guidance of the cane, as was the case with other schools, they sent you to the punishment tree for whatever time they saw fit for your offense. Sometimes they saved you for a heavier punishment at the end of the week by sending your name to the Punishment book register, to be publicly announced to all students at the week's end general assembly.
That punishment tree was the miserable remains of a once beautiful tree, stationed on a lush green terrace (the lawns in Gayaza are green all year. I don't know how this is so), 2m from the pavement that opened into a large tarmacked driveway leading to the school's main gate, opposite the school's main administration block which housed the staff room, headmistress' office and other offices.
The point of this ordeal was to inflict as much embarrassment and hopefully invoke introspection in the offender who was subjected to open exhibition and judgment of passers-by who wouldn't care less about what offense landed one in that position.
That tree looked exactly like the one on the punishment island.
Folks, who comes up with these things and why so evil?
Ps: Lake Bunyonyi is an incredibly beautiful place with a rich and amazing history of the 29 islands; how they came to be, when and who inhabited them and the strong-beautiful Bakiga people. You must visit when you're in Uganda.
More photos from the trip the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi hills.
Photos by: Anika (@xofficialajx on Instagram)
In a week or so, more storytellers will join the #KoikoiUG series of Ugandan storytelling to the Western part of Uganda and for some reason, I haven't been able to shake the feeling of disgust that comes with the memory of some tales of the Bunyonyi islands. The Koikoi UG crew visited these islands over the 2017 Easter break in the #KoikoiSW expedition.
 |
| Lake Bunyonyi Photo by: Kreativ Adikt |
Lake Bunyonyi, a "Place of many little birds", located in South Western Uganda has 29 islands at present. One of which is the "punishment island", also known as Akampene in the local dialect. Of course the largely picturesque L.Bunyonyi bears many beautiful stories and memories for those who have gone, those who visited and those stayed, but this particular story of the punishment island is a pitiful and personal one for me.
The Punishment island is a small, now almost submerged island on which one withered but still standing memory of a tree, once full of life, stands at the center. A long time ago, if the 30's and 50's are that long ago, young Bakiga girls who got pregnant out of wedlock were cast out of their homes and communities and 'exiled' on the punishment island without food supplies, left to starve or die while trying to escape, or at the mercy of 'rescuers', usually poor young men who would otherwise not have afforded bride price enough to marry a girl. These men then did the girls a favor by rescuing them and giving them a home in exchange for wifely duties which included bearing children, tilling the land, raising their families and whatever else came with the premise of being a wife.
 |
| The Punishment Island AKA Akampene, on L.Bunyonyi |
Of what use is perceived purity if society continues to rot on the inside? People will get punished for showing signs of sexual immorality but not necessarily for being proven guilty of sexual immorality! I'm certain that even these communities were aware of unmarried boys and girls who were sleeping around who got away without as much as a slap on the wrist, as long as they did not conceive, huh! What was ever done to boys and men who got these girls pregnant? As such, why is the purity of one gender important and that of the other not? Those are some of the world's wonders.
Let me get to the part of the personal.
When I lay eyes on the punishment island, tears nearly flooded my eyes, but at the same time utter amusement came over me. Here's why. I attended an all girls secondary school for 6 years. A missionary founded school, previously attended by daughters of Buganda nobles and princesses. With an emphasis on virtues like Godliness, Excellence, Time management, Integrity etc, we were to stay on the straight & narrow. Law & order was kept and enforced by typical pedagogical scare tactics including a "Punishment Book" and a "punishment tree".
These two were carefully crafted instruments of psychological trauma.
 |
| The Punishment tree looked just like this tree on the Punishment Island, no lie! |
Punishment Tree
Throughout the week, students went about their business, doing good and bad. The authorities that be (prefects, non-teaching staff and teachers) also went about policing our lives. At any given time, if these teachers deemed your actions fit punitive measures, without the guidance of the cane, as was the case with other schools, they sent you to the punishment tree for whatever time they saw fit for your offense. Sometimes they saved you for a heavier punishment at the end of the week by sending your name to the Punishment book register, to be publicly announced to all students at the week's end general assembly.
That punishment tree was the miserable remains of a once beautiful tree, stationed on a lush green terrace (the lawns in Gayaza are green all year. I don't know how this is so), 2m from the pavement that opened into a large tarmacked driveway leading to the school's main gate, opposite the school's main administration block which housed the staff room, headmistress' office and other offices.
The point of this ordeal was to inflict as much embarrassment and hopefully invoke introspection in the offender who was subjected to open exhibition and judgment of passers-by who wouldn't care less about what offense landed one in that position.
That tree looked exactly like the one on the punishment island.
Folks, who comes up with these things and why so evil?
Ps: Lake Bunyonyi is an incredibly beautiful place with a rich and amazing history of the 29 islands; how they came to be, when and who inhabited them and the strong-beautiful Bakiga people. You must visit when you're in Uganda.
More photos from the trip the beautiful Lake Bunyonyi hills.
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| Drink local brew from larger-than-life mugs |
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| Always row your own boat!😂😂😂 |
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| Catch and enjoy some cray fish meals |
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| I have no idea what the kids wanted from me |
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| Our host, Tom's lovely wife is great conversationalist |
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