Later this week, Thursday 25th, a groundbreaking event will take place in Tapac Sub County, Moroto district. It is the Tepeth culture day. According to the area LCIII chairperson, Peter Loboot, the occasion will showcase the wealth and beauty of the Tepeth cultural system. It will also be an opportune time for this border group of Karimojong people to put clear their intention and reason for crave for autonomy. They are yearning for an independent constituency – Tapac County.
Expected to attend this occasion are; Lukia Isinga Nakadama, the minster for Culture and Gender who shall -as arranged be accompanied by Janet Museveni, Minister for Karamoja affairs. Others will be district officials at their various capacities, but also other Sub County officials from Matheniko County and beyond are all invited. The celebration is also open for the general public, Tepeth, non-Tepeth, Karimojong, non-Karimojong, Ugandans, non-Ugandans, Africans, non-Africans.
The LCIII believes it will be a real big event and that the Tepeth will take clear advantage of it to lobby for development support. “We have vast land and other mineral resources, we have big development dreams, but we have no loud voice and no support”, Loboot said during an interview with this blog. He added that, “the function is geared towards displaying our strength as Tepeth people and requesting government and other partners from all corners of the world to step in and give support necessary for social, economic and political development”.
According to Loboot, the Tepeth have been hugely sidelined by way of representation and distribution of development projects at the greater Matheniko county and Moroto district as a whole. He said social services growth schemes are poorest in his Sub County compared to other parts of the Constituency. Sighting the absence of a secondary school despite government arrangement to establish and support post primary education at Sub County level, Loboot said the jamboree will give a chance for the people to present their cry to the guys in power.
However, according to Sisto Lokiru, the Gombolola Internal Security Officer (GISO) of the area, this event was planned by the Sub County in consultation with and support from Moroto District Local government as a whole. “The main objective of the occasion is to launch a community-driven campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which is commonly practiced by the Tepeth people, yet is very unhealthy, Scary, degrading and unlawful” Lokiru observed.
The GISO explained that the culture day will enable the community demonstrate their commitment to kick FGM out of their land and embark on development activities that government and development associates can provide. Another prominent issue that might come up during the event is that of security. Although disarmament program is as said, a real success story in Karamoja region, Tapac which sits on a precipitous land still faces the problem of presence of illegal guns and the weapons have continued to cause havoc to the inhabitants and their neighbours. More to this is the presence of arms in neighbouring Turkana region of Kenya.
The communication of every issue at hand will be done mainly through Music, dance and drama, but powerful speeches from Tepeth elders and key leaders is also expected to send the message home. This foundation festival according to Lokiru will see all cultural activities; signs, outfits, songs, dance, dexterity, believes etc displayed to ensure marketing of the Tepeth breed and also to let the young generation have a feel of their culture.
Tapac Sub County is located to the extreme East of Matheniko County in Moroto district of Karamoja region. It borders the republic of Kenya to the East –touching Turkana land at Lodwar district and the soils of North Pokot district in Kenya. To the south of the Sub County is Amudat district. Nadunget and Katikekile Sub Counties also neighbour Tapac from the West and North western respectively. Like most people in the Karamoja region, the Tepeth practice animal grazing as their main livelihood activity with subsistence crop growing carried out on a very small scale.
The Sub County is composed of six parishes including Tapac which has six abnormally large villages (each village in this Sub County is the size of a parish in other parts of the country,). Other parishes are Katikekile with six villages, Loyaraboth having 3 villages and Kodonyo with six villages. Others are Nakwanga of seven villages and Natumkale (not accessible by road) composed of four villages.
Although the cultural gala is organised by Sub County authorities, the event will involve all Tepeth people from all over the region. The Tepeth are also found in another separate Sub County called Katikekile at the edge of Moroto Municipality. According to the GISO the Tepeth ground in Karamoja is approximately 300sq KM. Reader, you could get more by attending the cultural fare this Thursday at the Sub County headquarters in Tapac.
