Inaugural Lapwony Micheal Ocan Memorial Lecture delivered by Ambassador Olara Otunnu

THE LIFE, CONTRIBUTION AND EXAMPLE OF MIKE OCAN

By: Olara Otunnu

“Charity begins at home but goes way beyond home”

It is three years since a very bright light was extinguished, and though we continue to gather in grateful remembrance of his life, his contribution and his example, life is not the same without him. Micheal Ocan hails from the Puboo Clan in Putika in present-day Lamwo District. Among the central Luo, we are organized into clans. The Putika clan straddles the sub-county of Agoro and goes into southern Sudan and Uganda. Putika is divided into sub-clans; again this is typical among the central Luo, within the subdivision of Puboo sub-clan of Putika. He was born on 2nd January 1954, from Namasagali where his father, the late Batimayo Langoya, worked with the East African Railways, while his late mother, Veronica Lamunu Langoya hailed from Lakung in Lamwo.

He received his early education in Layibi Central Primary School, proceeded to Comboni College in Lira where he did his O’ Level, then joined Kings College Budo from where he went to Makerere University and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Education. He specialized in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Later on, he received a Master’s degree in Education Management.

He began to teach; first at St. Joseph’s College Layibi and then at Awere SSS, then at Pongdwongo, Sir Samuel Baker School, also at Kitgum High School where he did his last stint as a teacher. And in all those schools he served as a Head-teacher except St. Joseph’s College Layibi where he started his teaching career. He’s married to Hon. Betty Aol, the woman MP for Gulu District and together they were blessed with seven children, and many more children that they nurtured, educated and took care of. It is commendable that an annual memorial lecture was initiated and started after his passing in grateful remembrance for the life, contribution and example of Ocan. It was launched for three purposes:

First is thanksgiving to God for the gift He gave to Ocan.

The second is thanksgiving to Ocan for the manner in which he deployed the talent that God gave to him.

Thirdly and finally, is to do with those of us who are still here; who are following in the footsteps of Ocan, which is to say, what is it about the life, contribution and example of Ocan that should inform and influence our own journey? Indeed, such a memorial can be the agent, drive and influence to move forth. Some examples of Ocan to illustrate the meaning, purpose and contribution he made.

Volunteerism and Selfless Commitment of Ocan

When I think of Ocan, the first thing that comes to mind immediately and without hesitation is a portion in the Bible where the Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?” (Isaiah 6:8). There’s a big mission, a major challenge, a task, a leadership to be undertaken, there are things to be authorized – who shall I send, and the answer comes back, “Here am I! Send me, Lord.” That is what the life of Ocan underscores for me. If there was one person who looked around and saw when leadership was required, when things needed to be organized, when there was a vacuum to be filled, and he would look and say we could do it, he would immediately step forward and say here am I, send me, that was Ocan.

That exemplified who he was. When many of us see a task to be accomplished, undertaken, many of us ask: what’s in it for me; how will this benefit my family, how will my children get something out of it, before we step forward to say here I am, send me. The difference with Ocan is he was selfless. He did not do it because there was an interest for him or his family.

The church–Anglican, Catholic, Pentecostal, needed something to be done, you would find Ocan at the centre of organizing. He was Anglican but he was everywhere; because the work needed to be done and he volunteered to do it. He was there, discussing education; an important wedding needed to be organized and he was there chairing most organizing committees, as long as there was a job to do he was there.

I recall vividly as we began discussions in 2014 about organizing a national and international memorial for our father, Archbishop Janani Luwum; we were looking around; we had determined already and composed a national organizing committee in Kampala. But we wanted a local organizing committee here in Acholi region; Kitgum and Gulu. We began consulting on who we should approach and the first four people I asked, they all said we have an exemplary man you should approach– Micheal Ocan.

Indeed, when we approached him, he said, “Here I am send me!” And he proceeded to compose the local organizing committee. He made the foundation for the memorial for our Bishop Janani Luwum, and this year we celebrated the fourth anniversary of the national, international commemoration and we are grateful to Ocan. He did not ask any question, he did not ask for money for transport, he worked and worked because he felt inside that he wanted to make that contribution. That’s just an example of the kind of work for which Ocan volunteered

We live in a society where volunteerism; offering to do something because it needs to be done because you have the energy to do it, is now very rare, without asking what’s in it for me. All these things he did, all the roles he offered to play, he did so quietly, with utmost humility, no ostentation, no drawing attention to himself, no self-seeking effort. Very remarkable that he would contribute so much to so many groups regardless of his own affiliation, and would do so with such humility and selfless commitment. Thanks for showing us how to answer the question: who shall I send.

Education as a Vocation

Ocan trained to be a teacher. So his career was teaching. But what’s of interest is not so much his career. Rather education was his vocation; it was a burning interest in him; it consumed him, it was a passion for him.

I grew up at a time when the most hallowed, honoured name, appellation that anybody could have in the community would be to say, ‘lapwony munyo’. That was the most revered name anybody could have in the community. Sadly, that’s not anymore. For Ocan that was a vocation. That is why in addition to teaching in the classroom and being a head-teacher in several schools, he always worked to promote education even after retiring because it was his passion and vocation.

One of Ocan’s deepest concern and disappointment as he was leaving us was to look around at this beautiful Acholiland that God gave us and to see the state of education in Acholi. This is the same Acholi that provided so many pioneering geniuses for the world in all fields – Prof. Alexander Mwa Odonga was not just a leading surgeon in East, Central and Southern Africa, he was a leading pioneering surgeon in the whole world.

Okot p’Bitek was not just an incredible writer and genius in Acholiland, Uganda and Africa, but in the whole world. Song of Lawino alone has been translated in 45 different languages in the whole world. There is a song that we sing here, we usually sing it at Namugongo; united marching together. Most people think this song was composed by Anglo-Saxons but it was composed by Padre Okello from here. He was a musical scholar and composer of music.  When a group of people left Uganda to go and play football abroad, they went with shoes but when they reached and were uncomfortable in shoes, they were used to playing barefoot. When you look at that team that defeated the English, easily 60 percent of them came from here, and in the days before we were hooked by the Premier League and La Liga, all we knew was Otina Okello throughout eastern Africa. So in whichever direction you looked at; whether in education, army, and name it, we had people from here shining like stars.

I remember when I was a student at Gulu High School, they used to have debates between various parties in the district council. We would escape from school to come here when we especially knew there was one person speaking that day–Atwoma Tibero Okeny.  None of the political leaders in Uganda could compete with him in debate. Not Benedicto Kiwanuka, not Milton Obote, he was in his own class. He would quote from Latin, name it, and he was mostly self-taught. Those who attended Makerere University, it was a big deal to be Guild President. And the largest number of guild presidents at Makerere came from the Acholi community. I tell you all this to remind you what education could do. That’s why Ocan was sad about the collapse of education in our community considering what education had previously done to propel this community to various positions of leadership.

In Mucwini, the birthplace where Archbishop Janani Luwum was raised, there was a primary school which used to be one of the strongest schools around. We learnt while we were there at the Terocwiny Sub-county that not one first grade was registered in the entire sub-county with 13 primary schools. This shows you the incredible degradation which has taken place in our education, and Ocan was deeply concerned about what we must do to revive education in Acholiland.

And especially the responsibility that falls on the shoulders first and foremost of parents–education begins with parents; the discipline that parents impose, to follow-up, the interest parents ignite; by and large today in Acholiland parents have disappeared from education, they are unconcerned about what’s happening with their children, they are not following up on anything, they are not ensuring discipline, they have deserted their responsibility in terms of education. Then of course, there are teachers, the government and other stakeholders.

Charity and Solidarity

The English say charity begins at home. Charity means solidarity; a sense of being connected, of being a community, concerned about each other. The English say charity begins at home, it does not say it ends at home. It begins at home, it begins with the family, with those we are related to. But solidarity goes much further beyond that. And that is what Ocan exemplified. That’s why the two of them were parents to so many children who are not children that they gave birth to. Their solidarity began at home with their own children, but went beyond their own children.

Ocan would discuss and say, if we now live in a society where those who have some means are only concerned about their own children and relatives, what happens to those who unfortunately don’t have an uncle, a brother, a sister who has means, what happens to them? Sometimes we say in religious idiom that for the grace of God there goes I. Meaning that I was just lucky, I was fortunate to have gone to the schools I went, I was fortunate that my parents could pay school fees, what happens if it had been the opposite, what happens if my parents were too poor to pay fees or unwilling to pay, what happens to those people if those who have means are not willing to reach out and pull them up.

That is what it means to have charity beginning at home but extending beyond home. Ocan was very concerned his own example was not being followed by many of his contemporaries, and if we are not able to follow his example in that regard it will not be possible to revive the civilization, education, culture and prosperity of Acholiland.

Impossible. We cannot do it when there are only small islands of children who are educated when the rest are wallowing in poverty and ignorance; those who can afford very high-paying private schools when about 90% of the children are failing in schools with dismal performances. There is no way Acholiland can be revived on that basis. The few children taken to Kampala will be absorbed in Kampala; they will remain there and this place will stay backward. That was the concern of Ocan; that we need to reach out; those who have some capacity should create a critical mass of children who are going to class, of communities where some development is taking place. That is what it means that charity begins at home but goes way beyond home. Thank you Ocan for showing us a good example in that regard.

Redemption and Faith

I was told a story when Ocan was teaching at Layibi College, he got involved with some wayward friends and he started drinking too much and keeping that company.  When he went to Awere SS, that continued. Then slowly, partly, Hon. Betty talking to him and other friends talking to him, he one day decided to shift the direction of his life. He abandoned drinking and re-embraced his old faith, in other words he received redemption and from that time he never drank again.

His sense of responsibility towards the family and towards teaching changed completely.  He used to tell this story to illustrate the fact that for those of us who are still on this journey, there’s also redemption for us. It doesn’t matter how much we are deep with bad company and neglecting our families, with no sense of responsibility, but there is redemption for us. The same redemption that was experienced by Ocan can be available to all of us and we turn our lives around and begin a new life, a new chapter.

There is especially need for redemption in the whole of Acholiland. I’ve been deep in the village recently, very early in the morning, 8 o’clock, we are lucky to f ind those who are in the field and are digging; you are lucky to find teachers who are in class and teaching at that time. It is so wise friends, there’s need for redemption to our community.

Unity and Ecumenism

Ocan exemplifies uniting our people. He was a unifier, a reconciler. Our society has become senselessly divided along parochial, faulty lines. Some of it is political; saying so and so belongs to X political party and I belong to Y political party, therefore, we have nothing in common. So and so belongs to this tribe and I belong to the other tribe.  So and so worships in the Catholic Church, I worship in the Anglican Church. These parochial, fault lines have caused so much division and tragedy in our land.

Ocan exemplified the opposite. He himself, for example, was Anglican by baptism and worship but you could not tell it. He moved imperceptibly and worshipped with the Catholics, Anglicans, the Pentecostals; he was active in organizations in those churches and places of worship until much, much later I got to know what may have been his political affiliation. It did not matter for Ocan, whatever his own political party he did not define others in terms of he’s DP, UPC, NRM, no.  That was the person that Ocan was.

There’s now a danger that if we are not vigilant, the tragedies of the past that pitted people of the tribe against each other, will come back to haunt us. These are Anglicans, these are Catholics, these are Pentecostals…Ocan would have been horrified by some of the recent episodes right here in Gulu that threatened to stoke the fire of hatred among Christian communities. In 1 Corinthians 1:13, Paul the apostle asks, has Christ been divided? I may as well ask: Do we now have a part of Christ which belongs to Catholics, another part to Anglicans and another to Pentecostals? Is that the Christ you are following? And yet the followers of Christ have one baptism, so what are you fighting over?

On the contrary, you should be all followers of Christ regardless of which branch you belong to, and you should be fighting to end the alcoholism, you should be fighting to end the complete abandonment of children by their parents especially the men who have abandoned their responsibilities, you should be f ighting to have people come to Christ so that they would not be corrupt and steal public funds.  You should be fighting against incredible violence now stalking our land.

These are the evils that the Catholics, Anglicans, Pentecostals, if they are followers of Christ, they should unite in fighting these evils and bringing people to Christ.  There are people among us and their job is to set people against each other. Ocan who exemplified the ecumenical spirit would have been horrified what recently happened in Gulu.  Archbishop Janani Lumum was Anglican. I recently visited the UK – the heartland of Anglicanism; I went to Westminster Abbey which is as close as you can come to the national church of England, the royal church of England right by parliament.

That’s where the queen is wedded, all the big ceremonies, all the heroes of England are buried in Westminster Abbey. You cannot be more Anglican than Westminster Abbey! Now, when Archbishop Janani Luwum was martyred, Westminster Abbey decided to re-do the western entrance to the cathedral to Abbey and place the statue of Archbishop Janani Luwum there. Then as they thought about it, they felt it a wonderful opportunity to honour other Christian martyrs of the 20th century even if they are not Anglican. Right there are 10 martyrs including Archbishop Oscar Romero, he’s not Anglican, he’s a Catholic from El Salvador. Padre Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic from Poland is there…ten of them. And last year, the Dean was telling me while I was there that the main commemorative prayer for 100 years of the birth of Archbishop Romero was not held at Westminster Cathedral which is Catholic, it was organized by Westminster Abbey, the Anglican seat in Westminster. So Westminster where Catholics and Anglicans fought in the past – terrible divisions, they have repented; they are coming together; they are embracing each other. And here you are f ighting each other; you want warring factions.

I was in Westminster in Canterbury Cathedral–the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. And again when Archbishop Luwum was killed, they created a special chapel and called it the Chapel of Mount Martyrs. Again they sought to make it exclusively for him, then they revised and decided to bring other martyrs from other Christian traditions and honour them in that chapel. Some of you will remember an iconic photograph which went all over the world when the Pope from Rome, for the first time, visited the Canterbury Cathedral after the division between Rome and England 500 years ago. So, this picture with the Pope and the Archbishop meeting together. That chapel is the chapel that was put in place in honour of Archbishop Luwum and then other martyrs were put there. The Dean told me that when the two prelates were praying, the Pope was invoking the name of Romero of El Salvador who is also honoured there—a Catholic, and the Archbishop of Canterbury was invoking the name of Archbishop Janani Luwum–your own, in the prayers. If the Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury are meeting together, praying together in Canterbury, what are you doing fighting each other here?

At Munyonyo in Buganda, a beautiful shrine is being built, and many of you may not know that the Kabaka of Buganda condemned the young martyrs in Munyonyo by the lake, then they were marched to Namugongo where they were killed. But you know what happened in Munyonyo, the Kabaka didn’t ask whether some of the babies were baptized by the French or baptized by the English; whether they were Catholic or Anglican; they were Christians. He objected to their Christian faith. And when they were singing together, marching to Namugongo, there was no line for Anglican, no line for Catholic. They sang and marched together and were burned together. So what are we doing dividing Christ?

There is so much for us to fight that’s destroying our society–that’s where our collective energy: Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal should go into while we embrace each other, respect each other’s tradition and march as one people. Actually we should sing that hymn by father Antonio Okello. This is what Micheal Ocan would have said over and over again, and I feel I should underscore this particularly because it is a tragedy to see this re-happen and happen again on our land.

Civilization

Ocan was concerned, deeply concerned about the current condition and state of children. And anybody with eyes to see would equally be deeply concerned. Where are the people following in the footsteps of those who pioneered? Those who provided the leadership in such incredible ways that shook the whole world?  Civilization is an English word; it means the way a people are brought up, their knowledge, their practices, their beliefs, their values that compose their civilization. And the Acholi have a particular civilization, you look at the dances which God gave them; they are unique in the world not just in the variety but the quality and polity. You look at the songs they sing – unique in variety and quality; you look at the way children are brought up, the structure of family—everything is organized in a very systematic way; quite remarkable.

I remember once I was teaching in Paris and I had gone to see a concert by our friend, our own son the legendary Geoffrey Oryema, and a French ambassador when he learnt that I was from Uganda, was interested because he had been to Gulu once. He said how he had been entertained in Gulu and given food. He told me that as a Frenchman he prided in the fact that the French cuisine was the best in the world. Then the French ambassador paused and said, “That is until I went to Gulu; I could not believe that another community existed whose variety, sophistication and manner of cooking was superior to that of the French.”

Then I said, “But Mr Ambassador, you have gone to Gulu when things are very, very bad; not normal. Also you were in town, what if you went deep in the village and tasted their food, what would you say?” This is just to say the gifts which God has given to the Acholi in all the various areas are unique and remarkable and compose their civilization.

But this civilization is what Ocan has been so deeply worried about; that it faces a central challenge that in all the areas which divided what Acholi are; what gave them pride and confidence and a sense of being; of who we are, that those things are disappearing. This is a deep concern that Ocan always had. So, those of us who are inspired by him should be pondering what we can do individually and collectively to restore this unique civilization that God had given the Acholi.

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Ambassador Olara Otunnu is former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. He was President of the United Nations Security Council, President of the UPC party, and he is the author of ‘Archbishop Janani Luwum: The Life and Witness of a 20th Century Martyr.’ 

He delivered the inaugural Lapwony Mike Ocan Memorial Lecture on February 21, 2018 at the Gulu District Council Hall and appears as a chapter in the book; THE LEGACY OF LAPWONY OCAN AS TOLD BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. You can get a copy by contacting me @OdokiJ