In most African societies, women are literally “purchased” once they are married because more often than not, marriage involves paying bride price either in form of money or domestic animal like cows, goats or donkeys. This social phenomenon has tended to devalue the human credentials of women and their gender in relation to men among most Ugandan populations. It’s however a fact that with modernization and increased influence of religion and Education in the country, many Ugandan women are beginning to take their rightful place in their societies but I must hasten to say, this is still along way because many of the rural women are conservative, illiterate and appear to accept the tradition of subjugation of men over women as tradition.

Given this scenario of social relations, recently a quasi study on wife beating among a cross section of Ugandan tribes was carried out by some Ugandan news papers and the conclusions they derived were very revealing and I dare say, rather accurate. In their study, they zoned Uganda into East, Central, West and Northern regions and isolated a few tribes from these areas.

Northern Uganda

Northern Uganda is made up of the Sudanic stock of peoples that are generally known for violence as away of life. The tribes here are extremely dark, tall and obviously fierce looking. They tend to applaud polygamous marriages and they run their homes with an iron hand. In the Home of a typical Northerner, the man runs the show and children and women are expected to simply take instructions from the head of the family without any question. When men have this kind of mind set, wife beating and general domestic violence tends to be highly prevalent. In the survey carried out by the media in the Northern of Uganda among the Acholis and tribes of West Nile, most of the beatings meted out against women resulted from drunkenness. Alcoholic intake in the North is statistically higher than in many parts of the country. This generates violent moods among men who usually return from drinking joints and start putting unrealistic demands on their wives for such things as a warm food or warm bath late into the night. When the wife complains against such demands, then the next thing is a battering from the husband. Other causes of wife beating in the North are extra marital affairs among men. Men are socially allowed to marry as many wives as the please but this is often resisted by most housewives and they end up getting the beatings for not respecting the wishes of their hubbies.The survey concluded that wife beating in Northern Uganda is widespread and that the North actually tops the list in the business of wife beating in Uganda.

Some Northern Uganda Women like it

It is important to note here that while beating inflicts bodily harm to women, in the North where beating has been entrenched into the traditions of the people, some women have been found to associate beatings with love. They actually feel unloved if they are not regularly beaten by their hubbies. It therefore amazes that while men are ordinarily blamed for the violence, some exceptional women actually invite the beatings upon themselves so that they feel loved by their husbands. It doesn’t really matter whether they are loved or not, the beating defines the love as they understand it!

Western Uganda

The other area of Uganda that follows Northern Uganda closely is Western Uganda. Here however, only a small tribe of the Bakiga featured as wife beaters. The Bakiga are the Nilo- Hamitic tribes who are reknown for their hard work and valor. They talk violently and have the shortest tempers in the country. They are known to accept fights easily more so when offended. They also drink heavily and most of the beatings are intended to exert control over their wives who are expected to follow the whims of their husbands religiously.

Central Uganda

The happiest women in Uganda are those married to men of central Uganda, dominated by a tribe fondly referred to here as the Baganda. Most of the Baganda men receive absolute respect from their wives because they believe that to get maximum joy from a woman, you must treat her right and where necessary, tow her line. Because of this social philosophy, most Baganda men never go back home without something special for their wives. After work. Instead of carrying home a pile of sticks like the Acholis, the Madi and the Langis of Northern Uganda prefer to do, a Muganda man will always carry meat, Matooke (green bananas) and happygifts for his wife. In return, the wife kneels down in humility and submission to first of all welcome her man back home and then receive the goods while on her knees from him. This adds to the ego of the man and increases his happiness as the head of the home. Because of this, marriages in Central Uganda appear to be the most peaceful and well lived in Uganda.