21st JUNE 2025
NIPOO EXHIBITION.
“War leaves wounds that silence cannot heal. But memory when shared,can.”.(Anonymous)
Years after the guns fell silent in Northern Uganda, the echoes of war still linger in unspoken stories. Stories of children taken in the night. Of mothers who waited at doorsteps that never opened again. Of songs that once filled homesteads, now replaced by the stillness of grief.
For more than two decades, the region bore the weight of a brutal conflict. The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency was not just a war, it was a deep, enduring wound in the fabric of Acholi life. Nearly two million people were forced into displacement camps (IDPs). Tens of thousands of children were abducted, turned into soldiers, or used as human shields. Entire villages vanished. And in the aftermath, silence became a form of survival, a way to carry the pain without breaking under its weight.But healing begins where silence ends. Our silence has lasted too long. Are we truly healing, or simply forgetting? Many of our young people do not know what sparked the war. And what we do not remember, we risk repeating. Will they become tomorrow’s unknowing perpetrators? Or can we, through truth and storytelling, rebuild memory, identity, and peace?”
This year, we are participating in organising a Nipoo Exhibition slated for 21st June 2025 at the Pece War memorial Stadium in Gulu. a one-day commemorative event created to remember, educate, and continue healing.
“Nipoo” meaning “Remembrance” is more than a name. It is a declaration. A tribute to those who survived. A memorial to those who didn’t. And an invitation to the world to listen deeply and honestly to the truth held in the hearts of a resilient people.
On this day, silence will be broken. Memory will take center stage, not as history preserved in books, but as lived truth, shared through voices, art, and sacred spaces.
What Awaits You at the Nipoo Exhibition?
1. Memory Wall
You will walk along a moving visual tribute, portraits of war victims, survivors, and those whose faces may no longer be with us but whose memories endure. These portraits, shared by participants, families, and friends, will serve as a public remembrance of lives lost and stories left behind. You will have the chance to add your own messages or images to the wall, turning memory into collective strength.
2. Spaces
You will listen to real-life accounts from survivors, peacebuilders, and former abductees. These powerful testimonies will offer raw, personal insights into the impact of the LRA insurgency, the courage to rebuild, and the unbreakable spirit of those who lived through it.
3. Storytelling
In this powerful session, you will witness storytelling that goes beyond words, told through the heartbeat of traditional Acholi dance, the raw emotion of poetry, and the expressive movements of contemporary dance. Each performance will be a tribute to grief, resilience, and remembrance.You will not only watch but also feel. These artistic expressions will speak to the soul, offering a shared space for healing, reflection, and unity.
4. Candle-Lighting Ceremony
To crown the day, You will join others in a solemn, shared moment, lighting candles in memory of those who lost their lives. Each flame will symbolize a life remembered, a grief acknowledged, and a collective call for peace and healing.
The Nipoo Exhibition will not just be an event, but a movement towards truth, dignity, and healing. It is a moment for Northern Uganda to speak, for the world to listen, and for us all to remember that while war wounds deeply, memory can restore.
