Mob, Justice
by sadams2
Anytime you live in a new culture, you are bound to encounter difficult truths. I think the whole experience becomes a study in contradictions: simultaneously falling in love with a new place and identifying its gaping flaws. Most of the time in Uganda, I’ve tried to stick with the former and keep an optimistic viewpoint on this new culture I’m experiencing.
Tonight, however, my world has been a little bit rocked. Tonight, I found out my favorite boda-boda driver – this earnest, funny, chipper young guy I’ve grown close to – is essentially a murderer.
Basically, a few weeks ago we were all a little shocked by a bold demonstration of mob justice right down the street from where I live in Ntinda. Two men tried to steal a motorcycle, but were quickly apprehended by a crowd and beaten. One was set on fire and died while the neighborhood watched. Soon after, local police arrived and fired on the crowd, killing two. Dialogue about the incident seemed to shift to police brutality, but the mob justice was certainly just as shocking. (Read about it in the New York Times.)
On my ride back home tonight, I casually asked my boda driver friend about thieves in the area and he brought up this recent story. Before I know it, I’ve found out that this guy was part of that crowd and almost proudly explained how and why they set the thief ablaze.
I wish I could explain how incongruent this story felt coming out of my friend’s mouth. He is smiley and well-dressed, an overly cautious driver, a sometimes Luganda teacher, and well-known around our neighborhood. I know he has a very clear point of view on right and wrong (we talk 4 or 5 times a week), which is why it was so hard to process how correcting the wrong of theft, for him, devolved so quickly into this act of violence.
I tried to probe his thoughts about why mob justice was more favorable than allowing the police to intervene.
“If you had waited and let the police come, do you think they would handle it?” I asked.
“Well, if the police came, they would not let us burn anyone.”
“Right. But do you think they would arrest him and he would be punished?”
“No no, we just had to burn him.”
He was blinded to any other options of justice; burning the man was the only way. He described in uncomfortable detail the whole scene – the timeline of events, the sounds of the man’s cries – until I really couldn’t hear any more. The horrible we did this and then we did this hung sharply in the air. I paid, went inside, and took to the blog. Nothing about what just happened feels real.
I love so much about Uganda and, to be very clear, I always feel safe here. But sometimes the uglier parts of life in a new culture hit like a ton of bricks.
I’m mostly really sad now, because I really do value this guy as a friend. He has been immeasurably helpful to me over the last few months and we’ve developed a good relationship. Now I’m conflicted and disappointed, trying to understand this action in context of this culture. As an employee of a justice organization, what do I do? How does my relationship with him change, if at all? What can or should I say to him about it? Honestly, I’m asking. What do I do?
Your story is a particularly horrific example of a very common condition that afflicts all cultures: an action that makes sense to a person who holds to particular paradigm even though it makes little sense to the observer from a another paradigm.
Human beings (barring certain psychiatric conditions) always do what makes sense to them. Your friend helped burn that man because that made sense to him and the mob of which he was a part. Long before the opportunity presented itself, your friend had absorbed attitudes and proverbs and folklore and religion and emotions and discriminations – that mixed together in his mind in such a way that the suggestion to burn a thief met no opposition or alarm.
It does not make it right. In fact, there is likely a societal taboo or rule or law that was overwhelmed by the presence of the mob and the opportunity. After the adrenaline of the moment each person who felt the contravention of the existing rule has to find reasons to justify the emotion of the moment.
Can you think of any examples from your own culture?
In the western world we have many: abortion is an easy one. In spite of the rhetoric supporting the right to choose – each woman has to convince herself that she is not killing a child. Each doctor has to convince himself that he is not killing a child. In reality in the US and Canada abortions are referred to frequently as “tabs” (theraputic abortions).
Racism is another easy one. The african slave trade had to be addressed and justified, especially by Christians. So theology and biblical interpretation was created to assign a justification for this practice. Similarly in South Africa – The Reformed Church had to create a theological justification for apartheid.
When a group needs to over come a guilty conscience – it redefines the problem in the bubble wrap of euphemism, and reclassifies the victim as dangerous so as to justify it’s action. Racism, tribalism, sexism, ageism, atheism, Marxism, and others isms – all create a new way of looking at the group to be discriminated against so as to absolve themselves of wrongdoing. Nazism patiently transferred the sanctity of an individual life to the sanctity and preservation of the “volk” or tribe or aryan race. This allowed Doctors to go from “do no harm” to willingly euthanizing forms of human life that threatened the purity and strength of the “volk”. It took time, but when doctors began sterilizing the infirm, the mentally handicapped, the crippled it made sense to them. It was only a short step further to begin killing these same classes of people, and add in the gypsies and Jews for good measure. One step further and they could perform experiments on the living human being and still be home in time to enjoy a roast beef dinner.
I don’t know why it made sense for your friend to burn that man – (but I could guess.) One thing I do know – if it was you who was being attacked by a mob, no matter the reason – he would likely give his own life to save yours. Why – because that is what one does for ones friends.
Hope this has a little bit of sense in it.
Blessings,
Scott
IJM Canada
Scott, I am really sad for you right now. You have opened yourself up to and are experiencing things that most of us will only read about and to which we are essentially desensitized by distance and plenty. Things that will cut you to the heart and soul, and hopefully you will grow and become more like Christ b/c of it. Christ called the people (not the leaders, but the people) things like sheep and chicks, meaning they are lost and ignorant being led astray, with him being the shepherd and the hen, ready to show them the way. They were need of guidance and a savior. I can only counsel you to try to see him the way He would, and let that guide your future relationship. You just never know what your influence did or may do for him in the future, even if you decide that it is over.
Blessings to and prayers for you,
Elle Hart
It’s hard to see how a motorcycle is worth a life in any culture but first or third world environs deem stuff more valuable. Mob reaction really does heighten and magnify original sin which lurks even in the “nicest” of people. Do you have opportunity Scott to encourage conversation about justice as that is your reason for being in Uganda? Perhaps in talking about other situations where justice is being violated you can equate that with the situation which he found himself. I think continuing to be a part of his life is important and trying to have deeper conversations after all this time is the direction to take. Prayer usually helps too! There are no “accidental friendships” in Gods’ plan. Perhaps having the opportunity to explain your sadness at the outcome can be communicated to him while letting him know that you still value him.
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