An English teacher teaches about the UN and ICC

I had the best experience today at SSB. Okello P’Layeng asked me to speak to his General Paper class which meets on Friday from 2:40-4:00 pm. This is a class for S5 and S6 students, and I think the purpose of it is to create discussion about different subjects. Okello told me he wanted me to speak on the United Nations and the ICC. Needless to say, I was a little concerned about this as I have a very limited knowledge of both entities. However, I really wanted a chance to get involved with the students, so I said okay.
I spent 1½ hours yesterday at Café Larem on the Internet researching the UN and ICC. I asked my fellow members of Group 2 for information and help. I wanted to share the information with the students but do it in a way that was interesting and thought provoking. So I took notes and prepared the lesson that included working in pairs and groups.
I arrived at SSB at 2:00 pm, and Okello P’Layeng was no where to be found. At 2:40, one of the other teachers walked me to the biology lab. It was on this walk that I was told that this class was the S5 and S6 streams combined, which meant that could be almost 200 students in the class. They hold the class in the Biology Lab because it is so big. Okello P’Layeng never showed up, but one of the student teachers named Patrick sat in there with me. I think he sat in there more to hear the information than to help with the class.
There were about 75 students in the class, and they were all taller than me by a lot. These young men (because they are no longer boys) were very intimidating, but I felt up to the challenge. We started out with me having them brainstorm what they knew about the United Nations in pairs. Then I had 6 volunteers write what they had thought of on the chalkboard. Mostly what they wrote was very basic information including when it began and what its purpose was. They seemed to not know the specifics of the Security Council, nor did they know anything about the ICC (International Criminal Court). We talked about the 5 permanent member states and how they came to be permanent members and then the 10 rotating member states; I asked them to name one of the rotating member states, and they could not. I then wrote “Uganda” on the board and asked them if they had ever heard of this country. They laughed very loudly, and I explained that Uganda was currently serving on the Security Council in its two year term. I also discussed the ICC with them, mentioned the two current cases in front of the ICC as well as the fact that the ICC had issued arrest warrants for Joseph Kony and 4 of his top commanders in 2005. Once we had discussed this information, we began the discussion. I wanted to discuss the following questions with this group:
- Is the UN living up to its mission? Why or why not?
- Is the ICC doing enough to capture Joseph Kony?
- What happens if countries do not follow the guidelines set up by the UN?
- What do you think of the veto process in the Security Council? Does it create an effective form of governing?
- Are the UN security forces effective in providing or keeping peace? Should their role change?
These students were amazing. They actually brought up many of these questions for discussion themselves and asked what I thought. I turned it around to them and asked them what they thought. Their answers were so provoking and mature that I forgot I was speaking to the teenagers. They were very opinionated on what should be done by the ICC in connection to Joseph Kony. They definitely felt that the ICC is not doing enough. Those who spoke felt that if the ICC was going to issue arrest warrants, then they should have the UN security forces go in and get him. That discussion then naturally led into the role of the UN security forces as peacekeeping and not “peacemaking.”
We also discussed how they had been affected by this war, and I mentioned the fact that they were born into it and knew nothing else. We also discussed the idea of war, and if a war is occurring, if that means that the rights of those humans no longer becomes a concern. They firmly believe that until Joseph Kony is caught, they are not completely safe. They also felt that Kony will not come out of the bush until there is a new Ugandan president because Kony is scared of Musaveni. They believe that government must change the situation.
We finished the discussion by me saying that I believed that the true method of change was through them. They needed to continue their education and move into jobs where they could influence the change. I ended with the idea that they are the hope of Uganda.
I walked out of this class floating on air. Several students stopped me again to thank me for teaching them. To see 75 teenage boys in a hot classroom engaged in a discussion about the UN was a bright spot in my trip. It was yet another example of the beauty of this country and the hope that permeates through the people. I am so grateful to be witness to it for 6 weeks.