Sound and the Social Aesthetics of Religious Pluralism in Southern Uganda

Abstract

This article examines sonic and social aesthetics of a cultural movement in Uganda whose innovative ritual strategies articulate a counter-narrative to religious hostilities and adversarial discourses of ritual healing in the country and the region. The Jjajja Ndawula Community takes a distinctive approach to the production of ideas about wellness and the reproduction of social relations to support wellness. They articulate a commitment to practices of ecumenical community presently quite rare in Uganda, crossing both ethnic and religious boundaries in favor of direct emphasis on mutual aid and good living. In particular, this study is concerned with the new sound these ritual strategies establish for a brand of social conviviality that emerges from an older and broader ritual healing repertory called kusamira.