Browsing by Author "Lyster, Elda"

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    Christianity and rural community literacy practices in Uganda
    (Journal of Research in reading, 2007) Ladaah Openjuru, George; Lyster, Elda
    This article is based on a wider ethnographic study1 of local literacy practices in Bweyale, a rural community in Uganda. The general aim of the larger study was to understand, recognise and give value to how rural people use literacy in their everyday lives, to identify the most prominent literacy domains in rural community life and make recommendations as to how understanding of local literacy practices can contribute to more meaningful adult literacy programmes for rural people. The wider study revealed that one of the main areas in which literacy use features prominently in rural community life is in Christian religious practices. Unlike literacy practices in other significant areas such as education and commerce, religious literacy practices are often overlooked, possibly because they do not relate directly to national development concerns and can also be negatively associated with colonialism and evangelism. As a result of national development concerns, adult literacy programmes for rural communities in Uganda, as in most African countries, have tended to focus on economic activities in areas such as agriculture, general household and community livelihoods and on more general development outcomes such as improved health (see Carr-Hill et al., 2001; Fiedrich & Jellema, 2003; Oxenham, Diallo, Katahoire, Mwangi & Sall, 2001; Wagner, 1995). In spite of some important studies revealing the influence of Christianity on rural literacy practices (Kulick & Stroud, 1993; Probst, 1993), religious literacy practices are not generally regarded as significant in informing adult literacy education curricula for rural people. This study confirms that the Christian religion provides the impetus for many literacy activities that occur in rural communities like Bweyale.