CULTURAL ASTRONOMY

FUNDED BY:

INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION (IAU) OFFICE OF ASTRONOMY FOR DEVELOPMENT (OAD)

PHASE I REPORT FOR THE PROPOSED STUDY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report provides the findings from the feasibility study for the proposed Study of Knowledge Access and Sharing Through Cultural Astronomy in Refugee Settlements and Host Communities. The feasibility study was conducted in Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement Camp located in Yumbe District. The task was undertaken by SPACE TECHNOLOGY AGENCY with technical assistance from hired private sub-contractor and staff from FINN CHURCH AID (FCA). This feasibility study whose output would help in the preparation of the Terms of Reference for the detailed data collection of the cultural astronomy study in the settlement camp. The proposed settlement camp hosts refugees from South Sudan who are fleeing the ongoing civil war. The Bidi Bidi area covers 250 square kilometers of the eastern half of Yumbe District, stretching southward from the South Sudanese border and spilling over into Moyo District along the western bank of the Kochi River. Bidi Bidi is divided into five zones settled sequentially (from Zones 1-5) by time of refugee arrival, and each of these zones is divided into clusters, which are further divided into individual villages surrounded by host community settlements. The settlement comprises an area of 798 km2, within which the five zones cover a total of 250 km2. Zone 1 is approx. 18km from Yumbe town, Zone 2 & 3 are approx. 15km from Yumbe town, Zone 4 main is approx. 15 km from Yumbe town, Zone 4 Annex is 30km from Yumbe town, and zone 5 is approx. 50km from Yumbe town. A team of experts were assigned and set out to identify, locate and map pilot sites for the proposed study in the settlement camp. The team was supposed to develop a strategic plan for the subsequent data collection, identify possible data collectors and possible partners to collaborate with during the study. The team was also expected to identify and meet the necessary stakeholders for the study as well as identify possible challenges of the study and suggest solutions beforehand. Situation analysis findings indicate that the study will be a success if the proposed suggestions from the study are implemented. The team was able to meet stakeholders such as various personnel from the Office of Prime Minister (OPM) in the Settlement Camp. Through this office the team was advised to get approval from OPM Kampala office before conduction of the data collection for the study.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Technical Team wishes to acknowledge the stakeholders from UNHCR, FCA staff, OPM staff, Refugee Welfare Council (RWC) representatives, communities, local leaders and all other individuals that provided support during the period of the feasibility assessment. We appreciate FCA who mobilized all the necessary stakeholders and arranged meetings on our behalf, who not only provided information but helped in rallying for community participation and interactions during the assessment period. Above all, all individuals from whom we sought information, insights and guidance. All the technical team members – professionals from key collaborating bodies for sharing their talents, experience and the expertise in both field perspectives and composing the content contributing to the final scoping report. The invested efforts through discussions, meetings, phone calls and the workshop retreat made a record success in finalizing this document. Finally, special thanks to the programs officer of SPACE TECHNOLOGY AGENCY who made sure resources were available at the right time. This provided the motivation and the momentum to fast track the exercise as evidenced by the completion of the report at a time most needed for the next data collection phase. Thanks to you all.

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

IAU	International Astronomical Union
OAD	Office of Astronomy for Development
STA	Space Technology Agency
FCA	Finn Church Aid
UNHCR	United Nations High Commission for Refugees
OPM	Office of the Prime Minister
RWC	Refugee Welfare Council
FGDs	Focus Group Discussions
KIIs	Key Informant Interviews
SOPs	Standard Operating Procedures
MEAL	Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning

The study team

The Technical Team was composed of contracted STA staff with experiences in project planning and management, monitoring and evaluation, sociologists as well as qualified local experts in livelihoods in refugees’ settlement camps (Table 1).

Table 1: Details of the Study Team

Asasira Hudson	STA	Programs Officer
Akisiimire Hindrah	Private Contractor	Project Planning Expert
Abdi Lomongin	FCA	Senior-MEAL
Moreen Akankwasa	FCA	Project Officer
Felix Amabe	FCA	Ass-MEAL

 

PART 1: PROJECT BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

Space Technology Agency received a research grant through the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD) from International Astronomical Union (IAU) towards a research study titled “KNOWLEDGE ACCESS AND SHARING THROUGH CULTURAL ASTRONOMY IN UGANDA’S REFUGEE SETTLEMENTS AND HOST COMMUNITIES”. STA intends to gather information in regards to ancestral astronomy knowledge of the refugees and catalogue it for future research publications. Consequent to the above, a feasibility study was launched in motion to do a ground work study of the settlement before the actual data collection.

PURPOSE

To introduce astronomy to refugee settlements and gather information on the subject from the target communities. The gathered data from this project will be incorporated in a mobile astronomy lab for replication in other regions of Uganda.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES

1.      To catalogue cultural astronomy from refugees who are likely to lose this knowledge due to varying cultures and communities in the settlement camp.

2.      To provide a formal structure for knowledge storage and sharing.

3.      To create an avenue of usefulness of institutional cultural astronomy knowledge in areas that may need purchase and use of physical gadgets.

4.      To facilitate introduction of astronomy to the community of refugees.

METHODS AND APPROACH

The first phase of the work involved a situational analysis which was done through stake holder analysis. The team conducted consultation with key stakeholders including OPM officers, UNHCR officers, FCA officers, RWCs (cluster community leaders), technical extension workers. This step also included assessment of the settlement zones to identify the suitable approach and data collection method to be used.

SETTLEMENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND ZONES

The settlement camp is located in Yumbe district and it comprises of 5 zones as indicated above (Plate 3). The area is generally flat and also consists of low rolling hills with mostly rocky soils in all the zones. The area can be accessed through marram roads which are in good condition.

PART 2: PROJECT CONTENT

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND COMPONENTS

The project will focus on gathering indigenous cultural and social knowledge about astronomy from the general public of the refugee settlement zones in the camp. The study will gather information ranging on local names of celestial bodies in the sky and their meanings in their day to day lives. The project will collect information on how celestial bodies influence their lifestyle and applicability of these meanings to their livelihoods.

TENTATIVE PROJECT DESIGN

Primary data will be gathered through focus group discussions. RWCs will assist to mobilize various groups to participate in the study. Ideally all tribes should be represented in the participating focus groups. This will ensure that information from different tribes and cultures is recorded. We hope to supplement this information by engaging the cultural leaders (KIIs) who migrated from the refugee home countries and are currently settling in the settlement camp. FGDs will be conducted at community centers located inside different zones within the camp. The KIIs i.e. cultural leaders will engaged from their respective homes. The study will consider equal gender representation in the focus groups.

Secondary data can be obtained through desk reviews of astronomy documents to make sense of the obtained information from the field.

Table 2.1: Table showing number of participants

Category	No. Groups	No. of Participants	Total No.
FGDs	10	12	120
KIIs	—	25	25
Students	04	25	100
Teachers	02	05	10
Total Number of Participants			255

 EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The project hopes to achieve the following;

• Catalogue of cultural astronomy information through recorded audios, videos as well as write ups from the study
• Gather astronomy knowledge through interactions with experts, enthusiasts, amateurs and guidance from refugee

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND STRATEGIES

The extension staff from STA have been trained on basic knowledge of cultural astronomy. The mentioned staff are expected to train the recruited data collectors from Yumbe District on how to use the data collection tool. Data collectors are expected to familiarize themselves with the research tool before the actual data collection. They are supposed to build a rapport with the participants and be able to probe in order to collect the correct data/information. The team is expected to evaluate the information gathered at the end of business day in order to identify areas that need improvement to have a productive data collection period. The data collection task is expected to last twelve (12) days i.e. two (2) travel days to and fro Yumbe District, one (1) training day, nine (9) data collection days.

Other technical consideration for the project should be the research ethics to be observed during the study which include;

• Data collectors will be trained to properly introduce themselves before any form of interaction with the participants. Data collectors are expected to carry with them introduction letters from STA at all times and wear a tag around their neck showing their name and organization they represent.
• Data collectors should explain the purpose of the study and explain any risks affiliated with participating in the
• Data collectors should obtain consent from the study participants to know if they are willing to be part of the study. The study should exercise voluntary participation of respondents in the research survey. Participants have rights to withdraw from the study at any stage if they wish to do
• Participants are free to withdraw from the study if they feel uncomfortable or refuse to participate at all. Individuals should be allowed to understand the implications of participating in the study and reach a fully informed decision whether to take part in the study without the exercise of any pressure or
• The study will not record any personal details and address of participants due to their refugee status and security
• In case, photos and videos of the study are obtained; they are to be stored under lock and
• All information collected will be kept confidential and incase of research publication of the information collected. Identity of participants will be kept confidential.
• The dignity and wellbeing of the participants will be protected at all times. The use of offensive, discriminatory, or other unacceptable language will be avoided during all discussions in the field.

PART 3: CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1   CONCLUSIONS

Due to the nature and landscape of the settlement camp, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) would be the best approach to collect data using an interviewing guide. Key Informant Interviews with approximately 10 chief leaders may be used to supplement the information collected from focus group discussions. The study is likely to use 2 zones for the study i.e. Zone 1 & 2 to represent the entire refugee population. This is due to the structure of the zones which is convenient for the study. Households in the mentioned zones are densely located compared to other zones. The lifestyle in the tentative zones is also convenient for the study due to its structure.

3.2   RECOMMENDATIONS

• We need to acquire approval from office of the Prime Minister before commencement of data collection.
• We strongly propose that the data collectors should be fluent in Juba Arabic which is mostly understood by most tribes in the settlement
• We suggest the involvement of RWCs in the mobilization of focus groups and other organizations related to the
• We recommend proper representation of each tribe in the selected zones to participate in the focus group discussions of the
• In a scenario of language barriers between data collectors and the survey participants, we recommend stand by interpreters to help in the study.

 

• Author: Space Technology Agency