Josephine Bweyale
- Christianity
- Uganda
- Female
- Uganda
- East Africa
- KAICIID Fellows
Biography Narrative
Senior Lecturer, Makerere University
Dr. Bweyale Josephine is a senior lecturer at Makerere University, Kampala-Uganda. Josephine specializes in training of secondary school teachers in the subject of religion. Having grown up in an African patriarchal context where women are considered jural minors, Josephine became interested in research that could re-define the nature of personhood and began to inquire into issues of equality and human dignity. She became so passionate with respect for human rights and equal treatment for all irrespective of race, gender, age and status that it led her to pursue a doctorate in philosophy on “Human Rights Education in African contexts”.
She identified that dialogue and negotiation are key for the well-being of humanity. She has carried out research and published articles on interreligious dialogue in Uganda. Her main argument is that the divided approach to teaching religious education in schools is not conducive for interreligious dialogue. She has contributed to the revision of religious education curriculum and syllabus.
Interreligious Activities and Initiatives
RE-THINKING RELIGIOUS EDUCATION FOR INTER-RELIGIOUS/INTERFAITH AND INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE IN UGANDA
The initiative brought together religious leaders of all the different religions in Uganda to discuss the implementation of Religious Education in a way that contributes towards Inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue in Uganda. The fundamental issues discussed included; (i) the importance of Religious Education in Uganda’s National Education System; (ii) the inclusive approach to teaching Religious Education as opposed to the current separatist pedagogy; (iii) using Religious Education as a channel to build the foundation of inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and; (iv) addressing the new contemporary cultural and social challenges such as population growth, religious terrorism, homosexuality and same sex relationships, sexuality education, abuse of human rights and hate speech among others through Religious Education.