Johncation Muhindo

Uganda, CAHR, Autumn 2018

Born and raised in a humble rural mountainous setting in southwestern Uganda, Johncation is the eldest male in a polygamous family of 18 siblings, 'two mothers' and a father. He trained as a teacher at college and later studied Democracy and Development Studies for his undergraduate degree. Johncation's s passion for social change activism was ignited in his early years because of his background, especially coming from a community that has suffered a long history of exclusion and marginalization in southwestern Uganda. In his teen years he was part of the global campaigns to ban the use of landmines as well as fighting for the rights of landmine victims in his own community. These efforts resulted in Uganda's ratification of the ban on landmines as well as the clearing of landmines from the Rwenzori Mountains region by the Danish Demining Group (DDG) and Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF).

Johncation has been one of the architects of the Youth Debate Movement in Uganda that mobilizes and empowers young people by providing them spaces in which to engage in the local and global issues affecting their lives while at the same time building their leadership and civic competencies to participate in democratic and civic life of their communities. Progressively this has seen a raise of a generation of young people who are civically conscious leading social change in their communities. He has also been active in the large Youth Movement in Uganda where with other colleagues he has been fundamental in pushing for more youth participation and leading the voice of youth in Uganda. Some of these efforts have seen increased youth participation as well as a visible youth movement.

Johncation has been fundamental in pushing for more youth participation and leading the voice of youth in Uganda.

As a civic activist Johncation is also a coach with Rhize working with grassroots movements on tactics and strategic nonviolent resistance and nonviolent discipline. In collaboration with Human Rights Watch, his efforts helped to expose and amplify extreme human rights violations in southwestern Uganda by the Ugandan military. His other interest includes land rights and natural resource justice where he helped to expose land grabbing and the "ethinization" of land conflicts in his home district of Kasese. These have come with various threats including arrests and physical attacks to his life.

As a fellow at CAHR, at the University of York, Johncation is exploring mechanisms of building an inclusive, robust, rapid emergency response system that will support grassroot and often excluded activists that find themselves in danger especially in repressive and hybrid regimes like Uganda.

Johncation believes that through local and global solidarity an inclusive global community that respects human rights of all people is possible.