Children in Need Club discuss war in Uganda, host Invisible Children documentary
Maureen O'Donoghue
Issue date: 11/24/09 Section: News
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the Children in Need Club welcomed two of the people involved in the production of "The Rescue of Joseph Kony's Child Soldiers," a documentary that exposes the tragic realities of northern Uganda's night commuters and child soldiers, to the Loyola community. The documentary, sponsored by the Invisible Children organization, uses the powerful story of three boys who traveled to Africa to inspire young people to help end the longest running war in Africa.
Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole and Jason Russell, childhood friends from southern California, had a passion for making movies. They had a vision for a movie set in Africa and knew it was something they had to pursue. After fundraising from family and friends and six months of planning, the three boys journeyed to Uganda with only $300 in their pockets. They lived in a village with a woman named Jolly Okot and documented each day's work and activities. One night, while traveling back to their residence, they encountered something they were not prepared for. News of a rebel invasion hit the town and as a result, hundreds of children fled to the city to seek safety in abandoned buildings to avoid being abducted by the LRA, north Uganda's rebel army.
The violent history of Uganda started when it was colonized by Great Britain. Great Britain gave jobs and education to the people of the south but forced the people of the north to become laborers and soldiers dividing the country into two fierce sectors. The north formed the Lord's Resistance Army, known as the LRA in 1987. Joseph Kony rose to authority claiming spiritual power and promised success to those who followed him. He began ordering the recruitment of children to build up his army after he lost the support of his people. The LRA kidnaps children while they are sleeping and, oftentimes, the child is ordered to kill their family and friends to create a dependence on the LRA. These children are given weapons and are forced to fight for the LRA. Right now, 90 percent of Kony's army is made up of child soldiers, and in the last two decades Kony is estimated to have abducted 30,000 children for his army. No records are kept of these children's ages or names and their existence is denied by the LRA; essentially, these children become invisible.
Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole and Jason Russell, childhood friends from southern California, had a passion for making movies. They had a vision for a movie set in Africa and knew it was something they had to pursue. After fundraising from family and friends and six months of planning, the three boys journeyed to Uganda with only $300 in their pockets. They lived in a village with a woman named Jolly Okot and documented each day's work and activities. One night, while traveling back to their residence, they encountered something they were not prepared for. News of a rebel invasion hit the town and as a result, hundreds of children fled to the city to seek safety in abandoned buildings to avoid being abducted by the LRA, north Uganda's rebel army.
The violent history of Uganda started when it was colonized by Great Britain. Great Britain gave jobs and education to the people of the south but forced the people of the north to become laborers and soldiers dividing the country into two fierce sectors. The north formed the Lord's Resistance Army, known as the LRA in 1987. Joseph Kony rose to authority claiming spiritual power and promised success to those who followed him. He began ordering the recruitment of children to build up his army after he lost the support of his people. The LRA kidnaps children while they are sleeping and, oftentimes, the child is ordered to kill their family and friends to create a dependence on the LRA. These children are given weapons and are forced to fight for the LRA. Right now, 90 percent of Kony's army is made up of child soldiers, and in the last two decades Kony is estimated to have abducted 30,000 children for his army. No records are kept of these children's ages or names and their existence is denied by the LRA; essentially, these children become invisible.
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posted 12/04/09 @ 3:31 PM EST
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"The violent history of Uganda started when it was colonized by Great Britain. Great Britain gave jobs and education to the people of the south but forced the people of the north to become laborers and soldiers dividing the country into two fierce sectors. (Continued…)
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