Invisible Children.
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Invisible Children.
I was involved in a talk today by three people from the Invisible Children Inc. organisation. They were here to tell us about the goings on in northern Uganda, and how the LRA, Lord's Resistance Army, kidnapped children ageing between 9 and 14 during the night, and training them to kill the innocent. Invisible Children Inc. is an organisation founded in 2005 by filmmakers Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole from San Diego, California, USA.
In the spring of 2003, these three young filmmakers traveled to Africa in search of a story. What started out as a film making adventure transformed into much more when these boys from Southern California discovered a tragedy that disgusted and inspired them, a tragedy where children are both the weapons and the victims. After returning to the States, they created the documentary Invisible Children: Rough Cut, a film that exposes the tragic realities of northern Uganda's night commuters and child soldiers.
The film was originally shown to friends and family, but has now been seen by many people. The overwhelming response, according to the filmmakers' formidable publicity effort, has been, "How can I help?" To answer this question, the non-profit Invisible Children, Inc. was created, giving compassionate individuals an effective way to respond to the situation.
Invisible Children: The Rough Cut is a film about the plight of child soldiers and night commuters in northern Uganda. The documentary was filmed in 2003 when three young men from Southern California—Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole (then 24, 21, and 20)—traveled to Sudan "to find a story".
Instead, their adventure took them into the depths of northern Uganda where they discovered thousands of people affected by the brutality and attacks of a rebel group known as the LRA, Lord's Resistance Army. The documentary chronicles their experience as young Americans learning firsthand about a conflict largely unknown to the international community, while also informing audiences about the great humanitarian crisis of child soldiers.
The film was screened for the first time on June 22, 2004 at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego to friends and family of the filmmakers. Soon after, students across the United States were passing along DVDs of the documentary and wanted to know how to help the children in northern Uganda.
Out of the overwhelming public response, the filmmakers co-founded the nonprofit Invisible Children Inc. – an awareness and development organization.
Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole remain instrumental in the success and creativity of the nonprofit and are currently working on the feature film, tentatively scheduled to release in theaters in 2009.
Joseph Kony (born ca. 1962) is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a guerrilla group that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish theocratic government in Uganda, which claims to be based on the Christian Bible and the Ten Commandments. The LRA, which earned a terrifying reputation for its brutality against the people of northern Uganda, has abducted an estimated 20,000 children since its rebellion began in 1987.
I didn't realise how hard this has hit me, and I didn't think that I'd spend the last 4 hours of my school day thinking about it. Please, let family and friend know about this, as this needs to stop. NOW.
The film was originally shown to friends and family, but has now been seen by many people. The overwhelming response, according to the filmmakers' formidable publicity effort, has been, "How can I help?" To answer this question, the non-profit Invisible Children, Inc. was created, giving compassionate individuals an effective way to respond to the situation.
Invisible Children: The Rough Cut is a film about the plight of child soldiers and night commuters in northern Uganda. The documentary was filmed in 2003 when three young men from Southern California—Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole (then 24, 21, and 20)—traveled to Sudan "to find a story".
Instead, their adventure took them into the depths of northern Uganda where they discovered thousands of people affected by the brutality and attacks of a rebel group known as the LRA, Lord's Resistance Army. The documentary chronicles their experience as young Americans learning firsthand about a conflict largely unknown to the international community, while also informing audiences about the great humanitarian crisis of child soldiers.
The film was screened for the first time on June 22, 2004 at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego to friends and family of the filmmakers. Soon after, students across the United States were passing along DVDs of the documentary and wanted to know how to help the children in northern Uganda.
Out of the overwhelming public response, the filmmakers co-founded the nonprofit Invisible Children Inc. – an awareness and development organization.
Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole remain instrumental in the success and creativity of the nonprofit and are currently working on the feature film, tentatively scheduled to release in theaters in 2009.
Joseph Kony (born ca. 1962) is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a guerrilla group that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish theocratic government in Uganda, which claims to be based on the Christian Bible and the Ten Commandments. The LRA, which earned a terrifying reputation for its brutality against the people of northern Uganda, has abducted an estimated 20,000 children since its rebellion began in 1987.
I didn't realise how hard this has hit me, and I didn't think that I'd spend the last 4 hours of my school day thinking about it. Please, let family and friend know about this, as this needs to stop. NOW.
Last edited by avfc_mad; Mar 3, 2009 at 05:37 PM.
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I haven't seen the film you refer to, but was shocked by similar events portrayed in the movie 'Blood Diamond'. Unfortunately, as I have got older and experienced many years of the troubles in Africa I have concluded that it is a place whose troubles may never be resolved. Western involvement almost always seems to exacerbate problems, or bring along new ones. In a place wracked in poverty, any opportunity for financial gain or social power is ceased and abused at any human cost. I admire and salute those whom try to make a difference, but despair that their efforts may be futile. I'll try and make time to watch the movie you refer to.