INVISIBLE CHILDREN MADE MORE VISIBLE AFTER A LITTLE GNC

January 22, 2007 by PT Rothschild.

INVISIBLE CHILDREN UPDATE – 2007 (JANUARY)
 

With all the mainstream news being thrown out for mass consumption, it’s easy to miss what is really important or what should be really important anyway. For everyone who has seen the movie ‘Invisible Children – Rough Cut’ what is really important is ending the war in Acholiland, or the land of the Acholi tribe of Northern Uganda. This area of Africa is “green with amazing sunsets” with the feel that “the sun and the clouds” are so close “you could reach up and touch them.” – Laren Poole, an ‘IC’ filmmaker. Perhaps this idyllic setting adds insult to the injury being suffered there by the children (and their parents since they can’t bitch about it for risk of their life). The filmed story of this continuing ‘black mark’ on Man’s record created a response wave of ‘movement’ by people who would not leave things statue quo. This ‘movement’ solidified and went to the next level by staging an international event to raise awareness of the continuing human rights crisis. They called this large-scale rally the ‘Global Night Commute’, now captured in hardbound historical hardcopy (available here).  “This is about humanity. That’s all it’s about. Let’s not talk about politics, or countries divided, or who’s responsible…you have to ask yourself what are you going to do about it? Because these kids do not have the choice to be born in the situation they’re born in.” – Jason Russell, an ‘IC’ filmmaker.
With the exception of some rain at a few sites, the synchronization of thousands of people at various locations showed a fingerprint of Divine Intervention. Even the organizers were amazed at how everything fell into place. “To mobilize eighty thousand people to sleep in the street is a feat in and of itself. It will go down as a historical moment. “– Bobby Bailey, an ‘IC’ filmmaker.
A little over two months after the GNC happened in Canada, Ireland, and 130 U.S. cities, including San Diego (read the report here), peace talks started. As peace talks continued, the nightly commute which had been as high as 20,000+, dropped to around 10,000, a night. Abductions and rebel violence dropped sharply. The American government passed resolutions and the filmmakers even met with the Ugandan President Museveni. Kids were starting to feel safe at home. A number of kids from the film have started schooling with the financial support of from the movement which is sent directly there.
“The Global Night Commute, to tell you the truth, has contributed to our peace here in Northern Uganda, because it was here in the paper, and now the story came that people slept on the street in America, and they wrote letters to President Bush. (It) contributed a lot to bringing this peace. So I think it was a great thing.” – Jolly Okot, aid worker who brought story to filmmakers’ attention.
However, things have very recently started to backslid a bit. Peace talks have broken down (well, now that’s a surprise. Are peace talks succeeding anywhere? I can’t remember the last time ‘peace broke out’ somewhere though I have heard it). So that means it’s back to the trenches in keeping the passion hot to spread more awareness. Locally in T-town TVHS is planning a showing of the movie on Saturday, February 24^th, ’07, at the school. Word on the street is that a music benefit show is on the drafting board for the next weekend. More on this developing story. Also the 2007 sequel rally to last year’s GNC theme is a ‘Displace Me’ rally scheduled in only select cities on April 28^th, ’07, to bring about continued pressure to ‘unstall’ talks and secure an end to the violence, hardship, and disease of the IDP camps (Internally Displaced Peoples i.e., less a ‘rez’ and more an ‘internment’ camp like American Japanese were put in during WWII). It is estimated that as high as 100 people a week die because of the inhumane conditions of these government camps.

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