Wardance is in big screen in certain selected theaters in the US

This documentary tells the story of children from a northern Uganda IDP camp who defy all odds to participate in the national Ugandan dance competition. Today the documentary is in big screen in selected theaters around USA.

Co-directors Sean Fine and Andrea Nix use the ongoing rebel conflict in Uganda — and its tragic consequences for hundreds of thousands of displaced people — to provide a background for a national children's music and dance competition. About three dozen 10- to 14-year-olds from the Patongo Refugee Camp Primary School travel to Kampala for the big contest. Between rehearsals and performances, a handful of them relate their real-life horror stories. Some speak of parents being murdered by rebel soldiers; others tell of being forced by soldiers to murder strangers.

The International Communities and Ugandans even the more “enlightened” could not comprehend the real depth of suffering people of Northern Uganda has experience for the last twenty years due to this war and life in these camps. Civil war ravaged Uganda's northern districts since the National Resistance Army/Movement took power under Yoweri Museveni in 1986. The latest phase of the war, waged by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), has lasted more than a decade and has been characterized by widely publicized atrocities committed by the LRA, including the forced abductions of thousands of children, massacres of civilians, and widespread rape, mutilation, and looting.

On the other hand the Ugandan Government's counterinsurgency were brutal, and the civilian population, primarily of Gulu and Kitgum districts, found itself caught between the violence of the LRA on the one side and the violence of the Ugandan Army, the Ugandan People's Defense Forces (UPDF), on the other. The abuses by the UPDF are now coming to light, despite denials by the Ugandan Government and silence from the international community about the “African new form of democracy.”

The UPDF forcefully displaced the civilian population of the north several times in the course of the war, the most recent round beginning in 1996. Approximately 350,000 of Gulu district's 400,000 people have been forced into what the Government calls "protected camps," ranging in size from 1000 to over 50,000 individuals.

For detail about this movie visit their website:

• WarDance, a film of Shine Global

• Myel Acholi - Bwola - Labala

Also NPR website:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16075865&sc=emaf

And
A Reason to Dance Amid Death

For the trialer click here:
View the trailer
Review of War Dance:
Reviewed by Karen Leano

Recommended Resources About Northern Uganda

Books on the Conflict

• Alice Lakwena & Holy Spirits: War In Northern Uganda 1985-97 by Heike Behrend
• Living with Bad Surroundings: War & Existential Uncertainty in Acholiland, Northern Uganda by Sverker Finnstrom
• Aboke Girls. Children Abducted in Northern Uganda by Els De Temmerman

Reading Material on the Web

• Genocide in Comparative Perspective: the Jewish and Acholi Experience by Onek Adyanga
• Issue 36 of the Humanitarian Exchange
• Neither Peace nor Justice: Political Violence and the Peasantry in Northern Uganda , 1986-1998 by Adam Branch
• Ending Uganda's "Brilliant" Genocide - a Black Star News Editorial

Video and Audio Web Resources

• Other Voices - YouTube playlist

Other Web Links

• VisionFestival.org
• Friends for Peace in Africa

• African War

• Video Africa At War
• Acholi Dance
• Acholi Dancing
• Dingi Dingi 2
• Myel Acholi - Larakara Pawidi
  
• Myel Acholi - Larakaraka2
  

President Bush to Meet with Ugandan President Museveni

According to White House press released, President Bush will welcome President Yoweri Museveni of the Republic of Uganda to the White House on October 30, 2007. The President and President Museveni will discuss Uganda's leadership in Somalia, the Lord's Resistance Army, and President Museveni's development plan for northern Uganda, as well as their strong partnership to combat malaria and HIV/AIDS in Uganda.

According to the press reports, top on the agenda of the White House Bush-Museveni meeting will be the Northern Uganda Peace Process in Juba, the LRA and President Museveni’s plan for the development of Northern Uganda. This is the first time the Northern Uganda Crisis, the LRA and/or plans to develop Northern Uganda have been on the agenda of the White House.

As a matter of fact, the US, UK and Uganda Governments hold the master key to peace with justice in Northern Uganda, and genuine national reconciliation in Uganda. Thus, President Bush’s invitation to President Museveni is a unique window of opportunity that could finally usher peace with justice in Northern Uganda, provided the voices of the weak and vulnerable victims of Northern Uganda will be heard during the White House meeting. This could signal the beginning of genuine national reconciliation and healing in Uganda.

President Bush needs to deliver the message to President Museveni, that the U.S. fully supports these negotiations as the best way to end the war, and that U.S. expect the Ugandan government to demonstrate the patience and leadership needed to ensure their success.

Follow the links and read more:

Museveni: The African leader US loves to hate

Museveni, Bush discuss LRA war

LRA rebels to meet Museveni

The New Vision.

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Northern Uganda Children are remembered!!

Get involved support Northern Uganda Children!

Don't Miss Knoxville Jazz for Justice Concert!! Follow the link below and mark your calender and while you're at it do order a T-Shirt for yourself or your friends!!

Thanks to “Knoxville Jazz for Justice,” a music activism project initiated in 2006 to raise funds, awareness, and support by UT professor, Dr. Rosalind Hackett and concerned students, together with musicians in the local, national and international jazz community, some of those young people are overcoming their trauma and rebuilding their lives. All of the proceeds from KJfJ concerts benefit the Northern Ugandan Girls’ Education Network (NUGEN). And this East Tennessee connection is being felt in Northern Uganda, where some of the girls in the program call themselves “University of Tennessee girls.”

For more information, contact Dr. Rosalind Hackett, Coordinator, rhackett@utk.edu; Lindsay McClain, Public Relations Campus Coordinator, lmcclai4@utk.edu; or visit the Knoxville Jazz for Justice website at: www.knoxjazzforjustice.org. Other team member includes:

Joshua Russell
Music Coordinator
jrussellsound@hotmail.com

Erin Bernstein
Schools Coordinator
ebernste@utk.edu

Scott Livingston
Web Designer
Sliving2@utk.edu
Phone: 865-588-1562

The Knoxville Jazz for Justice Email is : KJfJ@utk.edu

Project Healing war-ravaged Northern Uganda through the power of music activism, follow the link below, you can also order your T-shirt from there!

http://www.knoxjazzforjustice.org/

Uganda's 20 Year Holocaust

Children of northern Uganda

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Uganda Conflict Watch

Follow the link and read on:
Sudan’s Bashir to host northern leaders, envoy reinforces support for Juba talks

October 19th, 2007 in: Regional Impact

Northern Ugandan religious, political and cultural leaders announced today that President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan has invited them to Khartoum to discuss the prospects of the Juba peace talks.

In Memory of Margaret Alerotek

Tragically on July 31, 2007, Margaret Aloyo Alerotek, passed away shortly after being taken to Gulu Municipal Hospital. Her death is being investigated by Uganda police for suspicion of murder by cyanide poisoning

Margaret, 27, served as a communications officer for World Vision in Uganda.

A former sponsored child from Gulu, Margaret worked for World Vision in Uganda since October 2004. Her story — along with her passionate pursuit of peace in northern Uganda — represents the best of World Vision's first fruits in its work in that region. In 1986, Margaret's parents were murdered by rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA); she and her siblings were adopted by a woman in their community.

Read more about Margaret by World Vision here....

The Passion of the Present: Margaret Alerotek: In Memory of ...

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Watch video about Northern Uganda

VIDEO

BBC Hardtalk with Tim Sebastian
The Way Forward for Uganda
Reagan Okumu, MP

BBC Hardtalk with Tim Sebastian
Why Uganda government failed to end northern conflict and prevent serious human rights abuses
Gilbert Bukenya, Uganda's Vice President

Knoxville Jazz for Justice making a difference!

Lobbying policymakers, taking political action, building movement are some activities many, US colleges have done to raise awareness for Northern Uganda but Knoxville Jazz for Justice have gone one more step further, they have Lobbyed policymakers and they visited Northern Uganda to have first hand experience of the condition there and to show their commitment to the cause of Northern Uganda, Knoxville Jazz for Justice will hold a fundraiser discotheques on Saturday October 6th at the World Grotto in Market Square, at 9 p.m. featuring an Africa Dance Party, to help raise money for the Jazz for Justice Concert scheduled for Nov. 2.

According to the Daily Beacon online, the editorially independent student newspaper of the University of Tennessee,

McClain a sophomore in college scholars, said “the dance will feature a performance by the Kuumba Kan African Drum and Dance Group. Also, an African DJ will be playing music from across the continent.”

“People should expect lots of afrobeat and reggae,” McClain said. “It’s going to be an energetic environment.” The the Daily Beacon online said.

It’s not like a big rock concert where you raise a lot of money and then it’s over,” Prof. I.J. Hackett said. “People forget and move onto something else. We’re trying to build relationships, we’re trying to build linkages.

“Knoxville Jazz for Justice began early in 2006 with a concert to raise awareness on the war in Uganda. Now Justice’s goal is not to just raise money but to bring the community together with music,” said Prof I.J Rosalind Hackett, professor of religious studies.

Prof. I.J Hackett said, “She hoped the dance party would not only raise awareness but bring a different kind of attention to Africa, especially, northern Uganda.”

Music is one of Africa’s great contributions ...because of it rhythm, vibes and it’s very danceable. It’s very popular, so we hope that even if students think they don’t know what African music is about, they should come and try it because it’s a learning experience.

Unlike most humanitarian organizations, Hackett said, “Knoxville Jazz for Justice focuses on bringing people together. We really firmly believe that music is also a way of sharing interest,” and other cultures.

Erin Bernstein, a junior in college scholars, also said, “Knoxville Jazz for Justice is different than other humanitarian organizations.”

Yes, a lot of these organizations are doing good works, but the most neglected problem ... is trauma, she said. (Ugandans) are in need of emotional healing right now and not many big organizations can provide such services, and that is where the Knoxville Jazz for Justice Project comes in.

Bernstein saw the suffering first hand on a trip to Gulu, Uganda over the summer with Hackett and McClain. She said they were embraced by the people because they weren’t just passing through, they met the real people in need of emotional, spiritual and material supports. (Some photos by McClain)

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You can read more of this report in The Daily Beacon Online, the editorially independent student newspaper of the University of Tennessee Friday, October 05, 2007 issue by Yasmine Alotaibi -

http://dailybeacon.utk.edu/showarticle.php?articleid=52018

Knoxville Jazz for Justice Concert

JAZZ GREATS JAM FOR JUSTICE

The date for the next Knoxville Jazz for Justice Concert is Friday NOVEMBER 2nd, some of the biggest names in jazz will lend their talents to benefit the children of war-torn Northern Uganda. The second annual “Knoxville Jazz for Justice” concert kicks off at 8 p.m. at the World Grotto in downtown Knoxville’s Market Square.

This year’s headliners include South Africa’s multi-instrumentalist, Zim Ngqawana (“Zimology”), Jeff Coffin and Roy “Future Man” Wooten of Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Kirk Whalum (“The Gospel According to Jazz”), UT’s Jazz Ensemble--Donald Brown, Mark Boling, Rusty Holloway, with Kenny Brown, The Mitch Rutman Group, Carlos Fernandez, Wendel Werner, Jonathan Blanchard, Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd with Ghanaian percussionist Kofi Mawuko, Chad Melton and Alana Rocklin,“Just Friends” (UT jazz students), and all the way from Northern Uganda, Jeff Korondo! Tickets, $10 for students and $15 for non-students, will be sold at the door for the benefit concert. Advance tickets available at http://tickets.worldgrotto.com.

"The concert has became a rallying point for students who were aware of the situation in Northern Uganda, as well as those who wanted to learn more about it,” Prof. I.J. Hackett said.

-Some of the victims of the 21 years long war in Northern Uganda have turned to using mike to create music to express their suffering and experiences including those of the voiceless to share their ordeal. Today Northern Uganda has seen a society on the rise, for example the wanabe Rasta, in the likeliness of Uganda Bob Marley, Lucky Dube -Bosmic Otim - all in the rise in the name of peace in northern Uganda. The peace that is currently going on has also played a major role to bring about this rise in 'Superstars and popdom'. And it has also forged a new generation of “prophets” in the likeliness of Ugandan wanabe Bob Marley/Lucky Dube -Bosmic Otim-. The intrusion of northern Uganda music (is hitting radio waves in Kampala and the internet and the impact is changing the pop culture in Uganda), "the creation of Northern Uganda hip-hop, Lou-pop, or Gulu-pop class has taken music to a new twist of popdom".

More international exposure could mould some of these artists to the like of Akron!

Jeff Korondo “I have been doing Contemporary music for quite sometime in Luo and of recent one in English. My song talks about domestic violence and most of them about children's rights because I have been involved with Save the Children in Uganda (NGO) in campaigning children's abuse in northern Uganda”. Jeff Korondo” Lutino Anyim Me Lobo” is one of the hit in http://www.kumalo.com

Bosmic Otim has produced many albums about the war in Northern Uganda and the need for peace. Most recently some of his songs have touched and appealed directly to Otti and Kony, the guerrilla leaders, asking them to abandon the war and come back home so that the IDPs can return to their villages. Otii in turn invited Bosmic Otim to go and entertain the peace team and their observers!

In “Ngom Kuri” Bosmic sang that...the world changes, turns, and luck come around...and everyone has a bite..." It's their turn to bite,"... however, the world is still waiting to see this happen to Northern Uganda, "Equal Right” “Kop Ango” are few topical songs this talented young artist has produced.

Their music talk a lot, about a society suddenly observant of changes in their midst. There are also the sad songs, rather painful and burrowing into what is experienced by many victims in Northern Uganda.

Themes of 'war is slowly fading out but not totally so, more children, are still suffering, and poverty still prevail even though peace is here' and slowly being overtaken by a free spirit songs about praises, religious songs, love, courting of women are now hitting air waves and the Internet. Bosmic Otim "Too Paco", BSG Labongo “Lalam” and “Agungu Pirii”. Jeff Korondo “Lamera Balo Kenya”are few examples.

You can watch some of the video via You Tube here:

lok ming ming

Too paco

Kopango

BOSMIC OTIM-PEACE