Invisible Children
Without seeing the suffering in northern Uganda, I am frankly shocked to see thousands of children being kidnapped, abused, the most horrific torture at the hands of rebel movements and the same groups are now suffering to some extent the entire international community was ignored. I can’t find anywhere else in the world where an emergency has occurred on the scale of Uganda with such low international attention. A cinematic adventure in Africa begins when the original journey of three young Americans (Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Poole) takes a turn for the worse and they become stranded in northern Uganda. They found that every night children were being abducted from their homes and forced to fight as child soldiers. The film strives to unravel this tragic and surprising untold story.
Even now, in Uganda, a rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) systematically abducts children as young as 8 from their homes. Abducted children then become desensitized to the horrors of violence and killing as they themselves become vicious combatants. Some run and hide in constant fear for their lives. Most were still imprisoned and brought up to adulthood with no education other than living “in the jungle” and participating in guerrilla warfare. Among the many possible ramifications of a 20-year war, the film “Invisible Children: A Rough Cut” highlights what the community calls “night commuters.” We see thousands of children “commuting” from their villages to nearby towns every night for fear of being kidnapped by the LRA (Lord Resistance Army). They sleep in public places, vulnerable and unattended.
