During a bloody two-decade civil war in Northern Uganda, tens of thousands of children were abducted from their homes and forced to become soldiers, and worse. It stands as one of the most atrocious violations of human rights in modern history. But there is hope in that African country now, and that hope is reflected in a new multi-media stage production, 'Restore Tour: Child Soldier No More,' which has enjoyed enthusiastic receptions nationwide and comes to San Diego this Sunday.
This FREE traveling stage show, which you can follow on Facebook and Twitter, is a world-class production featuring music and dance that provides audiences the opportunity to meet the children, hear their stories in their own words, and share in their new found freedom, dignity and hope, as well as provide financial support.
Northern Uganda and specifically Gulu, is becoming whole again after an unrest that has ravaged the community for 20 years. At the height of the fighting in 2004, more than 2 million people were forced to vacate their homes and live in camps, and it is estimated that more than 20,000 children were abducted by LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) rebels and turned into child soldiers to terrorize their communities. Girls as young as 9 years old were turned into sex slaves with lifelong implications as child mothers. Alongside the HIV/AIDS pandemic, northern Ugandans also suffered from disabilities and other injuries sustained from gunshots, landmines and mutilation.
Gary Skinner, Founder of Watoto, the humanitarian organization that rescued these children and now takes care of them, says that "they have experienced unimaginable atrocities. We are giving them hope and restoring their dignity, knowing that they are Uganda's future leaders."
It's up for debate whether the United States did enough to help the people of Northern Uganda during the height of the atrocities, but in May, President Obama signed the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act.
"The legislation crystallizes the commitment of the United States to help bring an end to the brutality and destruction that have been a hallmark of the LRA across several countries for two decades," said Obama when he signed the bill, "and to pursue a future of greater security and hope for the people of central Africa. The LRA preys on civilians ' killing, raping, and mutilating the people of central Africa. It fills its ranks of fighters with the young boys and girls it abducts. By any measure, its actions are an affront to human dignity."
And this production is a salute to the human spirit. Starting off intensely, with children re-enacting their abductions and openly sharing how they were affected by war and forced to kill people, it quickly moves in a more positive, hopeful direction as these kids talk about what they hope to do with their lives. Needless to say, these children all suffer from various degrees of post-traumatic stress (PTSD), and they are accompanied by trauma experts on this tour. The performance is about 70 minutes and is both educational and inspirational, but is not recommended for children under 12. The 40-person ensemble will appear at Maranatha Chapel, 10752 Coastwood Rd., this Sunday at 6:00 p.m.
