Invisible Children Have you heard of this?

[terip64]

http://www.invisiblechildren.com/theMovement/

I am going to a free screening tonight. One of my husbands employees is organizing the screening. He is what I would usually refer to as a crazy Christian, which really isn't nice. He is a nice guy. ANyway, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't some crazy Christian movie, but it sure doesn't seem like it. Anyone know anything about it?

[LibertyLover]

1. Googled

it. It seems to be a movie, or rather a collection of short movies from directors around the world about children who are "invisible" to society - like the child soldiers in Africa. The review I read didn't indicate that it had a particularly "Christian" slant to it, but I since I can't say definitely yes or no, I'll keep quiet on that score.

[ret5hd]

2. looks like africa missionary work to me

[Richard D]

3. From their FAQ

Is your organization a Christian organization?

No. The three filmmakers believe in Christ, but do not want to segregate themselves in any way. They believe that this story is not theirs to own/brand. They strongly believe that every person needs to hear this story regardless of race, religion, gender, or culture. Invisible Children is about invisible children, and is not exclusive to people who believe what the filmmakers believe. It’s about the “orphans, the widows, the hungry, and the oppressed.” It’s about children that are born into a horrific situation, with no voice. For further insight, read anything Brian Mc Laren (no relation), or Donald Miller writes.

[terip64]

5. I did read that. I am just so cynical these days! n/t

[terip64]

4. I am going to go tonight and I will post about it tomorrow.

Certainly seems worth my time. Thanks!

[JHB]

6. About Ugandan children abducted to serve as soldiers

Short rant: for people trying to publicize an under-the-radar ("invisible") human rights crisis, you'd think they might actually devote a page or two on their website to telling people WHAT THE PROBLEM IS! jayzun-frakkin-krismus, I eventually had to go to one of their old "press room" pieces to find out what it was about.

From http://invisiblechildren.com/theMovie/pressRoom/detail.php?pID=942965400 :

The first thing Bailey, Russell and Poole needed to learn about to create their documentary was the history of the war. Uganda has had tension between its northern and southern regions since it gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. According to the United Nations, the south has always held most of the country's wealth and power, leading to a sense of neglect and inequality among the Acholi people that populate the North.

According to the documentary, the rebel movement can be traced back to one woman in the 1980s- Alice Lakwena, who believed the Holy Spirit spoke to her and ordered her to overthrow the Ugandan government for being unjust to the Acholis. Lakwena and her followers gained momentum with the growing resentment of the Acholis toward the government. When Lakwena died, however, there was no clear leader of the movement, so Joseph Koney, who claimed to be a cousin of Lakwena's, took control of the conflict and transformed Lakwena's rebel army into the LRA.

Soon, the rebels lost most of the support for their cause, so they resorted to abducting children, usually between the ages of five and 12, from their schools, homes and villages, according to Santos. Children are considered the best option for building the LRA's ranks because they are impressionable enough to brainwash, big enough to carry a gun and plentiful enough to create huge masses of fighters. What began as a quick solution to fill the ranks has become the LRA's main method of "recruitment"- 90 percent of their troops are now children, according to the documentary.

Junior Tim Nicklas, who viewed "Invisible Children" in one of Mogge's classes, is appalled by that statistic. He believes that a rebel army predominantly made up of children his age and younger should be of more concern to Americans. "I think it's pretty messed up that no one in America knows about this," says Nicklas.
-----

So do I Nicklas, but the people who do know seem to want to make sure you find out from their movie and ONLY their movie. :argh:

[terip64]

7. I don't know if I understand your last sentence. I am a bit slow, so...

bear with me. I will let you know how the movie is tomorrow and if they explain the history of the war. It seems to me that they are doing this to get the word out.

[JHB]

8. I was reacting to my difficulty in finding out what the movie was exposing

The way the site is constructed, the easiest navigation revolves around promoting the movie (see the trailers, arrange a "house party" viewing", etc.). They tell you that Ugandan children have to walk for miles to the city to sleep, but leave you hanging as to WHY. You see a picture of a boy in a camoflage uniform, but the context is not explained.

You have to dig through the site to find what you need to explain what the problem is in one clear, simple sentence. It's as if stating the basic facts would be a "spoiler". It's almost as if they don't want you to have all the pieces of information you need to understand the crisis unless you get them by seeing their movie.

It may not be their intent, but that's how their website is set up. I've never seen a site that was trying to publicize a cause be that obscure in stating exactly what their cause was. Very strange (or very poor web design).

[terip64]

9. I saw the movie last night and really was moved by it.

It explains why the children have to walk for miles to sleep at night but doesn't explain the whole origin of the war. That is understandable to me because it is so complicated. Good movie, though and great tosee young people so involved in trying to make a difference.