Perception is a tricky thing. Our vision teaches us to rely on the tangible, to trust the observable and in many instances, to question the invisible. Out of sight, out of mind. If we cannot see it, then it is not there.
The documentary "Invisible Children: Rough Cut" would have you question these assumptions.
Three college students from southern California, Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Lauren Poole, released the documentary in 2003.? They produced "Invisible Children" to educate Americans -- particularly other students -- about the thousands of homeless children in Uganda who are kidnapped and forced into the rebel-led Lord's Resistance Army.
Second-year College student Caroline Cannon presented a free screening of the 50-minute film Oct. 3 in Minor Hall. She said her goal was to increase awareness about the topic at the University.
"It's a humanitarian issue that no child should have to face," Cannon said. "While we do have problems in the U.S., they have so many more. There's no comparison."
Cannon first heard about the Ugandan child soldiers during a trip last summer to Tanzania, where she volunteered for a month.
"So many people don't know about it, but it's such a grabbing issue," Cannon said. "It's a matter of people seeing it."
Many of those who attended the screening were viewing the film for the first time.
"I had heard about the three guys that made the movie, but this was the first time I saw it," first-year Engineering student Jamie Wright said. "It was definitely an eye-opener."
Cannon enlisted the help of the Invisible Children Roadies, a group of young people who travel across the country promoting the movie. They also raise awareness of Schools for Schools, a nonprofit organization that works closely with Invisible Children to find schools in the United States to sponsor schools in Northern Uganda.
"This is a very spiritual, eye-for-an-eye fight," said Andrew Mittelstadt, one of the three Roadies at the event.
The war in Uganda is the longest in African history since the conflict began more than 21 years ago, according to Mittelstadt.
Conditions in Uganda have improved, as the Ugandan government and the LRA have maintained a truce for more than a year, yet the majority of children in Uganda continue to live in displacement camps. According to the Invisible Children's Web site, Ugandan children still lack adequate "clean water, economic opportunities, health centers and education."
In 2006, Invisible Children and Schools for Schools raised more than $1.2 million for students in Northern Uganda in only 100 days. Twenty-nine schools raised $10,000 or more, including Virginia Tech, which raised $13,721.50.
Cannon is in the process of creating a chapter of Schools for Schools at the University.
"I think people just look at Africa, and there are just so many problems with it that it's overwhelming," Cannon said. "You think of it as a place where you just shove money and [not one where] we should be doing something creative that will really help them."
This showing of the film was the first of several Cannon plans to organize this year. The next screening will be Wednesday. Cannon said about 180 people attended the first screening, adding that although the number exceeded her expectations, she hopes the next screening will be even more successful.
"It's such a big group of support for just one showing," Cannon said. "This is just the beginning."
She added that about 70 members of the University have shown interest in joining Schools for Schools.
As Cannon hoped, the film continues to affect its audiences four years after it was introduced. She will use this film, at least initially, to bring into focus a subject about which many are kept in the dark.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 4 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 6 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
