Shedding light on Ugandan nightmare Vermont students participate in the Global Night Commute

Author: Caitlyn Olson

Many Americans would still be in the dark about the Rwandan genocide had Hollywood failed to step in with the production of "Hotel Rwanda." It is a sad truth that many atrocious events in the world must be popularized before they become a household name. But having a million dollar budget and Don Cheadle is not the only way to alert people to genocide in Africa. There is a genocide crisis raging in Uganda and a few active Vermont college students are not only aware of the nightmare in North Africa, but they care enough about it to take action, even if they do not have Hollywood on their side.

Last Saturday evening, Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) transported 30 to 40 students from Middlebury to join approximately 100 others from St. Michael's and the University of Vermont for The Global Night Commute demonstration intended to raise awareness about the "invisible children" of Uganda, a term coined by Invisible Children Inc., the non-profit organization that planned Saturday's event. The name refers to the tens of thousands of Ugandan children living in the North who have either been abducted or are in danger of abduction by rebel forces.

Since 1986, when Yoweri Museveni became president, the Ugandan government has made remarkable progress. Museveni is heralded by the international community as the new model for African leaders. Under his rule, Uganda has witnessed a drastic reduction of the spread of HIV/AIDS, economic growth and the establishment of peaceful resolutions with over a dozen insurgent groups.

However, one rebellious faction remains active. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has terrorized the northern part of Uganda under the leadership of Joseph Kony since Museveni's inauguration two decades ago.

While the political objectives of Kony and the LRA are vague, their tactics are horrifically clear. The organization is notorious for kidnapping children from local villages and forcing them into a life dictated by violence and destruction as a child soldier. The children, some as young as seven years old, are given one choice upon abduction, though the choice is a double-edged sword. They can choose to commit atrocities such as murdering their parents, or they can choose to suffer a horrific death. Somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 kids have been abducted to date, and the survivors currently comprise 80 percent of the army.

Fearful of this nightmare becoming a reality, 20,000-30,000 children have taken to fleeing their homes each night to travel to safer places usually found in urban centers - sometimes a six mile journey each way.

The Ugandan government has made an effort to offer another solution besides commuting nightly to sleep in the streets. They have set up internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, in which over 90 percent of the country's northern population is presently living. Unfortunately, conditions in the camps are widely regarded by humanitarian organizations as appalling. Sanitation and healthcare is almost non-existent, education is poor, overcrowding is a huge issue and government protection is so insufficient that the marauding LRA still represents a significant threat to the people inside.

The founders of Invisible Children Inc., an organization dedicated to alerting the West to the Ugandan crisis, were stunned by the situation when they first visited the country some two years ago. Created by three young students from California universities, Invisible Children Inc. began when the founders traveled to Africa to make a documentary and returned to America with a film and a cause. Their documentary film, also called "Invisible Children", has helped spread the word about the plight of the Ugandan children across the United States and the world. Their sidekick organization has taken action with an education program, bracelet campaign, and now, the Global Night Commute world-wide demonstration.

The nighttime demonstration, which took place in over 130 U.S. cities and in several other nations, was a collective effort by individuals, largely college students, who "commuted" from their homes to the streets in a show of solidarity with the Ugandan children who must make such journeys every night.

Middlebury participants marched three miles from the Unitarian Church on Church Street to the St. Michael's campus. They were joined there by other commuters and spent the next hours engaging in several planned activities such as an art project and a letter-writing campaign to President George Bush and the Vermont senators.

Ashley George, the Coordinator of Service-Learning at St. Michael's, and a number of St. Michael's students were reponsible for bringing the event to Burlington. Brigitte Frett '06 and Aakash Mohpal '09 were responsible for involving Middlebury students. Both schools had screened "Invisible Children" earlier in the year and were looking to act on the issues exposed in the film.

"I always feel like I didn't deserve to be born into my circumstances any more than a kid in Uganda deserves to be a child soldier," said Frett, president of the college's chapter of Amnesty International.

"It's my duty - because I was born with a lot of power and privilege - to use them in a productive way. Human rights is one of the most core issues facing us today. It's really important to use your voice on behalf of those who don't have a voice to use."

Frett was somewhat disappointed with the Middlebury turnout, as she had received confirmations from twice as many people as showed up, but described feeling touched by and proud of those who did participate. Regarding the event itself, everything ran smoothly and George thought it turned out to be "fun but also moving and educational."

An interesting moment came when three women officials from the Ugandan government who happened to be making a visit to Vermont were given the microphone to speak. The first two kept their comments brief and punchy, accentuating them with smiles and cheers. However, the third woman, who called herself "Faith," went on for approximately 20 minutes with an oration about the power of prayer in which she called the situation in the North "cool"-"Everything is cool, people are settling back into their normal lives."

Many students were upset and confused by her take on the state of affairs since it seemed to negate the entire Night Commute demonstration. Later in the evening, a young man who wishes to remain unidentified shared his personal experience in the IDP camps, from which he had just returned a week or two prior. He said his impression was that matters are far from "cool" and in fact are as appalling as ever.

"I thought that it was a great learning experience for all of us to hear two sides of a story, because there always are two sides, and they were clearly very different. I think if anything it should have inspired people to really do some research about this," said George.

The rest of the night consisted of a screening of "Invisible Children," socializing and lots of huddling together to stay warm in the cold night air. Everyone awoke with the sun and went their separate ways after a quick open-mike session. Middlebury students walked the three miles back to the church and the bus station and were dropped off by ACTR transit back on campus by 9:15 a.m. Participants seemed to have nothing by positive things to say about the demonstration.

For those who missed the Commute but would like to get involved with this cause, Amnesty International will have an outdoor art and music festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Proctor Terrace that will feature a silent auction of donated student work to raise money for Invisible Children Inc.