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ART/MUSIC: War Child Picture This Art Exhibit

ART/MUSIC: War Child Picture This Art Exhibit
Venue: Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf London
17 feb to 5 march, 2006
free admission

Lots of background & very little academic jargon [BOOKS]

Having spent the last 2 days writing/reading on international treaty law, I haven't been able to look at anything related to child soldiering. I have a growing stack of reports I need to read, but sadly I've gotten to the point where words and numbers start blurring together on the page. It's just useless to try to absorb anything. Several people have been asking me about books or articles they can read on the problem of child soldiers. Something that's not so technical, not so academic. I'm all about that, especially when I think about the development aid reports I need to get through. So, these are my suggestions:

Innocents Lost, Jimmie Briggs - journalist
www.jimmiebriggs.com

Another book, good for background info:
Children At War, PW Singer - policy analyst at the Brookings Institution
www.brookings.edu/scholars/fellows/psinger.htm

Here On Earth Podcast: Uganda-CAN

Here On Earth Podcast - Uganda-CAN

Here on Earth Radio Without Borders with Jean Feraca talks to Peter Quaranto, the director and co-founder of Uganda - Conflict Action Network, and Charles Bongomin, former child soldier, Fulbright scholar at American University. [52:35 -length] Aired Februrary 5th, 2006, 2pm CT

Issues discussed: conditions for children in northern Uganda; failure of Uganda's government to end the 19 year long conflict; silence of UN Security Council over past 2 decades; role of NGO's & civil society to end the conflict; Uganda-CAN's advocacy work

Red Hand Day [Campaign Event]

Red Hand Day, 12 February 2006

An Initiative by terre des hommes Germany for the International Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, Red Hand Day aims to bring public awareness to the plight of child soldiers all around the world through activism, demonstrations, and other creative expression. For more information, visit the Red Hand Day Website. The website displays photos from previous Red Hand Day events all over the world.


[News] Last week, on 2 February, the US Senate passed resolution 366 - "Affirming the importance of increased international action and a national week of prayer for the Ugandan victims of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army, and expressing the sense of the Senate that Sudan, Uganda, and the international community bring justice and humanitarian assistance to Northern Uganda and that February 2 through 9, 2006, should be designated as a national week of prayer and reflection for the people of Uganda." Click here for complete resolution. The Senate resolution, unfortunately, doesn't spell out any specific action. Even if they do increase humanitarian aid, how much of that will just be pumped into the Ugandan army (UPDF) to pursue the LRA & capture Kony (which has been terribly unsuccessful over the past 2 decades)? Where's all the aid for the disarmament camps going? Something I need to research... I'm just speculating.

Invisible Children [film & photo essay]

Invisible Children

The above link goes to a trailer for the Invisible Children documentary, which I finally watched in its entirety today. I heard & read a few criticisms about the nature in which the three young filmmakers presented the problem of the 40,000 or so night commuting children in Northern Uganda. The Hollywood-style dramatizing & moments of immature behavior aside, the documentary is very powerful. Not only is it geared towards the MTV/Info Revolution generation, it's a product of this generation's flavor for adventure & action. First for the content of what they documented, and also for the experience of 3 Cali boys leaving home to capture a story in Sub-Saharan Africa... AND THEN, decided to start a movement and an organization to fight for justice. Doesn't get much more proactive than that.

LA Times Photo Journal on Northern Ugandan situation, click on image below:

Hear the songs of child soldiers [Save the Children UK]

Click on the above image to hear the songs of child soldiers who were being demobilized at the Aveba disarmament camp in the DRC. The songs were recorded by a journalist working with Save the Children UK. It's a truly remarkable recording, and demonstrates the resilience and power of children...