Children of War
Encyclopedia
Children of War is an award-winning, feature-length documentary film
directed by Bryan Single and released in 2010. Filmed in northern Uganda
over a period of three years, the story follows the journey of a group of former child soldiers as they undergo a process of trauma therapy and emotional healing while in a rehabilitation center.
Having been abducted from their homes and schools by the Lord’s Resistance Army—a quasi-religious militia led by self-proclaimed prophet and international war criminal Joseph Kony
—the children struggle to confront years of brutal abuse, forced combat and religious indoctrination with the help of a heroic team of trauma counselors. As these fearless allies work closely with guide the children forward into new lives, Children Of War illuminates a powerful and cathartic story of forgiveness and hope in the aftermath of war.
, led by Joseph Kony
, fought to overthrow the secular government and rule the country by the Biblical Ten Commandments
. However, what made the LRA so unique and tragic is that the majority of those who fought in its ranks were children.
During the 20 years of war, an estimated 35,000 boys and girls were dragged from their homes, schools and villages, tied up, and marched to rebel hideouts deep in the bush. There, they were initiated into the Army's cult-like culture through a combination of religious indoctrination, traumatizing abuse, and forced participation in extremely brutal violence. Often these child soldiers were forced to kill fellow abducted children, burn and loot villages, and maim civilians—in some instances even their own families. Fear and total dependency upon their captors led many of the abducted children to yield, internalize, and adopt the violent culture of the rebels. Additionally, many of the female children were given to the rebel commanders as "wives" and forced to produce more children: a new generation descended from brutality.
To establish power and widespread fear among those who refused to show explicit support for them, Kony and his rebels mainly targeted civilians, employing massacres of the most horrifying nature. Fathers, mothers, and infants were killed, dismembered by machetes, or burned to "rid the land of evil spirits." This campaign of terror resulted in over 100,000 deaths, thousands of maimed and wounded, and one and a half million people being forced to live in squalid displaced-persons camps. To make matters worse, the southern-ruled government was widely accused of amplifying the crisis through years of complacency and indifference. In 2006, Jan Egeland
, former United Nations
Special Advisor to the Secretary General, expressed that the situation in northern Uganda had evolved into "the world's greatest neglected humanitarian crisis."
Since 2006, the war however has settled into a precarious impasse. As a result of an increased military campaign by the Ugandan government, attacks and abductions by the rebels have slowly waned. Kony and his army have moved their base of operations across the border into eastern Congo
.
In the heart of this uncertainty between peace and war, life and death, hope and hopelessness, many child soldiers have re-emerged from the war, either through miraculous escapes or by being captured during battles. Transferred directly from the battlefields to rehabilitation centers, these boys and girls undergo the formidable process of healing into a life beyond war. Most carry with them the emotional and psychological burdens of a stained youth, reflected in symptoms of distrust, severe guilt, fear, self-contempt, nightmares, and despair. But as survivors, many exhibit a haunting yet impassioned honesty far beyond their years.
In May 2006, filmmaker Bryan Single was invited to visit the Rachele Rehabilitation Center in war-torn northern Uganda. Established in 2003 by the Belgian
government and award-winning author-journalist Els de Temmerman
, the mission of the Rachele Center is to rehabilitate and reintegrate many of the former abductees and child soldiers. The goal of Mr. Single’s visit to the Center was to listen, to witness and to document the stories and sojourns of these children as they recover from their lives as child soldiers.
in Washington D.C. The International Reporting Project
co-hosted the screening. In December 2009, it had a special presentation at the historic Hollywood Egyptian Theater as part of the 6th Annual International Artivist Film Festival, where it won the Best Feature Award for Child Advocacy. In February 2010, it was awarded a Cinema For Peace Justice Award in Berlin by Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
. In March, it was awarded the Foundation Barbara Hendricks Prize in honor of Sergio Vieira de Mello
at the International Festival of Human Rights in Geneva
, Switzerland. In April 2010, Children Of War, hosted by Cinema for Peace and Amnesty International
, was selected to be the first film to screen at the headquarters of the International Criminal Court
in the Hague. In May 2010, a preview of Children of War was screened at the historic, International Criminal Court Review Conference Opening Dinner in Kampala
, Uganda, followed by a powerful speech by Children of War child trauma counselor Jane Ekayu. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
, former Nuremburg trial prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz, and Bianca Jagger
were among those present.
In October 2010, Children of War had its World Premiere before an international audience at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City. Delegates from over forty countries attended the event, which was introduced by UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro
, hosted by the UN Office of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and its Under-Secretary General Radhika Coomaraswamy
, and moderated by Democracy Now! journalist Amy Goodman
. The internationally renowned Ugandan musician Geoffrey Oryema
, who is best known for his collaborations with Peter Gabriel and Real World, closed the evening with a special musical performance.
In December 2010, "Children of War" was the first film to be screened by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Commission
in celebration of Human Rights Day
. The sold-out event, which took place in Brussels, Belgium at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, was introduced by Bianca Jagger
.
In September of 2011, "Children of War" director Bryan Single was honored with the Armin T. Wegner
Humanitarian Award for "the vision to see the truth, and the courage to speak it." The award ceremony was hosted by the Arpa Foundation for Film and Art at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, California.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Bryan Single and released in 2010. Filmed in northern Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
over a period of three years, the story follows the journey of a group of former child soldiers as they undergo a process of trauma therapy and emotional healing while in a rehabilitation center.
Having been abducted from their homes and schools by the Lord’s Resistance Army—a quasi-religious militia led by self-proclaimed prophet and international war criminal Joseph Kony
Joseph Kony
Joseph Kony is an African terrorist who is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army , a guerrilla group that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish theocratic government based on the Ten Commandments in Uganda...
—the children struggle to confront years of brutal abuse, forced combat and religious indoctrination with the help of a heroic team of trauma counselors. As these fearless allies work closely with guide the children forward into new lives, Children Of War illuminates a powerful and cathartic story of forgiveness and hope in the aftermath of war.
Historical perspective
The war in northern Uganda lasted for over two decades (1986–2006). The rebels of the Lord's Resistance ArmyLord's Resistance Army
The Lord's Resistance Army insurgency is an ongoing guerrilla campaign waged since 1987 by the Lord's Resistance Army rebel group, operating mainly in northern Uganda, but also in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, led by Joseph Kony
Joseph Kony
Joseph Kony is an African terrorist who is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army , a guerrilla group that is engaged in a violent campaign to establish theocratic government based on the Ten Commandments in Uganda...
, fought to overthrow the secular government and rule the country by the Biblical Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
. However, what made the LRA so unique and tragic is that the majority of those who fought in its ranks were children.
During the 20 years of war, an estimated 35,000 boys and girls were dragged from their homes, schools and villages, tied up, and marched to rebel hideouts deep in the bush. There, they were initiated into the Army's cult-like culture through a combination of religious indoctrination, traumatizing abuse, and forced participation in extremely brutal violence. Often these child soldiers were forced to kill fellow abducted children, burn and loot villages, and maim civilians—in some instances even their own families. Fear and total dependency upon their captors led many of the abducted children to yield, internalize, and adopt the violent culture of the rebels. Additionally, many of the female children were given to the rebel commanders as "wives" and forced to produce more children: a new generation descended from brutality.
To establish power and widespread fear among those who refused to show explicit support for them, Kony and his rebels mainly targeted civilians, employing massacres of the most horrifying nature. Fathers, mothers, and infants were killed, dismembered by machetes, or burned to "rid the land of evil spirits." This campaign of terror resulted in over 100,000 deaths, thousands of maimed and wounded, and one and a half million people being forced to live in squalid displaced-persons camps. To make matters worse, the southern-ruled government was widely accused of amplifying the crisis through years of complacency and indifference. In 2006, Jan Egeland
Jan Egeland
Jan Egeland was the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator from June 2003 to December 2006. Egeland was appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and succeeded Kenzo Oshima...
, former United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Special Advisor to the Secretary General, expressed that the situation in northern Uganda had evolved into "the world's greatest neglected humanitarian crisis."
Since 2006, the war however has settled into a precarious impasse. As a result of an increased military campaign by the Ugandan government, attacks and abductions by the rebels have slowly waned. Kony and his army have moved their base of operations across the border into eastern Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
.
In the heart of this uncertainty between peace and war, life and death, hope and hopelessness, many child soldiers have re-emerged from the war, either through miraculous escapes or by being captured during battles. Transferred directly from the battlefields to rehabilitation centers, these boys and girls undergo the formidable process of healing into a life beyond war. Most carry with them the emotional and psychological burdens of a stained youth, reflected in symptoms of distrust, severe guilt, fear, self-contempt, nightmares, and despair. But as survivors, many exhibit a haunting yet impassioned honesty far beyond their years.
In May 2006, filmmaker Bryan Single was invited to visit the Rachele Rehabilitation Center in war-torn northern Uganda. Established in 2003 by the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
government and award-winning author-journalist Els de Temmerman
Els de Temmerman
Els de Temmerman is a former Belgian journalist who established Childsoldiers, an organization that works for the rehabilitation of child soldiers in Africa....
, the mission of the Rachele Center is to rehabilitate and reintegrate many of the former abductees and child soldiers. The goal of Mr. Single’s visit to the Center was to listen, to witness and to document the stories and sojourns of these children as they recover from their lives as child soldiers.
Screenings and accolades
Children of War previewed in November 2009 at the United States Institute of PeaceUnited States Institute of Peace
The United States Institute of Peace was created by Congress as a non-partisan, federal institution that works to prevent or end violent conflict around the world...
in Washington D.C. The International Reporting Project
International Reporting Project
The International Reporting Project is a project at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University that aims to fund independent journalistic coverage of "under-reported" events around the world...
co-hosted the screening. In December 2009, it had a special presentation at the historic Hollywood Egyptian Theater as part of the 6th Annual International Artivist Film Festival, where it won the Best Feature Award for Child Advocacy. In February 2010, it was awarded a Cinema For Peace Justice Award in Berlin by Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
. In March, it was awarded the Foundation Barbara Hendricks Prize in honor of Sergio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello
Sérgio Vieira de Mello was a Brazilian United Nations employee who worked for the UN for more than 34 years, earning respect and praise around the world for his efforts in the humanitarian and political programs of the UN...
at the International Festival of Human Rights in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland. In April 2010, Children Of War, hosted by Cinema for Peace and Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, was selected to be the first film to screen at the headquarters of the International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
in the Hague. In May 2010, a preview of Children of War was screened at the historic, International Criminal Court Review Conference Opening Dinner in Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda, followed by a powerful speech by Children of War child trauma counselor Jane Ekayu. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
, former Nuremburg trial prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz, and Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger is a Nicaraguan-born social and human rights advocate and a former actress and model...
were among those present.
In October 2010, Children of War had its World Premiere before an international audience at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City. Delegates from over forty countries attended the event, which was introduced by UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro
Asha-Rose Migiro
Asha-Rose Mtengeti Migiro is a Tanzanian lawyer and politician. On January 5, 2007, she was named as the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. She was formally appointed and assumed office on February 1. She is married to Cleophas Migiro, and the couple has two daughters...
, hosted by the UN Office of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and its Under-Secretary General Radhika Coomaraswamy
Radhika Coomaraswamy
Radhika Coomaraswamy is the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed her to the position in April 2006...
, and moderated by Democracy Now! journalist Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
. The internationally renowned Ugandan musician Geoffrey Oryema
Geoffrey Oryema
Geoffrey Oryema is an internationally renowned Ugandan musician. In 1977, at the age of 24 and at the height of Idi Amin's power, Oryema was smuggled across the Ugandan border in the trunk of a car, after the death of his father, Erinayo Wilson Oryema, who was a cabinet minister, beginning a life...
, who is best known for his collaborations with Peter Gabriel and Real World, closed the evening with a special musical performance.
In December 2010, "Children of War" was the first film to be screened by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
in celebration of Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December.The date was chosen to honor the United NationsGeneral Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , the first global enunciation of human rights...
. The sold-out event, which took place in Brussels, Belgium at the Palais des Beaux-Arts, was introduced by Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger is a Nicaraguan-born social and human rights advocate and a former actress and model...
.
In September of 2011, "Children of War" director Bryan Single was honored with the Armin T. Wegner
Armin T. Wegner
Armin Theophil Wegner was a German soldier and medic in World War I, a prolific author and a seminal figure in German Expressionism, a human rights activist, and a victim of Nazi persecution...
Humanitarian Award for "the vision to see the truth, and the courage to speak it." The award ceremony was hosted by the Arpa Foundation for Film and Art at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, California.