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ABG POSTER 1b black LIFF2016 NEW 02 sat 11 june.jpg

We are honoured to be included in the year’s official selection at the Lighthouse International Film Festival, on Longbeach Island, New Jersey.

This will be the last screening until late August in Moscow. Don’t miss out.

We also have an expert panel joining us after the screening to answer any questions and to offer their expert views.

PANELISTS INCLUDE:

Milton Allimadi
Allimadi who is also featured in ‘A Brilliant Genocide’ is the Ugandan born editor of www.blackstarnews.com and www.burkinastyle.com and also writes a column for www.huffingtonpost.com His late father was a Ugandan politician and his family fled from Idi Amin’s and then Yoweri Museveni’s reigns of terror.

Kiwanuka Lawrence Nsereko
Nsereko is a Ugandan journalist, political activist, freedom fighter and now U.S.-based professor. He was incarcerated and tortured by the Yoweri Museveni dictatorship before escaping the country.
Helen Epstein
Epstein’s articles on human rights and public health in Uganda and other African countries have appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The Lancet and other publications. She is the author of The Invisible Cure: Why We Are Losing the Fight against AIDS in Africa (Picador 2008) and has conducted research for Human Rights Watch, UNICEF and other organizations. She teaches at Bard College in Annandale, New York.

 

Info and tickets at : http://liff.festivalgenius.com/2016/films/abrilliantgenocide0_ebonybutler_LIFF2016

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In 2012 we travelled to Uganda and New Zealand to continue filming for our documentary ‘Child Troopers’.

In early 2013 we then traveled to the UK to find out more information and hear more stories for our film. This continues again in Uganda in the coming months.

We will be posting some clips form the recent filming in London in the next few weeks so please check back soon for a sneak peak!

We are also sending a 2nd container of bikes to Uganda through our partner organisation Bikes 4 Life, helping the lives of former child soldiers and victims of war.

We wish everyone success and happiness in 2013 and hope you continue to follow our progress with Child Troopers as we enter the final stages of post production later in the year!

Please follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/childtroopers  and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/madvsbad

Peace!

 

Vincent Magombe in London being interviewed by Child Troopers director Ebony Butler.
Vincent Magombe in London being interviewed by Child Troopers director Ebony Butler earlier this year.

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This is a short video clip (sneak peek only) from an interview with Adam Branch for our documentary, at Makerere University (Kampala, Uganda) earlier this year.

The interview touches on military intervention in the hunt for Joseph Kony and the LRA, in Uganda and neighbouring countries such as the DRC  (Democratic Republic of Congo) and CAR (Central African Republic).

Adam Branch is senior research fellow at the Makerere Institute of Social Research, Uganda, and assistant professor of political science at San Diego State University, USA. He is the author of Displacing Human Rights: War and Intervention in Northern Uganda. (http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/profile/adam-branch.html)

Follow our documentary and it’s production on:

Facebook at www.facebook.com/childtroopers and

Twitter at www.twitter.com/madvsbad

Related articles

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‘The Beginning of the War Boys of Museveni and himself clearly indicate the life that would emerge once out of the bush.Just the this story depicts what is being seen today in Uganda and Rwanda how these people are treating the Citizens.The grew up without love but greed and self exaltation,They cherished pride bad spirit and brutality manifested in their hypocrisy to be with neighbors but their hearts were very far from what they used to say and share with friends.This is why much corruption,promotion of poverty in the country and theft of people’s and government properties are missing as nobody in the Government is moved to bother.Bad trees cannot bear good fruits.Museveni and his friends started as thieves because going into the bush was not genuine.It was DP who had the mandate of the people to go to the bush and the so called UMP lead by Museveni with hidden agenda hijacked the opportunity thus creating chaos now.Museveni came to Power as a vandalize,thief and hypocrite person who had deceived everyone as he had no morals in his life to show that he was a lead of the People. Now Ugandans have studied Museveni and come out with one conclusion that enough is enough to hell with Museveni’s Ideologies and poor governance depicted by his Rule to date.’
Comment from article below by: bishangap@gmail.com • http://bit.ly/Qnv58q
Salim Saleh during the guerilla war. He at one point shot himself in the leg during a drunken spur and was later charged with attempting to kill a Member of the High Command. COURTESY PHOTO
Posted  Saturday, August 11  2012 (NATIONAL MONITOR UGANDA – http://www.monitor.co.ug)

IN SUMMARY

John Kazoora fled from Makerere University before graduation and joined the NRA rebellion in Luweero. In the third part of our serialisation of extracts from his memoirs, he reveals his encounters with Paul Kagame, Saleh’s shooting from the hip, and the toll of war on Museveni.

Title: Betrayed by my leader
Author: John B. Kazoora
Available: Monday, Aug. 13

Kampala.

We were ordered to sit down, and in came a towering man exuding a lot of poise and confidence. He asked us to introduce ourselves; our reasons for wanting to join the struggle and about the journey to the bush. We later learnt that he was the most feared Commander Matayo Kyaligonza (Now Major General). He said he was disappointed with “intellectuals” because one intellectual called Kwizera who had also left Makerere University had harassed a girl in the village. In his mind he lumped us together with Kwizera. I was surprised by the generalising.

[Later] Paul Kagame the intelligence officer (Now President of Rwanda) called us and took away our identity cards. When we asked him why, he said “why do you need identity cards? Don’t bring your intellectualism here”, and that was the last we saw of them. We immediately started military training.

After three weeks of training in Kitebere at about 7:30p.m. I heard people whispering that Mzee (Chairman High Command (CHC)) Yoweri Museveni had come to our camp. The following morning he summoned our group of Biraaro, Karegyesa, Gariyo, Bwirizayo and I. He was seated with Sam Magara and Elly Tumwine. He asked us to introduce ourselves and to tell him where we originated from.

A few weeks later the CHC sent for our group again. We went and found him seated with Sam Magara and Frank Guma. After fidgeting and saluting him, he asked us to reintroduce ourselves again and wanted to know what we had read at university. All of us had read Political Science except Kenneth Gariyo who had studied Accounting. He then asked us who had taught us Political Science and we told him Mahmood Mamdani. He burst out laughing and said “how can Mamdani of all people teach you? What did he teach you anyway?”

He told Magara to punish us “Shughulikia haawa” “Take care of them” he said. Magara then called CHC’s escorts Arthur Kasasira, Musumbiji, Mugabi (not Hannington) and Dampa and ordered them to punish us. They removed our shirts and gave us ngwara (suddenly tilting you off from the ground), rolled us in mud and stinging shrubs (engyenyi), smeared us with ash and water and we were finally told to keep guard in the coldness the whole night. Throughout this ordeal CHC was laughing his head off. He seemed to find it hilarious. This was certainly part of initiation to remove the so-called intellectualism and face reality especially obeying orders. They later let us off.

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Otunnu Pins Museveni to Serious War Crimes

By Norman S. Miwambo

26th March 2012:

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Dr. Olara Otunnu in London, 2012

UPC Party President Dr. Olara Otunnu, who is on a working visit to the United Kingdom, has established a contributory link between President Yoweri Museveni’s role and the war crimes for which Congolese warlord Thomas Lubanga was convicted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court [ICC].

In an exclusive interview with this news paper, Dr Otunnu started by welcoming the conviction of Thomas Lubanga.  “I am happy with the conviction.  Actually, it’s the first conviction of the ICC since it was established in 2002,” Dr Otunnu said in reference to the March 14 judgement.

Commenting on the specific charge of recruiting child soldiers for which Lubanga was convicted, Otunnu, a former UN Under Secretary General for Children in Armed Conflict, also highlighted his role in framing the war crimes offence.

“The three charges against him were all to do with the recruitment and abuse of children,” said Otunnu, adding that:  “In fact, the particular provision in the Rome Statute under which Thomas Lubagnga was convicted is something I drafted myself.” Otunnu said.

The UPC leader also wasted no time in establishing a firm link between Lubanga’s crimes and Uganda’s role in aiding and abetting those war crimes.  “Lubanga was a relatively small player in the DR Congo.  What gave Luganga his power and sway in the Congo was actually sponsorship by Ugandan leaders,” Otunnu said.

He added:  “As you know, this is not Olara making things up.  There is a very thick Judgement that was delivered…not by the ICC…but by the International Court of Justice.  Numerous charges of crimes committed by Uganda in the Congo are in that Judgement.  Aggression, crimes of war, crimes against humanity, it is all those things.”

Dr Otunnu, a Harvard trained Lawyer, also said he believes that Ugandan leaders and commanders are legitimate suspects for prosecution under the Rome Statute. “The little fellow [Lubanga] who was manipulated from Uganda been charged, but the real fellows who were in charge of his crimes are walking scot-free.  That is what is wrong with the application of the Rome Statue.” Otunnu charged.

He said he told ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo that the ICC’s process and choice of those to be indicted has been highly politicised and highly selective.  “I still very much hope that what was done inside Uganda, on Ugandan territory and elsewhere in Congo will be punished.  I hope to see a day of reckoning when the ICC will investigate and bring them to book for what they did.” said Otunnu.

“Thomas Lubanga was not a hugely significant player in the overall scheme of things.” Otunnu maintained.  END.  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.

http://www.ugandacorrespondent.com/articles/2012/03/otunnu-pins-museveni-to-serious-war-crimes/

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Official presidential portrait of Barack Obama...
President Obama - Image via Wikipedia

One year ago today, President Obama signed into law a bill that committed to put an end to the LRA’s brutal atrocities and abductions.

President Obama stated that: “[This] legislation crystallizes the commitment of the United States to help bring an end to the brutality and destruction that have been a hallmark of the LRA across several countries for two decades.”

Today, LRA attacks continue and activists are urging the President to robustly implement his LRA strategy (Resolve).

In Congo today, LRA atrocities are still occurring, on a near-daily basis. Resolve‘s on the ground partner, Fr. Benoit Kinalegu stated:

“Many of us believed that President Obama’s commitment to addressing the LRA threat would finally help stop our suffering. Yet one year later, we continue to live in fear as the LRA’s attacks have shown no signs of decreasing.”

Progress has been made, but that is not enough to end the suffering and to bring about justice. Confronting this injustice needs much more global support and commitment from international actors, but more so, from the people.

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Uganda: Post-war youth vocational training (Chris Blattman)

To increase employment and reduce poverty, government and NGOs commonly train youth as carpenters, tailors, mechanics, welders, cooks and other vocations. Evidence is thin, however, on the worth and effectiveness of such spending.

We are working with Uganda’s Office of the Prime Minister and The World Bank to evaluate Uganda’s largest youth vocational training program. The evaluation will answer several key questions, including:

  • How does the program impact the lives of beneficiaries?
    • How many start up and sustain a business?
    • What is the impact on income, employment, assets, and savings?
    • What are the determinants of success (and failure) in vocations and entrepreneurship?
  • How do any economic gains spill over into other areas of life:
    • physical and psychological health;
    • risky behaviors;
    • social and political participation;
    • investments in children’s health and education; and
    • the transfer knowledge to neighbors and friends?

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