The Church in Uganda has come a long way since the late nineteenth century, when Anglican missionaries first came to this corner of East Africa.
- Henry Stanley, a missionary, wrote a letter to The London Daily Telegraph in 1875 calling missionaries to come to Uganda, “a… promising field… Here… is your opportunity. Embrace it!”
- Ten years later, on October 29, under the reign of King Mwanga, Anglican missionary Bishop James Hannington is martyred. His last words were, “Go tell your master that I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood.”
Another Anglican – a Ugandan national – Archbishop Janani Luwum was martyred in 1977. He died under the tyranny of Idi Amin, the dictator who proclaimed himself “the last king of Scotland,” as did many other Christians.
Now an entire generation of Ugandans — especially in the north — have known nothing but war. Here’s a synopsis from Invisible Children (hyperlinks added):
The [Lord’s Resistance Army] LRA rebel movement can be traced back to a woman named Alice Lakwena. In the 1980s, Lakwena believed the Holy Spirit spoke to her and ordered her to overthrow the Ugandan government for being unjust to the Acholi. Lakwena and her followers, known as the Holy Spirit Movement, gained momentum as resentment toward the government increased. When Lakwena was exiled and no clear leader of the movement was left, Joseph Kony, who claimed to be Lakwena’s cousin, took control and transformed Lakwena’s rebel army into the LRA.
Kony’s LRA did not receive the same support as the Holy Spirit Movement from the Acholi people. With dwindling approval for their cause and heightened government offensives, the rebels resorted to abducting children and indoctrinating them into their ranks. It is estimated that more than 90% of the LRA’s troops were abducted as children.
In 1996, as a response to the LRA attacks in the villages, the Ugandan government forcibly evicted thousands from their homes, relocating them into overcrowded camps in hopes of providing protection. But over a decade later, roughly one million individuals still live in these camps and struggle to survive among the effects of abject poverty, rampant disease, and near-certain starvation.
It was in 2003 when three twenty-something storytellers left California for Africa in search of a story. They got more than they bargained for and with their cameras, they captured the stories of these children & youth.
These three created the documentary Invisible Children: Rough Cut through which they were able to raise awareness and share the lives of a generation with the world. They sparked a movement from apathy to activism. Since then, they continue to carry the torch, shining the light.
On the August 2011 World Race, you could join their ranks – albeit not directly with Invisible Children – working with like-hearted ministries like Child Voice International, and/or local churches and missionaries in Uganda.
If you’re in north Georgia, we’re hosting a screening of Invisible Children on March 24th, here at the headquarters of Adventures in Missions, in Gainesville. Mark your calendar, we’ll provide more details in the very near future!
If you’re already compelled to pick up the torch, then apply to be a part of the August 2011 World Race. And you can get in touch with us, too, if you need someone to speak with.
See what Jason Russell, co-founder of Invisible Children meant when he told Oprah:
Coming from a culture where the youth are exceptionally valued, we never realized so many children could go unseen…that so many beautiful faces could be invisible.
