UN-COVER THE NIGHT

We are excited for this upcoming project… pomee: HINT.

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:38:24 -0700

We are excited for this upcoming project…

HINT.

It’s been one year since the release of Kony2012. Thank you for engaging with thoughtful...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:00:07 -0800

It’s been one year since the release of Kony2012. Thank you for engaging with thoughtful advocacy and voices for peace, and standing against the demands for further militarization in Africa. As Margaret Mead says: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

We remember the late Hugo Chavez as someone who represented a conscious practice of human rights as...

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:39:00 -0800

We remember the late Hugo Chavez as someone who represented a conscious practice of human rights as he warned against the outside exploitation of Africa.

Venezuela’s Ties with Africa - Pravda

————

“Hugo Chávez also warned African leaders that more military interventions by the ex-imperialists and neo-colonialists will very likely occur, pointing out the fate of the Jamahiriya and Mali.

President Chávez wrote that the malicious exploiters want to enrich themselves at the cost of Africans by taking away their natural resources and waging wars on those that are not willing to comply. He urged African leaders to speed up the process of unification and to reject all interventionist activities by NATO.”

Maurice Kirya - “Mulembe Gwa Kirya” *This one gets...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 16:11:00 -0800

Maurice Kirya - “Mulembe Gwa Kirya”

*This one gets at our hearts in a different way. So much color, life, and love in this black and white music video…

#~~Visible~~FeelGoodUganda

PS. His album is available on i-tunes!!!

Maurice Kirya - “If I Ever” The sweet, sweet, sweet...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:54:00 -0800

Maurice Kirya - “If I Ever”

The sweet, sweet, sweet tunes of this Ugandan artist quite visibly melts our hearts…

#~~Visible~~AudibleUganda

Another beautiful and moving piece by our one of our favorite...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:58:26 -0800

Another beautiful and moving piece by our one of our favorite Acholi artists, Vincent Okuja.

Check out Bila-wa, a very visible and LOUD Luo hip hop movement...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 21:19:00 -0800

Check out Bila-wa, a very visible and LOUD Luo hip hop movement from Gulu,Uganda:

https://soundcloud.com/bilawa/lapiny
https://www.facebook.com/bilawamovement

Bila-wa is a platform that uses the fusion of poetry, hip-hop, storytelling, and local instruments for a positive cause. Bila-wa is used in Luo culture and we are focused on making sure that the issues in our community are heard. The name Bila-wa comes from Luo words “Bila” (“a long circular tube from an animal’s horn”) and “wa” (“ours”), therefore Bila-wa means “Our Horn” or “Our Voices”.

~~#Visible~~LoudUganda

“The Bone Brain” - Gulu Films A very universal...

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 21:28:00 -0800

“The Bone Brain” - Gulu Films

A very universal message to not be a “bone brain” from Gulu, Uganda.

**Be sure to check out more films from this visible, innovative Acholi film group:

WEBSITE: http://gulufilms.com/
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/UnitedYouthEntertainment

#VisibleUganda

Respond with Good

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:23:43 -0800

As we honor Martin Luther King Jr., let’s make sure to also honor and remember his message of non violence.

MLK: Message for a Violent Society- Huffington Post

”When you are treated with evil, find a way to respond with good - to open new possibilities, not to follow in the terror of the old possibilities.”

KONY 2012, Military Humanitarianism, and the Magic of Occult Economies

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:25:00 -0800

KONY 2012, Military Humanitarianism, and the Magic of Occult Economies:

“The trust in US global (military) policing is a sad irony of historical and political ignorance, given that back in 1961 the CIA was implicated in partaking in the plot to murder Congolese politician Patrice Lumumba, to have his body dismembered and dissolved in acid, and to facilitate Mobutu’s military takeover. Still, Invisible Children lobbying led to US President Obama ordering one hundred “military advisors” to follow the US troops who were already on the ground supporting the Ugandan army, as he announced in October 2011. The US.. hereby secured yet another geographical warfront in its global war on terror, on yet another continent. With this bigger picture in mind, one might ask what the Invisible Children lobbyists really mean by their powerful slogan, “Stop at nothing”?”

#AFRICOM2012, Stop the real threat to Uganda

-
Sverker Finnström is an associate professor of cultural anthropology at Uppsala University. He is the author of Living with Bad Surroundings: War, History, and Everyday Moments in Northern Uganda (2008) and co-editor of Virtual War and Magical Death: Technologies and Imaginaries for Terror and Killing (forthcom- ing). This essay is a preliminary report from a research project on global war and transnational (in)justice, funded by the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation.

In true badvocacy fashion...

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 14:21:00 -0800

In true badvocacy fashion...:

In true badvocacy fashion, history repeats itself as the Enough Project falls victim to the official discourse on the LRA conflict and attributes the failure of capturing Kony to lack of military resources. How many times have we heard the argument for a more robust military effort from President Museveni and others now? Has it ever gotten close to ending, or even positively impacted, this conflict before? no.

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 08:59:46 -0700

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day Uganda// Nothin’ like some posho and fish stew.

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 08:56:47 -0700

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day Uganda// Wise words of wisdom at a produce stand.

Our Thoughts on Invisible Children's Newest film, MOVE

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:34:00 -0700

On October 7, 2012 Invisible Children released its newest film titled MOVE. As Invisible Children’s newest attempt to reignite KONY2012 we must, at the very least, acknowledge MOVE and share some of our thoughts. Thus, in lieu of a full-blown review, here are some of our notes:

Film Summary:
MOVE traces the history of Invisible Children (IC), the making of KONY2012, the aftermath of KONY2012, and culminates with a call to action to participate in their Washington DC rally and lobby. Thankfully, Invisible Children has summarized the entire 30 minute film better than we ever could (and in less than 150 characters!): “A movie about a movie about a movement about you”. No, this is not a joke.

Jason Russell Takes Center Stage:
At the peak of KONY2012 the only thing competing for headlines with Joseph Kony was filmmaker Jason Russell, so it is no surprise that Russell’s nervous breakdown is addressed head on. An explanation and an apology is offered to viewers in an attempt to restore confidence in the integrity of their organization. Unfortunately, too much time is spent dwelling on Russell’s breakdown and recovery and he is once again placed on center stage. Although we are happy to hear that Russell has made a full recovery, MOVE feels like a painfully longer repeat of his interview on Oprah’s Next Chapter (both premiered on the same night). Besides making it difficult to stay engaged, the generous time spent on Russell’s story is another missed opportunity to allocate time to a number of other worthy mentions (real lessons learned from KONY2012, how participation in the DC event translates into an arrest of Kony, etc).

IC Frames Millennials as the Center of Backlash:
This is really where MOVE is most clever. After KONY2012 a public conversation emerged around the intentions and ability of youth, or “millennials”, to create meaningful change. Words like “slacktivism” dominated public discourse as many weighed in on the trouble with IC’s activism (sharing tweets, wearing t-shirts, etc). Although this was an important conversation, this did not characterize the majority of backlash against Invisible Children—contrary to what MOVE strongly suggests (at one point a clip is shown labeling millennials as “unfit to live”).

By framing backlash to KONY2012 as a wider attack waged against all millennials and their ability to create change, MOVE deflects the need to address the true grievances with IC’s advocacy and approach. Backlash against KONY2012 is transformed into backlash against You, The Millennial, and room for reflection takes a backseat as you are rallied to “move” and prove your attackers wrong.

Does MOVE Achieve its Stated Aims?
According to it’s official description on Youtube, MOVE aims to garner your participation for their Washington DC event on November 17 where they will “rally by the thousands to stand for peace and justice”. Although this is their only stated aim for the film, mention of the event isn’t made until the last three minutes of the movie; but for Invisible Children, whose brevity and oversimplifications are admittedly intentional, perhaps three minutes are enough. Time will tell. With 100+ million views and millions pledging support, KONY2012 still did not reach its aim to “Cover the Night” and event participation was both a disappointment and example of slacktivism at its worst.

Will You Move?

Although MOVE makes no mention of it, it’s important to remember that supporting Invisible Children and attending their MOVE DC event means pledging your support for US military intervention (AFRICOM) in central Africa and a military solution for this conflict. Invisible Children seeks your help to “redefine justice” while unintentionally already having done so by, on one hand, pursuing the arrest of Joseph Kony and the Lords Resistance Army and, on the other, successfully lobbying the US government to send financial and military support to the Ugandan army who has committed horrific war crimes in this very same conflict.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Invisible Children, known for empowering viewers by placing tremendous value on their voices—demanding they be defiantly raised and heard—has disabled Youtube comments for this film.

Do your research, then move. Or stand still. Or sit… just do your research first.

-rima & team

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day...

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 02:43:56 -0700

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day Uganda//Enjoying the night out at the Uganda International Trade Fair.

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day...

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 02:37:36 -0700

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day Uganda//Ugandans at Aero Beach enjoying their 50th Independence Day Jubilee on October, 9th, 2012.

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 03:35:16 -0700

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day Uganda// The beautiful Ife Piankhi opening up the Kampala Contemporary Art Festival 2012.

Today is Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday. 64 years after his...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 18:15:00 -0700

Today is Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday. 64 years after his passing his wisdom and words remain true. Fighting violence with violence (#kony2012, #AFRICOM, #InvisibleChildren) remains ineffective and harmful.

Chose to be a part of the solution, not the problem.

Image Source: Google Images

Lessons From AFRICOM's Failed Mali Intervention

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 12:55:00 -0700

Lessons From AFRICOM's Failed Mali Intervention:

A quick look at US Africa Command’s failed intervention in Mali reminds us of the devastating effects militarization can bring to African nations.

#AFRICOM2012, Stop the real threat to Uganda

———

“For students of African history, the notion that African democracy, stability and good governance will result from more deadly arms and more powerful soldiers is the stuff of satire; and yet this is precisely the grounds on which AFRICOM functions.”

“In Mali, US money, training and rhetoric created an unbalanced situation where increasingly powerful military men with outsized ambition swagger around in one of the world’s poorest nations. There is little to suggest that militarization will ease any of Africa’s political and social problems.”

“To the tune of millions, US forces have provided special operations, drug traffickig and counterterrorism training in the large West African nation. Today’s Mali of the shattered democracy and roving rebel groups is a troubling picture of an AFRICOM partner state.”

”By its own standard, AFRICOM’s mission in Mali has failed.”

SOURCE: Pambazuka

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day...

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 01:18:00 -0700

#VisibleUganda, A photo series of photos from present day Uganda// Jackie Akello on stage at the Bayimba International Festival of the Arts in Kampala.