How It Ends

Hello!

I just wanted to give a little summary of the “How It Ends” event some of us BAPers (Colin, Barb, Alyson, and I) attended last week and a bit of my reaction to it. The event was held June 22 and 23^rd in DC. It was sponsored by Invisible Children, Resolve Uganda, and Enough. The first day was filled with speakers and panels as well as break out sessions and on the second day the 2000 attendees were split up by state and district and sent out to lobby for the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. The act would basically require President Obama to come up with a plan for apprehending Joseph Kony and therefore stopping the violence that East Central Africa has suffered from the hands of the LRA. Along with this military assistance the act would require financial support for transitional justice and economic recovery in the region.

Overall the event was wonderful. We learned a lot more about the conflict from representatives of the Ugandan government, our own government, and of course the organizations sponsoring the event. It was incredible knowing that people from 46 different states had gathered to show their support for one common cause. (My hero Luis Ocampo the chief prosecutor of the ICC was there!) My favorite panel was called “The Future of Development” in which Dan Pallota (the author of Uncharitable) spoke about the future of non-profits. He argued that there is no reason they have to remain small, with constant fears of rising overhead, not using the tools available in capitalism. Spending money on things like marketing and salaries is necessary in order for an organization to grow and become strong enough to make a difference. The panelists also spoke about successful careers in non-profits which I found personally inspiring since my personal career goals seem to be consistently in the non-profit sector while popular discourse (and in particular that of my family and friends) seems to limit their ideas of success to profits.

I don’t mean to be negative, but there were some aspects of the event about which I had my doubts. I know that at an event like this it doesn’t make sense to create doubt about whether or not the actions you are taking are the right ones, but I couldn’t help but wonder. For example, those speaking on behalf of the Ugandan government made it seem as though all their actions had the Acholi people in mind and that they were doing their best to stop the conflict and bring the people home. Yet, while listening to them speak, I couldn’t help but think back to the facts I read in Sverker Finnstrom’s book. For example in Ch. 5 he points out that high ranking army officers have taken the abandoned land of those forced to live in camps and established their own big farms on it. In Chapter 4 he talks about using the camps as a way to control the people. He also addresses the reduction of the crisis to one that is strictly humanitarian in nature, ignoring the political aspect. I know that it is difficult to admit that a group whose modus operandi is abducting children and committing murder has a legitimate political agenda behind its actions. Nevertheless, the book makes it seem that the people of Northern Uganda are unhappy with the unequal distribution of development in their country, the way they are being treated in camps, and the overall lack of representation. I do not mean to legitimize the actions of the LRA, but behind their atrocities there seems to be a political agenda that deserves to be addressed. I can’t help but hope that by supporting this legislation we are not giving Museveni a free ride to ignore the needs of the Acholi people for another 23 years. I also hope the financial aid is put to good use and does not contribute to dependence on international aid.

Ok. Sorry if that was a little bit intense. Hopefully the other attendees of the event have more lighthearted thoughts about it. My basic feeling right now is anticipation. No matter how much I read and get swept up in the stories of Uganda nothing can compare to actually being there and seeing it for myself. I can’t wait for the discomfort of being immersed into a new culture (as well as the discomfort of thousands of mosquitoes and sun burn). I’m excited to prove to people that what we are doing is not stupid or dangerous, but brave and necessary. My biggest hope is that the positive impact we have on the life of one person we meet is a fraction of that which they will have on ours.

I can’t wait for our adventure!

Erika

Ps. Sorry guys, I snore. and also sorry if this gets posted 80 times, I'm terrible at blogging