Ian McNab
Staff Writer
Pepperdine’s Smother’s Theatre played host to a truly unique event during spring semester, one that is trying to change the future for countless numbers of children. It is a special opportunity for people to get a peek into a distant and different culture.
Children of Uganda: Tour of Light 2006 is a traveling musical showcase put on by the Uganda Children’s Charity Fund (UCCF). As part of this tour, the UCCF has set a goal of attaining $1.5 million in an effort to continue strengthening its education and regional development programs.
The UCCF is a charity that isn’t concerned with whether or not their ventures are widely publicized. They are trying to have a lasting effect on the children of Uganda.
The charity directly provides education, food, shelter, clothing and medical care to more than 700 orphaned children. Their goal is to give these children the tools necessary for becoming a self-reliant member of Ugandan society, hoping that one day they will be able to contribute to their countries social welfare and economic recovery.
The original purpose of the show was to teach the orphaned children the songs, dances and stories of their ancestors, which were in danger of being lost. Twenty-two of the most talented students are selected and given the opportunity to share their stories with people all across the United States while promoting East African culture and continuing to increase the awareness of the AIDS crisis in their home country.
“Twenty years ago Uganda emerged from decades of brutal repression to face an even greater challenge—HIV/AIDS,” says Peter Kasule, the artistic director of the program, whose parents died from the disease just over a decade ago. “Even though our region is still torn by conflict and crisis, our culture grows thicker and richer, and also more diverse and contemporary.
“The music and dance we preserve, adapt and create is integral to Uganda’s renewal and will help shape tomorrow’s generations.”
The AIDS epidemic is a world wide problem, but Uganda has been one of the countries hit hardest by the disease. It is their countries leading cause of death as it claims more than 200 people every day.
Not only do these deaths devastate the adult population, but their deaths have a grave effect on the next generation. Since the onset of the AIDS epidemic, more than two million Ugandan children have become orphaned while today there are a million children under the age of 15 that have lost at least one, if not both of their parents.
This program has become a glimmer of light, a small dose of hope in the abyss of death and despair that these children live in. This reporter had the privilege of seeing the very same performance on the tour of 2002.
All of the children performing have clearly practiced and rehearsed through the program time and time again. But watching them actually perform their routines, as the older boys beat away on the drums and the young women dance in rhythm with bells around their ankles known as endege, you get the feeling that there is more to this than just their reciting of the material.
It can be seen in their eyes, in all of their faces as they perform, seemingly unable to wipe the smiles off their faces. They all have a look of hope and joy. To them, it’s not just a performance set that they have to do night in and night out: it’s their history and culture that they are trying to spread.
While attaining their set goal of monetary funds is clearly very important, there is only so much that money can do for a group of people. Beyond the final number that they are able to raise, there is a more important transformation taking place with the children that are directly affected by the UCCF.
From the children in the Tour of Light to the rest of the many children that fall under the charities umbrella, there is a look about these children that is the real goal being accomplished. This future generation of an entire people finally has a look of hope in their eyes and a face full of joy.
They no long fear of a life stuck in a disease ridden, under-developed country, but they see a future full of possibilities and a chance for them to come back and continue helping the generations that follow.
The UCCF has played a vital part in the revitalization of an entire culture, and now all of the joy, energy and excitement behind these peoples can be seen pouring across the Smother’s Theatre stage at the end of this month. With smiles on their faces and bright futures ahead of them, the Children of Uganda will be putting on a show that will touch anyone who bears witness.
06-10-2006