JULIE ONI
Staff Writer
It’s not your ordinary performance of dancing and singing. The “Children of Uganda: Tour of Light 2006” performance comes to Pepperdine next Tuesday, raising funds for HIV-related orphans and spreading awareness of world AIDS, and is evidence of Pepperdine’s mission of service.
Marnie Mitze, managing director for Pepperdine’s Center for the Arts, said she is excited about the show’s connection to Pepperdine’s mission of strengthening lives for purpose, service and leadership.
“Their performance will touch our spirits, our hearts and our souls,” she wrote in an e-mail interview. “[It] speaks to the very core of our university mission — to serve and to glorify our God.”
On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Children of Uganda will perform on behalf of the UCCF (Uganda Children’s Charity Foundation), an organization dedicated to raising money for orphanages in Uganda and spreading HIV/AIDS awareness. They will come to Pepperdine for a highly anticipated performance as part of their 2006 Tour of Light.
The troupe is composed of 20 members ages 8 to 18, all from one of the two Ugandan orphanages that sponsor the program. It is a product of mastermind Alexis Hefley, who started the UCCF after visiting Uganda in 1993 as a guest of the First Lady Janet Museveni. The first tour was in 1995.
“I was asking God for a passion and a calling,” Hefley said in an interview for The World Bank’s 2004 “Portraits of Hope,” and she found this calling in an orphanage.
The Tour of Light travels to dozens of cities throughout the United States and Malibu is the last California stop of the year, so it is guaranteed to be a special night.
This will be the second time Children of Uganda come to Pepperdine. They first performed at the university a couple of years ago.
“We had an unusual connection to the company,” Mitze said, “The first student from Uganda to attend an American university was (a girl named) Jane, who attended Pepperdine.”
Jane was a product of the UCCF’s scholarship program that gives Ugandans the opportunity to attend an American university. She introduced the troupe two years ago.
Students still reflect upon the experience.
“It (Children of Uganda) was very interesting how kids from such adverse circumstances had the opportunity to share where they come from with the rest of the world,” senior Deborah Kim said.
The troupe comes from the Uganda orphanages, which sponsor the program as well as house orphans and kids living with HIV-positive widowed mothers. In total, the orphanages have more than 700 children to care for in Uganda.
The powerful performance inspires students to step out and work toward improving a world several strides outside of the Pepperdine bubble.
Kim said the children were a good way for Pepperdine to show its desire to instill a spirit of service in its students.
“It’s part of the university’s effort,” she said, “to make sure that when we leave, we’re well-rounded and aware of what’s going on in the world.”
Mitze credits the superlative style of the show with adding inspiration for students.
“It’s a wonderful story,” she said. “But equally important, the performance and production itself are first-class.”
Senior Erin Marthedal recalls the exceptional 2004 performance as rare in the realm of Convocation.
“Normally, everybody is talking at Convo but that didn’t happen with Children of Uganda,” she said. “They had everyone’s attention.”
The Children of Uganda Convo performance was something most Pepperdiners found hard to ignore.
“A lot of their (the performers’) parents had died from AIDS,” said junior Breanna Curry. “Bad stuff had happened to them, but you’d never know it.”
As the goal of purpose is something Seaver students are encouraged to evaluate, the desire to overcome adversity that is displayed through each Children of Uganda performance is something we can learn from. These children prove the power of storytelling in giving us the opportunity to find a place beyond the bounds of circumstance.
The Smothers performance, which previously featured profiles of several performers, inspires a purpose for Pepperdine students to serve.
“We don’t (often) think about children being parentless,” said Curry. “And if we don’t know about it, we can’t do anything.”
The awareness the show creates reinforces the necessity of a Christian university to expose its students to the world and offer a means to pursue change. Leaders can be created through the inspiration of events like these.
“It evokes a response,” said Marthedal, “It gets us to want to help people.”
Kim agreed.
“AIDS is becoming an international issue,” she said. “It’s important for us to be aware of that.”
The tangibility of purpose, service, and leadership is accessible through the experience of Children of Uganda, which tells the inspiring story if a people’s fight to overcome the obstacles of their land. It bursts the Pepperdine bubble and pushes students out into the world to make us knowledgeable leaders with a purpose to serve.
“This organization is about charity and helping those who are less fortunate,” said Mitze. “At the same time, it shares with our audiences the beauty and traditions of other cultures through the arts.”
Come enjoy the show and experience the art that makes service real and tangible.
Children of Uganda will play Feb. 28 in Smothers at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for students, $40 for adults and $20 for 17 years-old and under.
02-16-2006
