2008 Woodie Awards
'Displace Me' village shows Uganda's war
U.S. citizens spend a night in simulated refugee camps
Kat Blasco
Issue date: 5/8/07 Section: Features
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Some 3,000 people, including DU students, participated last month in a "Displace Me" village to show support for refugees from Uganda.
Nationwide, som 67,000 people took part in building cardboard villages and staying in them while having water and food rationed.
The even was hosted by an organization called Invisible Children.
The purpose of the event was to show America's solidarity with the estimated 1.7 million Ugandans who have been forced to flee their homes and move to refugee camps over the past ten years as a result of the civil war between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), an insurgent militia group.
The war in Uganda first began in 1987 after a military coup installed Yoweri Museveni as president. Joseph Kory, the leader of the LRA, professed a spiritual war against the new government. Since then, the LRA has raped, tortured and killed thousands of civilians in northern Uganda, and 58,000 to 75,000 children have been abducted for use as child soldiers.
The first internally displaced persons (IDP) camps were created in 1996, and over a million Ugandans are still living there in poor and unsafe conditions with little food or water.
"Displace Me" was held in 15 different cities so Americans could experience firsthand (at least as much as possible) what it's like to live in these sort of camps. In Colorado alone, roughly 3,000 people came to Horse Park in Parker for this opportunity. Everyone was asked to bring cardboard to build a makeshift hut, since the displaced persons in Uganda were given only 48 hours to relocate and build a new house. Attendees also brought bottled water and saltine crackers, which were handed over at the entrance to be rationed out later in the night.
At 3 p.m., people began arriving at Horse Park and constructing their huts atop a large hill. They decorated the cardboard with peace signs, red "X"s (the "Displace Me" symbol), and pictures of Africa. In Uganda, the home is seen as an extension of the self, and participants were encouraged to show their message of peace on their houses.
Nationwide, som 67,000 people took part in building cardboard villages and staying in them while having water and food rationed.
The even was hosted by an organization called Invisible Children.
The purpose of the event was to show America's solidarity with the estimated 1.7 million Ugandans who have been forced to flee their homes and move to refugee camps over the past ten years as a result of the civil war between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), an insurgent militia group.
The war in Uganda first began in 1987 after a military coup installed Yoweri Museveni as president. Joseph Kory, the leader of the LRA, professed a spiritual war against the new government. Since then, the LRA has raped, tortured and killed thousands of civilians in northern Uganda, and 58,000 to 75,000 children have been abducted for use as child soldiers.
The first internally displaced persons (IDP) camps were created in 1996, and over a million Ugandans are still living there in poor and unsafe conditions with little food or water.
"Displace Me" was held in 15 different cities so Americans could experience firsthand (at least as much as possible) what it's like to live in these sort of camps. In Colorado alone, roughly 3,000 people came to Horse Park in Parker for this opportunity. Everyone was asked to bring cardboard to build a makeshift hut, since the displaced persons in Uganda were given only 48 hours to relocate and build a new house. Attendees also brought bottled water and saltine crackers, which were handed over at the entrance to be rationed out later in the night.
At 3 p.m., people began arriving at Horse Park and constructing their huts atop a large hill. They decorated the cardboard with peace signs, red "X"s (the "Displace Me" symbol), and pictures of Africa. In Uganda, the home is seen as an extension of the self, and participants were encouraged to show their message of peace on their houses.
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