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Arcadia Weekly Apr 28, 2011
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Silence is Golden: A Participant’s Perspective in the Speaking without Speaking Event
By: Austin Sill ( Special to Beacon Media)
Experience the full power of your voice, by staying completely silent. Starting on April 24, at 7 pm, young people all over the world took a 25-hour vow of silence to raise money and awareness for the ongoing 25-year war in Africa catalyzed by a terrorist group known as the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). The spearhead of this guerilla army is a sadist named Joseph Kony. For the Last 25 years Kony and his insurgents have been ravaging the Congo (mainly Uganda) with genocide, rape, and kidnapping. In the last two decades the LRA has kidnapped over 30,000 children to use as child soldiers, (forced to kill and mutilate the innocent) and as sex slaves.
In 2004, a documentary was made by a small group of college guys who saw first-hand the devastation in Uganda caused by the LRA. That documentary was called Invisible Children. Since 2004 Invisible Children has become the largest youth driven organization in all of America, and through the devotion of it’s followers, Invisible Children has raised millions of dollars to put towards the effort of ending this war.
In their latest project, I.C. has come up with a “Protection Plan,” which will serve the LRA-affected communities in Central Africa by providing them with radio networks to track the movement of the LRA and alert communities of their presence, as well as to talk directly to the LRA, to encourage the kidnapped soldiers that it is safe to escape. The Plan also includes building a rehab clinic for the child soldiers who were forced to perform heinous acts of violence. The Plan is also a call, a call to those with power in the world, a call to use that power to arrest Joseph Kone and bring an end to this war.
The 25-Event, was Invisible Children’s latest protest, and the efforts and outcome were greater than they could have hoped. Over the last few months Invisible Children with the help of their traveling roadies have been spreading the word about this event, asking young people to raise just 25 dollars each to put towards the efforts of ending this war and starting this Protection Plan. Last night all those who took the vow, “Broke the Silence,” together at 8pm, and as of last night, through the devotion of America’s youth, driven by a love for the oppressed and a hate of injustice, the event raised 1,671,047 dollars, shattering their goal of 625,000 dollars.
Having taken place in the event myself, I can say that it was one of the most surprising and enriching experiences of my life thus far. It was amazing to see the perplexed looks on people faces as I ordered coffee with an index card, as my friends and I sat in total silence, just enjoying each others company and reflecting on the cause. It is inspiring to know that we have a voice, and that when we join in unison our voices have to power to shake the world with their silence. This generation will be the one remembered as the generation that cared, the generation that chose to love and protect the oppressed. There is still so much work to do in the Congo, and Invisible Children is on the move making plans to shape and to shake the world.
To learn more about the cause, visit, www.invisiblechildren.com.
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