It has been a long time since I have updated this and to say much has happened since my last post would be an understatement! Last month I found myself back in beautiful Uganda (courtesy of Brussels Arlines…thank you!) to attend the screening of my very own documentary. It was a humbling experience to see so many people turn out to watch my film, around 150 came to the 1st screening. The event was spectacularly organised by Farah Benis of the Libra Foundation and Pascal Bogaert – a man who has featured regularly throughout this blog and who has done so much for me and for his on-going campaign against child sacrifice. A welcome reception, live music and drinks on the rooftop bar above Kampala’s Garden City complex set the scene for the evening before the guests headed to the cinema to watch the premier of my film Sacrificed.
In attendance was Uganda’s Chief of Police Kale Kayihura, a man so important that you can rarely pin him down, I tried to numerous times during the filming of my doco and failed! Mr Kayihura’s colleague, Moses Binoga, who is the Head of Uganda’s Anti Human Sacrifice Unit also came. The two men made powerful and positive speeches, highlighting that they had seen a noticable decrease in the number of reported cases of child sacrifice within the last year. They promised the audience that they would continue to crack down on anyone found participating in crimes related to ritualistic killings.
The mood was bought down a level however when Santos stepped up to make his speech. Santos Labeja is a father who’s 7 year old son Gideon was killed in a ritualistic murder, he’s been fighting ever since to push for new legislation to bring such killers to justice. Santos makes an emotional appearance in my film, and his speech was no different. As he stood and spoke with his wife and daughter, who had all made the 7 hour journey from their village to Kampala, everyone in the room was clearly moved by his story and his determination to push forward.
Then it was my turn to make a speech… but we won’t talk about that!
The whole experience of screening my film to a large audience was totally overwhelming but also very gratifying. I had lots of great feedback from members of the public, people in power and the press. In fact since returning to the UK my documentary has aired on Ugandan TV News channel WBS and is due to air on East African channel NTV.
Not only that I now also have a re-cut, shorter version of my film on the NBC News website, Uganda page… so check it out: click here!
The great thing about going back to Uganda this time and attending this event, is that so many more people seemed to be aware of the issue of child sacrifice. Pascal’s campaign is in full flight with more and more people getting on board (it’s even reached as far as Belgium where his sister has organised an awareness event and film screening this month!). Santos who has set up the first ever NGO against child sacrifice, is finally getting a platform to speak from where he will be heard by people that matter and can make a difference.
But in this country where ritual Vs reality, there is still a way to go. And despite police figures, the problem has not gone away. Just a week after my leaving a child was found dead and badly mutilated in a nearby township.
However, people are working hard and trying to open eyes and create a level of awareness amongst Ugandans that wasn’t the a year ago. If my film has at all contributed to that effort… well I’m pretty pleased with that!
That’s all for now
Nina
