Video Critical Thinking
Video Critical Thinking
It is hard to believe that the video called Mangos for Charlotte is based on real events which started in Uganda back in 1986. Peace and stability changed to chaos and terror after the young revolutionary Yoweri Museveni came to power. Armed groups, in particular, the Lord’s Resistance Army, claimed that they have been called to rule the country according to the word of the Bible. Every day, they abducted children and young people to replenish their ranks, making them kill and destroy their own relatives and villages. Children captured by the rebellions were doomed to suffering and solitude for the rest of their lives.
The video Mangos for Charlotte is a cry from the heart of the woman whose daughter has been taken away from her by the Lord’s Resistance Army. The mother did not see her since Charlotte has been in a slavery. The main point that impressed me in this video is strength and courage of women whose children were abducted. Charlotte’s mother did not even cry when she was looking at the picture of her daughter with two her little kids. Despite the anxiety in her heart, she tried to stay strong and believed that the war will end soon. She tried to be an example for other parents whose children were kept by the Army, to encourage them not to give up and fight for justice.
Throughout the video, I saw resilience and fortitude of people whose happiness and meaning of life have been taken away. What impressed me, even more, was their cohesion and unity in the fight for their children future. Despite their helplessness on one hand, they demonstrated a great sense of community on the other hand. People in villages come together to communicate, sing and dance. We can see how important it is for them to unite, to support and to be there for each other. Angelina Atyam, Charlotte’s mother and the Chairperson at Concerned Parents Association managed to confront the armed insurgents and become an obstacle on their way. Could she be able to do it without her community? I believe no. The whole campaign launched by the concerned parents is based on the sense of community and belief that it is hard to deal with a problem alone but possible to fight the most dangerous enemy together.
Personally for me, Mangos for Charlotte is a story about the strength of the community, about ways to find joy and light in total darkness, and about unity and cohesion that make a change. Her people, their traditions, and spirit give Angelina and other fighters for justice confidence in their endeavors and in the fact that sooner or later, the world will hear them.
