Podcasts about resistance army

Whether you saw the Hollywood film about Sam’s story or not, make sure you listen as Sam talks about his life story: from being a drug dealer and incredibly violent man, his life-changes as he became a Christian and then his decision to fight against the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) to free children in South Sudan, who had been kidnapped to be part of the army. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode, we're staying in the late sixties for one more film as we watch Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows (1969). A haunting portrayal of the French Resistance during the early days of World War II that serves as an existential reflection on what it really takes to fight an occupying force. Melville's muted color palette and precise framing underscore the suffocating atmosphere of occupied France, while also highlighting the moral complexity faced by those fighting fascism. The film presents a sobering look at the personal costs of opposing tyranny and forces the viewer to confront the often futile nature of resistance in the face of overwhelming oppression.  The film was dismissed as Gaullist propaganda (which is fair) when it was first released in 1969, but received a much warmer welcome when it was restored and rereleased in 2006. It hits even harder in 2025 America. Follow us at: Patreon / Instagram / Letterboxd / Facebook 

Scraped together every usable little bit we had left over from our mammoth recording session for RP317 - Judah! for this. All things considered, pretty good I think. Stay tuned for something very LOVELY before the year is out. SUBSCRIBE AT PATREON.COM/REELPOLITIK TO HEAR THIS - https://www.patreon.com/posts/118554247 - AND MUCH MORE. SUBSCRIBE TO SINAN ON PATREON: www.patreon.com/SKTheCrusader / YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/@SKTheCrusader / TWITCH: www.twitch.tv/skthecrusader

A UN report suggests that the world is on track for up to +3.1°C of warming by 2100, An Israeli strike reportedly kills three journalists in South Lebanon, A report claims that Elon Musk has been in contact with Vladamir Putin since 2022, In India, four people are killed in an attack on army convoy in Kashmir, King Charles III discusses the "Painful Past" at the Commonwealth Meeting in Samoa, An ex-Lord's Resistance Army commander gets a 40-year sentence for war crimes, Polls show Harris and Trump virtually deadlocked in national polling and swing states, Pres. Joe Biden apologizes for the US' historic role in Indigenous schools, Voting ballots are destroyed after a ballot box arson incident in Arizona, and McDonald's removes onions from its menu following a recent E.coli outbreak. Sources: https://www.verity.news/

Former commander in rebel Lord's Resistance Army, Thomas Kwoyelo, sentenced to 40 years for war crimes in Uganda. Also: The tortured monkey released back into the wild, and a scientific breakthrough in eco production.

A court in Uganda has sentenced Thomas Kwoyelo, a former senior commander of the rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army, to 40 years in prison for war crimes including murder, rape, enslavement and torture. Victoria Nyanjura was 14 years old when she was abducted by the group from her school in Northern Uganda. She was forced to work for the group and was repeatedly raped. Victoria shares her thoughts on the sentencing and recounts her experience at the hands of the LRA.Also a review of this year's BRICS summit, as Ethiopia and Egypt join the blocAnd why does asthma, a chronic lung condition, remain undiagnosed in children on the continent?Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Patricia Whitehorne, Sunita Nahar, Daniel Dadzie and Joseph Keen in London Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

It's Rj's turn to pick a title to scratch off of his to-be-read list.  This week power through yet another amazing title from Vertigo, Unknown Soldier by Joshua Dysart.  The story takes place in a war-torn Uganda in the early 2000's and focuses on the crimes committed by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army.  Trigger Warning: some of the subject matter of this book is fairly upsetting.  Support Tales From The Short Box by joining our Patreon! patreon.com/BraveNewWorldsComics  

Thomas Kwoyelo, a child soldier-turned-rebel commander in the notorious Lord's Resistance Army has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity in a landmark case in Uganda. He denied all 78 charges that were brought against him. Who is he and what role did he play in the LRA?Also a conversation with a journalist travelling around Sudan, bearing witness to what's happening in the country And what's behind the violence against other African nationals in South Africa?Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Bella Hassan, Rob Wilson, Joseph Keen and Nyasha Michelle Technical Producer: Chris Kouzaris Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp Editors: Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

A Ugandan man, some of whose family and friends were abducted in the East African country, tells the story of his journey from war-torn childhood to becoming the youngest ever African nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.Victor Ochen grew up in northern Uganda at a time when the Lord's Resistance Army, or LRA, was terrorising the region with violent abductions, forced child soldier recruitment, and widespread atrocities against civilians.For 21 years the focus of his life was survival, struggling to find enough to eat in a variety of internal displacement camps.To mark International Youth Day, UN News' Julia Foxen spoke to Mr. Ochen about how his choice of nonviolence at only 13 forever transformed his life, highlighting the immense vulnerability of youth in conflict zones alongside their potential to transform the future of society.

Send us a Text Message. In this episode of "Thinking 2 Think," we explore war and the devastating conflicts that have torn apart South Sudan and Uganda. From the brutal civil wars in South Sudan to the terror inflicted by the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, we examine how political and ideological battles turn deeply personal and dehumanize entire populations. Our special guest, Mansuke, a refugee who survived these horrors, shares his story, giving a human face to the atrocities and highlighting the resilience of those affected. Join us as we delve into the complex interplay of politics, religion, and personal suffering in these regions, and reflect on the urgent need for peace and reconciliation. Support the Show.Purchase my book on critical thinking: The Logical Mind from any major book store or simply by clicking on the following links: https://a.co/d/jdOm9pI https://shop.ingramspark.com/b/084?uZBbvqij7WRGoezaZG6c6L5tcjbl9VZB2vE9UAB9j2b Click here to give your kids or teens the gift of critical thinking with the Tuttle Twins books!

Gloria Laker Aciro was a teenager when war upended her family's life in Northern Uganda. The Lord's Resistance Army, led by the infamous Joseph Kony, were known for their brutality, and for kidnapping children and making them child soldiers or child brides. As a young displaced person, Aciro became a journalist so the world would know about the suffering in Northern Uganda: The abductions, killings, the ambushes, the destruction. But after a few years, she wondered if focusing on bloodshed was the right approach. What if journalists like her could help bring peace to the country? Today, Aciro is director of the Peace Journalism Foundation of East Africa. Peace Journalism -- as you might remember from one of our previous episodes -- is when editors and reporters make choices that improve the prospects for peace. She covers peace and conflict, refugee issues, and the environment, and trains journalists around East Africa in peace journalism. Aciro was a finalist for the 2022 Women Building Peace Award given by the United States Institute of Peace. And in 2019, she received a Golden Jubilee Medal awarded by Ugandan President Yoweri, for her coverage of the LRA conflict and her contributions to current peace efforts in Northern Uganda. Aciro sat down with Making Peace Visible Education Director Steven Youngblood to reflect on her decades in the field in Uganda, and the real impact of peace journalism in the face of war and gang violence. Music in this episode by Xylo-Ziko and Joel Cummins. ABOUT THE SHOW The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin, with help from Faith McClure. The Associate Director of Making Peace Visible is Steven Youngblood. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.org Support this podcast Connect on social:Instagram @makingpeacevisibleLinkedIn @makingpeacevisibleX (formerly Twitter) @makingpeaceviz We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

Matt Crawford speaks with NYT best-selling author Mark Sullivan about his book, All the Glimmering Stars. This book highlights the horrific and amazing journey of Anthony Opoka and Florence Okori as they come of age in a war-torn Uganda in the 1990's. Both taught by loving parents to be a good human before they are taken as children by Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army, what they face will test that belief to it's very core. This is an inspirational book that t the unbreakable nature of the human spirit. Please give this book a read and share this amazing story with your loved ones.

In this deeply inspiring episode, we journey through the early life of Geofrey Okeny, born amidst the turmoil of Uganda's civil unrest. We explore his humble beginnings in Okwici Village, where the simple joys of village life were overshadowed by the shadow of the Lord's Resistance Army from the early 1990's with Sudan/South Sudan Conflict and how it reached Northern Uganda to the village where Geofrey was raised.   The story of Geofrey's family's struggle, their abduction by rebels, and their miraculous escape to safety in Kampala provides a backdrop of resilience and hope. As we follow Geofrey's move to the city, his educational pursuits, and the return to his homeland once peace was restored, listeners will be captivated by the transformation of a young boy from a war-affected village to a determined student stepping into the world of dentistry. This episode is a tribute to the power of perseverance, education, and the unwavering spirit of a family determined to overcome adversity. 00:00 - Start 05:40 - Born in a time of war 06:18 - Geofrey's family are abducted, but eventually escape 16:45 - Meeting his mother and father  21:12 - Working in the Ugandan garden to survive 23:02 - Going to school, and boarding school !

Kate Adie presents dispatches from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, the United States, Croatia and France.The brutality of Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army once made headlines around the world, as #Kony2012 became a global social media cause. While the world soon moved on, the forgotten victims of LRA violence living in the Democratic Republic of Congo are still trying to heal. Hugh Kinsella Cunningham reports from Haut-Uele province.The Islamic Revolution in Iran put an end to a once thriving cabaret culture and music scene. But over the years, people have still found ways to party - albeit underground and out of sight of the religious police. Among them was Faranak Amidi, who's met some of Iran's women DJs, who dream of playing to clubbers all over the world.A controversial court ruling in Alabama has divided Christian conservatives on the issue of reproductive rights, as the state's supreme court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered as children. Nomia Iqbal reports on the schism that has emerged between pro-life Republicans.Rab Island off the north coast of Croatia was once home to a lesser-known Italian concentration camp, where some 4,000 people were killed during World War Two. Mary Novakovich visited the island, where she met a woman who began her life in one of the camps.And our Paris Correspondent Hugh Schofield takes on the challenge of running the city's half-marathon - with some welcome assistance from The Rolling Stones.Producer: Serena Tarling Production coordinator: Katie Morrison Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith

Max Pearson presents a collection of this week's Witness History episodes from the BBC World Service. We first hear about Uruguay's tale of David v Goliath - when a tobacco giant took South America's second-smallest country to court over its anti-smoking laws.Uruguay's former public health minister María Julia Muñoz describes the significance of the ban and its fallout.And we shed some light on the wider history of the use of tobacco, its long and controversial history, with Dr Sarah Inskip, a bio-archaeologist at the University of Leicester in the UK.Plus, the largest search operation in aviation history - ten years on, little is known of the fate of MH370 and the 239 people on board.Also, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe on how her sewing school in northern Uganda served as a place of rehabilitation for child soldiers escaping Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army. Then, the Carnation Revolution - how Europe's longest-surviving authoritarian regime was toppled in a day, with barely a drop of blood spilled.Finally, in August and September 1939, tens of thousands of children began to be evacuated from Paris. Colette Martel, who was nine at the time, describes how a pair of clogs made her feel welcome. Contributors: María Julia Muñoz - Uruguay's former public health minister. Dr Sarah Inskip - A bio-archaeologist at the University of Leicester in the UK. Ghyslain Wattrelos - Whose wife and two children were on flight MH370. Adelino Gomes - Witness of the 1974 Carnation Revolution. Colette Martel - Child evacuee in World War Two.(Photo: An anti-tobacco installation in Montevideo. Credit: Reuters/ Pablo La Rosa)

In 2002, a Catholic nun arrived in Gulu, a town in northern Uganda, to help set up a sewing school for locals. For years, the town had been the target of brutal attacks by the Lord's Resistance Army, led by the warlord Joseph Kony. The rebel group was known for kidnapping children and forcing them into becoming soldiers. As the LRA was being chased out of Uganda, those who were captured arrived at the school seeking refuge. Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe shares the shocking stories of those who escaped captivity with George Crafer.(Photo: Sister Rosemary at St Monica's. Credit: Sewing Hope Foundation)

This special episode features  a guest host from Uganda, Dr. Edward Olara, who Forrest interviewed in episode 71. Edward was once Forrest's student and has become a friend; they've worked together in Uganda to encourage and empower development professionals. Recently, Edward published a book called The Elephants and the Farmers. As the HOST of this episode, Dr. Olara interviews a Ugandan friend and colleague, Mr. Victor Ochen, the founder and Executive Director of the African Youth Initiative. Born in northern Uganda, he spent his first 21 years surviving a violent conflict that in the end displaced over three million people. In that conflict, the Lord's Resistance Army forcefully recruited or abducted 60,000 children to serve as soldiers—and among them was Mr. Ochen's own brother, who has never been returned.  Since then, Mr. Ochen has worked for peace and healing—especially for victims of the war. In 2015, Forbes Magazines named him one of the ten most influential men to give new hope for Africa, and in that same year he became the youngest-ever African to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. More recently, he was awarded Archbishop Desmond Tutu's prestigious African Young Leaders Award for his role in promoting the culture of dignity, peace and reconciliation.  Guest Host: Edward Silas Olara Book: The Elephants and the Farmers Guest: Victor Ochen Director for African Youth Initiative Network Facebook Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Accomplishments  Mentions: LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) Shea trees Wangari Maathai  Keywords: environment, youth, politics, policy, war, conflict, trauma, healing, social justice, hate, intergenerational trauma, sustainability, tolerance, government, poverty, hope, education, information, society, inclusivity, resources, peace, conflict resolution, coexistence, farms, climate change, activism, economy, green energy, future, global cooperation, faith Find us on our website: Earthkeepers Support the Earthkeepers podcast Check out the Ecological Disciple

“If the opportunity presents itself, you can always go for the shoe poo.” The panel of peril dash to the bathroom with a glass and a saltshaker, making themselves a wonderful briney drink, before sitting down to watch this week's film Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006). James Bond (Daniel Craig) is just starting out his career as a 00 agent. His first mission is to track down the money being wagered by in-between man Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) and attempt to bankrupt him in a high stakes game of poker at the titular casino. Is Bond's poker face up to the task? Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36mnx8dBbGE ********PLOT SPOILER ALERT******** Bond isn't the only person under pressure to perform as Le Chiffre is under the employ of Mr. White's (Jesper Christensen) shadowy organisation, who introduce the blood weeping bugger to the Lord's Resistance Army whose funds he must gamble and win with. Also! Bond is joined on his mission by Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), an agent of the Treasury who may have a more vested interest in the task than she's letting on ;) What did the panel think of this week's movie? How can they improve upon the villain's masterplan? And who will be anointed this week's most diabolical? Sound Effect by Muzaproduction from Pixabay Sound Effect by UNIVERSFIELD from Pixabay Sound Effect from Pixabay Music by JuliusH from Pixabay Sound Effect by Fronbondi_Skegs from Pixabay Sound Effect by Cristian_Changing from Pixabay

From the most challenging of backgrounds, Jenny developed into a Marxist activist before having a radical encounter with Jesus. This led to a rechannelling of her energies as a journalist to address religious illiteracy in the West. Her campaigns have had seismic impacts, including helping end the conflict in Uganda with Kony's Lord's Resistance Army and helping stop the extremist London megamosque from going ahead. It's a great listen! Check out www.jennytaylor.media for more on Jenny's current work, and the Lapido Media archive. Her forthcoming book is titled Unacceptable Truth: The Biblical Foundations of the Fourth Estate and How to Save Journalism. Contact Dan Barlow at Steve Laube Agency for details. If any of the interview has touched a raw spot, Jenny is happy for you to be in touch via mail[@]jennytaylor.media --- Choose Life in 2023: ⁠greatlakesoutreach.org/chooselife ⁠Support us: ⁠greatlakesoutreach.org/inspired⁠ If you'd like to receive a weekly podcast episode link that you can share with your friends on WhatsApp, click this link to join the community with ease: ⁠greatlakesoutreach.org/whatsapp⁠ Or sign up for a weekly email notification of new episodes: ⁠greatlakesoutreach.org/inspiredemail⁠ For more from Simon visit: ⁠simonguillebaud.com⁠ --- Produced by Great Lakes Outreach - Transforming Burundi & Beyond: ⁠greatlakesoutreach.org

Anything but First World Problems There's nothing good to watch on TV. I can't decide what to order from the extensive menu at this restaurant. I have too many clothes and not enough closet space. The barista at my coffee shop spelled my name wrong on my cup. My phone is too big to fit comfortably in my pocket. Oh no… My phone battery is dying, and I forgot my charger. I can't find my favourite flavour of sparkling water at the grocery store. Do these problems seem familiar to you? These are first-world problems, and I'm just as guilty of having them: I've been frustrated when my phone was dying, and I'd forgotten my power bank at an Ed Sheeran concert in Atlanta. And you've heard me complain about Starbucks getting my name wrong on an overcharged cup of tall Americano. In this episode, we're going to be dealing with other problems, like: “Should we give our 13-year-old baby girl away to be married to an older man, or should we keep her here and risk that she will be abducted and turned into a sex slave.” That's the kinda stuff we'll be dealing with in this episode, as Susan Laker will tell her life story. WARNING It's also a story that will be hard to listen to. It's heartbreaking, and with so many graphic details, that will not be suitable for children. At the same time, I feel this might be the most important episode of The Radio Vagabond that I've done up until now.  My name is Palle Bo. Welcome back to the third and final part of my miniseries from the Acholi Quarter in Kampala, Uganda. INTRO I hope you have had a chance to listen to the first two episodes from The Acholi Quarter in Uganda, where Susan Laker, a small but mighty woman in her late 30s, took us around. She's the co-founder and leader of 22STARS Foundation's work here, always helping children and families in need with a big smile. But let me tell you, her journey wasn't always a straight path. This tale is a wild one, full of crazy twists and turns. It could be a movie, maybe something like The Color Purple, set in Uganda. CHILD BRIDE Her parent gave her away to be married when she was just a child. She was angry at her parents when this happened and didn't understand why.  “I was 13 years old when I was force into early marriage by my parents.” Most of us would say that there is nothing that would justify that. But her parents had a good reason. “By that time, I didn't know the reason. I was just mad but later on, you realize they did that to protect me from being abducted from the LRA Rebels.” LRA REBELS The LRA Rebels, or “The Lord's Resistance Army,” was a rebel group operated in Uganda and other Central African countries, started by Joseph Kony in 1987. The LRA would typically attack villages at night, using guns, machetes, and other weapons. They would kill or maim those who resisted, burn down homes, and loot property. They would then abduct children. They used to abduct children, even babies, from their mothers and were forced to march long distances to LRA bases deep in the bush. And were then subjected to brutal initiation rituals, during which they were beaten, sometimes with their peers, and forced to kill other children or adults. The abducted children were then trained as soldiers and used to attack civilians, other rebel groups, and government forces, using guns, sticks, and pangas – large, heavy, machete-like knives. The LRA's tactics of abducting children were particularly savage and brutal. The children were forced to serve as soldiers, porters, and sex slaves. The group often targeted vulnerable communities, including schools and churches, and used violence and intimidation to abduct children. And then, the children were subjected to intense physical and psychological abuse. They used violent initiation ceremonies to break the children's spirits and force them to commit atrocities. The children were often forced to kill or maim their own families or fellow abductees to break their spirits and brainwash them into cutting ties to their former lives. The LRA also used brutal methods of discipline to maintain control over the children. This included beatings, torture, and even execution. Susan gave me examples of how brutal the methods were: “They cut off your lips, they cut off your private parts – like the breasts. If not, they put the padlock. They tie your lips, and then some are beaten to death. Some they chop of their neck. They were killed. Those who tried to escape, they were stoned to death.” In addition to their role as soldiers, the girls among the abducted children were often forced into sexual slavery and forced marriages. “Some of them ended up giving birth and some of them ended up dying giving birth because they were so young. Some of them died because they were mistreated. Also, there was no in facility to take care of a pregnant woman, so some of them got sick and died because there was no medication.” The children were also used as human shields in battles, which put their lives at even greater risk. JOSEPH KONY In 2012, a video campaign called "Kony 2012" from the organization Invisible Children went viral, bringing international attention to the LRA's atrocities and Kony's role in them. The campaign and its creator, Jason Russell, set out to make Kony famous, and they definitely succeeded in that. Joseph Kony was born in 1961 in a village in northern Uganda. He grew up in a Catholic household and was initially drawn to religion but dropped out of school and joined the rebel group led by a distant relative, Alice Lakwena. She had claimed to have received messages from the Holy Spirit and was leading a rebellion against the Ugandan government. When Lakwena's rebellion failed, Kony formed his own group, the LRA, in 1987. And like Alice Lakwena, he also claimed to have a hotline to God. He said that he was a spiritual medium and that his commands came directly from the spiritual world and were not to be questioned. Kony was known for his mysticism and claimed to have supernatural powers, including the ability to turn bullets into water and to communicate with spirits. He was also notorious for his brutality and didn't just have his brainwashed followers do all of the dirty work. He's believed to have personally participated in many of the LRA's atrocities. So, he was a self-appointed messiah and said his government was based on the Ten Commandments. But then he went on to break every one of them.  In 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Kony and four of his top lieutenants for crimes against humanity and war crimes. However, he's managed to hide, and still to this day – almost 20 years later, Kony's whereabouts are unknown. Although the LRA's activities have declined significantly in recent years, the group remains active and has been responsible for sporadic attacks and abductions that continue to be reported in the region. The LRA's use of children for soldiers, waiters, and sex slaves has devastated the children who were abducted and their families. Many of the children who escaped or were rescued suffered from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.  SUSAN'S PARENTS' CHOICE Enough about the LRA and its creepy leader, Joseph Kony. I just wanted you to get a little bit of perspective on what Susan's parents were trying to save her from when they gave her away for early marriage at the age of just 13.  It's just so hard to fathom. What a choice for parents to make. “Should we keep our child here with the risk that the brutal LRA Rebels will take her and turn her into a sex slave – or maybe cut off her lips and private parts? Or stone her to death… And maybe brainwash her and she will come back here and kill us in our sleep. Or should we give her away to be married to that older soldier, who will probably do what he likes and most likely get her pregnant soon, but then might also be able to keep her alive…?” I have no idea if this was what Susan's parents were thinking at the time. We can only speculate because this is so far away from anything most of us have even thought about having to consider. Think about that before you get frustrated that there's too much to choose from on a menu at a restaurant or that you have too many clothes and not enough closet space. SUSAN'S SON I met her son, Derek, just before I sat down with Susan to hear her story. And we're not talking about a little boy. No, he's a grown man. Taller than me and very handsome. I know that Susan only is in her late 30s, so I'm very surprised to find out that she could have a son in his mid 20's.  “I ended up giving birth to my son at the age of 13 – the boy you just saw. And at the age of 14, I had a miscarriage, because it was so soon, and I was so young. And then at the age of 15, I gave birth to my second daughter, who is now 22.” Let that sink in: At 13, she was sent off to marry an older man and had a baby within a year. Straight away, at the age of 14, she got pregnant again but had a miscarriage. And straight away again, she got pregnant for the third time and had her second child at 15, basically when she was a child herself.  I don't know much about the father of her kids. Maybe he was a good man who felt it was his right because she was his wife, and he protected her. I don't know more about him than what Susan just told me here. I was just about to ask her about that when she told me that he suddenly – and unexpectedly got sick and died.  “Then their father mysteriously fell sick for one week and passed on. I didn't even know he was sick. I didn't know what he suffered off anything.” There she was, at 16, a widow with two children. So, she went home to her parents, who forced her to marry another soldier – for her safety.  And shortly after that, she had another baby. Three children and two husbands – still as a teenager. THE SECOND HUSBAND DIES TOO Susan's new husband was sent to Somalia as a soldier and never returned. She never heard from him again, and Susan was getting increasingly frustrated and unable to feed herself and her children. Not only was Susan frustrated and hungry. She was also suffering with her health and getting more and more weak. Then in the middle of all this, they were kicked out of the house they were in. As things got increasingly hopeless, Susan's sisters came to her aid. They helped her get on a bus here to Kampala. Susan barely made it to Kampala alive. She was unconscious when the bus arrived at Kampala with her and her three small children. Immediately she was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with HIV, cancer, and tuberculosis. AFFORDING MEDICATION When Susan Laker defied all odds and she was able to fight herself back to consciousness and life for her children, she was just 23. She had a ten-year-old boy and two girls nine and four.  She managed to stay alive but was now faced with another problem. The children didn't go to school, and Susan herself couldn't read, write, or speak English. That meant that she couldn't get a job making decent money to feed herself – and now also afford the expensive medicine for her tuberculosis, cancer, and HIV. KIDS WORKING AT THE QUARRY She was too weak to work, so she had no option but to have her children work for her. A ten-year-old, an eight-year-old, and a five-year-old crushing stones in the stone quarry from early in the morning every day. As you heard in the latest episode, this is hard work and poorly paid.  On some days, the 10-year-old boy, Derek, was able to crush enough stones to make 1000 Ugandan Shillings, the 8-year-old girl, Peace, could 500 shillings, and the little 5-year-old girl around 200 shillings. That's 1700 shillings and not even half a dollar – 41 Euro cents and 48 American cents for a long day of hard work from early morning. FIGHTING DEADLY DISEASES ON AN EMPTY STOMACH Susan was on strong medication when all of this was happening, and that's not something you should take on an empty stomach. So, the doctors gave her some food and milk to have before the medicine. And that helped. After nine months she was tuberculosis-free and ready for chemotherapy to fight off her Stage 2 cancer. Another nine months later, she was declared cancer-free too. She also got treated with medicine to keep the HIV virus suppressed, and after five years on medication, her CD4 counts showed that the virus was not detected anymore. Of course, she still takes her HIV medicine every day, but she is fully recovered from all three deadly diseases. And at this point, we've almost come full circle from where we started in the first episode. This was around the time when Susan met Stella for the first time in 2008. Stella helped Susan, who went back to school and learned to read and write – and speak English with Stella when she came back a few years later. Together they founded 22STARS paper jewellery business and the 22STARS Foundation. SUPORT 22STARS With a lot of willpower and a bit of luck meeting the Dutch/German woman Stella Romana when she did, she managed to turn life around for herself and her children. And together, they continue to do the same for many more people in the community. Again, go to Foundation22Stars.org to see the different ways of supporting. If you want to get involved with the good work 22STARS Foundation is doing, helping families in Uganda, go to www.foundation22stars.org, and see what you can do. You can sponsor a child, or support emergency needs by simply making a donation to one of the different programs such as nutrition, microloans, computer lessons, music classes, or medicine. I've linked to all of this in the note section of your podcast app and on theradiovagabond.com. Thank you to Susan Laker for sharing her inspiring story. My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.

Anything but First World Problems ·       There's nothing good to watch on TV. ·       I can't decide what to order from the extensive menu at this restaurant. ·       I have too many clothes and not enough closet space. ·       The barista at my coffee shop spelled my name wrong on my cup. ·       My phone is too big to fit comfortably in my pocket. ·       Oh no… My phone battery is dying, and I forgot my charger. ·       I can't find my favourite flavour of sparkling water at the grocery store. Do these problems seem familiar to you? These are first-world problems, and I'm just as guilty of having them: I've been frustrated when my phone was dying, and I'd forgotten my power bank at an Ed Sheeran concert in Atlanta. And you've heard me complain about Starbucks getting my name wrong on an overcharged cup of tall Americano. In this episode, we're going to be dealing with other problems, like:  “Should we give our 13-year-old baby girl away to be married to an older man, or should we keep her here and risk that she will be abducted and turned into a sex slave.” That's the kinda stuff we'll be dealing with in this episode, as Susan Laker will tell her life story.  WARNING It's also a story that will be hard to listen to. It's heartbreaking, and with so many graphic details, that will not be suitable for children. At the same time, I feel this might be the most important episode of The Radio Vagabond that I've done up until now.  My name is Palle Bo. Welcome back to the third and final part of my miniseries from the Acholi Quarter in Kampala, Uganda.  INTRO I hope you have had a chance to listen to the first two episodes from The Acholi Quarter in Uganda, where Susan Laker, a small but mighty woman in her late 30s, took us around. She's the co-founder and leader of 22STARS Foundation's work here, always helping children and families in need with a big smile. But let me tell you, her journey wasn't always a straight path. This tale is a wild one, full of crazy twists and turns. It could be a movie, maybe something like The Color Purple, set in Uganda.  CHILD BRIDE Her parent gave her away to be married when she was just a child. She was angry at her parents when this happened and didn't understand why.  “I was 13 years old when I was force into early marriage by my parents.”  Most of us would say that there is nothing that would justify that. But her parents had a good reason.  “By that time, I didn't know the reason. I was just mad but later on, you realize they did that to protect me from being abducted from the LRA Rebels.” LRA REBELS The LRA Rebels, or “The Lord's Resistance Army,” was a rebel group operated in Uganda and other Central African countries, started by Joseph Kony in 1987. The LRA would typically attack villages at night, using guns, machetes, and other weapons. They would kill or maim those who resisted, burn down homes, and loot property. They would then abduct children. They used to abduct children, even babies, from their mothers and were forced to march long distances to LRA bases deep in the bush. And were then subjected to brutal initiation rituals, during which they were beaten, sometimes with their peers, and forced to kill other children or adults. The abducted children were then trained as soldiers and used to attack civilians, other rebel groups, and government forces, using guns, sticks, and pangas – large, heavy, machete-like knives. The LRA's tactics of abducting children were particularly savage and brutal. The children were forced to serve as soldiers, porters, and sex slaves.  The group often targeted vulnerable communities, including schools and churches, and used violence and intimidation to abduct children. And then, the children were subjected to intense physical and psychological abuse.  They used violent initiation ceremonies to break the children's spirits and force them to commit atrocities. The children were often forced to kill or maim their own families or fellow abductees to break their spirits and brainwash them into cutting ties to their former lives. The LRA also used brutal methods of discipline to maintain control over the children. This included beatings, torture, and even execution.  Susan gave me examples of how brutal the methods were:  “They cut off your lips, they cut off your private parts – like the breasts. If not, they put the padlock. They tie your lips, and then some are beaten to death. Some they chop of their neck. They were killed. Those who tried to escape, they were stoned to death.” In addition to their role as soldiers, the girls among the abducted children were often forced into sexual slavery and forced marriages.  “Some of them ended up giving birth and some of them ended up dying giving birth because they were so young. Some of them died because they were mistreated. Also, there was no in facility to take care of a pregnant woman, so some of them got sick and died because there was no medication.” The children were also used as human shields in battles, which put their lives at even greater risk.  JOSEPH KONY In 2012, a video campaign called "Kony 2012" from the organization Invisible Children went viral, bringing international attention to the LRA's atrocities and Kony's role in them. The campaign and its creator, Jason Russell, set out to make Kony famous, and they definitely succeeded in that. Joseph Kony was born in 1961 in a village in northern Uganda. He grew up in a Catholic household and was initially drawn to religion but dropped out of school and joined the rebel group led by a distant relative, Alice Lakwena. She had claimed to have received messages from the Holy Spirit and was leading a rebellion against the Ugandan government. When Lakwena's rebellion failed, Kony formed his own group, the LRA, in 1987. And like Alice Lakwena, he also claimed to have a hotline to God. He said that he was a spiritual medium and that his commands came directly from the spiritual world and were not to be questioned.  Kony was known for his mysticism and claimed to have supernatural powers, including the ability to turn bullets into water and to communicate with spirits. He was also notorious for his brutality and didn't just have his brainwashed followers do all of the dirty work. He's believed to have personally participated in many of the LRA's atrocities. So, he was a self-appointed messiah and said his government was based on the Ten Commandments. But then he went on to break every one of them.  In 2005, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Kony and four of his top lieutenants for crimes against humanity and war crimes. However, he's managed to hide, and still to this day – almost 20 years later, Kony's whereabouts are unknown.  Although the LRA's activities have declined significantly recently, the group remains active. It has been responsible for sporadic attacks and abductions that continue to be reported in the region. The LRA's use of children for soldiers, waiters, and sex slaves has devastated the abducted children and their families. Many of the children who escaped or were rescued suffered from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.  SUSAN'S PARENTS' CHOICE Enough about the LRA and its creepy leader, Joseph Kony. I just wanted you to get a little bit of perspective on what Susan's parents were trying to save her from when they gave her away for early marriage at the age of just 13.  It's just so hard to fathom. What a choice for parents to make.  “Should we keep our child here with the risk that the brutal LRA Rebels will take her and turn her into a sex slave – or maybe cut off her lips and private parts? Or stone her to death… And maybe brainwash her and she will come back here and kill us in our sleep. Or should we give her away to be married to that older soldier, who will probably do what he likes and most likely get her pregnant soon but then might also be able to keep her alive…?” I have no idea if this was what Susan's parents were thinking at the time. We can only speculate because this is so far away from anything most of us have even thought about having to consider.  Think about that before you get frustrated that there's too much to choose from on a menu at a restaurant or that you have too many clothes and not enough closet space. SUSAN'S SON I met her son, Derek, just before I sat down with Susan to hear her story. And we're not talking about a little boy. No, he's a grown man. Taller than me and very handsome. I know that Susan only is in her late 30s, so I'm very surprised to find out that she could have a son in his mid 20's.  “I ended up giving birth to my son at the age of 13 – the boy you just saw. And at the age of 14, I had a miscarriage, because it was so soon, and I was so young. And then at the age of 15, I gave birth to my second daughter, who is now 22.” Let that sink in: At 13, she was sent off to marry an older man and had a baby within a year. Straight away, at the age of 14, she got pregnant again but had a miscarriage. And straight away again, she got pregnant for the third time and had her second child at 15, basically when she was a child herself.  I don't know much about the father of her kids. Maybe he was a good man who felt it was his right because she was his wife, and he protected her. I don't know more about him than what Susan just told me here. I was just about to ask her about that when she told me that he suddenly – and unexpectedly got sick and died.  “Then their father mysteriously fell sick for one week and passed on. I didn't even know he was sick. I didn't know what he suffered off anything.” There she was, at 16, a widow with two children. So, she went home to her parents, who forced her to marry another soldier – for her safety.  And shortly after that, she had another baby. Three children and two husbands – still as a teenager.  THE SECOND HUSBAND DIES TOO Susan's new husband was sent to Somalia as a soldier and never returned. She never heard from him again, and Susan was getting increasingly frustrated and unable to feed herself and her children.  Not only was Susan frustrated and hungry. She was also suffering with her health and getting more and more weak. Then in the middle of all this, they were kicked out of the house they were in.  As things got increasingly hopeless, Susan's sisters came to her aid. They helped her get on a bus here to Kampala. Susan barely made it to Kampala alive. She was unconscious when the bus arrived in Kampala with her and her three small children. Immediately she was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with HIV, cancer, and tuberculosis. AFFORDING MEDICATION When Susan Laker defied all odds and she was able to fight herself back to consciousness and life for her children, she was just 23. She had a ten-year-old boy and two girls nine and four.  She managed to stay alive but was now faced with another problem. The children didn't go to school, and Susan herself couldn't read, write, or speak English. That meant that she couldn't get a job making decent money to feed herself – and now also afford the expensive medicine for her tuberculosis, cancer, and HIV.  KIDS WORKING AT THE QUARRY She was too weak to work, so she had no option but to have her children work for her. A ten-year-old, an eight-year-old, and a five-year-old crushing stones in the stone quarry from early in the morning every day. As you heard in the latest episode, this is hard work and poorly paid.  On some days, the 10-year-old boy, Derek, crushed enough stones to make 1000 Ugandan Shillings, the 8-year-old girl, Peace, could 500 shillings, and the little 5-year-old girl, around 200 shillings.  That's 1700 shillings and not even half a dollar – 41 Euro cents and 48 American cents for a long day of hard work from early morning.  FIGHTING DEADLY DISEASES ON AN EMPTY STOMACH Susan was on strong medication when all of this was happening, which you should not take on an empty stomach. So, the doctors gave her some food and milk before the medicine. And that helped. After nine months, she was tuberculosis-free and ready for chemotherapy to fight off her Stage 2 cancer. Another nine months later, she was declared cancer-free too.  She also got treated with medicine to keep the HIV virus suppressed, and after five years on medication, her CD4 counts showed that the virus was not detected anymore.  Of course, she still takes her HIV medicine every day, but she is fully recovered from all three deadly diseases. And at this point, we've almost come full circle from where we started in the first episode. This was around the time when Susan met Stella for the first time in 2008.  Stella helped Susan, who went back to school and learned to read and write – and speak English with Stella when she came back a few years later. Together they founded 22STARS paper jewellery business and the 22STARS Foundation. SUPORT 22STARS With a lot of willpower and a bit of luck meeting the Dutch/German woman Stella Romana when she did, she managed to turn life around for herself and her children. And together, they continue to do the same for many more people in the community.  Again, go to Foundation22Stars.org to see the different ways of supporting.  If you want to get involved with the good work 22STARS Foundation is doing, helping families in Uganda, go to www.foundation22stars.org, and see what you can do. You can sponsor a child or support emergency needs by simply donating to one of the different programs, such as nutrition, microloans, computer lessons, music classes, or medicine. I've linked to all this in the note section of your podcast app and theradiovagabond.com.  Thank you to Susan Laker for sharing her inspiring story.  My name is Palle Bo, and I gotta keep moving. See you.

The Ugandan-born model how he is finding purpose in pursuing an unconventional career to support his family and the community he comes from.Background: At BoF VOICES 2022, fashion model Dennis Okwera spoke about his childhood in Uganda, fleeing home to avoid the violent life of becoming a child soldier in the rebel group Lord's Resistance Army, coming to the UK as a refugee at the age of nine. Though he was scouted multiple times while living in the UK, it wasn't until he was attending university that Okwera decided to pursue modelling. This week on the BoF podcast, model Okwera discusses his childhood escaping a guerilla army in Uganda, his adult life as a model in the UK and how he used his success to give back to his community. “Let's just be a little bit kinder to each other, especially to refugees. Just see them with an open mindset; we're just looking for security and freedom, that's it really,” said Okwera. Key Insights:After Okwera was scouted he said at first his father objected to the idea of him modelling. “The first time I got scouted, my dad was like; ‘No, no, you're not doing it.' You know, this is an African dad who thinks anything outside of education is a complete failure,” he saysWhen Okwera first started his modelling career he had the opportunity to work with designer Grace Wales Bonner when she was still a student attending Central Saint Martins. Thanks to his career in modelling, Okwera was able to put his cousins through school and support his aunt who was diagnosed with HIV. Okwera says the “sole purpose” of him pursuing a modelling career was to support his family. After travelling back to Uganda to donate sanitary essentials like diapers and formula, Okwera reunited with his mother after 24 years of being away. “I didn't know what it was like to have your own mum,” said Okwera. Additional Resources:BoF VOICES 2022: Live Your Best Life: During last year's BoF VOICES model Dennis Okwera discussed his childhood escaping the rebel group, Lord's Resistance Army and fleeing Uganda to live in the UK. To subscribe to the BoF Podcast, please follow this link. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are rejoined by Legalman of The Quash podcast to discuss one of the first viral psyops in internet history: KONY 2012. The eponymous video released by Invisible Children, sought to bring international attention to the misdeeds of  Joseph Kony,the leader of the radical Ugandan rebel group Lord's Resistance Army, operating out of the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Little did we know when embarking on this seemingly quaint topic just how deep the fake rabbit hole goes. Check out Legalman's podcast The Quash wherever podcasts are found and follow his NEW twitter account @uscrimereview Don't forget to join our Telegram channel at T.me/historyhomos and to join our group chat at T.me/historyhomoschat The video version of the show is available on bitchute, odysee. For weekly premium episodes or to contribute to the show subscribe to our channel at www.rokfin.com/historyhomos Any questions comments concerns or T-shirt/sticker requests can be leveled at historyhomos@gmail.com Later homos --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/historyhomos/support

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Henni Alava, postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University, on her fascinating new book published by Bloomsbury as part of the New Directions in Anthropology of Christianity book series: Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda: There is Confusion (Bloomsbury, 2022). Alava's work sheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, Henni Alava maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. The book describes how churches' responses to the war have been enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet it is also in the churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence that religious faith nurtures peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, translate as 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Henni Alava, postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University, on her fascinating new book published by Bloomsbury as part of the New Directions in Anthropology of Christianity book series: Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda: There is Confusion (Bloomsbury, 2022). Alava's work sheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, Henni Alava maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. The book describes how churches' responses to the war have been enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet it is also in the churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence that religious faith nurtures peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, translate as 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Henni Alava, postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University, on her fascinating new book published by Bloomsbury as part of the New Directions in Anthropology of Christianity book series: Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda: There is Confusion (Bloomsbury, 2022). Alava's work sheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, Henni Alava maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. The book describes how churches' responses to the war have been enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet it is also in the churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence that religious faith nurtures peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, translate as 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Henni Alava, postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University, on her fascinating new book published by Bloomsbury as part of the New Directions in Anthropology of Christianity book series: Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda: There is Confusion (Bloomsbury, 2022). Alava's work sheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, Henni Alava maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. The book describes how churches' responses to the war have been enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet it is also in the churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence that religious faith nurtures peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, translate as 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/anthropology

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Henni Alava, postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University, on her fascinating new book published by Bloomsbury as part of the New Directions in Anthropology of Christianity book series: Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda: There is Confusion (Bloomsbury, 2022). Alava's work sheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, Henni Alava maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. The book describes how churches' responses to the war have been enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet it is also in the churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence that religious faith nurtures peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, translate as 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Henni Alava, postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University, on her fascinating new book published by Bloomsbury as part of the New Directions in Anthropology of Christianity book series: Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda: There is Confusion (Bloomsbury, 2022). Alava's work sheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, Henni Alava maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. The book describes how churches' responses to the war have been enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet it is also in the churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence that religious faith nurtures peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, translate as 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Waathiriwa wa ukatili wa kundi la waasi la Lord's Resistance Army, LRA, nchini Uganda, wamekuwa na maoni mseto, kuhusu mipango ya Mahakama ya Kimataifa ya Uhalifu (ICC) kuanzisha kesi dhidi ya kiongozi mtoro wa kundi hilo, Joseph Kony, bila kuwepo mahakamani.

Today I had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Henni Alava, postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University, on her fascinating new book published by Bloomsbury as part of the New Directions in Anthropology of Christianity book series: Christianity, Politics and the Afterlives of War in Uganda: There is Confusion (Bloomsbury, 2022). Alava's work sheds critical light on the complex and unstable relationship between Christianity and politics, and peace and war. Drawing on long-running ethnographic fieldwork in Uganda's largest religious communities, Henni Alava maps the tensions and ironies found in the Catholic and Anglican Churches in the wake of war between the Lord's Resistance Army and the Government of Uganda. The book describes how churches' responses to the war have been enabled by their embeddedness in local communities. Yet it is also in the churches' embeddedness in structures of historical violence that religious faith nurtures peace liable to compound conflict. At the heart of the book is the Acholi concept of anyobanyoba, translate as 'confusion', which depicts an experienced sense of both ambivalence and uncertainty, a state of mixed-up affairs within community and an essential aspect of politics in a country characterized by the threat of state violence. Foregrounding vulnerability, the book advocates 'confusion' as an epistemological and ethical device, and employs it to meditate on how religious believers, as well as researchers, can cultivate hope amid memories of suffering and on-going violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Today, I speak with Emmy-nominated filmmaker and social scientist, Lindsay Branham. The Founder of Novo, an incubator for art that inspires human connection in imaginative ways, Lindsay leverages media and technology to end violence and human rights abuses. Lindsay has given specific focus over the last ten years to documenting and responding to the issue of children in armed conflict in central Africa but has an overall commitment to entering into complex, conflict or disaster areas and using visual storytelling to highlight the human experience. The interventions she has designed have focused on peacefully dismantling the Lord's Resistance Army from within, facilitating the reintegration of former child soldiers, preventing recruitment into violent extremist groups, reducing psychological distress and challenging the root causes of bonded labour. Her partners in these media-based interventions include Search for Common Ground, The Freedom Fund and Google. With an MPhil in Social Psychology from the University of Cambridge, Lindsay has studied trauma and mental health at Harvard Medical School and journalism at the University of Southern California. Her current focus is exploring the efficacy of Virtual Reality to reduce prejudice in the Central African Republic, and her Virtual Reality documentary, Behind The Fence, was nominated for an Emmy and won the Grand Jury Award for best 360 film at SXSW. A Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace, Lindsay was named the inaugural Envision social good fellow by the Independent Film Project and the United Nations, and she has been published by CNN, the BBC and The New York Times. Her research investigating the link between media and behaviour change has been published by Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and in academic journals. Recorded on 14th Oct 2022.

Jared Buswell is on the board of Favor International, a ministry founded by Carole Ward. The ministry was birthed in  South Sudan and Uganda during a time of war when the rebel Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army were killing and kidnapping. The ministry started as a prayer movement and has grown into a Book of Acts turning the world upside down movement. They send out teams to host portable Bible schools and thousands of people in Africa have been impacted.  

If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering what ever came of Joseph Kony and the Kony 2012 campaign. The true Professional Skeptics are going to love this one! Let's get into it. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: Professional Skepticism Podcast Subscribe to our Patreon: patreon.com/profskeppodcast Get Your Merch: profskeppodcast.bigcartel.com Follow us on Instagram & Twitter: @profskeppodcast Email us at: professionalskepticismpodcast@gmail.com Zoe McDaniel & Professional Skepticism Podcast own the rights to the audio and music played in this episode. Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc https://youtu.be/c_Ue6REkeTA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr7amwiE-gw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord%27s_Resistance_Army https://www.dni.gov/nctc/groups/lra.html https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/2127/materials/summaries/entity/lord%E2%80%99s-resistance-army https://www.dw.com/en/is-lra-rebel-leader-joseph-kony-hiding-in-darfur/a-61478125#:~:text=Kony%20has%20been%20on%20the,Court%20issued%20an%20arrest%20warrant.&text=%22Joseph%20Kony%20is%20alive%2C%22,give%20orders%20to%20his%20fighters. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kony https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/joseph-kony-now-warlord-went-26956152 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Russell --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/profskeppodcast/support

Former Green Beret Fran Racioppi joins us to discuss far ranging topics like quiet quitting, meeting people where they are, properly setting standards for yourself and those that you lead, navigating a complex world and a decision-making process to help you come out ahead more times than not. Thank you for listening. Show notes: Fran served 13 years in the United States Army as a Green Beret, deploying three times to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. In 2013, he deployed to Djibouti, Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, where he coordinated Special Operations combating Al-Shabab throughout East Africa. In 2014, he planned and coordinated the Special Forces response to Boko Haram in West Africa, as well as oversaw the operations of Special Forces teams countering the Lord's Resistance Army in Central Africa and ISIS in North Africa. In 2014, Fran was selected to serve as the advisor and aide to the Commander of Special Operations Command Africa. Fran is a graduate of the US Army Ranger School, Airborne School, and several other Special Operations sponsored certifications. A lifelong sailor, Fran volunteers teaching Veterans to sail as the Race Director for Sailahead a Veterans service organization dedicated to reducing the Veteran suicide rate. Fran has also served as the Treasurer of the United War Veterans Council, a NYC-based non-profit focused on the wellness and healing of transitioning veterans, as well as the host of the annual NYC Veterans Day Parade. Fran's website FRsix: https://frsix.com/about Jedburgh Podcast The Ballad of the Green Berets (song mentioned in the podcast)

WR discusses his research and the Jab on The Ancient Resistance Army podcast. Recorded August 2022. Substack: https://theancientresistancearmy.substack.com Podcast: https://theancientresistancearmy.substack.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Okubani Market is located in northern Uganda's Yumbe District, within the Bidibidi refugee settlement which, during the South Sudan civil war, was the largest settlement of its kind in the world. The market is a vital economic hub for refugees from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the host community, which suffered years of insecurity at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army. For the last of our mini-series recorded in northern Uganda, Conor Lennon from UN News visited Okubani, to see how the support of the local government and the UN is helping those living in the region to improve their livelihoods. Music: Within the Earth, Ketsa

Okubani Market is located in northern Uganda's Yumbe District, within the Bidibidi refugee settlement which, during the South Sudan civil war, was the largest settlement of its kind in the world. The market is a vital economic hub for refugees from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the host community, which suffered years of insecurity at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army. For the last of our mini-series recorded in northern Uganda, Conor Lennon from UN News visited Okubani, to see how the support of the local government and the UN is helping those living in the region to improve their livelihoods. Music: Within the Earth, Ketsa

Okubani Market is located in northern Uganda's Yumbe District, within the Bidibidi refugee settlement which, during the South Sudan civil war, was the largest settlement of its kind in the world.The market is a vital economic hub for refugees from South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as the host community, which suffered years of insecurity at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army.For the last of our mini-series recorded in northern Uganda, Conor Lennon from UN News visited Okubani, to see how the support of the local government and the UN is helping those living in the region to improve their livelihoods.Music: Within the Earth, Ketsa

** This is an unlocked episode. For access to full-length premium episodes and the SJ Grotto of Truth Discord, subscribe to the Al-Wara' Frequency at patreon.com/subliminaljihad. ** Dimitri and Khalid continue to STOP AT NOTHING exposing the complex geopolitical/religious intrigues at play in the Kony saga, including: the shadowy Evangelical group “The Family” and its recruitment of Museveni in 1986, Uganda receiving conspicuous amounts of (literal) USAID, Internally Displaced Persons camps as neocolonial weapon/target rich environment for Evangelicals, the overtly Evangelical 2006 documentary “An Unconventional War: How Kony and His Satan's Resistance Army were Defeated”, the importance of spiritual warfare in the Museveni/Kony conflict, the Holy Spirit Movement in northern Uganda, a leaked US embassy document describing the “American intelligence officer” spirits who guide Kony and give him SITREPs, sus Bridgeway hiring South African mercenary Eeben Barlow of Executive Outcomes infamy to get Kony, the rise of humanitarian espionage, IC working directly with AFRICOM to provide intel, Museveni launching Operation Gideon to conduct mass spiritual warfare against Kony's shrines, multiple child sex abuse scandals at Christian Youth Theater, similarities between Jason Russell and Josh Harris, Invisible Children's High School Musical/Captain Eo promo video from 2006, and SJ's plan to STOP John Train and the ghost of Michael Aquino by selling lots of red t-shirts.

For access to full-length premium episodes and the SJ Grotto of Truth Discord, subscribe to the Al-Wara' Frequency at patreon.com/subliminaljihad. Dimitri and Khalid continue to STOP AT NOTHING exposing the complex geopolitical/religious intrigues at play in the Kony saga, including: the shadowy Evangelical group “The Family” and its recruitment of Museveni in 1986, Uganda receiving conspicuous amounts of (literal) USAID, Internally Displaced Persons camps as neocolonial weapon/target rich environment for Evangelicals, the overtly Evangelical 2006 documentary “An Unconventional War: How Kony and His Satan's Resistance Army were Defeated”, the importance of spiritual warfare in the Museveni/Kony conflict, the Holy Spirit Movement in northern Uganda, a leaked US embassy document describing the “American intelligence officer” spirits who guide Kony and give him SITREPs, sus Bridgeway hiring South African mercenary Eeben Barlow of Executive Outcomes infamy to get Kony, the rise of humanitarian espionage, IC working directly with AFRICOM to provide intel, Museveni launching Operation Gideon to conduct mass spiritual warfare against Kony's shrines, multiple child sex abuse scandals at Christian Youth Theater, similarities between Jason Russell and Josh Harris, Invisible Children's High School Musical/Captain Eo promo video from 2006, and SJ's plan to STOP John Train and the ghost of Michael Aquino by selling lots of red t-shirts.

War and conflict turns lives upside down and millions of adults and children witness atrocities, lose loved ones and often lose their homes and even their countries. The psychological and emotional suffering can continue long after the immediate threat to their life has gone. One in every five people touched by war – that's 20% - will have a mental health problem that needs help and one in twenty or 5% will be severely affected. As the humanitarian crisis deepens in the Ukraine with millions under bombardment and ten million people forced from their homes, Claudia Hammond and her guests explore the evidence behind the mental health interventions that do take place around the world: do they work and are they reaching the people who need them? Two Ukrainian psychiatrists tell Claudia about the psychological support they're trying to coordinate for their traumatised fellow Ukrainians. Dr Iryna Frankova is also a psychologist and she's chair of the ECNP Traumatic Stress Network and with colleagues she's helped to launch a new downloadable chatbot which offers information and psychological first aid. Dr Orest Suvalo from the Institute of Mental Health at the Ukrainian Catholic University is in Lviv in the west of Ukraine and he's been trying to coordinate care for fleeing citizens as they arrive at the city's railway station. Claudia's panel includes Bill Yule, Emeritus Professor of Applied Child Psychiatry at Kings College, London, who pioneered evidence-based interventions for children caught up in war and trauma (he's one of the founders of the Children and War Foundation set up in the 1990s during the wars in the Balkans); Professor Emily Holmes from the department of psychology at the University of Uppsala in Sweden who uses the power of mental imagery to reduce traumatic, intrusive memories or flashbacks (she's been using these techniques to develop treatments for refugees who have fled war and conflict) and Dr Peter Ventevogel, psychiatrist and medical anthropologist and senior mental health officer with UNHCR, the refugee agency at the United Nations. And Dr Kennedy Amone P'Olak, Professor of Psycho-traumatology at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa joins from Uganda, where he's tracked the mental health of hundreds of the children and young people who were abducted and recruited by the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda. Produced by: Fiona Hill and Maria Simons Studio Engineers: Phil Lander and Emma Harth

The US Department of State has announced a 17 billion shilling cash reward for any individuals who provide information that leads to the arrest, transfer or conviction of Ugandan fugitive Joseph Kony, the Lord's Resistance Army rebel leader.

Few people have felt a power drill bore holes into their legs while being hung upside down. But Okongo Samson has. All because he dared to talk about Jesus Christ. Okongo shares about the good news of salvation and forgiving his abusers in his powerful story entitled, Abducted But Not Forsaken: How One Man’s Escape from a Notorious Terrorist Brought Hope to Africa. Okongo talks about the extreme difficulty in trusting God after he was ambushed by the Lord’s Resistance Army at the age of 16, while traveling to war torn nations to preach the good news. While held as prisoner, he was repeatedly sexually abused and saw many children dying around him. Today, as founder and president of Unite 4 Africa, Okongo has traveled to over 92 countries to help liberate other people facing persecution. TAKEAWAYS There is a mighty healing power in telling your story of abuse and torture What it was like reaching the point of hopelessness and doubting God Overcoming strong emotions of anger toward God and realizing He will never forsake us How it’s possible to forgive those who have abused us

When Helping HelpsAs a college student at the turn of the century, I was bombarded with opportunities for activism. The biggest push at the time was a cause known as the Invisible Children, in support of Ugandan communities ravaged by the despotic terror of Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army. Students were encouraged to watch a film, raise awareness, and fundraise support for… something. I'll bet it was very clear and I'd imagine their efforts were even somewhat successful, though decades later the man still evades capture. For my own part, I was genuinely moved by that story – and I believe I tried to connect as best as I could – but I wasn't really in a place where I was looking to give my life away to that cause. I did feel pretty guilty about it though, as I was getting serious about my faith and the consensus was that everyone should do, well, whatever it was that was being championed at the moment. I don't know whether a general spirit of cynicism is replacing the optimistic activism I saw in that era of my life. Maybe worldwide concerted efforts didn't produce the results we were all hoping for, and so now we know better. Or, maybe college students are still on a mission to save the world and my own guardedness is just a function of the age I am now versus the age I was then. What I do know is that often the way we engage in helping others can actually do harm to them and to us. This leads some folks to feel the same even about non-government organizations as they do about that other group of altruists. They say the most terrifying words in the English language are, “We're from the government and we're here to help.” And the poor's posture in the meantime can be echoed by a recent blockbuster's voiceover lament, “Who will our next oppressors be?” Some of us have a pathological need to help people. Others have a pathological need not to get involved. But Jesus' posture toward his neighbors wasn't pathological at all. It was healthy humanity. His way looks a bit less like an international revolution and a bit more like intimate restorations, (though one certainly does lead to the other). So, this Sunday I hope we can all learn from his story about the Good Samaritan, how we might recover some healthy habits of helping. Oh, and feel free to get a bit of practice in by volunteering to serve at our Fall Festival tomorrow! Sign up here - josh

Shannon Sedgwick Davis is the CEO of Bridgeway Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to ending and preventing mass atrocities around the world.  More recently, Shannon and the Bridgeway Foundation have been credited for their pivotal role in mobilizing awareness, civilian protection, and recovery efforts against the Lord's Resistance Army and its leader, Joseph Kony, the first-ever indictee of the International Criminal Court.Shannon saw the evil of Joseph Kony and decided to do something about it.  She didn't wire funds to someone else from her Living Room.  She hired private military contractors, flew in Helicopters to speak to Kony and his gang through loud speakers, sat across the table from world leaders to devise ways to bring Kony to justice and save those under the weight of his oppression.  Shannon sits on the board of several organizations, including The Elders, Humanity United, TOMS, and charity: water, and author of the recently released "To Stop a Warlord".Shannon is a wife, mom to two, and a doer.  I'm honored to call her an old and dear friend and it has been an absolute thrill to watch her shape and mold the world around her.  Her impact is unquestioned and her courage is undeniable - clearly, a banner carrier for the Open Road Lifestyle.  Tune into our conversation and buckle up to be inspired and wowed by her stories.

داستان تروریستی که میلیون ها نفرو آواره کرده و هزاران نفرو کشته. سال هاست تحت تعقیبه اما تاحالا گیر نیوفتاده. کسی که شرارت رو به حد اعلاش رسوند و یه ارتش از کودکان خردسال برای خودش ساخت متن و روایت : مسعود فهیمی از این اپیزود حمایت کنید منابع اصلی : 1.KONY'S MESSAGE: A NEW KOINE? THE LORD'S RESISTANCE ARMY IN NORTHERN UGANDA 2.Introduction Resistance Movement which has complex networks 3.What Happened to Children Who Returned from the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda? 4.The Science of Evil 5.KONY 2012 پادکست معجون رو در اینستاگرام،توییتر و یوتیوب دنبال کنید کانال تلگرام معجون لینک موزیک های این اپیزود رو از سایت پادکست معجون می تونید پیدا کیند

Lual Mayen is a gaming developer and a former refugee from South Sudan who was born in the midst of his family's search journey for safety. His mother saved $300 for 3 years to buy his first laptop and he walked 3 hrs daily to teach himself how to play and then build video games. Salaam, the game Mayen originally developed so children in the camp could understand the concept of peace, became a worldwide sensation. Fast forward 3 years, He's now the CEO of Junub Games at DC, creating the next version of Salaam to teach people empathy. In October 2020 [as we record this!], he founded Lual Mayen Foundation to empower refugees through technology, restore hope, and shine a light on the hardships for refugees worldwide through education and employment. He was honored with the Global Citizen Gaming Award 2018, South Sudan Diaspora Award 2019, appeared on ABC New, World Economic Forum,  C-SPAN and many more media If you just google his name. We felt incredibly honored to interview such an inspiring entrepreneur and philanthropist.  We talked about how life is different in the US vs the refugee camp, how his passion and purpose took him to the US and what he's planning to do to give back through his company and his foundation. Talking to him reaffirms that happiness principles are the same everywhere and how far purpose and passions can take us. More details on Lual's Journey prior to coming to the US: During the Second Sudanese Civil War, the Bor Massacre occurred, killing about 2000 civilians in Bor. His parents were displaced and alone. By foot, they fled from violence. Lual was born on the road finding their final settlement. Other camps were opened in Nimule and Mungali where they finally settled. Life wasn't easy because the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) started to attack and killed massive amounts of people. His family was constantly fearful for their lives and it was common to see neighbors and friends in the camp beaten to death. Hi family finally moved to the refugee camp in Northern Uganda in Arua District, where he lives until 22 years old. Salaam, his video game, was initially developed so children in the camp could understand the concept of peace. Because the Internet was not reliable at the camp, his team would distribute it to other refugees via Bluetooth and WiFi sharing. One day, his friends had a crazy idea to upload it to a Facebook page. He uploaded it on his page, and that was when the world took notice. 

Special Envoy of Uganda to South Sudan, Betty Bigombe, retraces her steps to northern Uganda as government negotiator, engaging one of the most brutal armed groups the world has known in her efforts to end the civil war. Despite significant threats to her safety, including ambushes, landmines and accusations of treason, she persists in her attempt to forge peace. Drawing on decades in peacemaking, she outlines the principles that guided her recent engagement in South Sudan and is forthright in her views on the tension between justice and peace. Listeners are warned that this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence.

Shannon Sedgwick Davis is the CEO of Bridgeway Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to ending and preventing mass atrocities around the world, and the author of To Stop A Warlord. As an attorney, activist, passionate advocate for social justice, Ms. Sedgwick Davis has guided Bridgeway Foundation in pioneering solutions to seemingly intractable issues around the world. Ms. Sedgwick Davis and the Bridgeway Foundation have been credited for their pivotal role in mobilizing awareness, civilian protection, and recovery efforts against the Lord's Resistance Army and its leader, Joseph Kony, the first-ever indictee of the International Criminal Court. Before joining Bridgeway Foundation in 2007, Ms. Sedgwick Davis served as Vice President of Geneva Global and was the Director of Public Affairs at the International Justice Mission (IJM). Ms. Sedgwick Davis is an honors graduate of McMurry University and Baylor Law School. Ms. Sedgwick Davis currently serves on the advisory council of the Elders and is a board member of several organizations including Humanity United, charity: water, This Bar Saves Lives, Verdant Frontiers, Virunga Fund Inc., and formerly, TOMS LLC. Are you ready to start dreaming big? CLICK HERE to receive your free Dream Big Workbook. ————————— On the episode: Producer : Haley King Engineer : Jackson Carpenter Co-host : Scott Schimmel