For the first time in history, the United Nations flag flew over the Virgin Islands. As the sun shined down through the blue and white of the feathered emblem, I was excited to bring my students to see this historic event. With anticipation, I led the 11th & 12th grade students of the International Academy at VI Montessori School up the stairs of the Catharineberg Government House on the island of St. Thomas.
Little did we know the impact that this particular field trip was about to have on us. Having been invited to a midday art show, the students welcomed the break from their midterm exams at school. They knew the topic of the art show had something to do with Ugandan children, but they had no idea what significance the show actually held.
As Mr. Tony Romano, the host of the event entitled “Welcome to Gulu”, spoke to the students and myself, he introduced us to the history behind this moving art show. Unexpectedly, tears welled in my eyes as Tony directly and poignantly described the plight of the children of Gulu, who had been kidnapped from their families and brainwashed by the Lord’s Resistance Army in the small African nation of Uganda.
Forced to do inhumane things that are difficult to even say out loud, some 30,000 innocent, young children were forced to engage in genocide against their own people. Over the last two decades, even in our modern world, this genocide has been able to continue under the rule of Mr. Joseph Kony.
Only recently have some of these children been rescued from their terror and placed into safe houses with the chance for rehabilitation. The road to sanity and recovery from a nightmare so extreme, however, can be long and difficult, if not impossible. An artist named Ross Bleckner developed the idea of allowing these children, now mostly in their late teens or early twenties, to use art therapy as a means for expression and therapy.
As stated by Mr. Romano, “These young people have never held a paint brush; the only thing that they have ever held in their hands are huge automatic weapons. It became overwhelmingly apparent, that these young people needed a medium in which to be able to express the fears that they had suppressed for so long and try to find some piece of their soul.”
Looking around the colorful room, the paintings that seem so simple and childish at first glance, now take on such deep meaning. The images are a pure form of honest expression, revealing the raw emotions of these individuals who have been through so much in their short lives. It is amazing to realize that most of the paintings are simple images of positive and happy memories, showing hope and optimism.
A reaction of one of the students states this idea perfectly. Nyisha Lewis said, “When I first saw the art, I thought it was just a bunch of little kids showing off their art, but then I realized – it was a bunch of little kids, Ugandan children showing how they felt about the genocide in their country. I began to look at the art a little differently. To my surprise, for the most part they all looked happy and joyful.”
The walls were covered with art, all from the young people, each and every one of them for sale as a fundraiser to support the safe houses and rehabilitation programs. We spent over an hour wandering around in the rooms, taking in the messages from each piece of art. I was particularly moved by a bright painting done by a young woman named Kevin Ayot. Her message of hope in the midst of such adversity is inspiring beyond belief. I purchased her painting and will keep it hanging in my house as a constant reminder of appreciation, strength and hope for a better world.
The “Welcome to Gulu” experience left most of us feeling sad and shocked. It is unimaginable that even in this modern age such atrocities are allowed to go on. We learned that human trafficking is a $30 billion per year business, second only to the illegal sale of drugs and arms. How could this be?
During our time at the show, we were mostly speechless, but words could not do any justice for the moment. We were forced to reflect upon our own lives and were left feeling silly to have spent our time worrying about the minor things that most of us occupy ourselves with on a daily basis.
A few of the students took some time to write down their feelings and use the opportunity as a reflective moment of inspiration and direction. Having been so fortunate throughout their young lives, it seems that these kids are awestruck by the resilience of positivity in our world, even amidst the horrors that can go on.
It is my hope that they will take this knowledge and use it to continue in their mission for a better future for all of us. Although from two different worlds, it is obvious that our students and the young people of Uganda want the same thing… a future filled with peace, positivity and opportunities for success.
Many people deserve gratitude for this event. Thank you to Tony Romano for bringing this show to the Virgin Islands and teaching our students such an important message; thank you to Ross Bleckner for supporting the art therapy for the children of Gulu; thank you to Simone Monasebian and the United Nations for working to end this genocide; Thank you to the Community Foundation of the VI for supporting this event; and most of all, thank you to Kevin Ayot and all the children of Gulu, for reminding us to never give up hope.
VI Source Archive · 1998–2015