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The Soundtrack to My Life

POSTED:Sat, September 20, 2008 @ 1:41PM

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War Dance

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War Dance is a documentary based on the stories of three children who are in the Acholi tribe in Uganda, Africa. They are living in one of the most dangerous refugee camps in the country, displaced due to the Lord’s Resistance Army, or “rebels,” a terrorist group that kidnaps children and turns them into soldiers.

The cameras follow the children as they prepare for the National Music Competition, where they will compete with over 20,000 schools to be the champions. No one expects the school in the war-torn refugee camp to win the competition.

The film focuses on three children— Nancy, 14, Dominic, 14, and Rose, 13, who all have faced traumatic experiences at the hands of the rebels. Nancy watched them murder her father and kidnap her mother, while she hid in the bushes with her younger siblings. Her mother survived the attack, but must work, which leaves Nancy in charge of her younger siblings.

Dominic and his older brother were captured by the rebels and forced to become child soldiers; at just nine-years-old, Dominic was forced to kill three innocent farmers. Dominic was one of the few lucky children who eventually managed to escape the rebel army. He now plays the wooden xylophone, which has been his driving force for living—becoming the best xylophone player in the competition.

Rose watched both her mother and father get executed by the rebels. She took her younger brother and sisters and escaped to the refugee camp, where she lives with her aunt and takes care of her brother and sisters.

Throughout the film, each child tells his or her horrific story, oftentimes recounting it in front of the camera for the first time, enabling the audience to feel the hurt and fear as they watch the child’s tear-stained face search for answers.

The children find their strength and gain back their confidence through music and dance. The real triumph of the film is seen in the children as the tears and pain gradually turn into pride and freedom.

The children dance and sing for their very lives as they keep time with their homemade drums and gourds by stomping their bare feet in the dry dirt. Their voices become stronger with chant and call-and-response, the words and rhythms of their African heritage—channeling their ancestors and their loved ones that have passed on and at once becoming more powerful and fearless as they gain back their faith with each performance.

In the traditional dance category, the children all join together and overcome all the pain and hardship they have had to face. They wear costumes of hope— white feathers on their heads are intermixed with vibrant green, red, and turquoise fabrics as they dance the Bwola, the traditional dance of beauty.

Anyone that has felt a deep connection to music should view this film. It not only makes you appreciate everything that you have in life, but it also makes you feel inspired after seeing the children rise up and overcome the trauma of their youth. These children will not be remembered as having lost parents in the war—they will be remembered for keeping the future of their tribe alive by becoming warriors of spirit who overcame tragedy and found hope and freedom through their music and dance.

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