04 January, 2006

'Michael's Eyes - The War against the Ugandan Child'.

Should hungry children learn early in their lives that war is 'normal'
so that the resources of the world continue to be 'ours'?
Photo: Willy Bach, Pajule IDP Camp Pader, Northern Uganda, August 2003.

We have reached 2006, although it is questionable whether this is a matter of celebration.

In Uganda they are expecting a violent election campaign which will be declared "free and fair". The LRA continues to cut off ears and lips in Acholiland and the killings in Ituri Province, DRC, that ensure the coltan supplies for our lap tops and mobile phones (including mine), have now reportedly reached an unconfirmed 4.7 million people. As we all know from US General Tommy Franks, "We don't do body counts" in Iraq - so why would they bother in Africa.

At least the ICJ have found that the Ugandan Army (UPDF) have committed crimes in DRC and plundered that country's resources.
http://www.icj-cij.org/icjwww/ipresscom/ipress2005/ipresscom2005-26_co_20051219.htm
So, one day maybe Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Halliburton et al will face similar charges. Hope keeps us going, but don't hold your breath.

I am a contributor to a book about the war in Northern Uganda and its effect on children that has other contributors from Uganda. The book has been published in Sweden and is called 'Michael's Eyes - The War against the Ugandan Child'. http://www.mos.umu.se/forskning/publikationer/michaels_eyes.asp

The book is in English and my contribution is part of my collection 'Picking Mangoes that are still green' I hope to publish in Australia. I am hoping to launch the book 'Michael's Eyes' in Brisbane in the early months of 2006.

Also about to be published, my paper: 'Australian Nationalism, conflicted identities, militarism and exclusion' delivered at the Racisms in the New World Order Conference, Coolum, Queensland, 8-9 December 2005.

Lets intensify our efforts to end the unprovoked war of aggression and plunder against the people of Iraq in 2006 and join forces with all the great peace activists in USA.