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Uganda is a country that has been devastated by civil war and the AIDS
epidemic. The total population of the country is 22 million and out of
that number there are 1.6 million orphans. This documentary shows some
of the measures being taken to deal with tragedy on a scale so large. The
film opens with women being taught how to handle their finances - there
are many villages where the adult male population has been virtually wiped
out and it's left to the women to handle everything.
In Uganda, they have taken the saying, "it takes a village to raise
a child" literally - most orphans are "adopted" by someone
in their hometown so the kids can stay in familiar surroundings. It's an
admirable concept but may be impossible to maintain at the rate the adult
population is dying. There are now making it easier for European couples
to come into the country and adopt.
There are glimpses of village life and lots of music and singing, but there
are also heart-wrenching stories: one woman has lost 11 children to AIDS,
cares for 35 kids that are either grandchildren or village children. The
entire sequence at one of the AIDS centers is difficult to watch without
tears - from the coffin-builder shop working furiously at the back of the
center, to the child that dies and is taken back to his village on a bicycle.
It's sad when you listen to people talking about how nobody wears condoms
because education on unprotected sex just isn't done. Religious leaders
continue to say no condom advertising (we can't promote contraceptive devices),
while millions have died of AIDS and millions more are sick.
Here's the contradiction and where this movie fails. The statistics are
tragic, but the movie doesn't convey tragedy. The country looks like it's
full of smiling, singing people that don't seem to be starving or lacking
for clothing. Is that supposed to show the hope of the nation? Not to be
heartless but, this gives the impression that there's nothing to worry
about here.
There's not a lot of narration, so a great deal of the time this documentary
comes off as somebody's home movie - "my vacation in Uganda".
And 5 minutes of the movie is in total darkness as the power goes out in
the hotel during a thunderstorm. There is no reason to keep this footage.
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