movies

wow, I'm not very good at updating this yet, as it's been nearly a month since the last post. I know this because the second round of vaccinations happens this friday. yellow fever here I come! I hear that there are very strange and vivid dreams with that one.

so, there is some required reading (which I haven't yet done) and some required viewing (which I have done some of) to give us more of an idea about what the culture we are going into is like.

So I rented Blood Diamond and The Last Kind of Scotland.

Wow. really.

So I watched Blood Diamond first, and that is about the horrific conditions of the diamond industry, coupled with the corrupt government , and the corrupt rebels fighting against the government. Villages and families torn apart, people killed mercilessly, like nothing more than disposable tissue- actually even worse than that- people killed just for sport or the cruel power of being the one oppressing rather than being oppressed. It was also shocking to see the reality of turning children into soldiers. Children are so impressionable, and it is terrifying to me to see them so callously and intentionally destroyed for the means of corrupt intention.

Then I watched The Last King of Scotland- man. my friend Greg described that movie as "a kick in the face". he's not far off. It's about Idi Amin, who, if you're older than me at all, you probably know about. he was the president (?) of Uganda after a rise which was a bit of a rags to riches story, so to speak. What struck me most, not being familiar with who he was when these things were happening in history, is how charismatic he was. even fairly likable. yet he decimated the population of Uganda- killed many many people on a whim or because of perceived or real slight.

the most disturbing part is that although exiled, he lived out his life and died of old age (I think) in Saudi Arabia.

This brings up many thoughts about justice and forgiveness, and the tension that I don't navigate so well. it is hard for me to forgive injustice, especially in such an unjust place. but we are called to forgive. and how do we forgive, and also grieve with the oppressed and work to alleviate opression? how do we work without working as a result of white guilt (especially since both of these movies show that the natives are just as guilty), and come with a spirit of humility and as a learner?

many many questions and thoughts.