The “abducted” gathered Saturday in Civic Center Plaza — hundreds of Colorado teens, some younger — devoted to simulating the plight of Ugandan children taken from their homes in recent years by a rebel army.
They formed a line, connected by a single rope, and walked to Cheesman Park, where they established a makeshift overnight rescue camp. They sprawled on blankets to write letters to congressmen, tied photos of themselves with rope to pictures of African children, and read poetry asking for justice.
Every act was symbolic.
“The Congolese child soldiers hold onto a rope when they are abducted from their families,” said Katie Schneebeck, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit Invisible Children, organizer of the event.
The overnight rally, one of 100 in cities worldwide, aimed to call attention to guerilla leader Joseph Kony’s human rights abuses
. The International Criminal Court indicted Kony, who is still at large, for crimes in connection with the enslavement of thousands of children, including rape and other violent acts. Invisible Children wants the U.S. government to play a more aggressive role to try to bring peace to the Ugandan region and bring Kony to justice.
By 7 p.m., people had arrived at Cheesman Park waiting for political leaders and media — deemed “the rescuers” — to arrive to listen to their message.
Colorado State University sophomores Rachel Leston and Lauren Rencoret said they jumped at the chance to be a part of a worldwide effort on behalf of kidnapped African children. After reaching the park, they sat cross-legged on the grass and started writing letters to U.S. Senator Mark Udall.
“For far too long the situation in Uganda has been ignored,” read Rencoret’s first sentence.
“Please save Africa,” Leston wrote.
Previous demonstrations by the nonprofit group helped influence greater U.S. involvement in the Ugandan region’s peace process.
Schneebeck said she believed as many as 1,000 people could show up at the park before the night was over. She credited Gov. Bill Ritter for supporting the event.
