A Moment in the Glass: The Secret Life of Uganda's Daughters


  • Photographer
    Leslie Alsheimer
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention
  • Company/Studios
    ForwardFocus.org
  • Date of Photograph
    2005-2012

It is her light, it is the curl in the corners of her mouth, it is the sparkle in her eyes, and it is her unedited and untainted laughter. She is the child that does not yet understand the meaning of poverty. She is the child that has not yet seen the violence and destruction so prevalent in the world. She is the child that lost her mother to AIDS, disease, war, famine or child birthing complications, yet remains joyous and youthful despite the suffering. She is the mother that lost her child or husband, but goes on with admirable strength to care for her family. The woman who breaks barriers in hopes of an education, or the woman that walks for miles just to get a simple check up. The light, the strength, the hope and the dignity. Dignity: The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect. Nobility of character, manner or language. - Anika Amon

Story

Uganda is a land of contradiction. Overwhelming sorrow and immense joy exist side by side. In the wake of 26 years of the Lord'sResistance Army (LRA) and Joseph Kony's mindless slaughter, 30,000 child soldier abductions, malaria and HIV/AIDS pandemics ravaging communities already haunted by the specter of dictatorship, genocide, and war — Ugandans still embody an irrepressible spirit of resilience, optimism, courage, and love.

Like most of Africa, Uganda is far more diverse, complex, engaging, and vibrant than the images the popular media would have us believe. The recent Kony2012 video brought a wave of attention to Uganda however, the stereotypical unbalanced, negative imagery of bleeding or scarred war casualties, limbless amputees, bloated bellied children, and naked rape victims portrays an entire nation as helpless, passively waiting for charity without doing anything for themselves. As the story of suffering becomes the only story we know of a place and its people, recognition of our equal humanity becomes difficult; creating stereotypes that rob people of dignity.
A Moment in the Glass:The Secret Life of Uganda's Daughters challenges the common depictions of Africa, particularly African women and children in post-conflict Uganda.
As the invisible backbone of their society, Ugandan women of hope and determination are emerging from the cultural shadows and reclaiming their fundamental rights to grow and thrive in a land that still struggles to maintain fragile pockets of peace in the midst of poverty and devastation and creating peaceful communities where they and their families are free from all forms of violence.

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