Opening Ceremony of the Otino Onywalo Ilum Re-Boot Workshop

On Sunday May 2nd, 2021, the docu-dance-theatre Re-Boot Workshop for Children Born of War in Northern Uganda had its opening ceremony at Bishop Asili Community Education Centre in Lira city. The workshop arose out of the Children Born of War Innovative Training Network’s (CHiBOW) sustained relationship with artist, director and creative educator Darrel Toulon, and forms part of a longer-term, inter-disciplinary and international endeavour. This project links to the work of CHiBOW’s Early-Stage Researchers (ESRs), Dr Boniface Ojok and Dr Eleanor Seymour, who focused on the experiences of children and women in post-conflict northern Uganda. With the support of professional artists, docu-dance-theatre encourages the communication of stories and perspectives through expression in movement, music, and pictures

This workshop follows Otino Onywalo IIum’s inauguration at St. Mary's College, Aboke from December 2019 to January 2020 and aims at preparing the participants for a series of performances to be held regionally and nationally. This exciting performance series will kick off at Lango Cultural Center in Lira, with another marking the International World Day of Culture at TAKS Art Center in Gulu in collaboration with National Theatre Kampala and culminating at the Lunkulu Limited Edition of Baymiba Festival.

Those who have facilitated the Re-Boot Workshop include Darrel (Artistic Director & Movement Coach), Local Musician BeePee (Vocal Coach), Babra Otuku (Local Manager), and Peace Toneva (Clinical Psychologist and Counsellor).

During the two-week workshop, the participants will be instructed in performance techniques of physical theatre with movement, voice and writing classes. The initial 15 project participants (4 female, 11 male) were selected from a group of 53 Children Born of War (CBOW) and children born in captivity all from Gulu city, Lira City and Otuke district.

The workshop was declared open by the Prime Minister of Lango Cultural Foundation (LCF), Rt. Hon. Eng. Robert James Ajal, and graced by other invited dignitaries from Lango sub[1]region including the Deputy Prime Minister - LCF (Hon Olang Joe Erik), Mr. Vincent Oling (Elder, Mentor to Workshop Participants), Mrs. Rose Oling, Acan Grace (Refugee Law Project, Gulu), Mr. Occa Jackson (District Senior Probation Officer), and Sr. Joanina Kinkuheire (Bishop Asili Commuinty Education Center).

Partners involved in this project include The Alpha Group, Facilitation for Peace and Development (FAPAD), National Theatre Kampala, Bayimba International Festival, the University of Leipzig, and the University of Birmingham. This project has also been supported by the talent of Dheeraj Akolkar for Grassroots Stories, a writer, cinematographer, and producer who will continue filming the second workshop. The Otino Onywalo Ilum Re-Boot project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK.

For more information about the work of Darrel Toulon visit here: https://www.the-alpha-group.org/

For further interest in Dheeraj Akolkar and Grassroots Stories see here: http://www.grassrootsstories.org/