Order your copy of Invisibles
From Invisibles (Pinguin Films)
I thoroughly recommend that as many of you as possible order the DVD of the film Invisibles. I recently reviewed it for The Lancet and I have copied my review for you below- details on how you can order it are at the end. Just to warn you now though, it is shocking viewing. I am organising a campaign to try to raise awareness of what is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but more importantly, I am trying to get those who can do something about it, ie politicians and Governments etc, to do so. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining in or finding out more. Rhona
The unforgettable invisibles
Never has a film put me on such an emotional roller coaster as The Invisibles, which tells real-life stories from five neglected humanitarian crises-Chagas disease in Latin America, African sleeping sickness, violence in Colombia, child soldiers in northern Uganda, and the sexual assault of women and girls by soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
For me, two of these stories stand out: the smiling and crying faces of the children in northern Uganda as they describe what they did, and what happened to them; and the women and girls from the Democratic Republic of Congo who describe their experiences, each one unique, with courage and dignity. The women are filmed fading in and out of view as if to emphasise their invisibility.
There are no clever tricks to disguise the shocking reality of these situations. We see dead children lying on the ground after they have been shot, very young children in army gear reloading rifles, and hear story after story of just how depraved human beings can behave towards each other. Yet the film also offers hope. The caretaker of Noah’s Ark, a refuge for fleeing children, and the women’s group that has rescued and cared for more than 300 women and girls who have been sexually assaulted reveal that even in the darkest situations, humanity and kindness can prevail.
Raising awareness can only be truly effective if it leads to action. So the challenge of Invisibles is to take the audience on to the next stage. We cannot simply walk away and forget the child soldiers or the way sexual assault is used as a weapon of war. We should challenge our governments to do something to address the situations depicted in this film. Rhona MacDonald: rhona.macdonald@lancet.com
Produced by MSF and Javier Bardem. For a DVD of Invisibles email liane.cerminara@london.msf.org