Walking by daylight

Jennifer Keeling and Claire Dykhuis are getting out their sneakers for this year's GuluWalk. (Danny Abriel Photo)

When Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward first heard the stories of the night commuters of northern Uganda, they couldn’t sit still. They started walking the streets of Toronto in solidarity with the children of Uganda, who set off nightly from their rural villages to the town of Gulu to avoid being drafted as child soldiers in the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Since the pair started walking in 2005, other people have followed in their footsteps. Last year, more than 30,000 people, in 75 cities in 16 different countries took to the streets to urge the world to support peace in northern Uganda.

This year, people are still walking, but with the conflict over, organizers are hoping to build for the future. Funds raised through the walk will go toward the construction of an arts and cultural centre for youth in Gulu.

In Halifax, GuluWalk takes place on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m. Walkers will meet at Victoria Park, opposite the Public Gardens, and set off on a route that will take them around the Halifax Common and through the downtown. All are welcome to join them.

Claire Dykhuis, who just graduated from Dalhousie a week ago, is pitching in to organize this year’s walk. The political science/IDS major spent time in southern Uganda last summer as part of a field studies course in International Development Studies.

The southern and northern regions of Uganda are quite distinct, says Ms. Dykhuis, and in the south, “you didn't hear about the conflict, but of course you knew it was taking place.”

The thought of children on the run haunts her: “It’s so hard to think about. To think that the time they should have been sleeping was spent walking is really very disturbing.”

But there is hope, she continues. “This year, to talk about raising money for an arts centre shows that progress is being made in Gulu. The conflict has come to a close and more peaceful and positive steps are being made.”

As well as Saturday’s walk, committee members with GuluWalk Halifax will screen the heart-rending War Dance. The feature-length documentary tells the story of three children from the Patongo displacement camp in northern Uganda who make it to the finals of Uganda’s national music competition. War Dance will show Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. in Room 406 of the Dalhousie Arts Centre.

LINK: GuluWalk Halifax

WATCH THE TRAILER: War Dance