Currently, the Lord’s Resistance Army of Northern Uganda commands such strength that government forces follow a containment policy, although a map would have been a very helpful feature. One of the protected areas is the War Zone Displacement Camp for thousands of members of the Acholi tribe, mostly orphans who parents have been killed and 30,000 male siblings have been abducted to the rebel army over the past 20 years under penalty of death, leaving 200,000 orphans. Although War Dance could have been filmed as a documentary, directors Sean and Andrea Nix Fine instead focus on three children—Dominic, Nancy, and Rose—who are active in music classes in the compound’s Patongo Primary School. In addition to providing some background on the tragic fates of the three children, most of the focus is on their musical skills, as the school has decided to under the national music competition, which annually is held in Kampala, the capital. In preparation, two expert musicians arrive midway in the film to assist the students in polishing their skills to compete amid 5,000 children. The premise is that music brings the best out of children who otherwise might repose in the horror of their past. The suspense in the film, thus, is whether they might win any of the nine competition categories, including Grand Prize. Indeed, one might wonder why musical competition is not part of the Olympic Games, wherein African countries would shine. Without giving away the happy ending, the film is tasteful throughout, mostly in English, and very entertaining indeed. Titles providing the later disposition of the three children add a nice touch at the end. MH
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