ELCA NEWS SERVICE
November 21, 2007
ELCA Documentary on Uganda, Forgiveness to Air on NBC Television
07-197-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- NBC affiliate television stations will
begin broadcasting "Uganda: Ready to Forgive" on Dec. 2. The
60-minute documentary about the faith and spirit of the Acholi
people of Northern Uganda is a production of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
Through 20 years of war, death, rape, torture and child
abduction, rebels known as the Lord's Resistance Army forced
2 million people into internally displaced person camps. Yet,
the Acholi people are united in a belief that the only real
solution is reconciliation and forgiveness.
"The program was recorded on location in Northern Uganda,"
said Tim Frakes, writer and producer, Tim Frakes Productions,
Lombard, Ill.
"In this story, the Acholi people offer lessons of
forgiveness that we can learn from," Frakes said. "Most stories
from Africa emphasize Western nations helping Africans," he said.
"This is an example of Africans helping us."
The host of the program is Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor
of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and author of "Left to Tell:
Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust."
"The Acholi people of Northern Uganda have been through so
much, and to be able to capture this amazing story of forgiveness
and reconciliation was truly a blessing. Now our task is to
bring their story to a wider audience," said Ava Odom Martin,
director for public media, ELCA Communication Services.
"If the Acholi people can forgive the Lord's Resistance Army
for the torture and massacre brought upon their community and get
on with their lives, then hopefully someone else may be touched
by their action and find forgiveness for an injustice done to
them," said Martin. "This is truly an African story of grace."
The ELCA is one of 35 member communions of the National
Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC). The NCC is a
founding partner of the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC),
which provides television programming to the affiliates of three
major broadcast television networks. NBC's "Horizons of the
Spirit" series provides four hours per year for documentaries
produced by the IBC faith groups.
Martin said "Uganda: Ready to Forgive" will be available for
broadcast on NBC affiliate stations through May 2, 2008. "Please
contact your local NBC station for specific dates and times in
your area," she said.
This production was made possible in part through a grant
from Faith and Values Media, the United States' largest coalition
of Christian and Jewish faith groups dedicated to media
production, distribution and promotion. The ELCA is a member of
Faith & Values Media, a service of the National Interfaith Cable
Coalition, Inc., formed in 1987.
-- -- --
Information about the television program, "Uganda: Ready to
Forgive," is at http://www.ELCA.org/readytoforgive/ on the ELCA
Web site and http://www.frakesproductions.com/ on the Internet.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
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