Child Soldiers

Silent Army: Story of a Child Soldier

By: Mari-Ana Narbon

After two long days filled with excitement and debate, the delegates of THIMUN XLII had the privilege to watch the film "Silent Army" by the Dutch director Jean Van de Velde, who was present during the showing. The film, released in 2008, shows the lives of a boy, Thomas, and his father, and how they are affected by the disappearance of Thomas' best friend, Abu. Abu was abducted by a rebel army that was dedicated to raising child soldiers. As he becomes more and more "brainwashed" by the leader, Obeke, the brutality and damage that armies as such create is shown in a more clear way to the viewers.

As the movie progressed, the horrors that the child soldiers go through, like having to kill their friends and family for their own survival, startled the audience, making some shed tears of sadness and anger. When the movie finished and the lights went on again, a feeling of change and resolution hovered in the auditorium which was filled with about 500 viewers. Even if initially many of the delegates present, felt tired or had other things in mind, by the end of the night there was one common thought shared by all: how do we fix this problem?

After the showing, Mr. Van de Velde entertained a session of questions and answers regarding the movie and the problem itself. This gave the delegates the opportunity to understand the deep repercussions of the existence of these armies and to see how there is a way to fix it. According to Mr. Alain Meidinger, member of the THIMUN Board of Directors, Mr. Van de Velde was "surprised by the questions that were asked. He had no idea they were going to be as deep as they were. The interaction with the delegates was very entertaining."

Thus, this year's movie had a strong impact on all of the delegates that watched it. An example of this is the delegation from the Hisar School in Turkey who were so shocked and touched that they stayed up late at night discussing the movie and what can be done about the issue. To those who missed it, MUNITY highly recommends it and thanks the director Mr. Jean Van de Velde for his time and dedication.