Isabelle Pinard
Managing Editor

Beige curtains of the Little Theater parted as young women and men from Uganda’s Children of Uganda (COU) performed in their Tour of Light show on Jan. 12 to a buzzing audience of CES students. CSH and SHHS students also had the opportunity to see the dancers during E and F periods earlier and at 4 p.m. later that same day.

“The purpose of this performance is to fund raise for the 600 and more orphans in Uganda,” artistic director Roberts Kiwanuka said. “This program will help those less fortunate children go to school and be able to have healthier lives.”

COU works in correlation with local non-government organizations in Uganda, such as the Daughters of Charity orphanages, to provide education and support to the children in need, according to Kiwanuka.

“They pulled us out of our seats and taught us some of their cultural dances,” sophomore Salina Kamara, who attended the performance, said. “When I spoke with some of the kids they told me this trip was their first time on a plane or on an escalator, which really opened my eyes to how different their lives are.”

The young adults presented Ugandan regional dances, teaching the audience how music and dance are a large part of life in Uganda according to Kiwanuka.

COU is touring all over the United States including California, Washington and New York. Sponsors in each state help paid for the children’s lodging, food and plane tickets according to the organization’s website.

“This is all about those kids in Uganda,” Kiwanuka said. “We cater for those children who have almost nothing, and give them the necessities they need in order to be happy and live their lives.”