Theatre of Violence

Dominic Ongwen was just nine years old when the Lord’s Resistance Army terrorist group abducted him and killed his parents. Joseph Kony’s guerrilla group then tortured, brainwashed, and forced the boy to kill others. Thirty years later, Ongwen surrendered to the authorities and now stands accused of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court in The Hague – the first former child soldier ever to do so. The charges range from murder and rape to torture and slavery. But is Ongwen himself not also a victim? Is he liable for his actions despite being brainwashed? And what kind of justice is about to be served here? Theatre of Violence soberly and convincingly portrays both sides of the immensely complex case. The result is an epic and unshakeable courtroom drama of guilt and punishment, about crimes against humanity and about how modern society should deal with the traumas of the past.

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