Kony 2012
If you’ve logged on to Facebook within the last week and a half, you have likely seen a video titled “Kony 2012”. The video, made by the non-profit organization called “Invisible Children,” expresses it’s intent to “make Kony famous”.
Joseph Kony is an awful person – there’s no doubt there. He is the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, which has committed many human rights offenses including kidnapping, rape, and murder.
“The message [of the video] was blunt – and in the eyes of many overly simplistic. It argued that the world and the United States in particular should do more to capture a man indicted almost a decade ago by the International Criminal Court and who still tops their list of suspects at large, accused of multiple war crimes including kidnapping children to act as soldiers and sex slaves,” writes Peter Apps, a journalist for Reuters (1).
The video is part of a larger campaign being lead by Invisible Children, called “Kony 2012.” The awareness raising will culminate on the night of April 20th, when everyone is supposed to go out at dusk and cover their city with KONY 2012 posters until dawn (probably while wearing their KONY 2012 shirts and bracelets, too).
However, as stated previously, this is very problematic. The solution being proposed here is overly simplistic. It is also very militaristic – one of their goals is to get the United States army to go to Uganda (where Kony and the LRA no longer inhabit [2]), where they will help the Ugandan army capture Kony and “bring him to justice.”
This is also problematic due to the record that Invisible Children, INC carry. Only 32c per dollar goes to the cause, while the CEO and two main filmmakers make $88,000+ per year (3).
As Javie Ssozi, a Ugandan blogger wrote, “[h]ave they thought of the consequences? Making Kony ‘famous’ could make him stronger. Arguing for more US troops could make him scared, and make him abduct more children, or go on the offensive” (2).
This could displace more people from their homes once again. It could also take more children away from their parents, if Kony becomes stronger. When he previously claimed to back down, he actually built up his army and became stronger again. This could happen another time, thus leading to more kidnapping, raping, and murdering.
“None of us who actually work with populations affected by mass atrocity believe this to be a truthful or helpful representation. Even under horrific circumstances, people are endlessly resourceful, and local actors understand their needs better than outsiders. It’s good that Americans want to help, but ignoring the role and authority of local leaders and activists isn’t just insulting and arrogant, it neglects the people who are the most likely to come up with a solution to the conflict,” write Kate Cronin-Furman and Amanda Taub (4).
This relates to women in multiple ways. First, their children are being taken away by Kony and his army, and sometimes are murdering their parents. The girls are turned into sex slaves, and are raped multiple times.
However, the Ugandan army, which Invisible Children supports, has been accused of raping and kidnapping civilian women as well (5). In one case, “[i]n September 2010, two Ugandan soldiers reportedly took a young Congolese girl of 15 named Marie to a clinic in Nzara, South Sudan. The girl had been “rescued” from the LRA by the Ugandan soldiers, who allegedly gang-raped and impregnated her, before taking her to the clinic “nearly dead” (5).
While disarming and dismantling Kony and the LRA are important causes, it is important to realize that putting up posters and donating to Invisible Children won’t help the cause much, especially when they are spreading false information and supporting militarization.
1. Apps, Peter. “Seen by millions, will Uganda Kony video matter?” Reuters, 14 March 2012. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/14/us-uganda-kony-video-idUSBRE82D0WH20120314?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FworldNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+International%29
2. Pflanz, Mike. “Joseph Kony 2012: growing outrage in Uganda over film.” The Telegraph, 08 March 2012. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/uganda/9131469/Joseph-Kony-2012-growing-outrage-in-Uganda-over-film.html
3. “Invisible Children.” Charity Navigator. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12429
4. Cronin-Furman, Kate and Amanda Taub. “Solving War Crimes With Wristbands: The Arrogance of ‘Kony 2012′”. The Atlantic, 08 March 2012. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/solving-war-crimes-with-wristbands-the-arrogance-of-kony-2012/254193/
5. Mutaizibwa, Emma. “UPDF in Kony hunt accused of rape, looting.” The Observer, 02 March 2012. http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=17456:updf-in-kony-hunt-accused-of-rape-looting&catid=78:topstories&Itemid=116
