Uncovering the real story behind the Kony 2012 campaign
By Danijela Demarin
April 20. That is when the
streets and walls of Prague will be covered with the name of Ugandan warlord
Joseph Kony.
Is that the right way to
imprison this criminal? Are we being manipulated by Hollywood-style
campaigning, or helpful to a rare ethical cause in the modern world?
After Jason Russell’s video
about child abduction by Kony was posted on March 5, it went viral within days.
By the end of the first week, millions of people found out who Kony is and what
his organization, the Lord’s Resistance Army, does.
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| Horrifying crimes leave children mentally damaged |
Since Kony 2012 tells
an inside story in a simplified way, it was mostly criticized by people who
have been involved in the Kony controversy for years. The main complaint was
that, in its simplicity, the video neglected some important points, and
therefore could misguide viewers. Also, the mysticism of the organization
Invisible Children certainly did not help to build trust among viewers.
Kony first became notorious
in the 1980s, when he led a brutal campaign against the Ugandan government by
using child soldiers. The cruelties committed against thousands of children
ever since is undeniable. But it is important to keep in mind that oppression
in Uganda did not start with Kony. The violence dates back to the time of King
Leopold of Belium, followed by dictator Idi Amin and later Ugandan governments.
At this point, it is clear that arresting Kony would not automatically cure the
conditions that kept him in power for over 25 years.
While practicing his personal
beliefs and training 11-year olds to follow his orders, Kony had strong backing
from Sudan’s president, and was also helped by the rivalry between the
Congolese and Ugandan presidents, which started with the Ugandan occupation of
the Congo in 1990 (it ended in 2003). Still, there were attempts to stop Kony.
But they only managed to push him out of Uganda, and failed to weaken his
group, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).
Kony founded the private army
in the 1980s as the Acholi militia, modeled on the Holy Spirit Movement,
meaning that it adopted Christian rhetoric with a great dose of mysticism.
Later, it became more of a personality cult focused on Kony himself. The group
is noted for its violence and brutality, weird ideology and abducting children.
Thousands have been kidnapped, mostly by night in a process called “night
commuting.” Many were later forced to kill their parents, or turned into sex
slaves.
Various organizations have
been trying to stop these crimes and protect civilians from cruelty, but none
have been successful. For instance, the US-supported Operation Lightning
Thunder in 2009 failed, due to Kony’s escape prior to the action.
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| J.Russell:"Kony is only the start of IC's fight against criminals." |
The organization claims
around 100 members, mostly film-making and media industry professionals. This
fact created controversy regarding their real aims, since making a movie does
not necessarily mean knowing the right way to help. The organization has been
praised for its work in northern Uganda, where it established an early warning
system to announce the LRA’s arrival and therefore protect people from
kidnappers. Also, an Invisible Children
rehabilitation program has helped numerous LRA victims to pair with
others, and find comfort after the trauma they suffered. So the organization’s
positive effect is undeniable.
But the opacity of Invisible
Children hardly sends a very trustworthy message. Some Ugandan journalists
claim the organization is entirely unknown in Uganda, while others emphasize
that its fund-raising activities help not just Uganda, but the organization’s
members too. To be more specific, IC’s bank account reports show that only 1/3 of
the money is spent in Uganda, while the rest is spent on traveling, office
rental and movie-making costs. And Invisible Children still has not stated how
the money raised by Kony 2012 will be spent.
Charity Navigator, a US
charity evaluator, gave the organization only two out of four stars for
“accountability and transparency.” That speaks for itself.
The video has been widely
criticized not only for its oversimplification of a rather complex situation,
but for being outdated. Kony and the LRA are no longer in Uganda; they moved
their operations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. So there is no longer
any need to intervene militarily in Uganda, where the biggest current problems
are child prostitution, HIV and neurological disorders. The video does not
mention any of this.
Even if Kony were killed or
arrested, what happens to his helpers and long-term supporters? Also, the video
asks people to help support US advisors, undermining the importance and power
of African countries to fight for themselves. And it overlooks the weak human
rights record in Uganda, which does not protect civilians as much as it should.
Millions of viewers watched
the video. Thousands bought the action kit consisting of bracelets and posters.
But it is not quite clear how purchasing posters and placing them on walls in
cities around the world will help in catching Kony. Are we fighting against
windmills, like Don Quijote?
Motivating young people to
fight for human rights is incredibly inspiring, and the video proves the power
of modern media to be used for good causes. But modern technology has also
created critical thinkers who are not so easy to manipulate. They realize that
crimes in the world are very complex, not one-dimensional as the Kony 2012
video shows.
Will covering Wenceslas
Square help to imprison Kony? Will a sticker in the metro motivate people to go
and hunt criminals? It seems unlikely, but time will tell.
Please take your time and respond to our Facebook poll about this issue. You can find it on our fan page.
Please take your time and respond to our Facebook poll about this issue. You can find it on our fan page.
Invisible Children
website:
Kony 2012 Campaign
website:
Kony 2012 video:
The only interview with
Kony:
A Ugandan journalist on
Kony:
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