On March 5, 2012, a video hit YouTube that sent ideas and actions spiraling into motion. Going viral in just a few days, “KONY 2012” made an impact that left people talking. It was the final call, if you will, by the organization known as Invisible Children in hopes of finding a conclusion to the Invisible War in Africa.
What is the Invisible War? Since the 1980s, a man named Joseph Kony has been leading the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and terrorizing Central Africa, (Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, and South Sudan), abducting children and enlisting them as child soldiers. That is the issue in its simplest form. The organization Invisible Children uses “film, creativity and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in Central Africa to peace and prosperity.” This quote is taken directly from their website, www.invisiblechildren.com, and describes both their role and method in this movement. Having issued about nine other videos, Invisible Children has long been screening films and raising support though most of us have just now become aware of this issue.
However, there are some concerns that have arisen about Invisible Children, the “KONY 2012” film, and the possible affect of the movement itself since the video was released. From everything about where the money goes and the Hollywood style of the film, to the false/underdeveloped claims the video makes, some people have risen up in arms. On March 12, Invisible Children released another video with CEO Ben Keesey answering the above questions. Still, there was a larger, underlying problem.
In the process of writing this article, I was led to the group meeting of Invisible Children @ MSU. Three professors, all involved in the African Studies Department on campus, showed up and with much insight and the deeper issue was revealed. Each echoed the idea that Kony is a surface issue. Merely stopping him will not solve the problem. They stated, as does the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars (ACAS), that peaceful negotiations are the way; even Uganda has called for a road of peace. These three professors, including Invisible Children @ MSU, all agree one of the priorities is to have more opportunities to raise not only awareness, but to educate the people on this issue and its complexities as a whole.
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Side note: I am merely here to report the issues. Only you can decide your stance on this. Please take a look at the videos out there, the Invisible Children website above, and the numerous articles and criticisms flooding the media. After becoming educated, only then can you have a truly solid viewpoint.
Continuing on, there is one thing we can agree on: Africa is in need of help. There are several ways you can get involved. For starters let us look locally: Invisible Children @ MSU will be possibly hosting a benefit, doing a “red out,” as well as putting on a screening of one of the documentaries by Invisible Children on April 19 at 6:30pm in Wells Hall. Check out their Facebook page to keep posted on the numerous events they have coming up.
On a more national scale, Invisible Children themselves have come up with a few ideas of their own: show one of their documentaries, educating family and friends; sign up for TRI and donate to bring home children soldiers; buy merchandise, such as bracelets and t-shirts, in order to provide jobs in Uganda and issue funds to sustain educational development in that country; donate to the Legacy Scholarship Fund which pays for school fees over in northern Uganda; and finally, join Schools to Schools (connect your school with one in Uganda).
Lastly, there are ways outside of Invisible Children and KONY 2012 that you can help Central Africa and the complex situation over there apart from just ridding the area of Kony. From the ACAS, who are worried about the possible unforeseen and dangerous effects through this campaign, arise several solutions that you can take part in: ask for our President and Congress to end the violence, support the Amnesty International campaign to follow the Child Soldier Prevention Act, and donate to the UN High Commission for Refugees. More ideas and information on the role you can play is found at this link.
Most importantly however, read up on this issue and its going-ons. Find out what you believe and who you want to give your time and money to. Overall, realize that this movement has made people no longer blind to this overall issue. Be proud you are of a generation that is moving and calling for change. A single voice will be lost, but when joined with the multitude, it is thunderous.