Freedom is Knowledge: Kony2012

I know this is a long post, with no pictures, but please take a minute to read this. It means a lot to me and it may make a difference in the way you see things.

     The Kony 2012 campaign hit the Internet this week and like a moth to a flame, young, hipster attention seeking cool kids started blowing up every social network possible. While this is great and I totally support free speech and the right to assemble, I have a few issues with this movement.
     I sat down last night and Jim and I watched the moving video made by Jason Russell of Invisible Children. This video is heart wrenching, filled with images of children walking hours to a school were they could safely sleep. It also included images of Jason's son being born and then him growing into a vibrant toddler that is then told about a bad man in Africa.  What Jason explains is that; the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army) is a self made army guided by Joesph Kony that abducts children and forces them to be soldiers. He then talks about friends he's made while in Uganda that have managed to escape Kony's wrath. Jason goes on to talk about his efforts to bring down Kony and how the U.S. government turned a blind eye.  Followed by clips of people protesting across the U.S., all in efforts for our government to see that this issue is big enough to send our troops to Uganda to take down this terrorist. Images of Hitler mixed with sad African children instantly make you want to get up and call congress. With all of this how could the president not see it. Well he did. Obama deployed 100 soldiers to help the Ugandan army take down the LRA. Good work! If interest is lost then the troops will be pulled, because troops only go were the people want them to!?  He explains Invisible Children's plan to take down Kony is to make him famous. He shows a list of Celebrities and Congress who he is hoping will take interest in Kony 2012 and that by having social media involved it will open the eyes to the millions of people that before this week had no idea who Joseph Kony is/was. Keeping Kony's name relevant in tern makes government see that the American masses are aware of this situation and think it's something that needs to be stopped. Jason ends this 30 minute video by showing that you can donate, or buy this all in one protest kit, including fashionable (kabala-esk) bracelets and posters to slather against walls and store fronts.
     Now I will be the first to admit that I did not know who Joseph Kony was prier to this video. I did however know about the children soldiers. But with all the poverty, disease and unfortune in most of Africa, it all gets swept under the rug. This video did open my eyes to a bigger problem, but I think that what Invisible Children is missing is that removing Kony isn't going to solve many of the problems in Africa, or even Uganda. Kony is not the only man revolting against the African government, and while the LRA is the largest, if the LRA is taken down, then it will just be another group stepping in to take their place.
      Lets talk about issues. Yoweri Museveni is the President of Uganda and is going on his 4th term as president, making his ruling more then 25 years. Their idea of democracy is a little (a lot) different then ours. With little social service, corruption is rampat. Do we need to mention genital mutilation for women? Should we even get started talking about the lack of health care and wide spread aids epidemic? What about the Skippy scandal of the 1990's that poisoned many Africans because their only source of food was the super chemical filled peanut butter the  U.S. company supplied for them. These are the things that are not even hinted at in the Kony video. How is taking down the LRA going to effect any of those problems.  
     The main point of this viral video  is get people to talk about it. I feel with that, the video is a success. Where it goes wrong for me is that they are urging people to get active and to call congress and stand up for this campaign, and people are with little knowledge rather then a 30 minute well produced video. I think that using social media is a great idea. We are in the age of facebook, for peets sake, your reading this from my BLOG post. Social media is everywhere and using it to your advantage is what it was made for.  People aren't looking at any of the other facts beside, bad man = must be taken down. Part of the problem is that IC has found it's nitch; sleek modern imagery that appeals to young adults. While that works and has got people's attention, I don't think it goes much farther then that. You have America's attention... what comes next? IC has been criticized by people as "show boaters" or "part of the white man's burden", with lots to say and the ability to swoop in and take credit, but there are many organizations silently working to help Africa with it's many problem including Kony and the LRA. 
     My main point through this whole post is that Kony does need to be taken down, and this is a, smart eye catching, thought provoking, campaign. I'm all for becoming an advocate for this cause, but before you do, make sure that you are educated on the subject. Make sure that Invisible Children is an organization that you want to be affiliated with, there are lots of organizations that have similar goals with less propaganda.  I will provide some links to other charities that have similar agendas and you can make a choice for yourself.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am writing this not as slander against Kony2012, but as a person with objective thoughts. I am not the smartest person, nor do I claim to be, but I feel like this is an  opportunity for young people to make a difference, a smart, educated difference.

Caritas Uganda, 

AYINET

Refugee Law Project

All three of this charities are great are are worth taking a look at.