Unless you are still completely faded from your trip to Cancun, you’ve probably figured out by now that the guy who is mentioned in everyone’s Facebook statuses, Joseph Kony, is not a front-runner in the presidential election. You’ve also probably gotten wind that this Kony guy is not a man worthy of praise, but rather of disgust and hatred.
As of last week, he has risen from obscurity in the dense Ugandan jungle to infamy as arguably the most hated man on the face of the planet. And rightly so.
One 30-minute video produced by Invisible Children, the nonprofit organization spearheading the capture of Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army, has launched a massively successful campaign to spread awareness about a man who kidnaps children and forces them to commit atrocities.
The infective clout of Facebook and Twitter has made the United Nations’ most wanted man an international superstar. Even the most apathetic are ready to update their personal info to “social activist.”
The natural first impulse after watching the short but spectacularly moving film is to donate to Invisible Children. But before you put your credit card number into cyberspace, a little background check is necessary.
Speculation surrounds Invisible Children. Rumors have been swirling that the founders of Invisible Children have taken pictures with generals of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, a rival terrorist group that is working against the LRA but is still accused of raping and looting the people of Uganda. Just because they counteract the LRA doesn’t exactly qualify them as freedom fighters.
Invisible Children is also said to be a little shady with money. Since the organization is not-for-profit, its finances must be public. Last year, Invisible Children spent $8,676,614, yet only 32 percent went to direct services. The paperwork documents that the rest was spent on salaries, film, travel and transport.
I have no doubt that the organization has the best intentions of stopping Kony, but it seems as though Invisible Children has some ‘splanin’ to do. If it wants to turn the campaign from awareness to fundraising, the organization needs to get it together and make itself crystal clear in order to gain and maintain trust.
Until the rumors and hearsay are squared away, the best weapon to use against Kony is what we’ve been using all along: awareness.
We have recently witnessed the power of awareness and public frustration firsthand with the effective strikeout of SOPA and PIPA. Once again, we as constituents need to flood Congress with concern.
The letters campaign — as suggested by Invisible Children — is the best bet. If Congress realizes how big of a deal this is, they’ll work America’s influence to put an end to Kony and his reign of terror. After all, the welfare of children should, in all cases, be second to none.
In the video, director Jason Russell said a phenomenon like the unrest in Uganda, would never happen here, in the land of the free.
He’s right. If a child were kidnapped and forced to kill his or her own parents here in the United States, we’d all hear, read and see it within a matter of a post, tweet or broadcast. Barbarity to that extent is a faraway tale to Americans, but it is a brutal reality to so many in Africa.
Watching a video, liking a status and changing a profile picture to a Kony 2012 poster is the first step to catching Kony, but it definitely isn’t enough. Contact your local politicians and let them know that as a human being, you won’t tolerate this dehumanization of children.
Colleen Wright is a journalism freshman at UF. Her column appears on Tuesdays.
