tbo.com

Kony 2012, a video produced by the charity Invisible Children, went viral about two weeks ago, trending on twitter and Facebook, and hitting 80 million views on YouTube. On March 13, McGill’s Amnesty International chapter hosted a viewing of the video to provide students with a venue for discussion with Invisible Children representatives.

According to Invisible Children’s website, the 30-minute exposé aims “to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war” and restore communities affected by Kony’s army to “peace and prosperity.”  However, the video has generated controversy over Invisible Children’s legitimacy as an organization, including their use of donations and their involvement with the Ugandan army.

According to Invisible Children employees present at the event, the Kony 2012 movement has brought international awareness to real problems that surround Kony, including the use of child soldiers, abduction, rape, and sexual slavery, and that this video could be the organization’s best chance to arrest Kony.

“There are people right now paying attention across the world,” Andrea Ramsay, an Invisible Children employee, said. “This morning there was a resolution put into [American] Congress to increase assistance to the regional forces … They specifically cited the international response to Kony 2012 for putting the resolution through.”

Representatives also addressed recently voiced concerns over Invisible Children’s relationship with the Ugandan military, which has been known to commit similar crimes  against its own people, including rapes and abuse.

“Invisible Children does not fund the Ugandan army,” Alupo Connie, who grew up under Kony’s regime and was put through university by Invisible Children, said. “It tries to put programs on [the] ground that will help empower the people who have been affected.”

Ramsay added that the international awareness raised by the video will help the situation.

“Now that there are so many eyes on this conflict, [the] likeliness of continued human rights abuses by the Ugandan government has plummeted,” Ramsay said. “Like any other military in the entire world, there are going to be injustices on the individual level [but] we are advocating for a larger conflict.”

Another criticism of the Kony movement concerns a photo of the three Invisible Children founders posing with the Ugandan army while holding guns, which Ramsay called “a dumb photo by kids who were 25.”

Connie also explained the organization’s redevelopment programs, which include the LRA crisis tracker (a radio network on the frontline of the war), the Legacy Scholarship Program, and building new schools and jobs for communities affected by the conflict.

The Kony movement has also been criticized because the events described in the video happened six years ago. Many Ugandans have spoken out, saying that the video doesn’t reflect the huge progress Uganda has made since those years. 

U3 political science student Hugo Martorell, who has followed African politics for the last decade, agreed that Kony isn’t the real problem anymore.

“Kony is the tip of the iceberg … the big picture is regional dynamics that have made the population suffer,” he said. “I understand that you’re trying to empower a depoliticized youth by making [the issue] accessible, but people have to understand that it’s so much more complicated than just putting Kony at the top.”

Although those who oppose the Kony 2012 movement have been criticized for not coming up with plausible solutions to the problems they identify, Martorell suggested his ideal plan of action.

“You need at least … African Union and UN backing for any kind of reparation,” he said. “Then you have to target the causes behind [the]  mushrooming militia in the region … lack of transparency with natural resources and the arms trade.”

McGill community member William Manzi argued that the video is strategically timed, and that it doesn’t tell the entire story.

“How do you know this isn’t propaganda by [current Ugandan President] Museveni?” he said. “It’s a good video, but it’s one-sided.”

Although there was no consensus reached by the end of the discussion, attendees left with a more thorough understanding of the issues surrounding Kony 2012.

“It’s about international justice,” Luca Madden, U2 political science, said. “What [Kony]’s doing happens a lot … I don’t see a problem in attacking the tip of the iceberg if it’s going to set a precedent for the rest of the iceberg.”