What the Kony?
A few seconds after I watched the 29 minute 59 second video about a war criminal named Joseph Kony, my facebook profile picture was the face of this man I just found out about. I reposted the video and urged my friends to watch it.
Joseph Kony is one of the most vilified rebel leaders on the planet. He stands accused of brainwashing countless children across northern Uganda, turning the girls into sex slaves and the boys into prepubescent killers.
STOP KONY.
I spent the rest of the evening looking at the official website, desperate to find a way that I could help in any small way that I could.
The video inspired me. It made me feel like I could make a difference. It made me think about all of the events that has ever happened in the history of this planet- especially the Holocaust. A poster that the Invisible Children had plastered all over the internet may have influenced me even more than the sensational movie: Joseph Kony in the forefront, Osama Bin Laden and Adolf Hitler in the background.
But then I went back on facebook only to find a huge wave of cynicism.
I am often one to blindly believe in the good of mankind but this was probably the worst case of my naive judgment. I had not thought to research about the financial records of the organization or of the motives of the director of the movie. I had not even questioned if this was what the Ugandan people wanted for themselves.
So I finally did a little research. This is what I found: ‘Uganda Oil Reserves rival Saudi Arabia’s.’
(Evidence here: http://allafrica.com/stories/200906020555.html)
Also, apparently, only 30% of all of the money goes to children itself. The rest have been spent on travel, marketing, making the film, etc.
http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/67204635.html?thread=11641075995
It may be true that because of social network, our generation has the power to mobilize people by the thousands for a common cause but will we ever be able to agree on a single cause without being conflicted by so many negative voices?
I have still not decided how I feel about this issue- whether I support it or I’m completely against it. But hopefully, with enough research and the investigation of the press, the world will be able to put this argument to bed soon.
I won’t lie: I really hope that Jason Russell only really cared about the 30,000 children that were being abducted and that if at all he has a motive, it is that he wants to make the world better so he can prove something to his adorable son.
Sad, I know.
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