By Matt Whiteman
Okay, for anyone who has read Ishmael Beah’s Long Way Gone or who knows anything about the Congo (or even if you haven’t/don’t), can you poke holes in this 2 minute video? It’s like the girl effect video, but more of a downer.
I say tough call. “THEIR WEAPON = OUR VOICE” >> kinda yikes… definitely oversimplified, but with human attention being a commodity, the video did exactly what it should have done…
Obviously, DR Congo ≠ child soldiers, rape and lions, but if it means more people trying to hold those prolonging the conflict to account, is that better than complete silence and apathy? Does this allow people to symbolize their solidarity, or is this just more badvocacy? A friend pointed out that it’s sorta like “now you too can play child soldier” and that in itself is offensive enough.
As for sad music + saviour man… well, dime a dozen perhaps, but at least he admits it began with wanderlust, admits that he learned more than he bargained for, and at least he remains in the background to some extent.
An effective ad campaign, no doubt – and after reading Ishmael Beah’s story, it’s tough to argue against rehabilitation of child soldiers (as one part of a much larger issue). It’s also one of those issues that is impossible to fit onto a t-shirt and have it remain totally PC.
At first glance, I think to be even more transparent, they should post their reports with budgets etc. I’d also include a section where people can access resources to learn more about the conflict if they have more questions (Gérard Prunier’s book, for one). I wasn’t as outraged by this as I have been by some other campaigns, until I got to the photo journal (on the main page after the video, go to “story”). A large helping of white man’s guilt, accompanied by a hefty slice of “we are helping!”. They effectively “Other” the people of the DRC back to the 15th century. Come on guys, watch your language.
On the one hand, you’re buying a $300 trinket. On the other hand, the war whistle is a haunting gift if you imagine how it started (and this is totally my imagination and in no way represents reality, by the way). Guy comes home in pain but with overwhelming ambition – family and friends expect beautiful artisanal handicrafts from archetypal ‘noble Africans’ and instead he gives them a whistle carried by a small child in a war zone. I respect that he notes the “powerful irony” associated with the item, that “In DR Congo it is used as tool for war, but here at home it is a symbol of freedom.”[1] If I were the one receiving the gift and didn’t already know about the DRC, I’d probably jump on board as well. It all fits together really well; he tells a ‘tidy’ story (although perhaps a little too tidy in some ways). Regardless, I think when a campaign grows to this size, it becomes far easier to poke holes in it. Credit where credit is due, I think.
A friend who I think very wise always says to me that to understand an issue like this one, you can’t just critically analyze it. You have to feel it. This is what the campaign does.
Lastly, they quote this man, whose words echo Paulo Freire:
“If you came to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you came because your liberation is bound together with mine, then let us walk together.”[2]
~Just some fella living through a war
That’s something I can get behind.
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[1] Retrieved Tuesday, December 15th, 2009. “Just A Bunch Of Kids: A FALLING WHISTLES BENEFIT”. Here.
[2] Ibid.
