Since Joseph Kony took over the internet a few days ago, I have stumbled upon a number of blogs and websites that have given me a lot to think about in terms of Invisible Children and the organizers of the Kony 2012 movement. I do not want to make it seem as if I am a supporter of child soldiers. Because I absolutely am not. This is a very serious and important issue that needs international attention. This much I agree with. However, there a variety of things represented in this project that are a bit problematic. Firstly, the term ‘Invisible Children’ … what does this mean? Invisible to whom? Do these children only become legitimate, “visible,” once they are acknowledged by Westerners? This I have a problem with. The situation insinuated by this name suggests a western-centric power dynamic that does not sit well with me. This entire video is perpetuating the notion of the Western saviour which to a certain extent is hard to escape, but the way that it is represented, both in the film and in the rhetoric surrounding this project, makes me a bit uneasy.
I don’t want to suggest that this cause is illegitimate because it is not. However it is important that we educate ourselves on the issue, outside of what the video and Kony 2012 suggest. Kony 2012 is only one way of approaching a huge web of related issues. Kony is only one man. This has been going on for years and it is not just one person who is responsible. While it is undoubtedly significant that we do all we can to remove Kony and bring some justice to the children and families that have been directly affected by the atrocities he has orchestrated, Kony and his actions are only the tip of the ice burg. There are atrocities being committed every minute of every day around the world, and the majority of us in the Western world live our lives in complete denial that it is even happening. We are citizens of the world. Our accountability is not only to members of our own nation, or own race, or those who share the same beliefs of us. It is to everyone. Every single individual with whom we share our Earth.
Below are some sites that offer interesting opinions. You don’t have to agree with all of it, or any of it for that matter. But there are so many other factors involved and people ought to educate themselves more before throwing themselves on a bandwagon supporting something they are not fully knowledgeable about. I find it so hypocritical that people think they can excuse years of apathy and inaction just by sharing a video on YouTube. If you really want to help make a difference, you need to involve yourself more than that. You may have to, god forbid, leave your house and your computer and do something. In the meantime, I suppose viral spread of the video is better than nothing. But activism is and must be much more than that.
Terrible things are happening, in Africa and all around the world. But before you blindly join the Kony 2012 movement, educate yourself on other circumstances that surround this cause. And don’t stop asking questions.
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http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/
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