A video awareness campaign was recently launched by the outspoken nonprofit organization, Invisible Children, called Kony 2012. The video is masterfully presented the atrocities committed by the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) led by the most wanted man in the world by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Joseph Kony. The video is powerful, evocative, and engaging. What is incredible is how fast this video has spread in just a few days and as someone who has been familiar with the issue for over 6 years, it’s a great success to see people care. But before you donate your paycheck or pledge allegiance to Invisible Children (IC) believing that they are the solution, there needs to be a critical conversation on what actually needs to happen to stop the LRA.
Many of you who know me know that after a few years of fundraising for IC and having multiple experiences seeing and learning about their actual work in Uganda…I’m not a fan. Maybe its their egotistical save the world and we will stop the war hipster attitude they sport, maybe it is because I don’t think hardly any of the 13 million dollars they raise each year actually go towards doing anything besides making decent movies. What I do know is that from undisclosed large players on the ground, not everyone is entirely pleased. In fact, the largest issues aren’t being addressed.
So what are we pushing our politicians to do in this campaign? Send troops to Uganda to fight and kill kids (child soldiers) in order to capture this one man? Is that the best solution? I don’t know, but I do know that waging civil war isn’t appealing, and that the money in which their campaign raises goes to the the Ugandan military (UPDF) who themselves rape and loot across the region. Having said that, I think it’s great that people know about the issue. That is what this organization is good at - awareness. I would just be careful before you go about donating to them. Only 32% of your donation goes toward actual programing on the ground in Africa.The fact that the organization declined an independent auditing agency to look through their numbers and certify them, is alarming.
One site said, “I feel about this Kony video the exact way I feel about Toms Shoes, it’s a great way for American’s to feel good about themselves without doing a damn thing” While I love the excitement, I pray that some seed of agency is planted in each of the people who find themselves moved by this film/issue. My hope is that they do something.
The thing is, the worlds problems will not be solved by Invisible Children or the United States. They will need to be confronted by a collaborative effort that has a strong base of engaged people, relevant academics, from all nations, most especially the one in which the problem lies.
I think that the work that we do at Pangea Educational Development (PED) is not only simple and innovative, but revolutionary. It isn’t that we found the magic bullet or that we are smarter than anyone else out there. It’s that we follow our hearts. We approach the issue with humility and a grave concern for people, not our good works.
The first week I was in Uganda I was with a mission group and I was sitting down being introduced to a church to which I was about to speak. As I got up and started speaking I realized and said (I think out loud a lot), “no one will ever be able to come here and fix your problems. Certainly not I, and certainly not the U.S. government. Change comes when leaders within a community and the community as a whole rise up to make that change.” The same is believed by everyone in our organization. That is what I feel makes us different, we aren’t out to save the world.
The same is true about this conflict and the issues that challenge Uganda and the children and families left wounded and largely forgotten as the conflict left. PED seeks to empower communities through education. That to me is what will change the world, not this video.
Watch the video yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
The most critical article I’ve read: http://lunamagazine.com.au/slider/13511
The most notable scholar on the issue, Chris Blattman: http://chrisblattman.com/2009/03/04/visible-children/
And a group who is clearly against them: http://visiblechildren.com/
Have you heard of the revolution? Check it out at http://bikes4bookschi.tumblr.com/
I painted a picture of Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz on the iPad
Pradko.com
Jesus Vs. Religion. This is one of the more profound and clearly communicated ways of bringing up this really relevant issue. To be honest I largely agree with this and I think it goes back to a few conversations we were having freshman year about religion. It was posted by a “christian community” group which points me in the direction of action I assume they are taking, but I personally think it calls us to revolutionize the church. Jesus also called us to live in community, which I wish they would have included in their argument.
From the new clothing company Gentlemen and Scholars:
A Sophisticated Cotton Society , no longer comprised of the working class and blue collar drones. We are; artists, individuals, creative’s, and independent professionals, Gentlemen of the world & Scholars of the streets. The hustle is our way and the party is our play. With our don’t take life to seriously approach on success we are always look’n out for the little guy and living life on our own terms. For us its just another day in the concrete jungle, keep your hat clean, monocle clear and mustache waxed…
Business as unusual !
Here is a picture of my wonderful mother and I in my hometown of Rochester, Michigan. Rochester has the second most Christmas lights in the world next to Disney Land! Merry Christmas!
Photos from our safari in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda
