[link] Maybe you've seen it. More than likely you have. It's a video that was created to help raise awareness of the one Joseph Kony. It's a good enough, to fit the western world and make us feel compelled to help. Other than Jacob did you hear from any victims in this video? It's a good thing when you're raising awareness about what is happening to the children there. Think about it though, doesn't the video seem a little one sided? Victor Ochen, the Director of African Youth Initiative Network, said, "They are focusing more on an American solution to an African conflict than the holistic approach which should include regional governments and people who are very key to make this a success. Every war has its own victims. They are advocating for a mechanism to end war with more attention to a perpetrator not victims. Campaigning on killing one man and that's the end is not enough."
Yes, Kony is a bad guy but the approach seems off. We are emptying out our wallets and sending it to someone else to line their pockets. People are buying items with his name on them to make him famous to bring him down but imagine if you were forced to kill your parents how much pain that name would bring you. Ochen also says "To me even a bullet alone isn't good enough for Kony, killing him alone will not be enough. There are many people who are caught up in this war. Invisible Children has good access to international media but they have no connection with the community they claim to represent."
The video that is shown over simplifies the conflicts in Africa. Yes it does raise some awareness yet some of the things are no longer true and need to be explained more. Kony is no longer in Uganda he was there in 2006. People there are now sleeping at home and children are going to school. The video shows that the people are helpless there and everything that can help all lies in the United States.
One must also remember the problems that are here at home. 1 in 5 homeless people are under the age of 18 in the United States alone. Children are forced into gangs and in order to survive they have to kill other people. Children everyday are abused by even their own parents or other adult they thought they could trust.
One person's response to the KONY 2012 issue.
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Sta.sh
Eva
