Documentary Focuses on Crimes Committed by African Warlord
In the sweeping landscape of Uganda, a country in Eastern Africa, the hunt for a tyrant in hiding has captured the world’s attention be- cause of a documentary that went vi- ral on March 7. The film, Kony 2012, had over 20 million views in the first 48 hours of its posting; social net- working sites have contributed to the expeditious exposure that the film has received in the first two weeks of its existence.
At 30 minutes long, the documentary informs the viewer of the history of child abduction in Uganda, emphasizes the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) as the group responsible for the atrocious acts and maps out a plan of action to bring LRA’s leader, Joseph Kony, to justice.
Although the war in Uganda has been going on for more than two decades, this is the first time that many are hearing about the ruthlessness that has occurred to children in this part of the world.
Alexandra Carbijal, a junior, said she was surprised to see the depreda- tion that has occurred in Uganda and that nothing has been done to stop the LRA. “I was shocked to see how devastating it is over there and that Kony is still free to continue these acts,” she said.
Kony has kidnapped an estimated 30,000 children for use as fighters or sex slaves in his resistance group, ac- cording to cia.gov. The army formed by Kony has been at war against the Ugandan government since 1987 and its purpose is to make the country a Christian nation.
Far fromChristian acts, Kony uses the children as mules, transporting supplies such as weapons, ammuni- tion and food for his troops. When the children become too weak, they are killed. They also are the LRA’s frontline, serving as an unarmed wall of bodies that are used as a de- coy for the Ugandan Army to waste bullets on.
It was stories like these that grabbed the attention of young film- makers Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole, and influenced them to document the experiences in order to bring about world awareness of the events in Uganda. The orga- nization that they founded, Invisible Children, began documenting the devastating problem in Central Af- rica in 2003. It officially became a non-profit organization in 2006 and since then has campaigned against the atrocities affecting the children in Uganda.
In October 2011, the organization helped influence President Barack Obama to send 100 American advi- sors into Uganda to help train the country’s army on the necessary tactics needed to capture Kony. Their efforts have been unsuccess- ful and talk has begun to surface that they could be pulled out of the country by the end of this year. As a result of these speculations, Invis- ible Children produced Kony 2012 to rally supporters to keep pressure on politicians in convincing Obama that these military advisors are needed.
Dr. Nancy Mezey, Director of So- ciology and Associate Director of the Institute for Global Understanding, says that vocal citizens can be very effective in influencing politicians. “Whenever a group tries to impress upon politicians that an issue is im- portant, those politicians are very likely to listen and respond on their call to action.” Some politicians who have already responded to those vo- cal citizens are John Kerry, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Mitt Rom- ney.
By putting familiar faces of such politicians in the documentary, In- visible Children seemed to be run- ning a smooth, well respected non- profit organization. But as the first days of the documentary’s release went by and millions of people watched the film, a growing number of viewers began to question the or- ganization and how their donations are dispersed. Rumors of the orga- nization using donations to produce their films and directors paying their own salaries began to circulate along with questions as to why Americans should be concerned with an interna- tional problem when there are trou- bling issues in the U.S.
Caitlin D’elia, a junior, says she is not surprised by the criticisms. “There are two sides to every story and I expected to hear a negative opinion on the organization,” she said. “But in order for these film-makers to produce the documentary, they needed money to do it. It would be impossible to produce something like this for free.”
Carbijal has a different opinion. “I think it’s immoral for the directors to use the donated money to pay their salaries,” she said. “If donators give their money to aid people in Uganda, that’s who it should go to.” Carbijal also commented that Americans should be focusing on domestic issues. “There are a lot of problems in the U.S. right now, and I feel that Americans should be concerned with our own country at the present time.”
The public relations firm for Invisible Children has been very busy since the release of the documentary. They have been steadfast in keeping a respectable image for the organization since Jason Russell, the co-creator of the documentary, made things harder for the public relations firm by displaying bizarre behavior on a San Diego boulevard last week.
On Thursday, witnesses in the San Diego neighborhood of Pacific Beach reported seeing Russell errati- cally running around naked, scream- ing and interfering with traffic. They also reported seeing him pounding his fist on the sidewalk. Explaining this episode, Ben Keesey, Invisible Children’s chief executive, released a statement on Friday saying, “Ja- son Russell was unfortunately hos- pitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and mal- nutrition. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident.”
To ease some of the backlash di- rected at the organization’s spending, Invisible Children released a public statement on its website. It includes a financial statement which uses a pie chart to break down their expens- es for the 2011 fiscal year.
Mary Harris, Specialist Professor of Public Relations, says that public statements like this are important for maintaining credibility and integrity when facing criticism. “This was a proactive way to approach the nega- tive news coverage and controversy surrounding this group and the Kony 2012 campaign.”
Harris also added that there are several other methods that the orga- nization can do to maintain a credi- ble reputation. “Video news releases would be an effective outlet for this organization since they are known for their viral video campaigns,” she said. “Recent footage of their pro- gressive efforts in East and Central Africa would add positive publicity, along with direct statements con- firming this from more mainstream, trustworthy news sources and policy makers.”
To do this, Invisible Children would use social networks such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. The success they have had using these outlets has been immense and allowing people to interact through this technology has added to per- petual publicity for the Kony 2012 campaign.
Michelle Myers, a junior, said that the documentary has revolutionized social media but unconsciously gen- erated a new wave of “slacktivists.” “I know of many people who hit the like button on Facebook and act as if they are the driving force behind the campaign, but when it comes time for action, they aren’t going to do anything,” Myers said.
The designated time for action is slated for April 20. According to the documentary, people worldwide will congregate on the streets to plaster posters of Kony in hopes to make him a household name, thus showing the U.S. government that the people want him brought to justice.
Harris said that she is eager to see if people will still have the same fervor in six weeks. “In this era of instantaneous news bits and lack of patience from the general public, it will be interesting to see if the hype around this will stay in full force un- til April 20 and beyond, or if people will quickly move on from this is- sue.”
In sensing this “all talk no action” slacktivist mentality, Kafi Daughtry, a sophomore, contacted Mezey the day after Kony 2012’s release. “I was reading people’s ideas and seeing both their enthusiasm and criticisms on these social networks,” Daughtry said. “So I spoke with Dr. Mezey about organizing a discussion group on campus where people can come together and voice their opinions on the film and the movement.”
That meeting, facilitated by Me- zey, will be held at 3:15 pm on March 21 in room 229 in Bey Hall.
PHOTO COURTESY of online.wsj.com
