PRI: Public Radio International

Viral Video "Kony 2012" sparks activism, criticism

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 11:40:00 -0500

As of Friday, "Kony 2012," a video produced by the non-profit group Invisible Children has been viewed over 56 million times. It's a call for global awareness and action against the notorious Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony. But there's been criticism of the filmmaker as well.

Melinda

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:11:52 -0500

My kids, 4, 6, and 7 all believe that Joseph Kony is a bad guy and he needs to be arrested. They know Uganda was mentioned in the video, but they have completely focused on Joseph Kony and how he needs to be stopped.

Katie

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:00:40 -0500

Check out HTTP://WWW.KONYCOVERTHENIGHT.ORG to find out all the information on Joseph Kony, the Invisible Children, donating, etc.The official website is sold out and only 37% of profits raised by the Invisible Children Organization goes directly to the cause. You should also check out the website http://www.konyninja.com/kony-shirts. It is donating 50% of its profits to the Kony cause.

Aswin Subanthore

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:07:33 -0500

I showed this video in my geography class and my students, an unusual number of them, were quick to criticize its scope. The point being many young people can see through social issues critically. Invisible Children have mastered cyber activism through their Kony 2012 viral video. However, let's use this momentum in bringing to surface global issues surrounding human trafficking and child soldiers in the Global South. After Rwanda '94, we promised our children 'Never Again,' yet here we are. Sudan, the Congo, and now LRA. Focus on the children first.

Steve Kinney

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:27:28 -0500

David Zarembka, Coordinator of the African Great Lakes Initiative of Friends Peace Teams, has posted an extensive commentary on the real situation on the ground in the region. In his very well informed opinion, the military intervention the Kony 2012 campaign demands would do much more harm than good to those it is supposedly seeks to rescue.

The African Great Lakes Initiative provides ongoing trauma healing and reconciliation support in communities devastated by attempted ethnic purges. I know these people and they are not
"in it for the money" or promoting any hidden agendas.

David Zarembka's "personal take" on the Kony2012 furor, at the African Great Lakes Initiative website: http://aglifpt.org/kenyareports/report176.htm

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