KONY 2012

[MIKA27]

Kony2012: Someone forgot to tell Uganda

Source: Ninemsn.com.au

While an unprecedented social media campaign to bring down African warlord Joseph Kony swept across the rest of the world, many Ugandan locals knew nothing of their sudden fame.

The Kony 2012 campaign gained millions of supporters in just 24 hours by using a short, hard-hitting documentary to reach social media users.

But as tens of thousands of Australians went to bed having pledged their support, the campaign failed to rate a mention in Ugandan news media.

Amy Fallon, an Australian freelance journalist who lives in Uganda and has written for newspapers including The Guardian, The Independent and The Evening Standard, told ninemsn there was little talk of it among locals.

Fallon said International Women's Day was featuring prominently in local headlines along with unemployment, government corruption and a mysterious nodding disease affecting a growing number of children.

"One Ugandan's opinion of the Kony campaign; 'Another nightmare that will end soon, hopefully'," she tweeted.

The documentary, by US humanitarian organisation Invisible Children, received a much larger response than expected.

"Our target is to get 500,000 Facebook shares … not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice," the film's creators said upon its release.

Forty-eight hours later it had already received 1.8 million shares.

A Ugandan journalist, who said he did not want his name associated with the issue, told ninemsn the campaign was good but more for the benefit of the Western world.

"I've spent time in Canada and I think for Americans and Australians there needs to be drama and flair. This is how you get things noticed," he said.

"It is not on the front page of our papers because it is not news. When the violence stops, that is news."

[Scdalak]

[BrotherBear]

"It is not on the front page of our papers because it is not news. When the violence stops, that is news."

Probably the most tragic quote in the article. When violence is the norm, something has to give...

[HydroRaven]

I'm with you on that one, he needs to be the poster boy for this kind of behaviour. He needs to be known.

[jay8354]

While I agree with the principles of this campaign, I do not think just removing one person is going stop the violence.

The whole culture of violence needs to be covered to ensure the everyday person is safe.

You can remove the head of a hydra but that doesn't mean it is going to die.

[Fuzz]

While I agree with the principles of this campaign, I do not think just removing one person is going stop the violence.

The whole culture of violence needs to be covered to ensure the everyday person is safe.

You can remove the head of a hydra but that doesn't mean it is going to die.

I agree. History has shown time and time again that there will always be another, waiting in the wings to rise and take their place.

Some may argue that it has to start somewhere, but is it enough? These fanatics do not listen to anything else but violence. Getting rid of one is not enough. They must all be met with brutal and unequivocal force (ie no room from bleeding liberal hearts crying mercy).

Violence begets violence, you may say... quite possibly true, but blood is the only language they understand.

Guess I'm too jaded and cynical to believe that humanity will ever purge this kind of barbarity from itself...

[TWalker]

I agree. History has shown time and time again that there will always be another, waiting in the wings to rise and take their place.

Some may argue that it has to start somewhere, but is it enough? These fanatics do not listen to anything else but violence. Getting rid of one is not enough. They must all be met with brutal and unequivocal force (ie no room from bleeding liberal hearts crying mercy).

Violence begets violence, you may say... quite possibly true, but blood is the only language they understand.

Guess I'm too jaded and cynical to believe that humanity will ever purge this kind of barbarity from itself...

Either we do something or we don't. Either our children grow up feeling powerless to affect change or they don't. Either we show them how to start here or we don't. Maybe you're right, Fuzz, maybe it will never be enough, but I guarantee that doing nothing will achieve nothing. Kony is a good a place to start as anywhere. Youth has really been touched by this cause, they feel close to it. If they can use the same social media they communicate with everyday to make a real difference in the world, even a small one to start, then that's where power grows from. It's as much a social experiment for our children as it is a call for justice.

0.02

[canadianbeaver]

I have been watching CNN this morning about the backlash following the viral activity yesterday on Facebook. My daughter, 20, is a typical student who sent the video around and went nuts on it. She typically gets about 50% of the facts on a political topic straight. And she is at one of the most difficult universities in Canada.

TWalkers words, "Either we do something or we don't. Either our children grow up feeling powerless to affect change or they don't. Either we show them how to start here or we don't", tell it like it is.

I think it is a lot of nerve for the establishment to criticize the spending of 10 million dollars of raised money to do a positive thing when they are billions and billions in debt of taxpayers money.

0.02 (love that!)

[Puros Y Vino]

Another view from Ugandans. Ugandans say Kony film misleading & too late.

I'm somewhat skeptical. Africa has never mattered to the world in terms of humanitarian causes. Tens of thousands have been slaughtered there with nary a whiff of condemnation from the "West" in the form of sanctions or troops. Warlords exist because they are funded by first world countries and like minded individuals on the African continent to gain cheap and exclusive access to precious resources. Specifically, metals that are used in manufacture of the toys and gadgets we enjoy daily.

Some additional background.

Kony is no less evil than any other warlord. He is one of many out there. The practice of using child soldiers in Africa is widespread. Why him specifically, I don't know. Africa is laden with resources and I fear this is just another campaign to get "boots on the ground" and gain access to those goodies by manipulating the public for support.

[khomeinist]

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/solving-war-crimes-with-wristbands-the-arrogance-of-kony-2012/254193/