On March 7th a short film made by not-for-profit organisation Invisible Children went viral, sending shockwaves throughout the world. The half-hour clip knows and KONY2012 seeks to raise awareness about Joseph Kony –leader of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and put pressure on governments to capture him for various human rights violations –particularly the recruitment of male child soldiers and selling thousands of young girls into sex slavery.
The video, shot from the point of view of former child abductee Jacob Acaye, sees Invisible Children’s co-founder Jason Russell attempting to explain the atrocities being committed in the country to his young son Gavin, describing the rebel leader as “the bad guy”. The video has been championed by millions of people around the world with notable celebrities like Rihanna, Diddy, Oprah Winfrey and Justin Bieber, yet the organization has come under criticism by many who claim that it smacks of white do-gooder rhetoric, insinuates that Uganda is a country that has failed to progress since the war and reflects a situation that has ceased to exist for years.
One thing’s for sure, the campaign and accompanying video –which will expire at the end of December 2012 and has received over 50 million views–has mobilized and brought awareness of Joseph Kony and the plight of child soldiers in Uganda to many.
KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.
