Photo by Glenna Gordon. Sudan-Congo border, April 2008
The boy had lost his brother, and as he wept before Jason Russell’s camera, Jason Russell brushed back the loose strands of his magnificent blond coiffure (who will play him in the movie version?) and told the boy in hushed tones: “It’s okay. It’s okay.” Jason Russell promised the boy that he, Jason Russell, would do everything he could, would stop at nothing, would move mountains if need be, just to make sure that everybody in the world would finally come to know the name of Jason Russell.
Wait! Sorry! The name of Joseph Kony. This is all about Joseph Kony after all. Not Jason Russell. Nope, nothing at all to do with him.
It must be because “Kony 2012” is about Joseph Kony and not about Jason Russell that there is so much footage of Jason Russell’s young son, Gavin, worshipping Jason Russell atop trampolines and on beaches and at kitchen tables, and professing his hope that one day he might grow up to be just like Jason Russell.
Obviously! I mean how the hell else do you make a movie about the Lord’s Resistance Army?
And so it was that Jason Russell came to make a film (well, the eleventh version) in which the heroic Jason Russell makes a film in order that everyone in the world should finally know the name of the internationally-renowned, globally notorious, definitely already world-famous warlord, Joseph Kony. It was to be the untold story of a much-chronicled man.
If this challenge were not daunting enough, Jason Russell also took it upon himself finally to convince the world that Kony, the man who had hitherto been merely the very first name on the International Criminal Court’s most wanted list (indicted on 33 counts including war crimes and crimes against humanity seven years ago), should in fact be arrested.
Great Scott! Why didn’t anyone think of that before?
The “Kony 2012” show is here, and the whole thing is a miserable fraud.
It’s meant to be an “awareness-raising” film. What it is is a study of a bunch of vain and ignorant young people who can think and feel only in cliches and appear to be laboring under the notion that Mark Zuckerberg invented both compassion and democracy for them sometime around 2004.
They want to empower you. And as a group of entitled white Americans, they know exactly what real power looks like. That’s why they’re giving you the chance to demand that America wage yet another bloody war based on zero knowledge and maximum hysteria whipped up over the wickedness of a single foreign figure. This is what democracy looks like according to Jason Russell: the power to choose on Twitter and Facebook who is to be the next target of America’s moral manhunt, all with the benediction of a panel of biddable celebrities.
You say Zooey Deschanel has tweeted that she wants to stop Joseph Kony? You say Kony has reduced Vanessa Hudgens to tears? But of course, we must send in the drones.
A writer from Northern Uganda, Musa Okwonga writes in Britain’s Independent that he hopes the Invisible Children “see this campaign as a way to encourage wider and deeper questions about wholly inadequate governance in this area of Africa.”
And this, generally, has been the considered view offered by those fair-minded folk who recognise the film’s sheer idiocy but hope that the “awareness” raised by it will lead to intelligent engagement further down the line.
Unfortunately this completely misses the point. The point of the film is absolutely not to encourage deeper questioning of Ugandan governance. The name of Uganda’s Life President Yoweri Museveni is nowhere to be found. Instead the point is to “literally cry your eyes out” (see Twitter passim), having been moved into a frenzy of moral clarity by the quite revolting mixture of generalised disgust at black Africa, infatuation with white American virtue and technological superiority, and a dose of good old-fashioned blood-lust. (When it boils down to it, it is a call for assassination.)
You then parade your borrowed and branded sense of right and wrong (those production values are also your values, after all) by sharing the link to the film. Everyone except for Joseph Kony gets to feel that they’re in the right, and Jason Russell and his friends get famous for being good.
The problem with the “awareness” argument is that it suggests that interest in the war in Uganda can be separated out from the experience of intensely racialized and charisma-driven moral masturbation, an experience which turns out to be, more than anything, one of the most intensely satisfying kinds of identity-formation.
“Fight for that,” says one speaker, without letting on what “that” is, “because that is what is going to change this world, and that is what defines us.”
To ask people to climb down from the soaring heights of “Kony 2012” (remember how we fall down into Uganda from the heavenly realms of Jason Russell’s Facebook page?), a place where they get to feel both sanctified and superior, and truly descend into the mire of history and confusion is simply too big an ask. It would be boring and difficult and it would not be about Facebook or Angelina Jolie or coloured wristbands or me. When the euphoria evaporates and the Twittersphere has dried its tears (probably by the end of this week), all that remains will be yet another powerful myth of African degradation beneath Western power–and Jason Russell will be famous and rich.
The blogging battles that have broken out in the past couple of days are welcome. This is being contested and the controversy, as well as the campaign, is becoming a big deal.
Foreign Policy features an excellent guest post (by Oxford student Michael Wilkerson) where he indulges in a spot of light fact-checking (whatever, so Kony and the LRA aren’t in Uganda, meh), points to Invisible Children’s dubious finances (surprise!), links to a strong piece by Ugandan journalist Angelo Izama and poses the timeless question: what are the consequences of unleashing so many exuberant activists armed with so few facts?
One consequence of all this is that in the future we’ll have to get used to crowdsourced foreign policy that will come with dollops of the white man’s burden and most likely won and lost in popularity contests on social media: for example, #Kony2012 was quickly displaced by #stopKony2012 at the top of the Twitter pyramid.
As for Jason Russell and Invisible Children: Earlier today a Ugandan writer friend wrote to me wearily but pithily:
Invisible Children is quite notorious. They are still stuck with the old, “sexy” Kony story even as Ugandan children die of a mysterious illness [nodding disease]. They refuse to move on. Man, those guys have made money marketing this idea. It’s disgusting.
* Picture Credit: Glenna Gordon.
This article try’s to say that it’s all about the Director “Jason Russell”… In fact, after having watched this video a few times, I had not even remembered the name Jason Russell, until I read this article/blog/ in response to this video…. I do however remember the name Joseph Kony…. Who I had NOT previously ever heard of (as I’m sure most people hadn’t either).
Yes the way that this video has been shot, may not be to everyone’s tastes and some people may find it a bit corny… You may even think that this is an advert for facebook and facebooks timeline! However, the video raises awareness – which I think it does very well.
The video asks for public support – Some arguments say that this has been going on for many years now, why do people all of a sudden care… Well, why not? These are truly horrific things that are happening to the most vulnerable people in society – Children – and on a very large scale… Why would you not care? Ok so it’s not new news, but if you’ve not previously been aware of the situation, and now you are suddenly aware of it (like me) why would you not want to help…. These people need help and the general public in the western world should be made aware.. I cannot understand any argument that says otherwise.
You say that this video and campaign is “Fraud”. Fraud is a MASSIVELY Strong word…. You make it out as if someone has set-up this whole Kony 2012 campaign to steal your money?!…. That simply is not the case. The video’s main purpose is to raise awareness and gain public support….. You do not have to donate to this if you don’t want to. However if you do wish to donate The TRI and invisible Children – this is a publically registered non-profit organization – so you can check and see exactly how they spend your donations… This is NOT a secret business running secret finances, trickling you out of your money and not telling you where it’s going….. It’s all there in black and white. It would seem as if 30% of donations go directly towards the people and children affected. With the majority of the remaining money being spent on making video’s, gaining media attention, public support, etc… So if you don’t agree with that, once again you do not have to donate… However the video clearly states that one of its main objective is to raise awareness, so they’ve already given you a massive heads up as to where the majority of the money you donate may be spent.
I happen to agree that public support makes a HUGE difference when it comes to the decisions and policies that politicians make… I live in England and last summer there was a public outrage when we had large scale rioting, looting and public disorder… This directly lead to faster prosecutions and stiffer sentences which would not have happened if there had not been the thorough and extensive media coverage as well as the shared public opinion that what was happening was wrong… Public option counts, and if enough people want something, then the politicians eventually have to listen – and the end of the day they need your votes to stay in power!
The response also says something about getting “America to wage yet another bloody war based on zero knowledge”… No that is incorrect, they are not demanding war. The few number of American Military officials are there in advisory roles only – the Kony 2012 campaign aims to keep them there in that role and hopefully to the successful capture and trial of Joseph Kony.
Thanks for listening
Hi Martin,
I enjoyed your reply and agree. I found the tone of the article unnecessarily offensive.
There are always going to be downers. I think this is an amazing movement. I totally agree with you Siri & Martin!
Ah, the tone argument. Classic derailment.
I believe that the approach that STOPKONY / KONY2012 took is really not to help much. My question to you, is what is your present view of Africa, as a continent? What is your view on Uganda? The perception here is that everyone is dying,all the children are getting raped and recruited by Kony. How, so far have the US and UN helped in this situation?
The question I would like to ask again is, who is arming these rebels? Why has Kony existed for so many years? These are paid militias, hired guns!! They are used for the purposes of the highest bidder.
Further, this stop Kony campaign, how will it be implemented? Will the US troops move into Uganda? Will they be joined by NATO,bombing the forests until they route Kony out,like they did Gadhafi and Gbagbo?
Whatever money you are giving, thinking you are helping us Africans, isnt really helping. You are just complicating the issues we have to deal with at the end of the day. You dont understand our problems,or the solutions thereof,however much you read about us. Dont use us to make yourself feel better about your do good desires.
I appreciate the views that have been expressed here…at the end of the day AFRICA IS NOT A BROKEN STOOL,THAT NEEDS FIXING(if you know what a stool is)
Martin you couldn’t have worded and written this any more perfect, I 100% agree with you so Thank You for saying everything I wanted to but couldn’t find the words to.
“The few number of American Military officials are there in advisory roles only – the Kony 2012 campaign aims to keep them there in that role and hopefully to the successful capture and trial of Joseph Kony.” (Martin) The successfull capture of Kony – without any use of weapons or any victims as a consequence? You sincerely think that this could happen? How?Kony leaving the bush with hands up? I don’t know about that…but for some more information about the other disadvantages on this issue, I recommend the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLVY5jBnD-E&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Martin – I don’t disagree that publicly elected officials can be responsive to their constituents. But isn’t one of the more compelling arguments criticising the campaign the fact that there is simply no need to influence elected officials on this particular issue? That is, we have no reason to believe that Obama or Congress had any plans whatsoever to withdraw the advisors. This campaign seems like an awful lot of time and energy expended trying to stop something that wasn’t going to happen anyway.
I very rarely comment on blog posts but this was a truly pathetic rant. More facts and less bitterness please. I am actually interested in getting a balanced picture. But this wasn’t it.
http://thepmteamblog.com/?p=1568
All these people talking saying this video is just to raise ‘awareness’, bring kony to justice. What this NGO is actually doing is going to really harm the Ugandan people in the long term. I’m not implying that they are intentionally doing this, they probably have NO idea what its going to do. All you have to do is pick up a histroy book and read what happens to a vulenerable country when foreign aid and intervention (even if its an just an advisory role) come into the equation. Invisible Children went about raising awareness the WRONG way by lobbying their government. The US already has their nose in everybody elses business, this is just adding to the list. This war is OVER now. There are peace talks with the governments of the region. Capturing kony isn’t going to make a difference to the overall problem. Just like how capturing and killing Osama didn’t make a difference, his ideas are still very well in place. Konys ideas were planted and came to fruition a long time ago, His ideas will continue even after his capture UNLESS a legitmate change in the society at a grassroots level is made.
One of the main points of the video is raise awareness to keep the US ‘advisory’ roles in place. That’s a bad idea. The US doesn’t have a very good rep overseas right now, their presence is most likly a negative one. They went in once already in the region and nearly 900 ppl died becaude of the rebel retailiation. They should get out and let the organization who is SUPPOSE to be in there, the UN forces, keep the peace. The US has done enough in Iraq, Afghanistan, Isreal, and the list goes on. The #stopkony hashtag and the spread of kony2012 is in direct correlation with the NGO that Is pushing for a longer presence, which will legitimize their presence there. They don’t need to be there and they shouldn’t be there, Uganda is a soverign nation.
One question the #stopkony army should be asking is, why is it that a nation that struggles to feed their people has enough weapons and resources to wage a 26 year civil war. Oh maybe because since the end of the Cold War the US has pumped over 120 million dollars worth of foreign aid and direct weapons transactions to Uganda. Those weapons don’t disappear over time, they find new uses and unfortunely this kony guy found.
You know, a quick search could tell you that Invisible children is active in the DR Congo and Central Africa…where the LRA is active. They have clearly stated in the video that they want an advisory role to support local military, no invasion. In fact they say on their webpage FAQ that they really don’t have much support for many Americans coming over to Uganda or elsewhere to help because they thing its better to help Africans help africans…
The Great Brouhaha: The Kony2012 Debacle:
writerdelic.blogspot.com/2012/03/great-brouhaha-kony2012-debacle.html?m=0
http://therealronjey.blogspot.com/2012/03/kony-2012-my-foot.html?spref=tw
Thanks for i now know im not the only one seeing it differently
That was a good take until the end where you reveal that you admire Kony. Super creepy.
The problem is that people think money and diplomacy will fix things. Throw money at it and it mysteriously disappears. Engage in lengthy peace talks and more people die in the time it takes to get anything done. These guys are either ignorant or downright scam artists. Awareness does not fix things like this. You are not helping the cause if you help them. The only answer to corruption and terrorism is assassination. The more people you have fighting against a person, the less likely you are to kill him. The sad reality is that we can not do anything. You want Kony dead? Hire mercenaries.
I hope that was a joke. Kony’s group were mercenaries that were hired to fight other mercenaries, and then realized that being fanatic warlords can be profitable. Repeating the process is a stupid plan.
love the Emo hipster hair
Excellent piece. Invisible Children has always rubbed me the wrong way, and this whole slacktivist campaign just confirms what I’ve always suspected about the organization and its methods/aims/general reputability. The comments here are truly telling, as well–people would rather pretend this highly visible organization is helping, and that they, too, are “helping” by “raising awareness” than actually face facts and learn about the issue in all of its complexities. Typical intellectual laziness and white guilt/white savior crap, once again.
Kony is a scapegoat for all the other problems in the region and Africa as a whole. There is a slew: diseases (malaria, AIDs, nodding disease), inadequate infrastructure (water, electricity, roads), mass starvation, poverty, unemployment, the corruption of an inept government, and the pettiness and ruthlessness of selfish dictator. Lastly, the unrestrained horrors of war: rape, enslavement, murder, and local disputes over scarce resources. All of that cannot be laid at the feet of one man, though Kony is surely to blame for his large share in the bloodshed, his arrest would not solve any of this (though it is true that his deserves to be tried at the ICC for his role. One thing the video got right is this: we fortunate Americans seem to care only when it aligns with the Entertainment frenzy, and I doubt that either the citizenry or politicians of the developed world will even bother for a second to truly address the problems that this humanitarian disaster faces.
The indignant response to criticism, via GOOD mag interview.
GOOD: What are your thoughts on people who say this video is an addition to the “white savior” canon?
JENKINS: To be completely candid, I think that’s the most absurd and offensive accusation. The whole point of the movie is that we are all humans. If this were white people suffering these crimes, we would be there, too. It has nothing to do with race and it has nothing to do with neo-colonialism. This has to do with us having the resources to help fight for people who don’t have resources. Also, look at the staff page on our website to see how many Africans work with us. It’s not as if we’re all white guys from San Diego.
THANK YOU for this!!!!
http://www.barazaonline.org/blog/item/24-invisible-message-kony-and-color
Invisible Children isn’t scot-free, but then, who isn’t? And if it weren’t for their Kony campaign, I doubt you’d have been giving a second thought while writing about hipster artists from Cameroon. The fact remains that the Kony campaign has ignited this massive debate about Africa, including this obnoxiously cynical rant.
As a Yale- educated Black American, I have an interesting point of view with regard to issues like this. My education allows me to understand these issues from a political point of view, but my race allows me to see things in different perspectives from my well meaning liberal white peers. I completely agree with this article. I saw the interview tonite on Piers Morgan and I also vomited with disgust. I assure you that all the people disagreeing with this article in the comment section are white. They don’t understand the racialized history that movements like this stem from. They only see it from a current pop cultural point of view. Kony is a monster, yes but this is just an attempt for Mr. Jason Russell to make himself famous. The guy is obsessed and looks nuts. I also know plenty of guys, (and im assuming he’s gay), like him. I would be very curious to see the level of “diversity” in his close intimate circle of friends. Mr. Russell, why don’t you leave the disposing of despots to the government where it belongs. This is essentially a public lynching with a racialized bent for personal gain.
Great job that governments have done deposing despots (not sure Kony really counts as a despot, anyway) Also, assuming he’s gay? What in Mother Africa’s size 9,000 apple bottom jeans does that have to do with anything? you sound like a member of Uganda’s wonderful, incorruptible, tolerant government that has proven so adept at deposing its despots….
Thank you Martin!
Martin has to please allow every reader to lol at an unfortunate choice of words – “This is NOT a secret business running secret finances, trickling you out of your money and not telling you where it’s going….. It’s all there in black and white” – which I don’t think need further unpacking.
But what bears pausing on, and not loling @, are
[1] This, taken from the original article: “When the euphoria evaporates and the Twittersphere has dried its tears (probably by the end of this week), all that remains will be yet another powerful myth of African degradation.”
and [2], which circuits back to [1]: The Shepard Fairey ripoff poster-ripoff given about 5 seconds of screen time in the Russel video, in which Kony is pictured/cartooned, third in a sequence of ‘truly evil’ masterminds: the two that precede him are Bin Laden and Hitler.
Why exclude Sadaam Hussein (or, ahem, Jonas Savimbi)? – well neither is so straightforward, and this is not about politics; this is about global consensus (figured graphically by merging icons for the two dominant American political parties), coming together prior to state politics the effect state policies.
So what’s the basis on which this cohesion can be imag(in)ed? – well, obviously, one of African degradation: opulent, grubby, and infertile pointless evil that doesn’t even qualify as machinating or cynical the way Rumsfeld or Cheney’s brand would. Let’s be honest about the fact that no good will come out of this, and that what we’ll be left with is the consecrating of the image of the white NGO do-gooder – an absolute stereotype of himself – cut into the bodies of black Africans imaged as living dead.
Why would you even consider bringing sexuality into this? Whether or not Jason Russell is gay has nothing to do with the topic at hand. A lot of good your “Yale education” did you.
I’d like to ask everyone who is for the 2012 kony video, why do you think we are so opposed to help from your government? There is a way for things to be done, and this is not it. You have to admit that the people who are supposed to be the main beneficiaries from this campaign (and should be singing and dancing in the streets) were offended and hurt by it. Please try to understand why. I am an Acholi form Uganda.
Invisible children is a charity that claimed about 13 million last year. They spent 8.5 million on costs, including some really odd expenses, $800,000 on computers, $140,000 on postage and $85,000 on utilities, insurance and many $200,000 +claims for a fancy fleet of vehicles and the like, just to name a few. Only about 3 million made it , if it did in direct charity. I am just waiting in the next few days when these guys come under some serious scrutiny because so far it looks like total BS.