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.
Maybe if the name of your blog were africasacontinent.com, i would have read whatever sense or nonsense you have in that blog, i think your so caugt up in negativity and for the record, that is the price of being a super power, you always have to look for the next hunt whether or not it is Gadaffi, Kony or Sadam Hussein, its just the way it is.
super power.super man.god bless america.rest of the world is satan.god bless the us foreign policy for taking the lives of millions of children,throughout the last 60 years.oh yeah.
Since we all know that Africa is a country, I guess that it is not worth mentioning that one of the picture used in the video to show how the 100 US military advisors/trainers are being active against the LRA, actually shows the Ethiopian Army being trained in anti-terrorist tactics back in 2006 (picture that you can see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wotimage2.jpg). And in case you wondered, Ethiopia couldn’t care less about the LRA.
There is also a very blatant lie when they say that the reason why Kony is number 1 on the list of the ICC (which by the way doesn’t have a document titled the “World’s worst criminals list” (as shown in the video) in case you wondered) is not because he’s responsible for the ‘worst atrocities’ but because he was the first one to be indicted by the ICC (at the demand of Uganda btw). So if ever he was attributed the number 1 spot by the ICC it is because of a chronological listing not because of the scale or type of atrocities.
Talking about the ICC, how come it is never mentioned in the video that the US has not ratified the Rome statute and is therefore not party to the ICC. Basically, the million US teens and stars would try to lobby their congressmen and senators to bring Kony to justice in front of an institution whose authority itself is criticized/not recognized by these US lawmakers (even though it’s true that the US has a working relationship with the Court).
Oh, and still about the Court and the whole bringing him to justice thingy (which after all is the cornerstone of the Invisible Children campaign); one of the very reason why Kony refused to sign the peace agreement in 2009 is because he feared he would face a trial by the ICC. Without this ICC threat, he would have been more inclined to sign the peace agreement as he was on the back foot at the time. In fact, one of the most successful strategies used by Uganda against the LRA has been the offer of amnesty which led to the defection of several of its members including some high-level ones. (More about that here: http://www.irinnews.org/Report/93377/UGANDA-War-crimes-trial-may-affect-LRA-defections-analysts)
Regarding the arguments that more (US) troops are needed in order to capture Kony and/or train the Ugandans to do so, they fail to even acknowledge that the area is already heavily militarised. You have the Ugandan troops trailing the LRA, but you also have the Congolese troops, the South Sudanese and the Centralafrican army, none of which are known for their respect for human rights and their presence already puts the local population at risk. But you also have more ‘professional’ armies on the ground including the UN peacekeepers of MONUSCO and the French army in the Centralafrican republic. All together they have never managed to catch Kony, and 100 (or more) US militaries aren’t gone change much.
And as a way of conclusion on that Kony2012 video, let me say that either the guys that made the film are incredibly stupid to think that a 5 years old kid from San Diego’s suburbia can understand the complexities of a 25yrs conflict in Central Africa that already involves multiple international actors or they think that it is the viewers that are stupid and cannot understand that the situation is way more complex than what they present/pretend it to be.
This interview denies a lot of what you say concerning the troops in surrounding countries…
http://m.good.is/post/a-kony-2012-creator-defends-the-film/
I think it rather proves that the guys behind Invisible Children are either ignorant of the actual situation on the ground or misrepresenting the truth.
CAR and South Sudan have no military?
South Sudan just became a country but they do have an army, which is mostly made up of the SPLA that spent 30 years fighting for independence. South Sudan is in fact trying to disarm and reduce the size of its armed forces and to make it more professional. It is not a good army (but neither is the UPDF), it still needs a lot of training, but it is a military force to reckon with none the less.
CAR also has many problems with its army but it has one. And like for South Sudan they are also well battle tested as they have been in the past involved in an internal conflict in CAR. And they also receive quite a lot of support from France both in terms of training and logistical support (including intelligence) but also with french soldiers being directly involved in the fighting. (Here is a bit on information about French support to CAR in its fight against the LRA: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/central-african-republic-188/france-and-the-central-african/political-relations-6283/article/french-support-to-the-central).
On the role of the UN. Its mandate is to protect civilians, which in reality is very different from what the guys says is a “do no harm policy”. And it is a complete lie that they only protect their own base. In fact the UN troops have been deployed in various part of the areas where the LRA represented a threat to the local population. Just last December, in collaboration with the Congolese armed force (yes, despite being a ‘failed state’ they also do have one) they launched a large scale operation to prevent LRA attacks and were quite successful in doing so (see here some information in French about that operation: http://www.lobservateur.cd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6033:haut-uele-et-bas-uele-loperation-santa-claus-lancee-pour-securiser-la-population&catid=44:politique&Itemid=58).
And still about the UN and its role in the hunt for the LRA, there was this strange story that came out, back in 2006: http://reliefweb.int/node/198492
Name your sources – your “Ugandan writer friend” – who is he? Where is his information coming from? You are as bad as the people you write about. The taxman will eventually “out” Jason and his Invisibles as definitely after all this, they are not going to be ‘Invisible’ to the IRS!
Why do you call this “Africa is a Country” when it’s actually a continent?
I think they are being ironic. Most news sites treat Africa as one big country while here they try to get to the details on the ground in each country
Efia, please read the following sentence and tell me if you still have a question about the name of the blog.
I have traveled to Canada, China, India, the US, and Africa.
This kind of sentence is grammatically incorrect. But you see it even in respectable publications!
lolz
Oh, in reference to my last “Comment” – that is IF Jason and the Invisible Children Inc. Organization indeed “have made [these bucket-loads of] money – marketing this idea” as you/your ‘Friend’ suggest.
Note, I am placing ALL discussion about KONY12 onto my Wall for people to be informed and make up their own minds. But sometimes it just comes into my head that some Journalists are actually threatened by the whole KONY12 thing, it could have been ‘TONY12′ ‘Baloni12′ but this has threatened – some?, many?, – journalists because it is Journalism by the people for the people – that is a threat to some and it is the journalists that have been reacting so, so very loudly. And this is NOT my major point, but just something to put out there and in to the mix that is this topical debate…
Thanks… outspoken but based on information on the ground
Funny that the same feeling that inspires the people who launched the campaign is mirrored in the people who criticise it, as it all quickly descends into a debate about who has the right to have an opinion and get attention for it. No one is asking for Kony to be assassinated, they are asking for him to be arrested and tried. Apart from feeling frustrated that a blond American has the resources to make this more likely, and that others have been saying the same for years – which are pretty minor objections – what is the problem, exactly?
Thanks for this. I was actually squirming at the the beginning of the video where Russell talks about his son and himself! If he doesn’t have enough sense to see that this part of the video would look so bad, I am not sure if his work should be taken seriously. That is in addition to other problems in the video.
It was really a thought provoking documentary. But I think there is something still missing from the whole Kony debate; the Ugandan governments role in it all, and why is he still free?
http://exodusme.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/why-kony-is-still-free/
Good post!
Yes, and by all means let’s not try to put a mass murdering evil bastard behind bars. What example would that set? No, let’s spend our time and energy discussing how morally superior YOU are.
It takes me a ton of effort to refrain from writing my true extremely low opinion of you, so this will have to do: the perfect is the enemy of the good.
Kony 2012 is the new “white man’s burden.” Beware a propaganda video that ends with a call for American military intervention… anywhere.
http://thecahokian.blogspot.com/2012/03/dont-fall-for-kony-2012-slickest.html
The key question is what effect expanded military action against the LRA will have, especially in terms of its impact on surrounding civilian populations. I’ve written a detailed analysis of this question, at the url below:
http://www.theafricanist.blogspot.co.nz/
“‘This paints a picture of Uganda six or seven years ago, that is totally not how it is today. It’s highly irresponsible.’ – Rosebell Kagumire, a Ugandan journalist.
‘Suggesting that the answer is more military action is just wrong. Have
they thought of the consequences? Making Kony ‘famous’ could make him
stronger. Arguing for more US troops could make him scared, and make him
abduct more children, or go on the offensive.’ – Javie Szozie, an Ugandan blogger.
‘What that video says is totally wrong, and it can cause us more problems
than help us! There has not been a single soul from the LRA here since
2006. Now we have peace, people are back in their homes, they are
planting their fields, they are starting their businesses. That is what
people should help us with.’ – Dr Beatrice Mpora, the Ugandan director of Kairos, a community health organisation in Gulu.”
I think you underestimate how sexy disenchantment is. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking.
Thanks for linking to my post on how-matters.org. @InnovateAfrica & I hosted a live chat today to reflect more the issues that came up from our posts on #StopKony. Read more at: http://www.how-matters.org/2012/03/12/searching-for-closure-a-kony2012-postscript/
I have been reading all the posts, investigating on web sites, reading about the history of Uganda, Kony, the president, the army… Of course everybody has an opinion, we can criticize the video, the campaign, Invisible Children, Jasson Russell, the actors, the young people giving money or “liking” on facebook, but we should also celebrate people’s interest for good causes, people trusting other people that take the lead and at least do something. Facebook, whether you like it or not changed the way people communicate. You might think these guys are naive, and that might be true, but they are standing behind their ideas, human values, they have dreams of a better world. Why are go so cynical? Why do we have to see the bad in good causes? You can think Jasson is getting publicity for his movies, you can criticize him for having his son in the video and his son wanting to be like him. But it would be better to see a truly happy boy, being naive (that is how children should be), loving his dad and being proud of him, saying and showing how he feels when he is told bad guys are hurting children. For me, Jasson was trying to compare the way his son lives and how he embraces life and family with the way abducted and persecuted children live theirs. Why can’t we think he used his own child to really get involved and show he really cares.Maybe someone else would have done it differently. Maybe the people criticizing so much have better ideas, do something then. Use your knowledge, your experience, and the same passion you have for criticism and get out there.
Of course I think people contributing to these causes have the right to ask how their contributions are being used. Invisible Children should be audited and regulated, but should also get the support of people arguing they know better so the funds can really get to the right places. Lets not kill young people’s dreams of a better world, lets help, make these ideas better, contribute and HOPE things like this one reach many people, have an effect on their feelings and create responsibility. Lets HOPE there are more people who want a better world.
The video gave me heartburn after like six seconds of watching it. Since then I’ve read thirty thousand, thoughtful responses by Ugandan journalists, civil society activists, and media critics (Mamdani’s was very good). Truthfully though this was one of my favorites….I mean to some point you just have to call this stuff out as the steamy pile of shit it is.
+1
When the video was forwarded to me I expected it to be a fact-oriented and straightforward sort of film with probably some kind of shock value in it to justify the viral status. Instead I started feeling sceptical within the first 30 seconds of watching it meander around without getting to the point. Then it got even more cringeworthy with the blond guy turning it into an account of HIS life and his kid etc. rather than focus on making a much shorter crisper film that would focus on showing more of what the children in Uganda were being pout through. But now it turns out even that was being misrepresented.
I just watched the video yesterday. I thought it was brilliant.
I’m going to leave this simple. You used no facts in this post at all to prove whatever your point it. A bunch of big words isn’t going to prove that Kony 2012 is a fraud.
Your view is either an innocent fallacy of logic, or else you’re wired-in deep to the IC charity or belief in their video. There are a bunch of very good facts represented by the original author, who I would suggest is a credible source, but also note that many of the respondents have provided links, which you need to explore and reference.
The logical fallacy is that others have to “prove that Kony 2012 is a fraud”. The fallacy is to assume automatically that Kony2012 is not a fraud. Even if you believe it has merit (and, at best, it has some) why assume that the picture it paints is correct and beyond reproach?
If you’re a believer who has enrolled after watching – go follow some links, use google, and learn.
If you’re an IC employee or troll, well, hopefully others will understand the nonsense of these “trust until proven otherwise” views.