To Kony or not to Kony: two sides of the story

How critical are you?

In some way or another you might have heard about Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA in Central Africa and who is #1 in the ICC list of most wanted for crimes against humanity. An organisation called Invisible Children was born with the purpose of making Kony famous so as to put the pressure of the masses on governments and policy makers to arrest him. The organisation also does fundraising to rehabilitate child soldiers and communities affected by the situation.

Questioning and seeing beyond what is presented to you

One of our members, Brett, brought the famous Kony 2012 video to my attention and commented “For all the controversy the Kony video has raised, it cannot be denied that it certainly raises awareness of the issue. The fact that there is oil in Uganda and now the US have sent in troops does make the whole thing tad suspicious.”

Slubogo, the girl who made a video response to the Kony 2012 mini-documentary, comments: “I do not think the LRA or Kony is good and I do not support them. I trust the 100 U.S. military troops already sent are doing their job to find Kony, whether he is dead or alive and do what needs to be done for the sake of Central Africa. I am just promoting the education one should do before they believe everything they see. The Kony 2012 Video is not the only information you should rely on. Research. I am all for the cause, just not the video that was made.”

Here at Citizens without Borders we aim to question and challenge the world around us. I’d like to leave it open to you to take a critical look at both sides of the story of Joseph Kony and share here what you think. I would really like to hear your opinion:

• Kony 2012 : http://youtu.be/Y4Mnp…

vs.

• Kony 2012 Video is Misleading : http://youtu.be/7DO73…

For two articles with opposing views about the issue take a look at:

• Invisible Children: activating a generation: http://www.care2.com/…

vs.

• Is Kony 2012 actually helping Ugandans? http://www.care2.com/…

If you’re going to participate in the Kony 2012 movement ask yourself what your motivations are, what the power of the masses can achieve, if it is a great cause – for example whether you’ll set a precedent for the future of international criminal justice or whether it will actually make a difference, who will (really) benefit and how, including yourself. As you can see, some take it with humor: