On Monday 100 opposition protesters were arrested in Kampala. This most recent repressive act by Uganda’s dictator Yoweri Museveni goes to the heart of what is really wrong with the Kony 2012 video, and more broadly speaking, what’s wrong with Uganda.
There are many problems with what was said in the Kony 2012 video. But I feel as though most of them have been discussed widely at this point. For me the most painful and upsetting aspects of the video were not the factual exaggerations or inaccuracies. Nor were they the backwards and racist undertones of the “white mans burden” that were frequently expressed through out the film. The widespread financial manipulation and sad truth that many will now associate the LRA with a naked blathering white guy are tolerable in comparison to the real issue at hand.
It is the core backbone of their whole mission that is wrong. Invisible Children advocate the use of more violence to bring about an end to the LRA, as well as lend cover to a authoritarian leader. In there misguided attempt to help child soldiers, Invisible Children props up a man who has used child soldiers in his conquest to be leader of Uganda. Now if you were to ask any of the degenerate human rights abusers at Invisible Children they would tell you that you need to work with who’s in power at the moment. This is a patently false assertion; leaving aside for the time being that the person in charge has been in power since 1986. No respectable organization that defends human rights would ever champion the use of a dictator and of a dictators army in the pursuit of justice. If Invisible Children truly cared about the plight of Ugandans they would not be advocating for more support of Museveni. Using one monster to hunt another monster is morally wrong. What will happen if the Ugandan army does find Kony? He will be surrounded by a small army of brainwashed child soldiers. Children who’s lives have been shattered forever by Kony. These children will defend Kony and fight to the death. They will not let their leader be taken to the ICC as Invisible Children would have you believe.
This is not the way to go about solving problems in Africa. So when you feel the need to yell at some idiot for supporting Kony 2012 make sure it’s for the right reasons. Don’t criticize them for being part of a generation that thinks they can solve Africa’s
problems through Twitter and buying stickers. Criticize them for endorsing a dictator and more violence. And criticize them for legitimatizing Museveni to arrest 100 people asking for freedom on Monday March 26th 2012.
Porkins Policy Review 