“What's up, Kony?

Type in "Kony 2012" into your Google search & tada, you're bound to get a flurry of news stories. More importantly, you won't miss the now famous YouTube video produced by Invisible Children. This video first appeared on my Facebook newsfeed on 07 March. I was curious because so many of my peers were sharing that video.

 Source: invisiblechildreninc

So I followed suit and clicked the link to the YouTube video. From then onwards, I was entrenched! Entrenched in the spiraling circle of media attention. Sucked in by the atrocities shown in the video, I watched it through with the hope of understanding the situation. As most of you would most probably know about the video, I shall not dwell much on the issues therein.

The Kony 2012 saga has illustrated the impact of social media in spreading a cause. You just need someone to start it off and it will grow from there. BUT not every issue has this potential to grow. It must be similar to Kony 2012, tugging at the heartstrings of youths believing that they can stand up and induce action. It sorta gave youths a form of empowerment, a form of solidarity and a form of empathy for the plight of the Ugandan children.

However, things are not that simple. If it were that easy to foster change simply by generating publicity, many social movements would have succeeded in the years gone by. In fact, rather than being a beneficial phenomenon, I'm inclined to believe that the increased publicity of Kony has further endangered the lives of the African kids. Who in the world will want such infamy? Kony might just be angered to do just what the video seeks to stop. It is naive on our part and Invisible Children's part to think that they are "saving" lives through participation in this PR exercise. 

The world of politics is far more complicated. Political will is essential on the part of the international community to effect change in Africa. But Africa is a hotbed of problems and with the US tied up in Afghanistan and Iraq, do you really think there's a chance of a regime change in Uganda? Not likely. There's no incentive for the Americans to take such a big risk in Africa. And if the world's big brother says no, its allies will also follow suit.

Moving to the motivations of the campaign, I am a sceptic. I am sceptical of Invisible Children's intentions. Are they trying to drum up publicity for their organisation and indirectly garner donations to line their pockets with? Will the money really get to the people in need of it most? I doubt so, having seen the corruptible/greedy nature of human beings coupled with the "success" of foreign aid in the background.

In my opinion, the only way of ensuring real change is to stand in their situation and help build up an educated class in Africa. With education, people will then have the means to manage their own country and envision ways to better their lives. Admittedly, my suggestion might seem impractical but I truly believe that education is the way out of poverty.

Guess the quote that I submitted to The New Paper best sums up my overall feelings towards the Kony 2012 saga:

The New Paper (10 March 2012)