Don't Stop "Stop Kony"
I’ve heard a lot about the Kony 2012 Campaign. It was introduced by a thirty-minute film narrated by Jason Russel and produced by Invisible Children (click here to watch the film). In just a few short days it has received more than 50 million hits. It has been trending on Twitter for days, and it doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.
Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which has been responsible for the abduction, torture, rape and brainwashing of more than 30,000 children. Due to his crimes Kony tops the International Criminal Court's list of most wanted criminals.
The Stop Kony film documents the plight of children who are or have been in danger of abduction by Kony, and highlights just who Joseph Kony is. The film concludes by suggesting a way to stop Kony. The attempt is to make him famous.
So famous that he, and his crimes, will become common knowledge in the minds of Americans. The filmmakers believe this will put pressure on the American government to continue to pursue Kony with the hopes of catching him and ending the brutal legacy of the LRA.
This campaign then seems to be an attempt to raise awareness in America of a problem that has gone on far too long. One would think this would be applauded and cheered on by everyone. Except it hasn’t. It’s generated a tremendous amount of criticism.
Many have raised valid concerns over the campaign. Michael Wilkerson who wrote an guest post on the Foreign Policy Blog titled “Joseph Kony is Not in Uganda (and Other Complicated Things).” Many others have raised their voices in criticism of the campaign. Rachel Held Evans has compiled Some resources on the Invisible Children controversy.
While many have been quick to critique the movement, few (if any) are giving solid alternatives for helping in any way. Perhaps a better response would be to spend less energy on criticism, and put more energy into leveraging the energy, will and enthusiasm of millions of people. Whether you agree or disagree with Invisible Children and the premise of the film is not the point.
While I do not know Jason Russell and all those at Invisible Children, they have done an unbelievable job at raising awareness. The overwhelming response to this film goes to show the willingness and desire of many to respond to global issues.
Rather than abandon the entire campaign there is a great opportunity here to do much more. If you are a faith leader, blogger, activist or someone with a lot of passion about global issues - the Stop Kony Campaign has served up an opportunity. With this in mind, here are some thoughts that move beyond criticism:
Leverage It
Everyone that I have asked about the campaign today has heard about it. It has taken off, catching the attention of millions of people who are ready and willing to do something. Rather than discourage their enthusiasm through criticism, we ought to leverage it. Don’t let people stop with just the Kony 2012 Campaign. There is more they can do and will do. Right now their energy and passion is high and eager, so invite now them to learn more, do more and serve more.
Education
This is crucial. Many, in their eagerness to address issues as glaring as extreme poverty rush right in to help. Their eagerness flows from their compassion, but without education it can do more harm than good. So where do you start? This is a good and challenging question. One needs education just to know what education exists. Here are a few places that you can go to learn more, not only about Uganda, but about issues related to global poverty. Beyond this, there are educators who are willing to speak, share, teach, and educate large groups.
Empower and Mobilize
No great movement happens with a few leading the many. It is always about the many, being empowered and mobilized to lead the few. Nearly every time I speak with someone they ask me “What can I do?” From leading your own campaign, to raising awareness, to educating others, to traveling and serving the opportunities are endless. Here are a few organizations that you can join with to help.
No doubt, you have more suggestions on how to get involved. So I ask, please email me with more ideas. Together we can leverage, educate, empower, and mobilize one another and see real, lasting, healing change come to our world.