Joseph Kony is head of the Lord Resistance Army and has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 1986. But it’s not until recently when an online video aiming to “make kony famous” worldwide has gone viral. The video was made by an organisation called Invisible Children, it explains how Kony has been kidnapping children and turning them into child soldiers. The video has gotten over 70 million views and that number is growing daily.
KONY 2012: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc
The main purpose was to get young people involved and aware in hopes to convince the United States government to deploy American troops to Africa to find and capture Kony. The video is very well produced and persuasive, it clearly struck many viewers and led to them sharing the link, donating money and starting their own fundraising events.
Although the video struck peoples emotions instantly, it surfaced many other issues, especially among the Arab youth. They considered the campaign unfair, that the immediate response and attention diverted peoples attention from the conflicts in Syria and Palestine.
There was also the issue of how easy it is to demonise someone, in this case, Kony. The video only showed one side of the story and people opposing the campaign accused the founders of Invisible Children of scamming people who donated their money.
This is one of many opinions who oppose the campaign.
Warning: strong language used.
