Alexander Smith. Kony 2012: the reaction. The Kony 2012 film about the Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and his child abductions has become a Facebook phenomenon, viewed nearly 76m times, and prompting reactions from the British, American and Ugandan governments.
But it has also triggered fierce debate online. While advocates say it has brought attention to the plight of child soldiers in Africa, many Ugandans have questioned the tactic claiming that the portrayal of their country is out of date. The blog we ran on the story last week, Kony 2012: what's the real story? Has been read 880,000 times. In it, we documented the Ugandan backlash against the film, questions about the charity behind it, Invisible Children, and carried testimonies to the work the same charity has done to help children in Uganda. Yesterday, in an interview with the website GOOD news, Invisible Children's director of communications Jedidiah Jenkins said many critics were missing the point. Many more people wrote to us directly. Nikita Bernardi wrote: Emma writes:
KONY 2012 Update: Al Jazeera Launches "Uganda Speaks" In light of the worldwide spotlight on the non-profit organization Invisible Children and its viral YouTube video Kony 2012, Al Jazeera English has launched "Uganda Speaks," an initiative to track down the voices of the people who have largely been missing from the debates regarding the viral video and its organizers.
Namely, Ugandans themselves. The Uganda Speaks campaign, first tweeted by Al Jazeera English early Tuesday morning, asks for the following: Al Jazeera's online platform for Uganda Speaks features an interactive map showing the different locations where views are filtering in from, as well as highlights the crowd-sourced, time-stamped views — cited as "reports" — on a stream. At the time of writing, the majority of reports were coming from Kampala, the largest city and capital of Uganda. "It is now too little too late," "Skeptical about Kony 2012," "African Forces Should Stop Kony" and "Hysteria" were just some of the headlines on the stream.
Joseph Kony. Joseph Kony (pronounced IPA: [koɲ];[7] born sometime between July and September 1961)[1] is the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a guerrilla group which used to operate in Uganda.
While initially purporting to fight against government suppression, the LRA allegedly turned against Kony's own supporters, supposedly to "purify" the Acholi people and turn Uganda into a theocracy.[2] Kony proclaims himself the spokesperson of God and a spirit medium, and has been considered by some as a cult of personality, and claims he is visited by a multinational host of 13 spirits, including a Chinese phantom.[2] Ideologically, the group is a syncretic mix of mysticism, Acholi nationalism, Islam, and Christian fundamentalism, and claims to be establishing a theocratic state based on the Ten Commandments and local Acholi tradition.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] Biography Early life Rebel leader Lord's Resistance Army Indictment Religious beliefs Action against Kony Uganda United States.
Kony 2012 video screening met with anger in northern Uganda. It had been viewed more than 77m times around the world, but not by those who know the Joseph Kony best: his victims in northern Uganda.
That changed on Tuesday night when thousands flocked to watch Kony 2012, the video made by a US charity urging a grassroots campaign against the fugitive warlord that has gone viral. The film was projected on to an ersatz cinema screen fashioned from a white sheet, held up by metal poles, in a town park. The reaction? Puzzlement, then anger, which boiled over into scuffles and stone-throwing that sent organisers fleeing for cover. There was particular criticism of the Stop Kony campaign's use of merchandise, such as bracelets and T-shirts, which victims said they find offensive. "People were very angry about the film," said Victor Ochen, director of a local charity, the African Youth Initiative Network (Ayinet), which arranged the screening. "That fame is not what Kony deserves for causing so much suffering was one overwhelming reaction.
Joseph Kony's victims aghast at 'white' campaign. Kony victims jeer 2012 film Victims of warlord Joseph Kony question the motives behind the film Kony 2012 after a screening in northern Uganda. 15, 2012 It had been viewed more than 77million times around the world, but not by those who know Joseph Kony best: his victims in northern Uganda.
That changed when thousands flocked to watch Kony 2012, the video made by a US charity urging a grassroots campaign against the fugitive warlord that has gone viral. Before sunset on Tuesday two metal rods were hammered into dry dirt and grass and a white sheet hoisted to create an open-air cinema in the mayor's gardens in the centre of Lira, 350kms north of the capital, Kampala. Locals watch Invisible Children's Kony 2012 in Lira, a district in northern Uganda ravaged for 20 years by Joseph Kony's Lords Resistance Army rebels. Joseph Kony 2012: film passes 100 million views as it becomes most successful viral video of all time.