KONY 2012 - Opinions Wanted!

Unless you live under a rock, you have probably heard about and/or watched this video created by the NPO Invisible Children about Uganda's Joseph Kony and the LRA. My first, second, and third reaction was that it was incredible and perfectly done for the intended audience. Now, after reading a handful of the criticisms of it all over the Internet, I am beginning to think more critically on it. To be clear, I do not pretend to know all there is to know when it comes to Africa. While I have heard of Invisible Children, I really have no previous knowledge about the LRA or Joseph Kony. What I do have is personal knowledge of how it is to feel responsible for African children. It is daunting, it is personal and impersonal, it is complicated, and, mostly, it feels out of my hands. I feel queer talking about it -- "African children," can you be more cliche? While most seem to agree that the intentions are good, this video has been criticized for over-simplifying the LRA (which it absolutely does), for depicting Uganda as it was years ago as opposed to how it is now, which is a lot more peaceful (no idea if that is accurate), for being self-indulgent (true, but then sometimes that's the most effective way to get people's attention - particularly teens), for being one-sided, for promoting Westerners to think we can go in and "fix" situations when really we just cause more problems, and overall it has been criticized for potentially causing more harm than good. The NPO itself has been called into question concerning it's finances, etc. Just Google it, the opinions are all there for you.

The reason I am posting this is not to say yay or nay against the video or Invisible Children, but to ask what we are supposed to do with the responsibility to help. I have been asking myself this for two years and, as I plan my trip back to Kenya, it because more and more intense in my mind. Kenya and Uganda are not the same, to be sure. Nor are the agendas for the folks who made this video and myself. BUT, Jacob (in the video) is EXACTLY like my boys at the Rehab. When he held his hands up and said "Even now" I rewound it. If I have not seen that expression over and over again. I did not meet any child soldiers, but I did spend time with a boy with scars all over his body because his father beat him and eventually threw him in a sack and into a crocodile-infested river. And what could I do about it? Nothing but show him love during my time there. I have read articles that oppose giving handouts to Africans, saying it is detrimental as it doesn't promote them to be a more self-sustaining people. And I agree. But does this mean I should not buy shoes for the children at the orphanage? And if I should be working on a bigger picture, why is this video so wrong? Isn't it just asking that we realize there is LIFE in Africa? Life as real and important as yours and mine? That Africans aren't caricatures? That it isn't just a buzz word? No one needs to "save Africa," but it really isn't such a far-off world.

One of the most alarming discoveries I had in Kenya was that they didn't need me to be there. The other volunteers and I discussed this constantly. It is important to note that Kenyans aren't a miserable people. They are poor, of course, but when everyone around you is financially the same, who cares? There's no one to keep up with. And since there was little I could do to stop the corruption, violence, raping of women, and widespread AIDS, what the hell was I doing, but playing with kids each day? We certainly weren't saving lives. And then I realized I was just filling in - and filling in for a small service, at that. I was loving these children who did not have parents to do so and, when I left, a new volunteer would take my place. I was not doing anything. The children would grow up and probably not remember me, but would remember there as a presence always there to love them. It took all of the self-importance away from it because there should be no room for self-importance when it comes to helping others.

I ramble as I write this, but I haven't been able to think of much else since watching the video. And the question still remains -- WHAT are we supposed to do? What am I supposed to do with the responsibility I feel for these children I have met? Is thinking I have any responsibility self-important right there? Was this video "irresponsible" and "self-indulgent" as critics call it? I honestly don't know. There is such a fine-line when it comes to charity: how much of it are you doing for others, and how much of it is for yourself? But at some point, when you meet these children and they become your friends, it stops being charity. That is where the responsibility comes in, because who turns their back on their friends?

I asked my students to all go home and watch it (with parent's permission) and to come in tomorrow with an opinion on it. I think the bottom line to what I imagine these people at Invisible Children are thinking is that, as much as we hear about Africa, it seems almost mythical and it's time we start realizing they are God-damn people who need help from SOMEONE. Yes, they need to help themselves, absolutely they need to help themselves, but I want my students to know that they are there. REALLY there. And for all the nay-sayers, YOU come up with an idea. Or better yet, go there, come back, and tell me you will do nothing and not feel shameful for it.