Kony 2012
Kony 2012 (official spelling KONY 2012 ) is the name of a campaign by the San Diego (California / USA) non-profit organization Invisible Children Inc. and the name of a 30-minute film about the campaign. The alleged aim of the campaign is to publicize and arrest the Ugandan rebel leader and alleged war criminal Joseph Kony , but research by arte paints a different picture that the campaign is part of a propaganda strategy to cover up operations by the Ugandan government and its US ally . To this end, a video by director Jason Russell was published on the video portals YouTube and Vimeo on March 5, 2012 . The video quickly became very popular. According to the web analytics company Visible Measures , the film is the first Internet video to be viewed 70 million times in five days. Never before has there been such a rapidly spreading social video campaign.
On April 5th, one month after the Kony 2012 campaign began , Invisible Children released another educational video about the campaign. The video is called KONY 2012: Part II - Beyond Famous and received more than five million views.
Movie
The starting point of the campaign is the film Kony 2012 . Director Jason Russell is one of the founders of Invisible Children Inc. He and his son play a role in the film. Russell wants him to grow up in a better world. The film also tells of Russell's encounter with Jacob, a boy from Uganda. Film footage from 2003 shows Jacob reporting being on the run from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). He also reports that he himself saw his brother being murdered by the rebels with a machete.
In the following, the methods and crimes of Kony's organization Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda , the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan are briefly discussed. The following shows how Russell then started an organization and how it grew. The organization's successes are also reported. The video credits the organization itself for having the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act passed by the US Congress in 2010 . This was passed under the Obama administration in 2010 with the aim of killing or capturing Joseph Kony and smashing his troops. As a result, 100 US soldiers were dispatched as military advisors to assist the regional armed forces.
The video also prompts you to participate in the campaign. It calls for donations and describes the goals of the campaign and how to contribute to it.
A second part appeared on April 4th. In the 20-minute video, the organization Invisible Children explained its campaign and responded to any criticism that might be appropriate. It is emphasized that the LRA is still active. Reference is also made to humanitarian aid that has already been provided. In the film, Luis Moreno Ocampo , chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and Norbert Mao , a former presidential candidate in Uganda, say positive things about the campaign. Invisible Children reports on political steps that have been taken since the video. You are also invited to take part in the cover-the-night campaign.
campaign
The aim of the campaign was to arrest Kony by the end of 2012. This was to be achieved by publicizing Kony. The organization designed posters, stickers and bracelets for this. As part of the campaign, it was planned that supporters would post posters in their hometowns on the night of April 20-21, 2012, some of which would be put up by Invisible Children Inc. , to attract the public's attention and interest. The action is called Cover the Night . For this purpose, several other groups have already formed on the Internet.
resonance
The video quickly spread across the internet, mostly through social networks like Facebook and Twitter . After it was published on YouTube, the video was viewed 20 million times within the first 48 hours. By March 8, 2012, the video platform Vimeo had 12.2 million hits on the trailer , YouTube on the evening of March 9, more than 56 million and four days later already 75 million. The official website of the project collapsed shortly after the massive spread of the video. Luis Moreno Ocampo , Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court welcomed the campaign. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch also supports the campaign. Amnesty International demands that if Joseph Kony is arrested, human rights standards should be respected. A number of celebrities also support the campaign, including Rihanna , Justin Bieber , P. Diddy and Oprah Winfrey . Rihanna announced that she will draw attention to the problem in Uganda in her next music video.
reaction
On March 23, 2012, the African Union decided to deploy 5,000 soldiers from Uganda and the Congo, among others, to capture Kony and fight the LRA.
criticism
In addition to some encouragement for the campaign, criticism from various quarters soon arose after the video appeared. The video itself is criticized for its portrayal of the conflict and the campaign for its methods. Criticism is expressed by many journalists and bloggers, especially from Uganda.
Criticism of the presentation
The Kony 2012 campaign is accused of simplifying and falsifying the political situation in Uganda. For example, it is criticized that the film does not also illuminate the war atrocities of other parties involved in the conflict, such as the Sudanese People's Liberation Army , and does not take into account the influence of the difficult political situation in general on fueling the conflict. In this way, the film divides into good and bad in a simplified way without providing a differentiated picture. Director Russell defended the simplified representation for marketing reasons. The aim was to reach a large audience with a simple, understandable presentation.
Furthermore, director Russell is accused of presenting facts in the film inaccurately and sometimes incorrectly. Invisible Children and other organizations have been criticized for manipulating facts by over-dramatizing the scale of the crimes. In the film itself, it is mentioned only in passing that Joseph Kony and the LRA left Uganda in 2006 in a way that suggests the LRA was expanding. The recordings from 2003 used in the film do not reflect the current situation. The film also shows that Joseph Kony had an army of 30,000 child soldiers, but that this number never existed at any one time. It also falsely claims that the LRA has no supporters. However, the rebels received weapons and money from Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir . In addition, the video calls for engagement to prevent the withdrawal of 100 US soldiers from the region, although there is no evidence of such a possible withdrawal. It is also criticized that the campaign does not address any of the other organizations already providing assistance in the crisis area. In addition, the film is accused of a clichéd representation of Africa. In this way the image of a needy, backward continent is spread, which is dependent on the help of the superior industrial nations. Sometimes it is said that participation in the campaign is portrayed too heroically. The Ugandan journalist Angelo Izama wrote: "The pattern of good versus evil, where good is obviously white / western and evil is black / African, recalls the worst of the colonial era ."
Criticism of the political position
Invisible Children Inc. also supports the Ugandan Army and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army , both of which have also faced allegations of looting and mistreatment. Invisible Children justifies the support of the Ugandan Army by saying that it is the best equipped and organized army in the region. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch also advocates military intervention and in 2010 called on the US administration under Barack Obama to increase the number of US soldiers deployed. According to Human Rights Watch, however, the Ugandan Army is unable to arrest individuals such as Joseph Kony or other senior LRA officers. A report by Foreign Affairs calls for an even greater and long-term commitment that goes beyond the suppression of the LRA in order to ensure lasting peace in the region. Overall, it is doubted that Kony's arrest will ensure peace in the affected regions in the long term.
As the political situation in Uganda changed, measures other than the capture of Joseph Kony are seen by many as more important. The former child soldiers in Uganda are now older; many suffer from poverty, HIV and Nick's disease . They could be better helped by other means than the arrest of Kony. Uganda itself faces problems such as high inflation rates and rising unemployment, a democratic deficit and human rights violations by the government. The focus on the LRA is superimposed on other problems.
However, the human rights organizations Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International emphasize the continuation of the crimes of Joseph Kony and the LRA outside Uganda after he left Uganda in 2006. From 2008 to 2010, the LRA had more than 2,000 people , mainly in the Congo , but also in Sudan and Central Africa killed, 2,600 kidnapped and 400,000 displaced. At the same time, the influence of the LRA around Joseph Kony has declined. The LRA is a relatively small organization in the Central African crisis area. In the second film, Invisible Children emphasizes that the LRA is still active. In the period between the first video and the second, 57 people were abducted by the LRA and 440,000 people are still on the run.
Criticism of the use of the donations
The responsible organization Invisible Children Inc. has long been accused of spending a lot of the donations on salaries and the production of new films. In 2011, only 31% of donations were used for aid projects in Uganda. In an official statement, the distribution of the donations is defended with further goals of the organization. In addition to providing humanitarian aid to the victims on site, the organization aims to use documentation to provide information about the deeds of Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army.
The Charity Navigator institution , which evaluates non-profit organizations , criticized the organization's lack of transparency. So was Invisible Children Inc. only a rating of 51.52 out of 70 possible points. Invisible Children Inc. announced that it would address the criticisms.
The organization firmly rejects the allegation that donations went to the government or army of Uganda. No such expenditure can be found in the organization's financial report.
In 2012, Invisible Children Inc.'s revenues increased over 100% year over year to more than $ 32 million, primarily from sales of merchandise related to the Kony 2012 campaign. It is unclear how the high revenue will be used; according to critics, little money has so far reached projects in Africa. A specific campaign is not in sight, although the articles are being marketed. The income of around US $ 32 million was offset by expenses of around US $ 16 million. 35% of all expenditure was used for “mobilization” (film and music tours, international events, lobbying), 9% for the media, 10% for “protection” and 17% for “recovery”. In contrast to previous years, most of the income was not earmarked, so it can also be used for projects in which it was not collected.
Personal criticism of the producer
There is also controversy about a picture in which those responsible for the organization, including director Jason Russell, pose with guns. Russell wrote that the picture was a joke for friends and at the same time emphasized that he hated guns.
Basic criticism
The Süddeutsche Zeitung compares the campaign with that of William Randolph Hearst for the Spanish-American War of 1898 and criticizes how easily and quickly mass support for large-scale military interventions can be organized through emotionally charged media campaigns.
The Prime Minister of Uganda, Amama Mbabazi , responded to the Kony 2012 campaign on YouTube, stating that Uganda is a very different place than portrayed by Invisible Children, and that US military presence in Uganda will not result in the arrest of Kony because he is himself has not been in Uganda for years.
documentary
- Jean-Baptiste Renaud (Director): US Foray into Africa - Operation Kony , France 2019 (Original title: Croisade américaine en Afrique )
See also
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Film on Vimeo
- Second part on YouTube
- Critical comment on the online presence from Friday
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jean-Baptiste Renaud: Operation Kony: US Foray in Africa on arte published on YouTube on November 20, 2019.
- ↑ Kony Social Video Campaign Fastest Growing in History ( Memento of the original from March 12, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the Visible Measures company blog on March 9, 2012
- ↑ KONY 2012: Part II - Beyond Famous on YouTube.com (accessed April 7, 2012)
- ↑ a b Kony 2012 hunts the wrong person on zeit.de from March 9, 2012
- ↑ Lees, Philippa: Australian support amasses for Kony 2012 . In: ninemsn . March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ Neylon, Stephanie: Kony fever hits York! . In: The Yorker . March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ Molloy, Mark: Kony 2012: Campaign Shedding light on Uganda Conflict a Huge Online Success . In: Metro . March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ↑ Nelson, Sara C .: Kony 2012: Invisible Children Documentary Sheds Light On Uganda Conflict . In: The Huffington Post . March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ↑ a b c d e The hunt for rebel chief Kony on SpiegelOnline from March 8, 2012
- ↑ Kony 2012 . Vimeo. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ↑ Lees, Philippa: Australian support amasses for Kony 2012 . In: ninemsn . March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ↑ Invisible Children's Kony campaign gets support of ICC prosecutor on BBC News of March 8, 2012.
- ↑ How to Catch Joseph Kony Human Rights Watch report, March 9, 2012
- ↑ a b amnesty.de - JOSEPH KONY: ARREST WITH RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
- ↑ Entertainment Elite supports the "Kony 2012" campaign on Stern.de from March 9, 2012
- ↑ Thousands of soldiers are supposed to hunt down butchers of Uganda. Spiegel Online , March 23, 2012, accessed March 24, 2012 .
- ↑ 5000 soldiers are supposed to fight Kony and the LRA. tagesschau.de , March 23, 2012, archived from the original on March 23, 2012 ; Retrieved March 24, 2012 .
- ↑ a b Oprah and bracelets are not a solution on freitag.de from March 9, 2012
- ↑ Kony 2012: Video campaign 'more like a fashion thing,' says Ugandans on thestar.com from March 9, 2012
- ↑ a b “A campaign that makes you shiver” on Sueddeutsche.de
- ↑ a b Musa Okwonga : Stop Kony, yes. But don't stop asking questions . In: The Independent . March 7, 2012. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ Kony 2012: Meet the group behind the viral Stop Kony movement on thestar.com from March 8, 2012
- ↑ a b c d e f Opinion on criticism from Invisible Children Inc
- ↑ a b c Obama Takes on the LRA on foreignaffairs.com November 15, 2011
- ↑ a b Guest post: Joseph Kony is not in Uganda (and other complicated things) on blog.foreignpolicy.com of March 7, 2012
- ↑ Joseph Kony 2012: growing outrage in Uganda over film on telegraph.co.uk from March 8, 2012
- ↑ a b c d Black Devil and White Saints on taz.de from March 9, 2012
- ↑ Kony 2012: what's the real story? on guardian.co.uk March 8, 2012
- ^ Invisible Children and Joseph Kony . March 7, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ↑ a b Comment from BBC News Africa correspondent Andrew Harding on March 8, 2012
- ↑ a b Letter to President Obama on the US Comprehensive Strategy on the Lord's Resistance Army by Human Rights Watch, November 11, 2011
- ↑ Blog post ( Memento of the original from March 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. by Angelo Izama on March 7, 2012
- ↑ Military Operations Have Weakened the LRA, Says UN on congonewsagency.com of February 24, 2011
- ↑ Rating of Charity Navigator
- ↑ Financial Statement ( Memento of the original from March 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. of the organization from June 2011
- ^ Warlord Joseph Kony: The Jungle Phantom Mirror Business , February 23, 2013
- ↑ Remember Kony 2012? Well, it's 2013. What happened? . Herald Sun, Jan. 11, 2013
- ↑ KONY 2012: With social media against the genocide? on ZeitOnline from March 8, 2012
- ↑ Right Honorable Amama Mbabazi, Prime Minister of Uganda Video response from Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi of Uganda
