Kony 2012 Part II – Beyond Famous
Invisible Children have released part two of their Internet film sensation Kony 2012.
See here to watch the 2nd video.
“When we made our 11th film Kony 2012, the LRA was committing atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic and South Sudan, and they still are. The goal of Kony 2012 is to make that known and rally the world in support of the effort to stop the LRA violence.”
Part II – Beyond Famous, reiterates the importance of a united global community, acting against the abuse of children, not just in Uganda, but everywhere.
A spokesperson from UNIFEC Australia stated:
“The abuse of boys and girls during armed conflict is also a global problem. Today, an estimated 250,000 children are associated with armed forces and groups in at least 20 countries around the world.”
This is what people must understand about these films, that they are just the beginning; they are awareness campaigns pushing for change.
In the wake of the first video critics slammed Kony 2012 for a number of reasons. One of the main points the critics made was the fact that many people had been to Uganda and see first hand that there wasn’t a problem at all.
However when I researched into much of the criticism, I continually found the same thing. No real hard evidence. In fact one critique of the campaign compelled me to donate.
http://www.kony2012-is-a-scam.org/
The above website slams the campaign and claims that the LRA are no longer a serious threat. They provide a link to an article on UN News Centre: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41507&Cr=LRA&Cr1=
However this article clearly acts as proof that Invisible Children’s actions are making a difference.
“Coordinated pressure by the national armies of CAR, DRC, South Sudan and Uganda is further weakening the LRA, Mr. Ladsous said, adding that a group of US military advisors was deployed recently and they are providing support to the regional armies.”
“But the peacekeepers have also taken a softer approach to encourage combatants to give up their weapons and return to civilian life,” the peacekeeping chief said. “Radio programmes and leaflets target rebels to convince them give up arms and return to civilian life.”
The US advisors, the radio programs and the leaflet distribution are all Invisible Children initiatives.
The new film, Beyond Famous also shows a number of interviews with various Ugandan people of prominence. This drives home the fact that it is a very real problem.
No doubt the same closed minded people will again undergo a witch hunt, finding anything and everything they can to throw at Invisible Children in the form of blogs linked to other blogs, linked to press releases which don’t add to their arguments.
“Strengthening ongoing efforts of the African Union and regional governments is the best way to apprehend LRA leadership. It is something that every country in the world can support.”
This is what Invisible Children is trying to achieve, first with Kony 2012 and now with Beyond Famous, Global awareness and pressure to instigate change.
They urge us all to find our voice.
