Visible Children

KONY 2012, viewed critically. New to the blog? Get caught up here.

[visiblechildren-blog]

Here it goes again.

Hi there, to the 17,322 people who still follow Visible Children! I'm the guy who wrote the Visible Children series of critical articles about that movie, KONY 2012, here with some exciting news for you: THERE'S A NEW ONE. It's called Move and you can see it here. It's midterm season for me, but when I've got some time, I'll take a look and probably write a little review.

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An open letter to an Invisible Children counter-movement.

Hopefully this serves as an open letter to all counter-movements and everyone who feels that they are "against" Invisible Children.

Hi (names redacted), I made a decision very early not to support any counter-movements - my goal is to encourage discourse, not put down the efforts of an organization which has, despite its faults, served thousands of victims well. I find your programming especially problematic: if postering is a poor method of fostering political discourse, defacing posters is several steps down the credibility ladder. I am highly dubious of your motivation in advising me that a member of a PR firm is Christian - is that intended to make me doubt his character? This bigoted view is revealing. Fight propaganda with the fair pursuit of balanced truths, not with propaganda of your own. Your petition calls for US legislation which would, as I read it, eliminate anonymous internet use. Quoting a law which you admit does not apply to to the internet, you appear to complain that it was not made clear what organization paid for the KONY 2012 film. You then go on to call for military withdrawal from Central Africa without proposing any alternative solution. My unsolicited feedback for you would be to focus your organization on one cause or the other, although I find neither cause to be particularly valid in their current state. In your petition you also refer to the fact that some Christian groups have supported Invisible Children, implying negativity without justifying this bigotry. As a final note, if you had taken the time to read my writing carefully, you would note that the photo you are referring to is not mine but belongs to a talented professional photojournalist named Glenna Gordon, whom you ought be crediting - and that the photo is not at all of "the Invisible Children founders posing with the Ugandan military" as you claim, but with members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). If this is indicative of the general level of research you have conducted, this alone is reason for me not to endorse your ill-conceived campaign. Please refrain from linking to my blog or any further action which may be seen to imply my endorsement. I have posted this response to your email on my blog, and would appreciate your permission to publish your side of the correspondence as well, along with a link to your website - but I will not do so without your permission, which I understand you may be reluctant to give. I urge you, however, to consider it. We must allow people to make their own decisions, and as you well know, there are two sides to every story. Regards, Grant Oyston Visible Children - KONY 2012, viewed critically.

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Truly extraordinary. This appears to be an example of some mind-blowingly misleading video-editing from Invisible Children. Skip to 3:00, featuring an event last week in Gulu, N. Uganda, screening KONY 2012. In the video, it looks like people are rallying in support of Invisible Children. Here's what really went down, from the Daily Monitor, a Ugandan newspaper: “At least 10,000 people gathered at [the stadium] to watch the Kony 2012 video. Dissatisfied with the content, the crowd pelted the organisers with stones, injuring a police officer identified as Pamela Inenu and two musicians hired to sing at the event. Police fired teargas at the crowd, and live bullets in the air, injuring dozens, who also lost valuables including phones and money.” Looks like this bit didn't make it into their video. Fun project: Tweet @invisible if you'd like an explanation from them. You can also tweet at famous people!

[visiblechildren-blog]

What YOU should be doing about Joseph Kony.

If you're looking to learn more about Joseph Kony and the LRA, and develop an informed opinion, I cannot imagine a better guide than React and Respond: The Phenomenon of Kony 2012, released last week by the African Studies Association. It'll only take you ten minutes to read and you'll probably learn more than you did in Kony 2012 Part I and II combined. You owe it to yourself to read this guide. If you read nothing else, read section I ("A Brief Guide to the LRA & Joseph Kony") and section V ("What Can We Do about Uganda and the LRA?"). There's also a section for teachers and students containing questions to ask and consider regarding the film, and a section of additional resources for further reading. Please read this. Hat tip to Amber Ha at the Un-Cover The Night project, which seeks to inform Cover The Night participants on April 20th about the complexities of these issues.

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Massive riot erupts in Northern Uganda against Invisible Children.

From a recent article in the Daily Monitor, a Ugandan newspaper: "At least 10,000 people gathered at [Pece War Memorial Stadium in Gulu, Uganda] to watch the Kony 2012 video. Dissatisfied with the content, the crowd pelted the organisers with stones, injuring a police officer identified as Pamela Inenu and two musicians hired to sing at the event. Police fired teargas at the crowd, and live bullets in the air, injuring dozens, who also lost valuables including phones and money." Archbishop of Gulu Arch Diocese and member of Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, Rt. Rev John Baptist Odama, said: "Invisible Children has done a commendable job during the conflict, they started when we slept in town streets with children and paying school fees for stranded children. However the Kony 2012 video has tricked them into war mongering instead of helping them. It’s the right time they should rethink their position." Thanks to Holly Elissa of Caleb's Hope (an NGO operating in Northern Uganda) for sending me a scan of the article, which I couldn't find online anywhere. I've typed it up for anyone who'd like to read it here.

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Ugandans riot over KONY 2012 screening, again.

According to an Acholi Ugandan source who works as a Program Director for an NGO in Gulu: "Invisible Children continue to have more trouble with the video and over the weekend in Gulu, as they attempted to screen the video for the public, it turned in to chaos and everyone started fighting for his life with multiple gun shots and some rioting with tear gas and ended prematurely! The streets were flooded with soldiers after that. They have lost credibility even locally." I apologize that I am not able to name my source for this due to security concerns.

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Controversy: Did Invisible Children provide intelligence for Ugandan military?

According to diplomatic notes leaked last year by whistle-blower site Wikileaks, Invisible Children tipped off the Ugandan government about the location of Patrick Komakech, now under arrest for treason. Komakech had been involved in a rebel group (the PPF) seeking to overthrow the current President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni. The June, 2009 cable, from the US Ambassador to Uganda (Steven Browning) to the Secretary of State, claims that Komakech (who had previously been featured in Invisible Children films) had been arrested by the Ugandan government for treason and extortion, thanks to a tip from Invisible Children regarding his location. The cable reads, in part: "The latest plot was exposed when the Government received a tip from the U.S. non-governmental organization (NGO) Invisible Children regarding the location of Patrick Komekech.* […] Invisible Children reported that Komekech had been in Nairobi and had recently reappeared in Gulu, where he was staying with the NGO. Security organizations jumped on the tip and immediately arrested Komekech on March 5 [of 2009]." Invisible Children has denied their involvement, with Uganda spokesperson Florence Ogola saying, "We are not involved in anything to do with security. We only deal with development." A further spokeperson told Foreign Policy: "[W]e do not conduct intelligence efforts of any kind for a foreign government." This story hasn't really been picked up by mainstream media yet, so I'm going to break with my rule of not asking for reblogs and ask you to please reblog this if you think it's worthy of media attention. *Spelling of Mr. Komakech's name is currently unclear – Foreign Policy and the Daily Monitor both spell it as "Komakech", while the original cables from Mr. Browning spell it "Komekech"

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Young people changing the world.

Thoughts for young people from the author of Visible Children. Since this all started two weeks ago, I've occasionally been criticized for the attention my blog has received on the basis that, as a university student, my opinion shouldn't be as widely-read as it has been. I guess the logic is that because I'm a "young person", my opinion is less valuable, or "misinformed and naive", as Invisible Children's PR firm eloquently described it. Actually, the best and most thought-provoking questions I've received came from "young people" in a series of discussions I had over Skype with students in Pennsylvania. "What are you actually doing to help?", they asked. "What changes would you have made to the movie?" "Would it be better if the movie never existed?" What I saw was a group of young people excited about making a difference. If Kony 2012 is an ad, it's selling the feeling that you can change the world. Everybody wants to change the world, and young people most of all. The message Invisible Children is sending is that anybody can change the world, and it's easy. Watch the movie, share it with your friends, tweet at some famous people, and if you get really excited, put up some posters. I'd like to change their message slightly, although mine isn't as catchy: Anybody can change the world, but it's difficult. And you should do it anyway. Doing what Invisible Children wants may have an impact, but real, thoughtful activism – actual world-changing – is difficult. It takes significant motivation and concentrated effort. It takes research and organization and planning and discussion, and it's not easy. But very little that's worth doing is easy. Anybody can change the world, but it's difficult. And you should do it anyway. ~ Grant Oyston Grant Oyston is a sociology and political science student at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada, and is the the National Communications Chair of CISV, a nonprofit that hosts international friendship-building programs in over 60 countries for people as young as 11.

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Make Kony famous? No thanks, says Uganda.

From an article published by AYINET, a grassroots organization that works with young LRA victims, and which organized a screening of KONY 2012 in Lira, N. Uganda, attended by thousands: "The film’s overall messages were very upsetting to many audience members. "In particular, viewers were outraged by the KONY 2012 campaign’s strategy to make Kony famous and their marketing of items with his image. One victim was applauded upon saying, 'If you care for us the victims, you will respect our feelings and acknowledge how hurting it is for us to see you mobilizing the world to make Kony famous, the guy who is the world most wanted criminal.' It was very hurtful for victims and their families to see posters, bracelets and t-shirts, all looking like a slick marketing campaign, promoting the person most responsible for their shattered lives. One young man who lost four brothers and one of his arms said afterwards: 'How can anybody expect a person to wear a T-shirt with Kony’s name on it?' Many people were asking: 'Why give such criminals celebrity status? Why not make the plight of the victims and the war-ravaged communities, people whose sufferings are real and visible, the focus of a campaign to help?' "There was a strong sense from the audience that the video was insensitive to African and Ugandan audiences, and that it did not accurately portray the conflict or the victims." For those of you currently sporting Joseph Kony bracelets and t-shirts, perhaps this is a good time to consider the message you're communicating, and how that message is perceived by those whom it is intended to be aiding. EDIT: For those who aren't "getting it", try this fun experiment: make a bracelet that says "HITLER" on it and see how long it takes until someone punches you.

[visiblechildren-blog]

Invisible Children answers questions.

Remarkably, nobody has sent me these links. My goal has always been to promote discussion and debate about KONY 2012, so I'm happy to offer you Invisible Children's video responses to some questions they're receiving on Twitter. 3.16.12 Is military the solution? Origins of advocacy Is there already peace? Other NGOs 3.14.12 Why Support the UPDF? Finding Kony Speaking requests How big is the LRA? Partnerships 3.13.12 After Kony is Captured? Third Party Audit? IC Promoting Vandalism? Government Involvement? Why Your Cause? As always, please view and share.

[visiblechildren-blog]

May also be of interest: this video promoting a youth conference called Fourth Estate, which Charlie Brooker described as "sinister." I suggest watching all of it but if you don't have time, go to 1:20 and 2:00. Script is by their now-Director of Ideology, Jedidiah Jenkins.

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Some critics have been digging up old material from IC - they're quite a prolific organization! I had a hard time deciding whether to post this or not, because this is from 2006, but as long as everyone's aware that yes, it's old, I think it's genuinely worth seeing. I encourage you to check it out and skip to 3:18 if you don’t have seven minutes. To be fair, this is also the year High School Musical came out and became a blockbuster hit amongst their target audience!

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From NBC San Diego: Jason Russell, the filmmaker behind KONY 2012, was "allegedly found masturbating in public [and] vandalizing cars. […] Police said they received several calls yesterday at 11:30 a.m. of a man in various stages of undress, running through traffic and screaming. Police described him as 'in his underwear.'" AMA here.

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Invisible Children responds to KONY 2012 filmmaker's alleged public masturbation

“Jason Russell was unfortunately hospitalized yesterday suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, and malnutrition. He is now receiving medical care and is focused on getting better. The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on all of us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday. Jason’s passion and his work have done so much to help so many, and we are devastated to see him dealing with this personal health issue. We will always love and support Jason, and we ask that you give his entire family privacy during this difficult time.” I would like to wish Jason a speedy recovery.

[visiblechildren-blog]

Misinformed and naive.

From a Canadian Press interview with a New York PR firm hired by Invisible Children: “With all due respect, I think [Mr. Oyston's] criticisms and things he's written are important but are a little misinformed and naive,” said Jesse Derris of Sunshine, Sachs & Associates. To which I shrug and say, "This isn't about me." However, I'm keen to know if Jesse and Invisible Children thinks Rosebell Kagumire, an award-winning Ugandan journalist with a Master's in Media, Peace and Conflict Studies, is naive in her criticisms. Or if Adam Branch, senior research fellow at the Makerere Institute of Social Research, Uganda, and author of Displacing Human Rights: War and Intervention in Northern Uganda, is naive in his criticisms. Or if Arthur Larok, Action Aid's country director for Uganda, with a Master's Degree in Governance and Development and nine years of service as the Director of Programmes at the Uganda National NGO Forum, is naive in his criticisms. Or if TMS Ruge, a Ugandan and co-founder of Project Diaspora, a group seeking to involve Africa in its own development, is naive in his criticisms. And I'd really, really like to know if Invisible Children thinks Anywar Ricky Richard, a former child soldier in the LRA and director of northern Ugandan organization Friends of Orphans, is naive in his criticisms.

[visiblechildren-blog]

Show me the money.

According to Jason Russell's appearance on the Today show several days ago, over 500,000 action kits have been ordered at $30 a piece, meaning this campaign has brought in a minimum of $15M in revenue this week. This is great news: at least 500,000 people are "advocate[s] of awesome" according to the group's webstore! So where's that money going? I'll leave it to Jedidiah Jenkins, Invisible Children's Director of Ideology: "Thirty-seven percent of our budget goes directly to central African-related programs, about 20 percent goes to salaries and overhead, and the remaining 43 percent goes to our awareness programs. […] But aside from that, the truth about Invisible Children is that we are not an aid organization, and we don’t intend to be. I think people think we’re over there delivering shoes or food. But we are an advocacy and awareness organization." Yes, you heard it from Invisible Children: more money goes to awareness than to Africa. More detailed breakdown from the Guardian's Julian Borger, John Vidal, and Rosebell Kagumire in Kampala, Uganda: "Invisible Children's accounts show it is a cash rich operation, which more than tripled its income to $9m (£5.68m) in 2011, mainly from personal donations. Of this, nearly 25% was spent on travel and film-making. Most of the money raised has been spent in the US. The accounts show $1.7m went on US employee salaries, $850,000 in film production costs, $244,000 in "professional services" – thought to be Washington lobbyists – and $1.07m in travel expenses. Nearly $400,000 was spent on offices in San Diego." Information about how they intend to spend their windfall 2012 revenue of a bare minimum of $15M has not been released, but as I wrote earlier, at least $3000 would've gone to flying me to both San Diego and Africa had I allowed them to do so. (Story behind that at the bottom of this post.) If I were Invisible Children, I'd start talking about where this new money's going. I'm emailing Jason and Ben a link to this post to see if they're willing to post a financial plan for the year ahead - is there yet another film in store?

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I was going to do this post but Boing Boing's already done it. Please read this.