Uganda as a nation and the issues it has faced is something that has fascinated me for several years. My interest came after researching for a class project about the LRA and the other injustices occurring in Uganda. I also became aware of the humanitarian work after hearing a speaker from Africare, a non-profit working with individuals recovering both from LRA abuses and other abuses by the Ugandan army.
After seeing the newest video by Invisible Children and how it has gone viral, I am happy to see more people are aware of an issue that has been the reality for Central Africa for over 25 years. However, I feel like the video fails to deal with the real issue that is at hand. While the video and IC as a whole advocates the cause of bringing Kony to justice, which everyone agrees must happen, IC does minimal work in the rebuilding process and supports the corrupt Ugandan army, which is responsible for similar atrocities. They seem very focused on the mission of "Remove Kony" without any real understanding of the complexities of the situation.
Uganda is a nation that traditionally is divided by regions of ethnic tribes. Only after English colonization in the late 1800's did the concept of "Uganda" emerge. So when we look at a nation like Uganda, we must recognize that it was established as such by outsiders. It took decades for the old order to integrate into this united entity. Uganda finally gained independence in 1962 from Britain. Following independence, Uganda tried to implement a parliamentary system, only to be eliminated and followed by a series of military coups, which culminated to the takeover by the National Resistance Army (NRA) under the leadership of Yoweri Museveni, the current leader of Uganda since 1986. When we talk about the concept of Uganda, we must view it as a very new idea and a place with a history of political instability.
Because of the foundation of the current administration by brutality, the Ugandan government, and especially the army, could not be called a noble entity. While every government and their army are not perfect, the corruption within Uganda is quite horrendous. Museveni has been known to use children in his national army, which has been lessened over the years but it has not been completely resolved. Additionally, there is little accountability on the army's part, which has led to the looting and abuse of citizens in various regions throughout the country. Destruction of property and rape are common at the hands of the Ugandan army.
So how does Kony fit in? Kony emerged as the leader of the rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in 1987 in the Acholi region of northern Uganda. It appeared that his initial motivation was to overthrow the NRA and become the next in a trend of coups. His motivations are power dominance by means of using a twisted interpretation of the Bible as the driving force. In the last ten years, he has been seen in the Northern region of Uganda, Southern area of Sudan, and the Eastern region of Congo. He is currently believed to be in Congo where the Ugandan army cannot come to arrest him because of the political disagreements between Congo and Uganda. His terror organization no longer has the motivation of overthrowing the Ugandan government; it is a terror organization that thrives on terror. The LRA's brutality and abuse of children (boys - child soldiers, girls - sex slaves) is disgusting and should have been stopped years ago. Today, this organization is much weaker, but Kony is still at large. While Kony is the leader of this organization, the LRA must be viewed much like any other terror organization. The LRA at this point is much more than just Kony, twenty-five years of recruitment has led to a new generation of leadership established in the organization.
So, back to IC. IC's goal is to bring light to the horrors of the LRA and bring Kony to justice. Since 2005, they have produced 11 short videos about the LRA. While it is great that they are bringing awareness to horrors of the LRA, they do not work very much in aiding the abused and the villages affected by these conflicts. It seems that they enjoy discussing the issue without many practical solutions implemented. While Kony may be at large, the victims of LRA abuse are here NOW. The true atrocity of the LRA is that some survivors are not receiving the help they need to reintegrate into society. As the LRA deteriorates, the needs of victims remain. It is insulting to the victims to ignore their cry for help by focusing all attention on the person that caused this injustice. You will not completely defeat Kony as long as he still has a grip on victims through lack of help to restore them into society.
One thing that concerns me about this non-profit is the amount of marketing they participate in. While I agreed with some of what was said in the video, the portion where they were advertising their "Kony 2012 Kit" and other merchandise angered me. The entire tone of the video was very serious and advocated for awareness, but then it switches to "if you care, you would want to wear our $29.99 bracelet." It turned the plight of the people of Uganda, Congo, and Sudan into a sales pitch. IC functions as a non-profit, but they refuse to have an auditing group (people to analyze their distribution of money) which has resulted in IC's reputation to be quite negative compared to other non-profits. Estimates show that 70% goes towards expenses for producing videos and advertising, 30% goes towards aid with the majority to the Ugandan army, and a small portion to the region. Any non-profit that refuses to follow this kind of accountability should leave a red flag in your mind.
If you were moved by the video by the Invisible Children, wonderful. Everyone should be aware of the destruction and trauma by the hands of the LRA in regions of Uganda, Sudan, and Congo. However, I urge you if you are moved to act, donate to a non-profit that works in action towards restoring the region by helping victims of the LRA and the abuses at the hands of the Ugandan army.
A couple of Non-profits I would recommend that have both excellent reputations in using donated money to aid people in the region directly and have wonderful programs that aid this region.
Samaritans Purse - http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Where_We_Work/uganda/
Africare - http://africare.org/our-work/where-we-work/uganda/index.php
Compassion International - http://www.compassion.com/about/where/uganda.htm
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