The Kony 2012 film is officially the fastest spreading viral video of all time. On March 5th, 2012 the video release launched a campaign by Invisible Children Inc. to promote the charity's "Stop Kony" movement to make indicted Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony internationally known in order to arrest him in 2012. The campaign has been wildly popular with youth on social media.
Since the launch, the campaign has come under much due criticsm such as simplifying a complex issue, ignoring the voices of Northern Ugandans (including many female leaders), and promotion of a consumer-based and ultimately ineffective brand of charity, among many other issues.
Ellie Gordon-Moershel spoke with a woman who has been close to the conflict in Northern Uganda since 1986.
Juliane Okot Bitek is an Acholi woman from Uganda who now lives in Canada. She is president of the Acholi Community of British Columbia Society and a PhD student at UBC interested in the post-conflict narratives of formerly abducted women in northern Uganda. She is passionate about the ways we can present and represent our own stories in the media, in our communities and in the general society.
Juliane Okot Bitek asks you to check out the work of these organizations for more information:
The Justice and Reconciliation Project
Gulu Support the Children Organisation
Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative
Women of Kireka
For more information about The F Word, or to check out our blog, please visit: www.feminisms.org
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