The Northwestern community learned the controversy surrounding the viral “KONY 2012″ video is a more complicated issue than most believe at an event Monday night.
Northwestern University Conference on Human Rights collaborated with other civic and human interest groups on campus to host “The Kony Effect: Activism and the Power of Social Media” in the McCormick Tribune Center forum. The event used the organization Invisible Children and its success in disseminating the “KONY 2012″ video as a case study. More than 60 people attended.
African Students Association, the Peace Project, Northwestern Community Development Corps, Inspire Media and Northwestern STAND sponsored the two-hour program. The event included a screening of the sequel to “KONY 2012,” testimony from a Ugandan student personally affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army and a panel of three speakers.
ASA president and Communication sophomore Michelle Byamugisha said the desire to provide context and nuanced perspectives to the discussion of activism motivated the organizers.
“We definitely felt like we had a voice and a place in bringing a larger discussion to our campus regarding the documentary,” Byamugisha said.
After organizers outlined the format and purpose of the occasion, they played “KONY 2012: Part II – Beyond Famous,” the “KONY 2012″ sequel that was released April 4. Next, Oyella Jane, the Ugandan student, spoke about the violence she experienced firsthand when LRA militants stopped her school bus and shot her in the back. Out of the 52 bus passengers, 12 people, including Jane, escaped the attack.
“I am living testimony of the LRA’s existence,” Jane said. “Because of my belief in humanity … today I am here to tell you that the Ugandan people have a very strong message. Their cry is simply, ‘Peace.'”
After fielding questions from the crowd, Jane ceded the stage to the three discussion panelists.
The speakers included Jeff Rice, organizer of NU’s African Studies major; JD Stier of the Enough Project; and Communication junior Rayyan Najeeb, a member of Inspire Media.
Though they differed in their degrees of support for Invisible Children’s message, they all agreed the organization is well-intentioned in attempting to raise awareness for the issue.
They also agreed that the problem central Africa faces is one of complexity and, as such, deserves complex solutions. All concurred that the second video better addressed the convoluted nature of the crisis than the first.
“This is going to sound like a backhanded compliment, and I don’t mean it as such: The second video is vastly superior to the first one,” Rice said. “It’s as though the organization took the criticism, and said, ‘Oh shit, what have we unleashed upon the world?'”
