Ohio University students and professors gathered Tuesday night to discuss the controversy surrounding the Kony 2012 video—and whether or not it was an effective measure to combat African injustice.
About 80 people came to Walter 235 Tuesday night to see a panel organized by OU Stand Against Genocide. The panel aimed to discuss both the organization Invisible Children as well as the problems in Uganda.
Invisible Children, an advocacy group that aims to raise awareness about children soldiers in Uganda, released a video that went viral about a month ago. The video looks to bring attention to those children soldiers as well as Joseph
Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda who had been indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court.
On the panel were two OU professors, including Marc Scarcelli, visiting assistant professor of political science, and Brandon Kendhammer, assistant professor of political science.
Scarcelli said that the Kony 2012 video is “uniquely successful,” garnering over 100 million views since its release.
Protestors of the video argue it is oversimplified and does not truly reflect the problems in Uganda, but the criticisms of the video do not lessen what it aims to accomplish, he added.
“All political problems are complicated. The simpler the video is, the more engaging it is to the audience,” Scarcelli said, adding that oversimplification in the video is perfectly appropriate.
For Kendhammer, the point of the video was to make people more aware of the atrocities taking place in Uganda. As a result of the video, advocacy groups have the ear of people that can make policy decisions.
But he believes that catching war criminals is not the answer to Uganda’s problems.
“We need to make policy decisions that bring peace, reconciliation and economic development to Uganda,” Kendhammer said. “The efforts of Invisible
Children pose a risk to divert attention from things that may actually improve the lives of people in Uganda.”
There is a great need for students to figure out what a country is truly asking for before giving their support to an advocacy organization, Kendhammer said.
Amidst the healthy debate during the panel, Scarcelli added that any movement taken against Joseph Kony should be considered right in its intentions.
“While he is not the only war criminal in the world, Joseph Kony is one of the worst human rights abusers,” he said.
Kelsey Kuehi, a sophomore studying middle childhood education, said that she has been aware of Invisible Children for a long time.
“The discussion has definitely helped solidify my views,” Kuehi said. “I am a supporter of the organization and am interested in defeating Kony.”
Both professors on the panel encouraged students to get involved and continue to learn about African politics.
“You have to think about the consequences of your actions. It’s possible to make things worse even with the best intentions,” Scarcelli said.
bl171210@ohiou.edu
