MOVE: The Story Behind the Story of Kony 2012
KONY 2012 became a viral phenomenon earlier this year on Youtube.
Invisible Children, an organization that exists to bring a permanent end to the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in East & Central Africa, released a film and campaign in March called KONY 2012 hoping to bring attention to the countless lives that were being brutally abducted, killed, and displaced. The purpose behind the film was to bring Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA, to justice by raising global awareness and moving a international community of leaders to action.
What started as a goal to have the filmed viewed by 500,000 views quickly became something that the organization never dreamed of…the most viewed viral video of its kind.
Things Changed…
The quick rise to fame not only brought much needed attention to the issue, but also a wave of criticism and suspicion about the work of the organization. The strain caused by the expectations and critique of the media and the public ultimately led to the public mental breakdown of one of its founders, Jason Russell. The important work introduced by the film quickly took the back seat to the happenings surrounding Jason. Painful.
MOVE…KONY 2012 Continues…
Last night, I attended the premiere of their new film “MOVE” with the Invisible Children founders & team members including Jacob, the Ugandan boy in the original film that sparked this movement almost a decade ago. Jacob is now studying law and hopes to use his education to help fight the atrocities being committed by the LRA. Jacob was truly an inspiration as he shared his perspective of Invisible Children’s work and the pain he shared through this difficult time. Nevertheless, he was clear that the movement must continue to bring Kony to justice.
It was good to see Jason Russell share openly about his journey through the highs and lows of this year. Standing along side of his co-founders and CEO, Ben Keesey, there was no doubt that they were committed to moving forward with KONY 2012.
In this new film, viewers will get a behind the scenes story of what took place in 2012 after the release of KONY 2012. It is filled with candor and provides context for what actually took place. I think a film like this is important because it allows the viewer to see things that most did not. With thoughts from world leaders and people on the front line, it appropriately pushes back on the negative publicity that the organization received as a result of the film.
More importantly, it rightly puts the attention back on Kony.
Will People Care?
Quite honestly, I think many people have “moved on”. This is unfortunate. In a culture that generally lives in the moment and relatively unmoved by statistics (even of atrocities), people quickly forget why they were passionate at one time.
So What?
It really doesn’t matter. Those of us who still care about bringing people like Joseph Kony to justice must continue to move forward. I still believe that there are enough people who care enough to not lose sight of doing what’s right.
Whether you’ve supported, criticized, or have been indifferent to the work of Invisible Children or organizations similar to it, take 30 minutes to watch the following film embedded below and share it.
Let’s not forget the real story behind the story of KONY 2012. It’s about stopping the oppression of evil in our world. Regardless of what you think happened this year through KONY 2012, I hope you see the humanity and the heart behind groups like Invisible Children that really do seek to make our world a better place.