(Host) As the viral video titled "Kony 2012" dominates discussions on
Africa, commentator and UVM Professor Saleem Ali responds to criticism
about Western activism.
(Ali) A viral video on the internet about
the resolutely evil warlord Joseph Kony has galvanized hundreds of
millions of youth to pay attention to a faraway conflict in Africa –
even here in the school rooms and college campuses of Vermont.
Such
an outpouring of interest from the public is unprecedented and as with
any rapid rise to fame, has also brought an onslaught of criticism
against the video producers. Common critiques are that the video
perpetuates a neocolonial narrative of how the West can save Africa or
that it takes artistic license with the facts about Kony’s whereabouts
and the impact of his actual capture. Still others have claimed that
more effort is needed on campaigns against malaria which ruins the lives
of far more children than any particular war criminal. Perhaps the most
interesting criticism is that it perpetuates the phenomenon that
sociologists are now referring to as "slacktivism" – suggesting that
wealthy slackers would rather send a check or share a video than do the
tough work of field-based activism.
While there is no doubt that
physical service is more admirable than distant check-writing, the human
resource distribution of the world is asymmetric and we need all kinds
of pathways to assist those in need. I would much rather that my son be
sharing videos that make him think about the suffering of children in
distant lands than some random sitcom skit online. I applaud Jason
Russell and his colleagues at Invisible Children for opening the
cognitive space among the youth of the world to consider such global
problems.
No doubt other issues such as infectious diseases
should also be campaigned for with equal vigor, but one kind of need
does not negate another.
The charge that Western organizations
are profiting from such enterprises is one which must be taken seriously
but without cynicism. As we learned from the sorry conduct of the
charity that rose to fame with "Three Cups of Tea," revenue transparency
is important. However, Invisible Children has been very forthcoming
about displaying all their finances with audits on their web site.
Some
of my African friends contend that the video implies that they can’t
solve their problems, and so makes them feel embarrassed. Well, we live
in a world of structural inequality, partly as a result of colonial
history and so we should think of such efforts as a means of correcting
those past follies. The rise of interest in helping those in need must
be embraced rather than eschewed for us to work towards our common
humanitarian goals. Kudos to the film-makers of Kony2012 for finding the
chord in our youth that resonates with the impulse to help children in
desperate need.