kony, culture, social media, and why can't we all just get along?

this morning i watched the big deal video produced by the NGO  'invisible children' that has "gone viral" and updated the world quickly on the evils of kony- the leader of the LRA- a rebel group that has been active in northern uganda and congo and sudan for over 20 years.

it's artsy and full of propaganda and because it starts with footage of his son born by c-section with his voice overlay saying, "this is how we all start out" when everyone knows that most of the world certainly does not start out life in a western operating room- we know right away- to take it all with a grain of salt- with the knowledge that this is one persons small take on a large issue- or we should have turned it off after hearing those words.

i'm not claiming to be any sort of an expert on kony, or ugandan history or politics, or social media.  nor do i have a conclusive take on 'invisible children' as an organization, and since this has become a hot topic in the past few days i've read several articles that are highly critical of their work- but i also know several people who have worked for or with the organization- people who i like and trust. despite my slight ignorance on  the topic, i will use my american cultural value of sharing my opinion in   asking a very over simplified question, 'why can't we all just get along?' why can't we support each other in doing good work? even if it's not 100% inclusive or spot-on?  even if it's not the way we'd attack the issues or design the campaign ourselves? where is our gentleness? where is our unity?  our kindness?


yes- the guy who made the video - who i can only remember as 'gavins dad'- said a lot of the typical american responses to the tragedy he heard about when he came to uganda almost a decade ago.  he said things like, 'this is wrong', 'i promise to try to stop this', he subtitled 'ugandan english' which offended some, he believed that his people, his culture, his government wouldn't stand for this once informed.  so he came home and he tried.

to me this speaks of a few important things.  things that i feel and experience and see in my children as we are americans and are responding to life in a developing world- life in a non-american culture.  i think it's FANTASTIC that we find injustice abhorrent, and that we believe we, as individuals, have influence, that we believe we will be heard, that we can be and should be heard, as should everyone.  that we believe that change is possible- the individuals matter-that the world is our neighbor.  these are american values.  they start early in our childhood and continue.  we are allowed and expected to analyze, to question, to speak our opinion, even to authority.  i have not found this value, this practice to be true here among most ugandan children and students.  this is not a theme in their education or the majority of the homes.  so is it possibly arrogant of us to assume that other cultures have all that they need to advocate and empower themselves?  why can't the joining of our voices - the sharing of our cultural backgrounds - be okay in giving a 'voice to the voiceless'?  is it offensive to say people are voiceless if no one is listening them? maybe they should be called the 'unheard' instead.

and he does get some 'snaps' in my book for the long haul.  this isn't a guy who had an emotional experience - quickly made a video- and instantly got himself known for 'his amazing work in africa' at least not to this level.  it's been 8 years.  besides my marriage and children- and i guess medicine- what cause have i been committed to for 8 years? i've never even lived on the same side of the country for 8 consistent years as an adult. to me this speaks of how long it takes to work for good things- and this unfortunately doesn't seem to be a big current american cultural value.  we like quick fixes, we like flashy and sexy topics, we like emotion, plan, success.  but most big and important things take time, even lifetimes, even generations.

the other night mike and i had a discussion about the 'bono's of the world.  the american billionaire stars who highlight a topic- raise awareness and money- and get good PR in return.  he was kind of annoyed by it- and while i joked that there is someone in hollywood whose job it is to pick the right cause for each celebrity- it doesen't annoy me.  they are doing what they can do.  they sing, or speak, or look pretty in a magazine wearing an inspi-red t-shirt, because it's what they can do.  they can't teach architecture or take care of people medically.   just like i couldn't make a video and a webpage and mobilize generation Y to care about kony.

today's Nouwen lenten reading was about measuring our worth.  it was about the worth of our being not our doing.
"In solitude we can slowly unmask the illusion of our possessiveness and discover in the center of our own self, that we are not what we can conquer, but what is given to us.....In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared. It's there we recognize that the healing words we speak are not just our own, but are given to us; that the love we can express is part of a greater love; and that the new life we bring forth is not a property to cling to, but a gift to be received. In solitude we become aware that our worth is not the same as our usefulness." 

somehow this seems relevant here. whether ugandan or american, celebrity or abducted child, gavin's dad or blogger opposed to invisible children, our lives, our gifts are to be shared- but we spend so much time treating our status, or our opinions as possessions to be defended.  we spend more time speaking words of judgement then words of healing.

i've lived in some great cities and i've sat in many coffee shops in highly enlightened places like san francisco, where i'm sure kony will be a hot topic of discussion today.  and i've gotten really bored of the banter- of the time that seems wasted on formulating the perfect response to where i stand on a specific topic that in all honesty 99% of the world is really removed from.  i live in uganda and i don't know or experience anything about kony really in terms of solidarity.  but when you take out the specifics we would probably agree that the world is full of bad stuff- and bad guys- and we all feel deep inside -very helpless about it and overwhelmed and unclear on the 'right' response.  many of us feel guilty that we have it so good when others don't.  many of us want to "do" something- but we don't know what.


so should the kony 2012 campaign be about the people in africa suffering the consequences of the LRA and not cool american t-shirts? yes.  absolutely.  but to me their missions is "american"- because they are america, and they are targeting americans, using american communication.  because of this, they are big and shiny and trendy and popular.  they're not claiming to be a grassroots northern uganda group.  i guess i think that is okay- at least the little i know about it.  he is a film maker- that's his deal- his area- his sphere of influence- and he wanted to use it to raise awareness and put political pressure on his very influential government.

this is life.  this is holding the tension of the opposites- it's looking at the konys of the world- listening to the voices of the invisible children (or the white wealthy dad's who have spent 8 years raising awareness). it's reading opinions about it, investigating, being moved by it, broken by it, whatever it is- rebel armies or sex-trafficking- or cancer.  it's paying attention and not turning around because you don't know what to do, or say or think.  because that can be the hardest part- the awareness of evil and suffering and our helplessness- making choices daily about how we respond- to any of it.  being.  being thoughtful and gentle.  'speaking healing words, that are not just our own, but given to us'- and expressing love that is part of the greater love.