iPhone app iPad app Android phone app Android tablet app More

Kony 2012: Invisible Children Documentary Sheds Light On Uganda Conflict (VIDEO)

Joseph Kony

Huffington Post UK   First Posted: 7/03/2012 11:52 Updated: 7/03/2012 12:54

A documentary detailing the ongoing conflict in Uganda and the plight of child soldiers has become a viral hit.

Entitled Kony 2012, it is named after Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which has earned a brutal reputation for abducting and recruiting children to fight for them.

More than 30,000 children are believed to have been abducted by the rebel group, with the male children being forced to bear arms, and the females being used as sex slaves. The group has also slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilians in central Africa.

The 30 minute film shows war-torn Uganda through the eyes of a former LRA child soldier called Jacob and aims to raise awareness of the country's grisly conflict.

The film was made by the Invisible Children charity, which is calling for an international effort to arrest Kony, disarm the LRA and bring the child soldiers home.

A statement on the website reads: "We seek to rebuild schools, educate future leaders and provide jobs in Northern Uganda. We are the motivated misfits and masses redefining what it means to be an activist."

Kony, a former altar boy, is wanted on 33 criminal charges, including 12 counts of crimes against humanity, murder, enslavement and rape.

The LRA began its attacks in Uganda in the 1980s, when Kony sought to overthrow the government. Since being pushed out of Uganda several years ago, the militia has terrorised villages in Central Africa, AP reported.

The video has been shared over four million times on Facebook and is trending on Twitter under the hashtag #KONY2012.

Celebrities including Rihanna, Nicole Ritchie and Stephen Fry have all tweeted their support for the campaign.

Click here to support the international effort to arrest Kony.



Stephen Fry
Well, we're really making go viral now! Good work everyone. I should have hissy fits more often. The man must be exposed.

FOLLOW HUFFPOST UK

A documentary detailing the ongoing conflict in Uganda and the plight of child soldiers has become a viral hit. Entitled Kony 2012, it is named after Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resista...
A documentary detailing the ongoing conflict in Uganda and the plight of child soldiers has become a viral hit. Entitled Kony 2012, it is named after Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resista...
Related News On Huffington Post:
 

Read more from Huffington Post bloggers:
Niamh Sheerin

Niamh Sheerin: Kony 2012: The Latest Viral Social Media Craze or Something More Profound?

If you are not aware of the recent online Kony 2012 campaign started by the non-profit Invisible Children by now, it is likely that you have been living on the moon for the past week; that or your internet connection has been acting up.

 
 
  • Comments
  • 25
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Recency  | 
Popularity
photo
piblogger1
1036 Fans
 
14:40 on 10/03/2012
Before you take up arms virtually speaking . . . you need to read this (http://wp.me/p1h552-fU) . . . let me know what you think.
Permalink  |
sallysakyiaddo
0 Fans
20:49 on 09/03/2012
I know there are problems but it seems the world always manage to shet overty on Africa when really if many have been to many countries it is rich in resources and are twice as rich as the western society who are struggling just to get by.
Permalink  |
photo
mookletoad
0 Fans
20:36 on 09/03/2012
?
Permalink  |
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
celtics
71 Fans
12:26 on 09/03/2012
The effect this video is having, especially on young people, reminds me of a real life "Hunger Games." It gives me hope that Kony will finally be stopped.
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
ideaville
I have sexdaily, I mean dyslexia, Danm!
275 Fans
12:09 on 09/03/2012
You have to wonder how this guy has been able to get away with these terrible outrages for the last 30 years. The international community should hang it's head in shame at it's apathy, not just in Uganda and Sudan, but in Somalia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. I cannot think of an African nation that has improved with independence.
Places where child soldiers have been taken in and looked after have proved that it is possible to reverse or at least stop the damage being done by the likes of the LRA. I am not a fan of just sending money to Africa, but if you asked some of the guys serving in Afghanistan, if they would rather do some real good in Africa, I bet many would love to help these kids.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Thismortalcoil
Science is the poetry of reality
648 Fans
18:22 on 09/03/2012
That's such a good idea Ideaville - your name is very apt!
Permalink  |
sallysakyiaddo
0 Fans
20:52 on 09/03/2012
South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast there you go countries which have improved with independence and next time know what ur saying before u say it
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
ideaville
I have sexdaily, I mean dyslexia, Danm!
275 Fans
21:19 on 09/03/2012
I stand corrected, Nigeria is a major holiday destination with no serious problems isn't it? If your definition of "improved", is that a small number of people have all the wealth while others live in poverty and fear, you are spot on. If I didn't know what I was saying, I wouldn't have said it.
Permalink  |
photo
Moses Mbemba
4 Fans
18:44 on 10/03/2012
Im from the Ivory Coast and we imporived initially but over the past decade weve gone completely downhill with several civil wars, coups and have presidents who want to stay in power past their term and the French who constantly mingle in our affiars and control us behind closed doors.
Permalink  |
photo
maryegunyu
11 Fans
10:03 on 09/03/2012
I am despairing, small or International, how much actually charity funds reaches the intended recipients.

Konyi guy is evil and drug dazed to the core, but is he still in Northern Uganda? If Congo is now the priority, find a Congolese villain. Compare to famine adverts on UK TV, are they balanced? You would like once to see a starving,Brazilian street child, Indian slum child, North Korean child, but it always some sub Saharan African child. Then racists fill the net with 'black people go back to your famine,war torn continent'.

Read carefully, notice the squabbling for the 'pie'. Amazing, some non-profit organisations actually profit more the founders, their inner circle, and corruptible extensions, the people employed on the 'ground'; full bellies first then relatives, before aid trickles to real victims.

Charity is appreciated but why the squabbling about which charity supports another 'sad' African cause better? Is the anger because for now the 'opposition' has seemingly scored a publicity coup with this video. Who is worried of losing the limelight = fewer donations?

Charities do 'good' because something 'eventually' trickles down, but it is at times self-employment, grandiose meal tickets with perks.
What, other day jobs do they have, salary package, attached health, travel benefits
How charitable are they?

Most are outside Africa run by non Africans, but do not worry Africans abroad and even the Africans on the inside have caught up.

Whichever, wherever charities operate in the world, ASK how much percentage serves the cause.
Permalink  |
photo
ProLifeResponse
10 Fans
03:22 on 08/03/2012
I agree this is sad , however I feel more sad about the millions of invisible children in America. In 1 day 4,000 children die by abortion. There are more dieing in 10 days then from the war in Africa in a whole year.
Permalink  |
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Richie Tipsy Kariuki
Reality...it's optional
97 Fans
04:01 on 08/03/2012
Abortions are going to happen regardless of ones preferences. Religious dogma aside, I'd rather they be done safely than with coat-hangers in an alley and sometimes abortion can be the matter of life and death for the mother.

On the plus side the percentage of woman seeking an abortion has gone down significantly since a high in 1990. With the increase of proper sex education and contraception, hopefully, that figure should continue to drop.

Personally I wouldn't be discounting the child soldiers situation and the Ugandan conflict in general with the unrelated issue of abortion.
Permalink  |
photo
Dye
41 Fans
16:41 on 08/03/2012
You posted to the wrong page. Stay on topic or leave.
Permalink  |
photo
maryegunyu
11 Fans
12:17 on 09/03/2012
I see their point. Similar issues, children and their vulnerability.
Permalink  |
photo
Tom Laz Bisley
62 Fans
 
16:50 on 07/03/2012
The world will be a better place without Kony and it's heartening to see so many people moved by this .......but, there are questions about Invisible Children and their methods.
http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/post/18890947431/we-got-trouble

I guess the world isn't as simple as Good vs Evil even on something as initially straight forward as this.
Permalink  |
photo
redfragglebiker
3 Fans
13:40 on 08/03/2012
Well done for posting the visable children link Tom. I was about to do the same but you beat me to it. I find a lot of the points they raise very interesting and the article is well worth a read to gain a balanced view of the issue.
Permalink  |
photo
Al Mozzo
5 Fans
10:17 on 09/03/2012
Thanks for that Tom!!! Worth reading the article before watching the video
Permalink  |