Film depicts violence in Africa
The film “Kony 2012,” which documents the actions of African war criminal Joseph Kony, logged more than 44 million views in its first four days on YouTube. At a screening of the documentary Wednesday, USU students met and spoke with a survivor of the conflict.
After the 29-minute film was shown, Grace Nimaro, a young woman from northern Uganda, spoke about her life and how the conflict in central Africa has affected her life.
“I grew up in this conflict,” Nimaro said. “This conflict affected me. It affected my community. It affected my friends. It affected my relatives.
“There are children being abducted and forced to fight as child soldiers. They are being displaced, their families are being separated, and their homes are being set on fire. Their relatives and friends are being killed, and they will not see them for the rest of their lives. But as Invisible Children, we are close to ending this war, but we cannot do it without your help.”
Sunee Washom, a full-time volunteer for Invisible Children since July 2011, said students who attended the event at USU got an experience not available on YouTube.
“What made tonight different from seeing the film at home is that we had a survivor from the war with us,” Washom said. “She traveled all the way from northern Uganda to share her story face-to-face.”
The popularity of the film on YouTube has been accompanied by much conversation across the Internet through social media.
“This film is spreading everywhere — it’s a worldwide trend on Twitter right now, and it’s all over Facebook,” Washom said.
For 10 weeks, Washom will be on the road visiting schools to promote the “Kony 2012″ movement and Invisible Children organization, she said.
According to the Invisible Children website, “‘Kony 2012′ is a film and campaign by Invisible Children that aims to make Joseph Kony famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest and set a precedent for international justice.”
The organization labeled Kony as the “world’s worst war criminal.” According to the “Kony 2012″ website, Kony took over an existing rebel group and named it the Lord’s Resistance Army.
“When Joseph Kony found himself running out of fighters, he started abducting children to be soldiers in his army or ‘wives’ for his officers. The LRA is encouraged to rape, mutilate and kill civilians — often with blunt weapons,” the website states.
Washom said this conflict is nothing new.
“This conflict has been going on for 26 years,” Washom said, who calls herself a “roadie” for the organization.
Ashley Ryan, director of Aggies for Africa, also said the showing the film was to create awareness about Kony.
“It’s about stopping him from killing children and people,” Ryan said.
Ryan said Invisible Children contacts Aggies for Africa every semester to set up a documentary screening.
“They just came out with this documentary and wanted us to show it,” Ryan said. “It just happened that it was the same week that they went viral with the video.”
During her speech, Nimaro said most of her relatives and friends had been killed. Her cousin was abducted when he was 12 years old, she said, and she hasn’t heard from him since.
Nimaro said she applied for a scholarship through Invisible Children that would pay for her to continue her education. She was able to graduate from school with a business computing degree with help from Invisible Children.
“I’m really grateful for what Invisible Children has done for my life,” Nimaro said. “It’s making the invisible children visible today.”
Nimaro was part of the first graduating class to receive scholarships from the Invisible Children organization, and she said there are about 700 students that are attending school because of the scholarships provided through Invisible Children.
“As I speak, there is relative peace in the northern part of Uganda. But this war has shifted to central Africa. What happened to me is the same thing that is happening to different communities in central Africa,” Nimaro said.
Washom said 2012 was chosen as the year to stop Kony because the atrocities of war need to end.
“We want it to end as soon as possible. The longer it goes on, the longer people live in fear and the more abductions and deaths that can happen,” Washom said. “We have U.S. forces on the ground in Uganda right now, and this is a window of time that might not last long.”
Nimaro said she wants more people to know about Kony and his actions.
“If Hitler was made famous, if Saddam was made famous, and if Bin Laden was made famous, why can’t we make Joseph Kony famous?” Nimaro said. “Let us be radical. Let us be strong activists. Let us make Joseph Kony famous.”
To help promote the movement, Jason Russell, ASUSU Student Advocate vice president created a Facebook group and event. Coincidentally, Russell shares the name of the documentary maker who filmed “Kony 2012.”
“I’ve just been thinking of ways to promote this and how to raise awareness at Utah State,” Russell said. “I feel like it’s been done in Utah and Salt Lake, but for Logan nothing has really been done. We’re using the resources that we have to promote this as much as we can.”
Ryan said she hopes students realize they can make a difference and work toward this effort.
“I hope that people realize that there is more than being a college student. I feel like not everyone is aware of these things, and I hope
they realize that they can make a difference — even if they are a college student,” Ryan said.
April 20, an event is scheduled nationwide called “Cover the Night.” Russell and Ryan are organizing USU’s portion of the event. For more information, students can visit the Facebook page Kony 2012 Movement: Utah.
“I cannot tell, and I do not know, the joy that I will feel the day that Kony is brought out and brought to justice,” Nimaro said. “Let us do this to see social justice prevail. I encourage you to join us.”
– cnmoffitt413@gmail.com