By Adam Lignell
Invisible Children members arrived on campus Monday to make a relatively unseen war criminal famous, although some students have mixed feelings about the results.
Their film “Kony 2012” featured Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (L.R.A.) who kidnap and force children to kill.
Thiago Viamna, a student who related the Invisible Children’s events to that of the blood diamonds in Sierra Leone knew he had to act.
“I really got shocked and I really wanted to do something – at least something to help them.” Viamna said. “It’s a really complicated situation.”
Regardless of its complexity, the film has put a spotlight on Kony’s actions.
“I got really surprised about how such a person can do such terrible things with other people,” Viamna said.
Student Nima Amirshahpar thinks that people should keep a worldview approach.
“There are so many other things like this going on,” Amirshahpar said. “Just taking out this Kony guy – you’ve gotta go further than that.”
Invisible Children members Andrew Whitmer and former Ugandan L.R.A. member Lawrence spoke against the criticisms of their group and gave new supporters advice.
In 2006, Whitmer said he became involved in Invisible Children after seeing the film himself.
“Kony is the one that we’re going after, but even if we do get him it’s not guaranteed that it’ll end immediately,” Whitmer said. “So we are going to continue to pressure for the arrest of the L.R.A. commanders.”
According to Whitmer, the real work begins after Kony is captured.
“That’s when a lot of the development, education and economic programs that we did in Uganda, we’re going to spread those into the other countries affected by the L.R.A.,” Whitmer said.
Lawrence joined Invisible Children in 2008, and focuses on future plans while hunting for Kony.
“The rehabilitation center, which is targeting [L.R.A. members] who are actually defecting – they will regroup,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence and Whitmer confirmed that the L.R.A. effected families can be rehabilitated.
Lawrence explained that a radio network is being built along L.R.A. effected villages.
“The radio tower’s network is quite a unique one because we have several of them in this community that have been affected by the L.R.A.,” Lawrence said. “We send [the rebel army] peace messages.”
Interested students have quite a few ways to become involved as well.
“Engage representatives with Congress and Senate because they are the people who can make a really big impact,” Whitmer said.
Two bills supporting the US to stop the L.R.A. passed last week due to these actions.
Jason Russell, one of Invisible Children’s co-founders who has created many of the programs to rebuild African communities, was recently detained by San Diego police after undergoing a public outburst involving possible vandalism and blocking traffic.
Susie Sympson, the faculty adviser to Invisible Children for five years, provided insight for Russell’s recent stress-induced behavior.
“As soon as they met these kids that night, it impacted them so much that he actually quit college,” Sympson said. “It just moved him so much.”
Sympson said that reactive psychosis is what Russell went through after his work on the film.
“It’s like schizophrenia that’s caused by your circumstances, rather than a pre-existing condition,” she said.
Recent attacks on Invisible Children’s funding may or may not have been factually based.
“There are people out there with their own political agendas going on and it was really to their advantage to downplay this,” Sympson said.
Events such as Multicultural Night tomorrow will help raise funds for the college’s sister school in Uganda.
“It’s a fundraiser for our sister school in Gulu, Uganda,” Sympson said. “This year it just works that the Center for Student Involvement and Invisible Children remain the people who do it.”
Sympson shared her own advice for students recently getting involved with Invisible Children and Kony 2012.
“I would advise them to spread the word, do what they can to support it, tell people, to make Joseph Kony a household name in the worst way possible,” she said.
Students can support Invisible Children at http://www.invisiblechildren.com and http://www.kony2012.com.
Contact Adam Lignell, reporting correspondent, at alignell@jccc.edu.
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WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Multicultural Night: Friday, March 30
WEB-EXCLUSIVE: The controversy around Kony2012: The college’s chapter of Invisible Children responds to critics
This goal is noble !
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