More than 100 million people have watched the Kony 2012 video on YouTube and Vimeo since it was posted on March 5. Invisible Children, the group behind the video, has urged its supporters to take to the streets and “Cover the Night” on April 20 in an effort to make Ugandan guerrilla leader Joseph Kony “famous.” Some Alabama students are planning to do just that on Friday night.
Leigh Anderson, a senior majoring in public relations and restaurant and hospitality management, is the executive director of the unofficial UA Kony 2012 chapter and is helping organize its April 20 operation.
Anderson was inspired by the video to get involved with the effort and strongly supports the movement.
“I believe in this movement because this man is killing and abducting children, and there’s a special place in my heart for children,” Anderson said.
Kony has been on the International Criminal Court’s most wanted list since 2005 and is charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes during his prolonged paramilitary campaign against the Ugandan government.
Michael Deibert, a journalist and visiting fellow at Coventry University in England, has extensive knowledge of Central African political matters and is the author of the forthcoming book, “Democratic Republic of Congo: Between Hope and Despair.”
Deibert does not support Kony 2012.
“Given the long history of human rights abuses of both the Ugandan and Congolese military, given the lack of safeguards to protect civilians from the reprisals that have inevitably followed the unsuccessful attempts to capture Kony in the past and given the questionable electoral legitimacy of both the Museveni government in Uganda and the Kabila government in Congo, I think the course advocated by Invisible Children is a highly irresponsible one,” Deibert said.
Deibert also said students who want to support positive change in central Africa would do better to support local grassroots organizations such as Human Rights Focus in Northern Uganda and Voix des Sans-Voix in Congo.
Kony 2012 has been perceived by many as a youth driven movement and criticized for its style of activism.
Addie Horn of Invisible Children acknowledged this perception.
“Invisible Children would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for our high school and college supporters who have continued to show support throughout the last eight years,” Horn said.
Students and youth are the backbone of this organization, Horn said.
Emily Simon, a sophomore majoring in international studies and Spanish, is also a supporter of Kony 2012. She said Invisible Children has done incredible work to initiate change and has been very successful with its various programs
“A main reason that I support them is that while organizing their efforts they listened to what the people actually living in Uganda said would help rather than pushing their own ideas,” Simon said.
Simon does not approve of criticism to the organization like that of Deibert.
“The criticism of Kony 2012 is a really big shame, taking something that has done so much good and trying to turn it negative. It’s very frustrating to watch,” Simon said.
Simon and Anderson also said they wanted UA students to become more engaged in world affairs and to pay attention to things like Kony 2012.
On the night of April 20, the group will be set up on the patio of Buffalo Phil’s and will be supplying posters and tape for everyone who wants them; although, they are encouraging people to bring their own supplies as well.
“We are also having a competition for all organizations on campus to see who can be the most creative with their ‘covering,’” Anderson said.
[IF YOU GO]
What: Cover the Night
When: Friday, April 20, 11 p.m. until 5 a.m.
Where: Buffalo Phil’s
