The greatness of the power of social media has only recently been made obvious to the people of the world. After the Arab Spring, we may have the next social, perhaps international, movement in the form of the viral documentary KONY 2012. It was made by documentary filmmakers who researched and presented to the world the horrors of the war crimes committed by one Joseph Kony, the Ugandan leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. In 2005, he was at the top of the most wanted list by the International Criminal Court and is said to have a 30,000 strong army of child soldiers who amongst other horrors were abducted, raped and forced to kill their families.
The efforts of the project team for Invisible Children – KONY 2012, and numerous young volunteers, have brought the issue on to the US foreign policy agenda even though the country has no policy or financial interests in the region. Their aim is to have an American or perhaps international force to help the Ugandan Army fight Kony. For that to happen, they would require large scale support from the world community. They intend to get this support by making Kony famous the world over. The website for KONY 2012 shows a petition to have him brought to justice, the documentary and information about how people from anywhere can get involved in the effort.
It is awe-worthy what they have accomplished with one film, posters, t-shirts and Facebook posts. It is heartening to see that the people are not powerless in the face of bureaucracies or for that matter, borders. There is a lesson in this for the youth of Pakistan as well. This is a time for optimism and a belief in a better future, and it is us, with the power of our speech, who can and must fight for what is right, in Pakistan and anywhere in the world. Stand up and spread the word.
SHANDANA SAJJAD
Rawalpindi
