A poster I made for a movie that I enjoyed thoroughly. You are a genius, Mr. Anderson.
Also, if you are interested to repost this somewhere, you should definitely link back or at least leave a comment on here. I’ve had bad experiences dealing with people who claim my work as theirs on the internet. Haha.
It’s crystal clear that ‘KONY 2012’ has reached the minds of heaps of youth.
What is KONY 2012? A valiant effort to educate and to capture the ICC’s most-wanted, Joseph Kony. The group Invisible Children, known for their work in Africa, spearheads the effort.
I’m not here to preach the words “Kony should be arrested! He is a terrible man!” or “What was I doing with my life? This is a huge problem!” I’m not completely against the KONY 2012 movement, nor am I a Kony sympathizer—I probably hate him more than most of the people who’ve seen the video. So why am I here? I’m here to point out that one of the biggest issues this whole situation has shed light on is not the tyranny Kony has done—it’s the act of Human Trafficking that is prevalent the world over. Take away Kony, you take away one human trafficker, but hundreds, or even thousands, of human traffickers are still kidnapping women, children, and men all around the world.
Human Trafficking doesn’t stop at Africa. Human Trafficking happens everywhere-from Europe to North America to Asia. It’s not something only one man does. In my country alone, the Philippines, thousands of tourists come in for sex tourism, thousands of men and women leave the country thinking they’ll be working regular jobs abroad, but ultimately end up in the slave trade. Kony had nothing to do with what is happening in my country.
And this is the problem I want to highlight—spreading awareness that these problems exist is great, but many people need to look to their own homes to face the sad truth that their countries need their help first and foremost. Again, it’s a great thing to spread awareness—it can lead to movement… I just want to remind people that there are preexisting centers in his or her own country that deal with people who’ve gone through such forms of abuse and are also out to hunt the traffickers in their respective countries.
I don’t want to sound cruel, but, more often than not, the same people who change their Facebook profile pictures, and the same people who tweet about it every hour are the same people who, 6 months from now, will only have a faint idea of what happened in the Kony initiatiative. Changing your profile won’t save a child from slavery. Sending money to a shady organization will not save a child from slavery. But, one can help a life that has ALREADY BEEN SAVED—support that child—not the men and women who ostracize them, by doing a quick google search on anti-human trafficking NGO’s in your area and offer your help. Now, that is making a difference.
Notes:
I have followed Kony and Uganda for quite some time. I’ve read about the tyranny of Idi Amin as well. I’ve also seen that the number one cause of deaths in Uganda is HIV and AIDS. Yes, trying to find Kony is good, but it shouldn’t be a racketeering scheme. Additionally, I think that the money sent to IC could be put toward the prevention of HIV and AIDS.
