The Joseph Kony Movement

Joseph Kony - A Brutal Warlord in Africa

My son, who is a senior in high school shared something very shocking with me that I hadn't heard of before. He shared a little bit of information with me, and said that all the kids are talking about Joseph Kony. He showed me the video, "Kony 2012", which is a full half hour long, and I was too tired right then to watch it, but at his insistence I did. I was so glad I watched it.

The word is being spread about Joseph Kony here in the Midwest USA, and that is a good thing, and hopefully world over. It is a movement like no other that I have ever seen. I am here to share a bit with you in an effort to share a bit more about it, as time is drawing near for a special day in April, 2012.

Brief History of Joseph Kony

Joseph Kony is part of the LRA, or Lord's Resistance Army, though he doesn't really stand for anything it seems except just being evil. He is into killing people, hurting children and being demoralizing in general.

Through the video you can learn a lot about Joseph Kony, and why he must be stopped. He kidnaps and brutalizes children. He uses the boys as killers, trains them as soldiers and uses the girls as sex slaves. Joseph Kony is on the run, going to and fro and is known for punishing ruthlessly those that try to escape. He even somehow gets the children to murder their parents. This is all based on the information I gathered from the video.

How Jason Russell Came to Found Invisible Children, Inc.

Jason Russell is the man speaking on the video and sharing his personal journey with one boy named Jacob. Jason met Jacob in Uganda Africa back in 2003. This little boy shared his horrifying story with Jason, and he made a promise back then to help him.

The video is heartbreaking and horrifying.

When Jason Russell came back to the states, he thought the simple sharing of the problem with out government, would be enough to get some action to stop Kony. Everyone in Washington said it won't happen. Thus, the need to share all they can about Jacob and the "Invisible Children." The creating awareness did bring some change.

The goal is a good one, to stop this pure evil from moving forward.

The whole idea has culminated in an effort to do what no powerful government has been able to do yet. That is, to eventually stop Joseph Kony through spreading the word and creating a demand for change. I think this is a great thing, and I have to wonder if the governments around the world won't want this to happen, at least to some degree because it will mean there is power with the people. This is what America was founded on however. Good for them for the trying of it!

The goal is to make Joseph Kony famous, and not in a good way. The goal is to raise awareness and support for his arrest. Jason Russell starts out appealing to what he is observing in our changing cultures, and a deeper desire within us all. He shares how connections on the internet are almost literally changing how the world works. He shares how it is a desire within each human being to belong, and connect. We see this with sites like Facebook and Twitter and all the others that keep on growing.

The whole thing is basically a 27 minute experiment, and there are skeptics out there wondering about the support being raised. There seems to be some question about funds and how they are used. There is no doubt however, that kids have been affected and are doing what they can. I don't know if there is any misuse, but the sheer fact that the idea has been raised will hopefully keep things in check. We all know that everyone that donates even one dollar to the effort, hopes it goes to help save children like Jacob and his brother who was killed for trying to escape.

There are some places you can search to see reports of what has been done with the donations, for example in 2011. Click here to see the site where you can find out more.

The video is very effective, it will move you to tears. Click on this link to watch it on Youtube, or watch it here in the hub as I have it posted below.

I think Jason's goal is a good one. I hope he can get it done. The goal is to change the course of human history. He says the movie expires December 31st, 2012. I hope you consider watching the video, and perhaps sign the petition offered, and share the video with others. That is all free to do. If you want to get more involved, you can buy a kit, that seems unavailable at the moment.

Joseph Kony now knows people are after him, and on the move. He is a destructive human being. Uganda is safer now, and some of those children have come to the states to share their stories. They have done much work, created schools, etc. Since Kony is on the move, there are just new villages at risk, more family's being torn apart. I hope they catch Joseph Kony, and the tension now is that IF he is not caught, that he got away with murder in a very literal sense - and that is putting it mildly......

What do you think about helping these "invisible" children become more visible to the world? Can they make these kids visible enough to cause the world to act? They proved on some level, it can be done. Joseph Kony and the LRA is still on the move however, there is much to be done.

Part 2 of the Kony 2012 is also available now, shown below.