I've had some messages asking me, here on the ground in Uganda, what I think of this Kony 2012. It's actually taken me a few days to decide.
I've read several articles and blogs that have helped to inform me and I think these are important enough and relevant enough for you to take the time to read as well:
Deidrah McAulay on her FB status shared on my page:
Last night on Ugandan TV, hundreds of people from Northern Uganda gathered to view Kony 2012. Hundreds of people, many victims of Kony, gathered to view Kony 2012 and see what it was all about. They were outraged. One woman said, "When I see his face, I remember my pain. Why do they want to make him famous?" Another person said, "This is all about Americans, it has nothing to do with us." Another said, "You will not be welcome in Uganda if you come with a Kony 2012 Tshirt." Food for thought from the people who have lived through it and are healing from it.
"...[read the whole article!] Atyam was relentless in her love, speaking out against Kony on radio and in print. When he sent threats, she did not waver. Finally, he sent a message to say that he would release her daughter if she would stop her campaign against him. “They are all my children,” she said. “I will not stop until they are all released.”
Eventually, they were. But the power of Atyam’s story is not in the conclusion that “it worked.” It’s in a faith that knew love was possible, even when evil seemed overwhelming. When I met Atyam several years ago, I asked her how she knew to hold on. “I got down on my knees every night and said the Lord’s Prayer,” she told me. “‘…forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…’ I knew I had to keep praying.”
Yes, we are more creative than cynical apathy or violent intervention. We are more creative because we’ve been invited to pray a prayer that’s not ours and live a life that has power beyond our capacity to imagine.'
"...The first step in turning this controversy into something that benefits the Kingdom is to embark on the uncomfortable but rewarding journey of becoming more curious, more informed and more passionate about justice."
"...The solution to our problem is not to capture Kony but to help us continue in this process of healing, the thought of capturing Kony arouses more anger, more pain and feelings of revenge that are unbiblical. In fact if you asked me ten years ago what I would do with Kony if I captured him, I would revenge all the evil he has brought on my family. Now I realize that revenge is for God, I personally have handed Kony over to God. The gospel of Jesus has helped me over come these feelings, the thought of arresting Kony arouses sin in me, reminds me of how hopeless I am and how people do not understand me.
Justice is not only going to happen when our oppressor is captured and taken to The Hague, there are many leaders in Uganda who have done far worse atrocities and qualify as well to go to the Hague even before Kony but no one seems to say anything about them. Justice is going to happen if we the oppressed are restored and given living hope. This hope is what the oppressor took; taking the life of the oppressor does not bring back any hope. I have realized that hope is not in the cows, land, food or other material things we owned, because when Kony took all these from us, we lost hope and life was meaningless. Hope is in life eternal, hope is in Christ. This hope no man can take.
The focus in Northern Uganda should no longer be Joseph Kony the man that oppressed us for 23 years, but it should be on we that were oppressed. I believe that this Acholi problem needs a biblical and African solution of restoring the broken hearted. We urgently need to raise leaders that will give hope to the hopeless. Therefore the kony 2012 Video is not the solution, hope to the oppressed is the solution."
KILAMA DENNIS, Academic Registrar Africa Renewal Christian College
Acholi survivor of Kony's LRA
And my own thoughts?
Some of you heard us speak while last in the States about our friend Pastor Thomas, survivor of Kony's LRA troops. His story is long and makes my stomach sour to listen to all of it or think of the 'all' he could put to words to speak of. Kony certainly deserves to be on some top list, he certainly should be prevented from continuing. I understand why this campaign says THIS IS THE YEAR. A few months ago I remember reading in the newspaper about US troops on the ground training Ugandan troops and we wondered what it was for. The reason was reported to be 'obscure'. I understand that if something is going to finally be done, the pawns are in place to see it possibly carried out.
But I don't understand why the campaign chose the slogan to MAKE KONY FAMOUS.
Shouldn't it be MAKE KONY INFAMOUS? Get people to look that word up in the dictionary if they need to. The synonyms of ill-famous, dishonorable, shameful are better descriptors. Yes, do get people in the West--of whom too many are concerned too much about the brand of clothes they wear compared to the World News and world reality-- to see something important. IC has a goal of publicizing this issue--if I understand what I read correctly.
Yes, that is needed and I applaud their efforts to turn the world's eyes to THE PEOPLE in the country I call home.
But, my fear is that next year this will be a past fad. The thousands of children who grew up in camps accurately pictured in the video campaign will still be here with not enough people caring to love them. The now thousands of adults with no skills, no education, horror memories will be adults with still no hope.
So, if you get involved, I hope and pray that you will continue to stay informed. That your publicity kit will not be the only thing you contribute. That you will continue to pray for those who are on the ground touching with the grace and healing power of the only HOPE we have. That you will do something to help raise up national leaders in their own education and leadership skills because national Ugandans can be equipped to rain love and grace and hope to these thousands without it. That you will actually seek ways to sacrificially support that.
And for some of you, that you will support greatly someone you may know who wants to give more of themselves IN Uganda, or that you will come and see for yourself and continue to spread the message of the need for HOPE: Hope of salvation in the free grace of Christ.
So, I applaud IC for opening the eyes of millions to THE PEOPLE in Uganda.
Yet the reason I am here in Uganda, my passion instilled in me, and choice vocation is not to make Kony famous.
It is to make Christ famous.
People/places I know personally making a difference in this issue?
Facebook: Chris Bwami and New Song of Grace. A Uganda Baptist Seminary graduate and living and ministering in this affected area. Ask to be Facebook Friends, and look up:
http://newsongbiblechurch.com/2012/03/new-song-of-grace-uganda-chris-bwami-3412/ for an audio clip of Chris's ministry info.
Mark Vukoni, Ugandan national pastor sponsored by Uganda Baptist Seminary and it's supporters, living in a far northwest town on the border with Congo and Sudan. He has been on the ground only a few months and is trying to begin his ministry in a place with very few others bringing hope to that area. We were there with him in January.
Uganda Baptist Seminary, a place where more than 300 students from across east Africa come to be trained and equipped in sound doctrine and leadership skills to reach their own people. I have several leaders in my class this month who come from this north-central part of Uganda.
See the latest newsletter for UBS here:
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