roseannapileggi.files.wordpress.com€¦ · web viewdonating to the cause and encouraging others...
TRANSCRIPT
Title: “The World vs. Joseph Kony: Who is he, and why should he be stopped?”
Problem: Joseph Kony and his army, the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army)
Chosen Audience/Genre: The people Los Angeles, California (Readers of the LA Times)
Roseanna Pileggi
Word Count: 1198
Joseph Kony vs. The World: Who
is he, and why should he be
stopped?
Above: A child soldier that was a victim of the LRA (The Lord’s Resistance Army), the army led by Joseph Kony.
Who is Joseph Kony and What is the LRA?
Oftentimes, when we turn on the news the
latest coverage of the war in the Middle East is on.
However, another war is going on that few people
know about. It is a war that has been causing
terror and suffering in the lives of children and
their families since the 1980’s. Last year you may
have heard about an event called “Kony 2012”
through the news, your social media sites, at work,
in school, or through the flyers posted around Los
Angeles and other neighboring cities. This was put
on by the movement known as Invisible Children,
that works to educate the world about the war
being led by Joseph Kony and the LRA (Lord’s
Resistance Army) throughout The Central African
Republic, the Congo, and South Sudan.
The
The war began as a movement known as
“The Holy Spirit Movement,” led by a Ugandan
native named Alice Lakwena. The group focused
on making alliances with rebel militias, hoping to
free Northern Uganda from governmental
oppression. At the time, Lakwena was part of the
Acholi tribe, who were consistently being
mistreated by this government. Despite her efforts
to end the corruption, she was eventually exiled
from Uganda, and a man named Joseph Kony took
over as her successor.
He then turned “The Holy Spirit
Movement” into the “Lord’s Resistance Army,”
hoping to overthrow the Ugandan president and
rule over his own state. However, he struggled
with maintaining the group’s regional support and
numbers and as a result, he began to abduct
children to strengthen his army. The boys were
trained to fight for the LRA, and were often forced
to kill their parents or siblings, while the girls
were abducted to be sex slaves. To avoid
abduction, hundreds of children embarked on
“night commutes,” in which they would walk to
the nearest city to seek shelter in schools,
churches, or bus depots. Unfortunately the
children did not always arrive to their destination
safely, and since the war started, over 30,000
children have fallen victim to the LRA.
Sunday, December 8th, 2013
Los Angeles Times
What was “Kony 2012?”
Invisible Children has led many efforts to
put an end to Joseph Kony’s reign of terror. They
have strived to raise global awareness of this issue
by means of social media, group efforts, and
international conventions. With enough support,
they hope to be able to stop Joseph Kony and help
the victims that have suffered under his
oppression.
Above: One of the many posters that were posted throughout cities worldwide during the Kony 2012 movement.
In 2012, Invisible Children released a
video named “Kony 2012” that told the story of
Joseph Kony and the LRA. They hoped that it
would make him a world-renowned criminal,
inspiring people to join the movement against
him. “Kony 2012” became the fastest growing
viral video of all time, resulting in millions of
people pledging to support efforts to arrest Kony.
I was part of the Invisible Children club in my
high school, and we also became involved in this
effort. Together, we shared the video on our social
media sites and went out and posted “Kony 2012”
flyers around our city. That night, I came home to
find that the effort had made it to the national
news, and at last, millions of people were learning
about Joseph Kony and what he was doing.
What Resulted From “Kony 2012?”
As people from around the world voiced
their concerns, the government’s soon realized
how much their people cared about this issue. As a
result, they began deploying troops to help the
effort. This international awareness has helped
reduce the numbers of the LRA significantly, from
about one thousand in 2008 to about three hundred
after “Kony 2012.” Joseph Kony may now be
weakened, but he has yet to be arrested and
because of this children are still being abducted.
According to the Invisible Children’s website,
there were ten abductions last month and six
returnees. The number of returnees has been
increasing, which is encouraging, and the war is
close to being over. It is time to come together
once more to end it.
So What Can We Do?
There are several ways that we can become
involved, whether it is to help the children directly
or to further weaken Kony and the LRA. Invisible
Children is currently collecting money so that they
can continue to build radio towers that warn
communities about an imminent LRA attack.
They are also collecting money to help fund
victims for their future, such as providing funding
for their education, counseling, medical expenses,
or rehabilitation from the trauma they suffered.
Donating to the cause and encouraging others to
donate can help a great deal. If 500 people were to
each donate ten dollars, that would raise enough
money for a returnee to receive all of the
rehabilitation and counseling services that they
would need. Los Angeles is a huge city, full of
celebrities, music producers, and organizations
that may be financially stable to help with this
cause. $5000 for one person is a price that is
unaffordable in Uganda, which is why it is so
important to help with this expense.
Not everyone is financially secure enough
to make a donation, and that is fine. There are
many other ways to contribute to this cause. We
still have the option of doing what we’ve done in
the past, with “Kony 2012.” Kony became famous
through the efforts of people from all different
cities and countries. This was one of those
situations where someone’s personal contribution
really did make a difference in the long run. I
helped my own city learn about Kony just as
others did in their cities, and it definitely wouldn’t
have happened without a joint effort.
The results of “Kony 2012” proved that
joint efforts are successful in getting not only our
government’s attention, but also the attention of
different governments from around the world. One
more group effort might be enough to enact social
change that will be strong enough to finally result
in his arrest and end this war. As citizens of Los
Angeles, we are at the advantage of living in a city
that is full of voices that are closely connected to
the media and broadcasting industries. It is more
likely that we will be heard here first, over a
smaller town or city
Below: The official logo for Invisible Children, an organization dedicated to rescuing the lives of those affected by Joseph Kony and the LRA.
Let’s take advantage of this, and start the chain of
events that will hopefully end this war.
I am starting an activism group here in Los
Angeles. We will be partnered with Invisible
Children, and will start by approaching the news
outlets throughout the city. If you wish to become
a part of this, simply contact me via the
information below. More information on how we
will do this will be given at our first meeting.
How Can I Contact Invisible Children?
You can reach Invisible Children by
phone, email, mail, through their website, or by
walking in. Here is their contact information,
along with mine if you are interested in joining the
Los Angeles activist group or donating.
Telephone Number: (619) 562-2799
Email (IC): [email protected]
Email (Mine): [email protected]
Address: 1600 National Ave San Diego, CA 92113
Website: www.invisiblechildren.com