Recently, my daughter sent me a link to the video, "Kony, 2012" produced by the organization, Invisible Children. The half hour video seeks to educate people, especially young adults, about some of the terrible human rights abuses perpetrated by Joseph Kony and the "Lord's Resistance Army" (LRA) over more than two decades in Uganda and other countries of Central Africa. These horrors include the widespread kidnapping of children (more than 30,000 children when the LRA was active in Northern Uganda) to turn them into sex slaves or child soldiers (the latter, often beginning their indoctrination by being required to murder their parents).
The film is also a call to action. It asks viewers to help spread the word in a variety of creative ways. The video and website call on us to urge our own government (through our representatives) to continue providing advice and technical support to governments in the region who need such assistance to bring Joseph Kony to justice (he's been indicted by the International Criminal Court at the Hague) and stop the Lord's Resistance Army.
The Invisible Children website also provides deeper background about the conflict and information about other programs that the organization sponsors on the ground in Africa. These programs include scholarships to help high school and college-aged survivors of these abuses pursue an education and career, building and repairing schools, support and training for women abused by the LRA who are trying to reclaim their lives and an early warning radio system to help potential victims by warning them about current LRA activity.
I also read a few critiques of the video, the Invisible Children organization and its leaders, some of the critiques asking legitimate questions, some of them, one suspects, motivated more by jealousy that Invisible Children has succeeded in inspiring young people and others to action where other organizations have had less success. But more than 100 million people have viewed this video (mostly on YouTube!) and many of them have been inspired to take action to educate others about Kony and the LRA and to bring this criminal to justice.
Receiving this email from Abigail prompted a number of reflections (including a considerable measure of parental pride). But I want to conclude, for now, with three, brief reflections. First, whatever its downsides (and there are many), the Internet has become and is likely to remain a powerful force for shaping world culture. Even if done imperfectly, this particular use of the Internet to promote awareness and social justice activism illustrates the possibility of harnessing the Internet's vast, connective power for redemptive purposes. Since the Internet is not going away any time soon, I’m inspired to see creative, idealistic folks, people who are passionate about justice, using the Internet as a source of blessing in the world.
Second, I am planning to support this "Kony, 2012" campaign and encourage you to do so, too. If for no other reason, we ought to show young adults both in our own community and around the world that we are their allies in this work of tikkun olam. For their sake and our own, we need to do our best to fight the paralyzing cynicism, grief and fatigue (usually born of more years spent wrestling with the overwhelming and intractable injustices of the world) that so often prevent us from actively engaging in the work of social justice as we get older.
Finally, I would remind you that it's Nisan, the month of Pesach, the month of our liberation, the month of our people's rebirth into freedom. I suspect that after 430 years of slavery to Pharaoh, most of our people were themselves, pretty cynical about the possibility that the world and their lives ever could be different. This is, I believe, the reason that God required our ancestors to be active partners in the moment of redemption. This is the reason that God didn't simply transport the entire community to Canaan (it certainly wouldn't have been beyond the capacity of the Creator of the universe to do so). No, despite their doubts and fatigue, God required our ancestors to find at least enough faith to pack their things, walk out the front door and follow Moses towards an uncertain future that, nevertheless, held out the possibility of fulfilling a magnificent hope. Each Nisan, despite our own skepticism, doubt and inertia, we reach out to express that same courage and faith. After all, if not now, when?
-Rabbi Jonathan Kraus
