My Opinion...Kony2012

A picture of the people behind Invisible Children. In their response, they noted that this picture was a bad idea and that he [Jason Russell] doesn't like guns....right...I don't like guns and if one were around I wouldn't be seen taking a picture with it. 

After seeing millions of retweets and shares and references to Uganda, I finally decided to take the time to watch the Kony 2012 video and read some related articles in able to form an educated opinion. Several people have asked me my thoughts, being that I am Ugandan-American and studied development, but I often hesitate to give my thoughts on something when I do not have the full picture, but here it goes. Before I start, I just want to point out that I haven't done much with regard to conflict studies, so I do not profess to be some sort of expert on the matter.

I only watched the 30 minute video today in order to write this blog post though I have read several articles throughout the week and shared the most critical ones with my social network. My initial reaction lacked emotion. This video did not move me to tears, nor fire me up to get out and fight for a cause which has been convoluted and over simplified by the producers of this viral video. I find the video to be a bit misleading, largely because I know a bit about the LRA and the fact that they largely left Northern Uganda years ago. This video would lead viewers to believe that there is ongoing violence in Northern Uganda caused by the LRA and that it continues to be a substantial threat to the local population. In the movie, they constantly use the present tense "abducts" which is very very misleading. Further, I am against unsubstantiated claims in a video this viral, such as "99% of the planet doesn't know who he is, if they knew Kony would've been stopped long ago." I would like to know when he did his research and how he substantiates this claim. One of the best quotes was, "If my son were kidnapped and forced to kill it would be all over the news", though I won't use this post to delve into the delusions of American white privilege.

Besides the misleading information, I am not particularly against the idea of social movements and using viral advocacy to increase awareness, but given the short attention span of our generation, my fear is that this awareness raising is merely superficial. So feel free to share the video though I would urge you to do further research and urge you NOT to donate to their organization. I am not clear exactly how they aim to achieve what it is they are trying to achieve. The US now has troops on the ground, have they mentioned that they will be withdrawing them? The answer to that I do not know. But I feel that this sort of large-scale campaign should indicate the answer to that question. Because if the US has not signaled that it will withdraw support I am wondering why we are all prepared to go out in the middle of the night and plaster posters all over the world. Besides giving the producers, notoriety what will it accomplish?

The world needs idealists. And this is what Jason Russell is and the idea that he is trying to sell. The problem for me is merely the over simplification of a complicated problem.  The lack of academic experts in the video or even quoted is slightly disturbing. I have heard reactions from friends who have never paid attention to foreign affairs, which is better than them talking about Waka Flaka Flame, but the problem is that now you have a large group of people sharing this information and likely not doing further research; thus the masses still remain largely ignorant to the truth of what is actually going on. The video should have encouraged people to do further research, not merely to stop at their website, buy their Kony kit and promote their message.

I think one of the more subtle issues is the constant display of white man as the savior. This is an image rampant in development and one that is likely to never go away, but video and campaigns like this highlight this notion. In one of my favorite critiques, Michael Wilkerson writing in the Guardian points out, "But since Invisible Children as an organisation began with a few north Americans stumbling into a conflict they didn't know existed and then resolving to help the child victims by making a movie, the base level of great white saviourdom is already high. Implying that finally now, by getting the word out about Kony via celebrities, bracelets and social media, can the LRA be ended plays into this narrative of white rescuers coming to help poor Africans and totally ignores the efforts, good and bad, by Ugandans to fight the LRA for 25 years."

All in all I look forward to having discussions about this with my development circle and those are a more informed though I also find value in having conversations about the topic with those who final (maybe) know where my ancestral home is on a map.

I would be remiss if I didn't also link out to an article by a fellow Ugandan-American, Patrick Kigongo which prompted me to also write a post. His article was retweeted by a classmate from LSE. Though I don't agree with everything that he said, he makes some great points.




More Articles (Honestly I wish I had more time/cared enough to read all of the articles and comment sections and respond):


http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2012/03/08/why-you-should-feel-awkward-about-the-kony2012-video/


http://africasacountry.com/2012/03/07/phony-2012-risible-children/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/for-uganda-justice-is-complicated/article2362190/


http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/03/07/guest_post_joseph_kony_is_not_in_uganda_and_other_complicated_things

http://thisisafrica.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/acholi-street-stop-kony2012-invisible-childrens-campaign-of-infamy/


Their response...http://www.invisiblechildren.com/critiques.html

35 and counting.....

A few weeks ago a friend and I were chatting about travel and wondering who we know that has been to the most countries. She tossed a name into the debate and we discovered that he had been to less countries than me, but my friend insisted that his passport was more interesting since a lot of my travel has been confined to Europe. I have written lists at various points but never am able to remember my country/territory/city-state count :-) so I figured I would write a post. So here goes nothing, in order of visitation starting from my birth and first international travel in 1991 (not counting Canada of course)!

1. United States (Lived)
2. Canada
3. England (Lived)
4. Uganda
5. Jamaica
6. Caymen Islands
7. Mexico
8. The Bahamas
9. France
10. Spain
11. Japan (Lived)
12. Hong Kong 
13. Honduras
14. Australia
15. Fiji
16. Puerto Rico
17. Costa Rica
18. Netherlands
19. Turkey
20. Egypt
21. Malta
22. Belgium
23. Czech Republic
24. Sweden
25. Croatia
26. Montenegro
27. Switzerland
28. Italy (Lived)
29. Vatican City
30. Benin (Lived)
31. Togo
32. Ghana
33. Greece
34. Germany
35. Hungary

Five of seven continents, not bad.....

I am still hoping to add five to this list this year, as part of my new year's resolutions, and I will end the year at 40!!!

And as a side note to my friend....less than half are in Europe.

Miami...The Celebration

After loads of deliberation, six days before I was meant to travel I decided to head to MIA from FCO for a weekend! A total of 27 hours travel and 3 and a half days on the ground, I must say I have never made a better decision. If you do not have a friend that you love enough to do that for, I suggest you search for that person.

The highly anticipated weekend of #houseofratchet, a hash tag which is worth searching on twitter, was one without disappointment. I often try not to have expectations because I think it makes the good great and the bad not so bad, but I had very high expectations for a full weekend of friend fun and they were instantly surpassed from the first drink at Wet Willie's.

A collage of artists, photographers, students, corporate Americans, teachers, entrepreneurs, lawyers and genuinely amazing people I fell in love with so many strangers. I landed at the airport around 9pm EST and was met by a dear friend from NYC at the gate as she also flew in for the festivities. I collected my baggage, went outside, phone calls were made and Elton was there...along with a special surprise guest. I am not sure I stopped smiling after that very moment. So much love.

One to never disappoint, after 15 hours of travel I came off of the plane in four inch heels ready for the bar and we headed straight to Wet Willie's. There I met more of the guests of house of ratchet, drank my drink and laughed until my abs ached. Un-phased by the long travel and six hour time change, Thursday was a great night. Lots of mojitos, laughs and controversial moments.

Friday morning came swiftly and though we went to sleep around 5am, we were up by 7, changed into beach gear by 8:30 and in the ocean by 9. Just me and some of my favorites. By 10am we were drinking free mimosas on Ocean Drive and laughing until our cheeks hurt. I can't get sarcasm like that anywhere else in the world and I loved every bit of it.

As more and more people arrived the ensuing fun became palpable. We checked into the house/villa/mansion (as you prefer) and the official weekend kicked off. There was loads of alcohol, ratchet punch (key ingredient was Everclear). There was family and friends, classmates and childhood friends. All major US cities were represented. We rented bikes, we talked to people on the street, we played beach volleyball and ogled at the scantily clad bodies on the beach. We had heart to hearts and parlor talk. We played Pokeno and "went" to church. Old friends reunited and strangers became friends. We slept on air mattresses and next to the pool. We sun bathed, we brunched, we rode around Miami in a 15 passenger van.

Words alone cannot express the amazing energy that was present during the weekend so I will leave the pictures to do the rest of the talking. Thanks to my iPhone and Erik Umphery for the pictures. Hopefully Elton will release his soon!

The birthday boy and I. Friends for 25 years.

The Bike Ride

The Crew

The Food. Shouts to Uncle Julius.

See more photos over on Erik Umphrey's facebook page.

Quotes from the trip:

"That is not my cross to bear"
"I'm not here for that."
"Ma'am"
"Madame"

Anything else ratcheteers???? 

#HouseofRatchet

Today I am embarking on a very long journey in celebration of my dearest friend Elton's 30th birthday. A total of 15 hours of travel from take off in FCO to landing in MIA. Long but worth it. I will do a post once I am back, but given I am only spending three days there, flying back and going straight to work there will undoubtedly be a few days delay because of the jet lag. Check out the flyer for the weekend long celebration.

Closing the Gap Between Men and Women in Agriculture

Every year the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations publishes their "State of Food and Agriculture" report. 2010-2011 report was entitled "Women in Agriculture". This video was made in support of the release of the publication.

In Memory Of....

As much as everyone else, I was shocked by the recent passing of Whitney Houston. Her amazing talent inspired generations of singers and actresses. Without a doubt her spirit will live on. Today is the first time that I have played a Whitney playlist and it was after watching this amazing video of Glee's Amber Riley singing "I Will Always Love You". Enjoy.

Willkommen in Berlin!!

Last September, as a last hoorah before my dear friend Katie moved back to Montreal, we headed to Berlin to visit a friend and see this wonderful European city that we had heard so much about.

This was my first time in Germany, though Zurich gave me an appetizer for the German language and frankfurters. As I imagined, the airport to city transition was fairly smooth, though we spent about ten minutes navigating the German ticket machine. Somehow switching the language to English didn't help either. The weather was less than desirable. Very rainy. We arrived at our friend's house, had a few drinks, then headed out for thai food. Though in Germany, all I wanted to do was eat foreign cuisine because it is something that I don't have regular access to living in Rome. And boy did Berlin satisfy my longing for good thai food and the prices made me even happier. This super awesome city has a very low cost of living. For what I pay for my room in Rome I could have my own apartment and then some in Berlin!

Saturday we headed to a large flea market in the middle of a park, filled with vintage items, fresh juice, gourmet food and an all-around good time. The buildings were colorful and the stalls were enticing. I walked away with two pairs of earrings, a few necklaces, a couple of rings and a gorgeous vintage purse, which I circled back for. While trolling the market, we met an Egyptian man who lovingly referred to me as sister, the second stall owner to do so. It felt good. It felt good to be in a foreign country and be embraced simply because of the color of my skin. Let's just say it isn't something that happens that often in Europe. We spent about 30 minutes talking to him. He shared his stories with us. He had been in Germany for years. His stall was a bit of a hobby for him. He sold us things. Beautiful things. And he made us laugh.

As the sun poked its head out from the clouds, we began removing the layers and began the historic tour. We saw the remnants of the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie and Parliament. We read stories of the lives that were affected by the divide and reflected in silent solace, grateful to be reading about this history as opposed to living it.

The time I spent in Berlin was not enough. I long to go back. I would love to live there but there is always the problem of finding a job. It is a great city for creative types. Very inspirational. Great shopping. Great food. Great bars. It definitely has earned its way on to my short list of favorite European cities. Below are a few of the photos that I took.