General
Women civil society organizations in Uganda have protested the video dubbed Kony2012 by Invisible Children, saying it is arousing painful past experiences among victims.
The video, depicting the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, South Sudan, D.R. Congo and Central African Republic has grasped the attention of millions of Internet users and instantly sparked off a lot of debate at both local and international levels.
Addressing journalists in Kampala on Friday, the women activists argued that the campaign of the film narrated by Jason Russell was rekindling the trauma among the survivors of the Kony war that lasted over 20 years.
In a joint press briefing, the executive director of Isis-Women's International Cross-Cultural Exchange, Ruth Ojiambo noted that the focus of the video posted on YouTube and so far watched by over 100 million people worldwide is to use the military option to capture the LRA leader.
"The film is demeaning the efforts of civil society organizations in Uganda which is not true. We have done a lot in helping the war victims to resettle," Ojiambo said.
"While the idea of this campaign against the LRA leader is welcome, the steam it has created overshadows the real concerns of the sufferers and survivors of this conflict in Uganda."
The women civil society organizations that denounced the Kony2012 film included Isis-WICCE, Care, Teso Women Peace Activists (TEWPA), Akina Mama WA Africa and the Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention CEDOVIP.
Lilian Mpamulungi, the executive director of Care pointed out that instead of focusing on Kony’s capture, the film producers should have focused on the rehabilitation and resettlement of the LRA survivors.
The executive director of Akina Mama Wa Africa, Leah Chipepa said Uganda was peaceful therefore, the campaigners of popular video should focus on countries like the D.R. Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan where Kony and his men still abduct children.
The 30-minute film produced by American Child organisation has caused uproar among the Kony victims living in northern Uganda to the extent that the Police have stopped its screening.
The activists argue that the video is rekindling traumatic experiences among the survivors.