Lynette Jackson, associate professor of Gender and Women’s Studies and African American Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago, and Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga, a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a former journalist in Uganda will be our guest speakers.
From “Backlash against Kony 2012: Where are the voices of the Ugandans?” by Patricia Taft and Nate Haken
Since the Kony 2012 internet video went viral, there has been a backlash and counter-backlash. The backlash criticized Invisible Children for oversimplifying the issue. Certainly for those of us who have lived in Uganda and who have spent years working on these issues, it is difficult not to cringe at the missing nuance and the fast-and-loose treatment of history…The counter-backlash pointed out that oversimplification is what advocacy does…But does the video attempt to represent the perspectives and opinions of the people depicted on the screen?
Questions for Consideration
With over 84 million viewers to date, what’s behind the mass appeal of the “Kony 2012” video? How does or doesn’t the campaign create effective social change? What can be done to give voice to Ugandans and raise further awareness? What should informed activism look like?
Want to learn more?
- Kony 2012
- Africans Are Not Invisible: Rounding Up The Kony 2012 Campaign Debate
- Joseph Kony is not in Uganda (and other complicated things)
- I’ve met Joseph Kony and Kony 2012 isn’t that bad
- Make Kony famous? No thanks, says Uganda
- New Report Argues Deployment of Advisors Creates Unprecendented Opportunity to End LRA Atrocities
- The White Savior Industrial Complex
- The victims need to be the subject of a campaign, not Kony
- the visible problem with invisible children
Free and open to the public. For more information, call 312.422.5580.
If you need a sign interpreter or require other arrangements to fully participate, please call 312.422.5580. For parking locations near the facility, please visit Chicago Parking Map