KONY 2012: "The Danger of a Single Story"

What is the danger of telling a single story? The danger of telling a single story like KONY 2012 is huge. KONY 2012 was a half an hour 'documentary' on Uganda's notorious Warlord, Joseph Kony, who abducts children to turn them into sex slaves and/or soldiers. Invisible Children's co-founder Jason Russell produced the video, and it has received over 100 million views on YouTube to date. Jason Russell subtly used a Western lens to show his fellow Americans who the "good person" is (Westerners) and who the "bad person" is (Joseph Kony). KONY 2012 undoubtedly convinced the privileged class of the West to adopt a colonialist mentality and get ready to 'help solve issues' in Central Africa. The danger in telling a single story like KONY 2012 is that it creates a generalization of the issues in Northern Uganda, as an "African problem," which requires the West's help. Thanks to TV commercials that portray the lives of individuals in the global south as 'poor,' Americans jumped the gun and became "saviours" once again!

This video specifically played on the emotions of young individuals to become a part of a campaign that attempts to "end the war" in Uganda, without offering information regarding the history of colonialism in Africa or even shed light on the complexities of the situation. The Ugandan population was outraged by the stereotypical and one-sided image that Jason Russell portrayed. Interestingly, various individuals from the Western world, as well as from Central Africa, have analyzed and debated over the documentary's purpose, as it "raised awareness" about a complex issue in a simplistic way, and aimed to raise funds that were given no explicit purpose. This podcast episode questions the lens through which KONY 2012 is depicted and argue that a more nuanced understanding is needed because a single sided story merely generates stereotypes.