"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." - Wayne Dyer.
I thought it would be wise to accompany my previous post with this information: http://s3.amazonaws.com/www.invisiblechildren.com/critiques.html
This has been provided by Invisible Children regarding how they allocate their budget and reasons why they intend to collaborate with the Ugandan government.
“Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live.” - Invisible Children
For those of you who have not yet seen this video, you are missing out on learning about a revolutionary effort to combat the senseless and horrific crimes against humanity by Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), in Uganda and other countries in eastern Africa. Many documentaries, blogs, webinars, reports, etc. have aimed to raise awareness of human rights abuses and called upon the international community to address these issues. None seem to compare to the video by Invisible Children that has gone viral!
This video has become widespread in the realm of social media. Students in universities are talking about the video with other students. People are donating what they can to rebuild schools and create warning and tracking systems to protect children and communities against the LRA. The atrocities of the LRA seem to be entering the consciousness of the youth in the Global North. Let it not stop there.
Invisible Children posits what they believe the best policy options are to dispose of Kony. But are these the best ones? There are a lot of criticisms regarding the United States’ support of the Ugandan Army to defeat Kony. This army has been accused of human rights abuses as well. It seems that this US intervention may not be entirely culturally and politically informed, given that the geopolitical climate and legal system of eastern African countries is so complex. In addition, there are concerns over “buying into” the merchandise that Invisible Children has created and how the organization uses the money that is donated to it. The criticisms of the movement and the organization behind it are warranted. These, however, do not detract from the reality that Kony does need to be stopped.
How will you acknowledge your role as a global citizen and help bring the suffering of 30,000 children at the hands of Joseph Kony to an end?
There are a few options:
The important point, however, is that it is not as much about “buying into” Invisible Children’s merchandise and the idea that Kony needs to be famous. It is instead about a transnational civil society getting organized and putting pressure on states, international organizations, NGOs and other private actors to put this issue on the agenda. This video has been instrumental in getting the conversation started and now culturally appropriate and carefully constructed strategies need to be devised by important actors in global governance. We need to ensure that they keep talking by continuing to demonstrate how much we care about this issue and the lives of others in our interconnected world.
Solidarity is the way forward.
In the words of Gandhi:
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Each of us, every one, is the starting point for a better tomorrow. It’s the World Day of Social Justice. How are you going to acknowledge this day? How are you going to change the world?
(via mollyinkenya)
"Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (via emotional-algebra)
(via mollyinkenya)
(Source: moleculess, via aplaceforart)
Pure genius!
Many writers on Africa often tell of the “ubiquitous” coke bottle. The old-fashioned glass bottles that we only see now in vintage shops in the Western world are found in Africa in the most bizarre and remote areas. I experienced this phenomenon myself during the four months I spent living and volunteering in the Upper West Region of Ghana.
“You can buy a Coca-Cola virtually anywhere in developing countries but in these same places up to 1 in 5 children die before their 5th birthday from simple preventable causes like dehydration from diarrhoea.” - ColaLife
ColaLife is non-profit organization that “hitch-hikes” on the distribution network of Coca-Cola in order to improve distribution of and access to certain medications. This is a great example of the unique forms of public-private partnerships emerging to address global health issues.
Check out ColaLife: http://www.colalife.org/
A documentary about the incredible poverty that those living in the Kibera slum in Nairobi experience. The trailer alone is very powerful.
Almost two weeks ago now, on a Sunday morning, I woke up and could barely see. The vision in my right eye was blurry. There was pain in the inner corner, almost as though something had become stuck. I spent forty-five minutes trying to rinse my eyes, but to no avail. Finally, I called my mentor to seek her medical advice. She told me to go to the Urgent Care Center. I put on a pair of green plastic sunglasses and my best friend drove me there.
The facility in West Hamilton is pristine. Although I had to wait a considerable time to see a physician, the experience was otherwise just fine. The nurses and people at the registration desk promptly took my information and were very kind to me. I was treated with respect and able to joke around with the staff. I was able to go into a private room where I was seen by a very friendly physician who determined that I had somehow acquired a 1cm scratch on my cornea. All I needed was to pick up some antibiotics and continue to wear my sunglasses due the light sensitivity.
The entire time, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a story someone had told me about their experience with a similar health issue in Malawi. If I had been in Malawi, I would have been taken to an under-resourced health facility crowded with people with health concerns likely much more serious than my own. Because I am white, I might’ve been moved ahead in the line. I would’ve had to pay for the health care services I used, and there would be others unable to pay for the services they needed.
It is not very often that I am so acutely aware of the disparities between health care in Canada and the kind of care (or lack thereof) that other people experience elsewhere. I am a Global Health MSc. student, so I certainly have knowledge of the difficulties in accessing care, unequal distribution of global health human resources and the inadequate supply of medical equipment at health facilities. Though I understand these things “intellectually,” they do not always register emotionally. Two weeks ago I was in a vulnerable situation and other people in my society took care of me. I realized that if I had been in the same position abroad, or a person with a different identity and of a lower socioeconomic status, this would have been a very scary experience. I may not have been treated like a human being. The level of care I received would not compare. Would my human dignity be infringed upon?
It is not acceptable that a person’s quality and access to health care differs depending on where they live. It is not acceptable that your susceptibility to diseases depends on your socioeconomic and geographic location. It is not acceptable that the health needs and priorities of the Global South are marginalized and that so-called “developed” countries are able to set the global health agenda according to their needs.
I saw through different eyes two weeks ago. These kinds of experiences are ones that I hope will enter into my consciousness more frequently. This will only happen if I open myself up to these experiences.
That’s what this blog is about. Beginning to be cognizant of the privileges and rights we enjoy in the “Global North” and to understand the experiences of those in the “Global South.” Through this process, we can begin to recognize our role as global citizens.
“The more you are motivated by Love,
The more Fearless & Free your action will be.”
— Dalai Lama XIV
