If you, like me (probably not), was wondering what happened to Kony 2012’s “Cover the Night” event, it happened … last Friday, April 20th. I did see a sign, and my wife claimed to have seen a sticker or two while we were driving, which prompted us to wonder if the event had happened yet.
Yeah, the event wasn’t all that successful. It didn’t cover the night, the night covered it. Most people probably have no idea if it even occurred.
Kony 2012 started with a sizzle, but did it end in a fizzle? It depends on how you look at it.
The first online video produced by Invisible Children and featuring one of its founders, Jason Russell, went viral on YouTube and Vimeo, getting over 100 million views. That’s phenomenal. It did what the video wanted. It made Joseph Kony famous. People all over the world know who he is now. He’s the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army that kidnaps African children and turns them into killing machines and sex slaves.
The organization didn’t really need the “Cover the Night” event to achieve that objective, the viral video already got that accomplished. As a matter of fact, just today Barack Obama vowed to capture Joseph Kony and stop his army from committing further atrocities to children in Africa.
Will this eventually lead to Joseph Kony’s capture? I don’t know. When that happens, then Kony 2012 would be a complete success.
On the other hand, If you’re only counting YouTube and Vimeo views, then the movement ended with a dud. The first video had over 100 million views. The sequel, “Beyond Famous” only managed to draw in a few million. The “Cover the Night” event was scattered and didn’t make an impact.
I wanted to support it after watching the first video, but after hearing about the mismanagement of donated funds and other negative criticism, I was on the fence about donating. I still wanted to support it because the organisation’s intentions were good, even if the management wasn’t. And before you know it, Jason Russell was running around naked on the street and reportedly masburbating in public.
Anyone will think twice about supporting the organization or being associated with it after that incident. The organizing went from a group of young people trying to capture a wanted criminal to one with the guy who had a public meltdown.
Still, overall, it was very successful. It has made Joseph Kony and his crime against African children very famous. Now, it’s up to the world leaders to decide his fate.
