David Zarembka (Coordinator for the African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams) has authored a report in response to the spotlight being shone on the head of Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army, Joseph Kony, thanks to a 30 minute video by the American advocacy group Invisible Children.
The video has now received more than 30 million views, and has sparked a debate about the West’s role in Africa. [You can listen to WBEZ’s Worldview program for recent analysis by clicking here, where you can also view the original video.]
From Dave’s report:
To be sure, there is a lot to be done in Africa. And Americans can help. But we must help by standing with Africans. Not over them. Not by imposing our will and believing we have all the answers. But by really engaging with people on the ground, listening to their stories, understanding their wants, needs and desires and helping them achieve those goals. The African Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams has just released an eleven-minute video, “A Story of Healing” which examines what HIV+ women in Burundi are doing to support one another in difficult times. No Americans appear in the video. It was made with the involvement of Burundians who have seen and critiqued the draft of the video. This, to me, is the way to work with and for Africa.