Joseph Kony, Invisible Children, and Military Humanitarianism in the Northern Uganda Conflict

This chapter reviews and analyzes the connected campaigns to capture Joseph Kony, most notably Invisible Children and Kony 2012, and shows how “doing good” can further entrench the conditions that cause conflict and humanitarian crises in the first place. The case of the conflict in northern Uganda illustrates how humanitarian efforts paved the way for larger neocolonial interests there, in particular those of American Evangelical Christians and the US Military. While acquisition or control over beings, resources, and cultural products are ultimate effects of humanitarianism, this chapter highlights another “resource” that Africa offers the West – that is, a sense of purpose. Humanitarian efforts may create “feel good” opportunities for westerners, but they require serious interrogation due to the high political, economic, and social costs of these efforts for people on the continent of Africa.