Monday, March 19, 2012

Africause

I ready two articles today. Both concerning populations suffering conflict in Africa. Yet these two articles were very different. 



The first article is quite lengthy. Even if you don't have the time to get through the whole thing I recommend you read what you can. It will truly open your eyes to the atrocities of slavery which are occurring every day without punishment or consequence in the country of Mauritania. In this North Western country in Africa, a strict caste system exists determined by lineage and the color of your skin. Slavery is so engrained in this culture, many who have actually been freed from slavery are unable to comprehend the meaning of this freedom and often continue work for their "masters" accepting a salary which they are unable to count. 

Although slavery in Mauritania was abolished in 1981 and made illegal in 2007, there has only been one successful prosecution of slavery and it is still both accepted and supported by the government today. There is one organization fighting to counteract this horrific state of society: SOS Slaves. This organization was born from the alliance of two unlikely friends from opposite ends of the caste system. Together they are fighting to eliminate slavery in the country and open their eyes to the concept of freedom. However, this is easier sad than done. Freedom is not just a societal status, but engrained in their way of living and thinking:
"Boubacar, the other SOS founder, later would tell us that when masters grant freedom to their slaves, in a perverse way they are actually serving to further enslave them. 'Freedom is not granted,' he said. 'When freedom is granted by the master you remain dependent, grateful.' 
Freedom is something that must be claimed."
The second article discusses Kony 2012, Jason Russell (of Invisible Children) and the LRA in Uganda. The difference is, the primary focus of this article is all the buzz surrounding Invisible Children, Jason Russell's current mental and emotional state and their celebrity-backed campaign. There is no question that the current Kony campaign has brought a great amount of attention to the issue, however the quality of attention is my concern. What are the primary issues actually being discussed as a result of this campaign? Although this article mentions the LRA, Kony and the political conflict surrounding the campaign, the spirit of the article is a commentary on the media frenzy surrounding the campaign rather than the cause itself.

I tend to suffer a lot of inner-turmoil over the way groups choose to represent their causes. On the one hand, any philanthropic effort which yields a positive change, effect or outcome should be counted a success. However, I tend to consider myself somewhat of a purist when it comes to that presentation. Time and time again I hear leaders of the nonprofit world say remember your cause, remember your origin; in one sentence, what are you fighting for? If you and your constituents can't answer this simply and easily, you've somehow lost your way.

I would like to quickly digress here and mention that I believe that this applies to all things in life. In work, in love, in family, in all things; the greatest power comes from knowing what you want and being able to state it concisely and effectively. Find your passion and find your power.

I do commend Invisible Children for employing many of the most current marketing and social media tools to create a campaign that is both accessible and popular among the target generation. However, ultimately the question is whether the ends can justify means and how far this campaign is actually capable of going.

I hope you will take the time to read both of these articles and form and share your own opinions.

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