<h3>Transcript</h3>
Voice 1&nbsp;

Welcome to Spotlight. I&rsquo;m Robin Basselin.

Voice 2&nbsp;

And I&rsquo;m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 3&nbsp;

&ldquo;There is nothing more powerful than an idea - an idea whose time is now.&rdquo;

Voice 1&nbsp;

In March of 2012, 100 million people read these words. They were the opening words of a short film called Kony 2012. An organization called Invisible Children made this film. Invisible Children&rsquo;s goal is to protect children who are victims of war. And Kony 2012 was a part of this effort. The short film became more famous than anyone thought it would. However, not everyone thought the film was a good idea. Kony 2012 tried to start a movement &ndash; a movement that would change human history. But was it a success? Today&#39;s Spotlight is on the film Kony 2012.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Joseph Kony is the head of the Lord&rsquo;s Resistance Army, or the LRA. This rebel movement started 27 years ago in the African country of Uganda. The LRA has rebelled against governments. But they have also done terrible things to civilians. The United Nations estimates that the LRA has killed more than 100,000 people in Central Africa. The UN also reports that LRA soldiers have kidnapped between 60,000 and 100,000 children. The LRA has forced them to become part of Kony&#39;s army and do terrible things. The International Criminal Court charged Kony with war crimes in 2005. In fact, he is number one on their list of criminals. But so far, no one has been able to catch him.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Kony&#39;s crimes are shocking. But most people around the world had never heard of him. Jason Russell did not think this was right. Russell is part of the Invisible Children organization. And he wanted people to know about Kony. He wanted the world to stop Kony from hurting any more children. So Invisible Children created the film Kony 2012. In Kony 2012, Russell presents the world with an idea. He says,

Voice 3&nbsp;

"Right now, there are more people on the social media website Facebook, than there were on the planet 200 years ago."

Voice 2&nbsp;

Russell&rsquo;s idea was to use the power of millions of people on the internet. He believed these people could change the world. The only thing they needed was knowledge.

Voice 1&nbsp;

So Russell began his experiment. On March 5 2012, Invisible Children released Kony 2012 on the internet. Russell hoped Kony 2012 would make Joseph Kony famous! He hoped it would spread knowledge about Kony&rsquo;s terrible crimes. The goal was to urge the world community to capture Joseph Kony in the year 2012.

Voice 2&nbsp;

In less than one week, more than 100 million people watched the film. Immediately, news organization wrote thousands of stories about Joseph Kony and Kony 2012. People all over the world were talking about the film. Ben Keesey is the head of Invisible Children.&nbsp; He talked with News Corp Australia about the popularity of the film. He said,

Voice 4&nbsp;

"It was more than we expected. In some ways, it was more than we could deal with."

Voice 1&nbsp;

But not everyone was happy about the film. Many people felt that Kony 2012 did not tell the whole story about the problem of the LRA. They claimed that the film concentrated only on one man, Joseph Kony. But they did not think that catching Kony would solve the problem. Other people claimed that the film made mistakes. The film seemed to communicate that the LRA was still a problem in Uganda. But the LRA had moved out of Uganda years ago. Now, it operates in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Many people also thought that the film suggested poor solutions. Kony 2012 told people to pressure their governments to assist the Ugandan military in capturing Kony. But many people felt that sending the military to capture Kony would create more danger for people. Mahmood Mamdani is a university teacher in Uganda. He told the al-Jazeera news organization,

Voice 5&nbsp;

"The LRA is a problem that belongs to Uganda. It requires a political solution from Uganda."

Voice 1&nbsp;

Many people also felt that the film communicated wrong ideas - that African people do not have the strength and ability to deal with their political and social problems. The film did not show the way that Ugandans have pressured their government. And it did not show the many people and organizations who have worked to support children in the conflict area. Instead, the film concentrated on the filmmakers, and their reactions to the conflict. Many Ugandans felt great anger when they saw the film. Ugandan Thomas Okello, told the Wall Street Journal news organization,

Voice 6&nbsp;

"The film looks more about white people than Ugandans."

Voice 2&nbsp;

However, other Ugandans disagreed with Okello. They supported Kony 2012. Jacob Acaye is a former LRA child soldier. He was a big part of the film. He believes the message of the film is important because the LRA is still active in Central Africa. He told the Guardian news organization,

Voice 7

"What about the people who are suffering over there? They are going through what we were going through."

Voice 1&nbsp;

Several members of the Ugandan government supported the film&#39;s effort. And many people praised its results. The organization Human Rights Watch wrote this about Kony 2012,

Voice 8&nbsp;

"If anyone deserves to be famous for his crimes, it is Kony...The Kony 2012 film has already achieved something. It spread word of Kony&#39;s crimes."

Voice 2&nbsp;

There is no question that the film gained international attention. Less than three weeks after the film came out, the African Union acted. It announced that it was sending an international force to Central Africa to find and capture Kony. Other countries like the United States have also done more to help Uganda stop the LRA.

Voice 1&nbsp;

But capturing Joseph Kony is more difficult than it seems. The LRA is now hiding in the Central African Republic. It is a small group. Thick jungle forests prevent technology from finding Kony. The country is also experiencing a civil war. So African Union soldiers have had to stop their search for Kony.

Voice 2&nbsp;

So did Kony 2012 fail? Some people would say &lsquo;yes&rsquo;. But Invisible Children would say &lsquo;no&rsquo;. Since, March of 2012, Invisible Children has continued to spread information about Kony and the LRA. They have created more short films and informational materials. In one of these films, Jason Russell says,

Voice 3&nbsp;

"We will never give up...In this connected world, we can see and hear each other. And now we want to protect each other. This changes everything."

Voice 1&nbsp;

The writer of this program was Jen Hawkins. The producer was Michio Ozaki.&nbsp; The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it on the internet at <a href="http://www.radioenglish.net">http://www.radioenglish.net</a>. This program is called, &ldquo;The Kony 2012 Film.&rdquo;

Voice 2&nbsp;

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!


