Hotel Uganda and Kony 2012

Last updated on: July 31, 2013 at 2:26 pm by Paul Louis Metzger

Hotel Uganda and Kony 2012 2013-07-31T14:26:55-07:00 Paul Louis Metzger

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ugandan journalist Rosebell Kagumire recently responded to the grassroots effort of Invisible Children to bring Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army to justice (called “Kony 2012”). Who are Joseph Kony and the LRA? Joseph Kony is the leader of the LRA, which arose in northern Uganda several decades ago. Kony and the LRA have slaughtered thousands, kidnapped multitudes of African children, and turned boys into soldiers and girls into sex slaves in various parts of Africa. Kony has been wanted by the international criminal court since 2005 on charges that include crimes against humanity.

Ms. Kagumire indicated that initially she had a hard time seeing what the video Kony 2012 had to do with the Ugandan situation. She argued that Americans (and other Westerners) must allow Ugandans to tell their own story. She also argued that they should support local Ugandan initiatives on the ground, and that they should not approach all things Ugandan as if Americans are the powerful ones who will deliver powerless Ugandans from all evil. She also claimed that if we don’t stop reenacting this same multifaceted problem, we will have done nothing to keep another rebellion from starting once the most wanted criminal against humanity, Joseph Kony, is gone.

Americans and the West have a long history of meaning well, but not always performing so well. We often come in and set up shop, and then drop shop as soon as the going gets tough. It reminds me of the movie, Hotel Rwanda. The Western powers (the Belgians primarily in this story) set up shop, but on their own terms. Once matters involving those long colonized got out of hand, the Western masters abandoned their pupils and left for home. Africa was not their home. It was a colony, a mission field, but not home. What business did they have setting up shops and hotels and controlling all things Rwandan?

I am convinced that if we don’t allow the Ugandans to tell their own story (and influence our own), if we don’t support local initiatives first and foremost, and if we don’t move past our sense of entitlement to relate to Ugandans and most other Africans in paternalistic ways, we will not remain committed to them for the long haul. Instead, we will bring about “Hotel Rwanda” or “Hotel Uganda” over and over again. Nor will we be committed to stopping the same problem we call “Kony” from emerging again.

If you were to establish a hotel there in Uganda, what would be your single-most important line? Would it be “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave,” as in The Eagles’ song “Hotel California”? Would your line be, “You can check in anytime you like, and you can always leave”? This is certainly how it seemed for the European hotel management’s engagement of its customers in the movie, Hotel Rwanda. Or would your line be, “We can check in anytime you like, and we will never leave”? The latter line should be the line of governments, NGOs, and missional organizations and the church.

The themes that the Eagles’ allegorical tune situated in L.A. and Hotel Rwanda likely shared in common were greed, hedonism and the dark side of the American and global dream. Even though one can leave L. A., it is very difficult to leave behind what it represents in the Eagles’ tune. And even though the Westerners left Hotel Rwanda and the nightmare behind, they did not leave their colonialist ambitions that created this nightmare behind. They took the nightmare with them.

No doubt, the intentions of Invisible Children are good. Moreover, their efforts are meeting with some success. They should be applauded for their efforts to support the cause to liberate Africa from Kony and the LRA. Still, there are various problems with the movement that must be addressed. I have written a longer piece on the movement titled, “Kony 2012, 2013 and Beyond.”

Going beyond Kony 2012, it is always most beneficial to wait and receive an invitation before starting a venture in a region in conflict. Otherwise, we can be seen as intrusive. We must guard against paternalism and a Messiah complex. We must also be sure that we are developing the relational connections that will keep us there collaboratively (not oppressively) for the long haul.

As impactful as viral video campaigns like Kony 2012 can be, far more impactful are the efforts of local movements on the ground. It is our increasing responsibility as the missional church and other organizations to come alongside existing indigenous host culture ventures locally, regionally, nationally and globally and support them, once we have earned trust and have received the blessing to partner. The incarnate Word whom Christians worship went far beyond a viral web campaign. He put all his words in flesh and put all his skin in the game. He had no exit strategy. If the Rwandans or Ugandans went down, he went down with them. He did not simply rent a room in a hotel. He moved into the neighborhood, shared life with the people there, and called it his home. He will never leave. Nor should we.

This piece is cross-posted at The Institute for the Theology of Culture: New Wine, New Wineskins and at The Christian Post.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

March 10, 2012

KONY 2012, 2013 and Beyond

Next Post

March 19, 2012 White Man’s Burden Lifted

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz