Kony 2012 Amsterdam.Cover the Night

Who is Joseph Kony? "Kony" or Joseph Kony was born during the year of 1961,and is known around the world as a fearless and horrific Ugandan rebel guerrilla  leader.  This gorilla group called the Lords Resistance Army is an extremely violent rebel militant organization known for there extreme brutal acts on innocent civilians including women and young children and even there own fellow supporters. Initially this militant rebel group enjoyed strong public backing and grew in popularity like most militant rebel groups, the group then turned brutal on its own supporters, causing loquacity

The Lords Resistance Army or "LRA"  has earned a violent reputation for its extreme actions against the citizens of many countries, including the northern part of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan itself. He has kidnapped, organized, and forced over sixty six thousand young children to fight for him and his rebel army, in addition to forcing the displacement of over two million people and villages since the group began back in early 1986.

Cover the Night has ended – but the advocacy is just beginning

It's official – the sun has set on the world's final timezone and on Cover the Night. You have surpassed any and all expectations we had. While our intention for the event initially was to raise awareness about Kony and the LRA, after the film's release the plan evolved into an opportunity to serve our communities and keep Kony and the LRA on the forefront of global consciousness. What happened tonight was that and so much more.

From the incredible and selfless volunteer projects to the innovative and creative ways people decorated their cities – you blew our minds. Seriously. Blown. From old-fashioned billboards by the freeway to digital ones in Times Square. From reverse graffiti of the liberty triangle to enormous murals proclaiming that our liberty is bound together. Man, woman, child, dog, cat, car, boat, work, home. Everyone was invited, included, and inspired. Check out the  thousands of photos we received from people all over the world who took part in this monumental awareness campaign.

Leading up to April 20, we laid out a week of daily missions that encouraged global advocacy, and thousands of Kony 2012 supporters contacted the African Union, the United Nations, world leaders, and heads of state, asking them to support international efforts to end LRA violence. And the cogs of justice are slowly starting to turn.

Since March 8th, the U.S. Congress has introduced 7 pieces of LRA legislation. The Senate made a video expressing their longstanding concern about Kony's crimes and their appreciation of youth advocacy. The European Union responded to thousands of tweets last Thursday with a statement about it's support for international efforts to end LRA violence. Civil society leaders from DR Congo and CAR came together last week in Dungu, DRC, and released a joint statement calling on "the international community to engage, in line with international principles, to assist persons at risk, protect civilians, disband the LRA, and reunite our communities."

The United Nations Security Council meets in June, and we intend to be there with millions of signatures, asking for an urgent response to the atrocities that are still happening in Central Africa. As June draws closer we will talk about specific action steps that you can take to make this meeting productive.

Great strides are being taken. But the LRA hasn't stopped, and neither can we.

On April 20, 2012, young people from around the world served their local communities to advocate for international justice. We could not be more impressed or more grateful for the massive amount of support, thought, courage, and unity that were displayed through the hours of dedication from all of you, our supporters.

Here is a glimpse of what we have in store in the coming months. You know us, we always have something up our sleeves.

The Liberty Triangle

This entry was posted on April 5, 2012, in Culture, Invisible Children, KONY 2012. Bookmark the permalink.

This generation is changing the rules. The traditional routes of communication, influence, and authority have been reversed, and our connectedness has turned the power pyramid upside down. This generation intuitively understands that with the ability to see one another comes the responsibility to protect one other. And on April 20^th, we will act on this responsibility and stand up for our friends who are suffering at the hands of international criminals of war.

The  Liberty Triangle above consists of four levels and has been turned upside down. The symbol was inspired by the 3-layer pyramid that illustrates what happened during the French Revolution.  The two smaller layers represented society's elite, while the largest layer represented the common man.  It was that third level, or third estate as they called it, that rose up with the aim of establishing individual rights for every citizen during the revolution.

In the French Revolution the third estate fought for its own rights. But in adding a fourth layer, the largest bar, we take the next step: expanding the defense of liberty and equality to the global stage. It is more than just demanding our own rights. It is demanding the rights of others, all of us, no matter where we might live. That is the fourth estate.

This symbol represents the evolving shift of power from the few to the many. As we begin the 21st century, the democratization of information provided by the internet, specifically social media, has allowed the people of the world unprecedented access to knowledge, self publication on a global scale, and emotional connection across borders. This changes the way human beings see each other. The 'otherness' that has always come from distance and cultural distinction is eroding under the weight of what really unites us: our common humanity. The Liberty Triangle represents this. We are more alike than we are different. And when we have relationships with one another, we protect one another. This modern age of connection and conversation is uniting us, and it is changing the way we as a species approach global problems.