They see me trendin’, they hatin’

As the #StopKONY juggernaut continues its rampage across the interwebs and social networks, not to mention the intense international media attention the video and associated press has attracted, some reporters have turned to Kony’s fellow Ugandans for comment on the video, and the Invisible Children organisation’s project to bring Kony to justice. Their opinions? Not positive.

* Referring to the suggestion that the Lord’s Resistance Army insurgency, Africa’s longest-running conflict, is still ongoing.

On the other hand, the video has been exceptionally successful at garnering international acclaim for its content, and the work of Invisible Children, particularly from the many celebrities who have endorsed the film and its message, and shared it with their hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of followers and fans, who in turn have re-posted, re-tweeted and shared it further. By last night, the video had received well over 32 million views, and at time of publishing this article, that figure has swelled to nearly 50 million on Youtube alone.

The viral response has been phenomenal, with celebs as diverse as Oprah,

The Biebs,

Kim Kardashian,

and of course, Diddy,

all weighing in with their support.

Such impetus drives the video and its message towards Invisible Children’s goal, which is to make the Kony/LRA/child soldiers issue so pertinent in the States, that Washington will not de-prioritise it, and will maintain, and even boost their adviser programme with the Ugandan military, apparently whether Ugandans want it or not.

Not deterred by criticism of the video, Invisible Children kept strongly on message throughout the past few days, making sure their work got as much exposure as possible. And don’t worry if you’re in the non-English speaking parts of the world, they’ve got you firmly in their sights too.

انهم قادمون!

[Source: Telegraph, NY Times Blog]