Arcadia University will host “Kony 2012: Facts and Fictions, Perceptions and Publicity,” a public forum about the controversy over Invisible Children’s campaign, in the Castle Mirror Room on Thursday, April 5, from 4 to 6 p.m.

The forum will discuss different perspectives surrounding the short film Invisible Children, which was recently released by the non-governmental organization (NGO) to introduce its Kony 2012 campaign. The forum will be led by Dr. Jennifer Riggan, Assistant Professor of International Studies, Alex Oteino, Instructor of Sociology and International Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), and Dr. Maryam Deloffre, Instructor and Assistant Director of the IPCR program.

The event is sponsored by the IPCR program, the Department of Historical and Political Studies, and the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice.

“The goal of the Kony 2012 campaign is to make Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lords Resistance Army who is accused of horrific human right atrocities, famous and therefore garner political support for his arrest,” says Deloffre. ”Critiques of Invisible Children’s campaign say that the video is too simplistic because it skews historical facts and presents a distorted view of realities on the ground in Northern Uganda and central Africa. Meanwhile their supporters say that this simplified narrative is necessary to garner the support and enthusiasm of High School and College students, their target audience. This forum will encourage the Arcadia community to discuss the role of NGOs in international politics, the place of social media in activism and the distortion of current and historical realities in conflict zones.”