African Conflict

     During this week, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by an organization called Invisible Children. They presented on a conflict located in Africa in the region of Darfur. Some may be more familiar with this when hearing Kony 2012.
     This was my third time seeing a presentation by Invisible Children. Each presentation I have seen has been well done. However, I am not here to speak about the presentation. Instead, I would like to comment on the issue at hand.
     It finally hit me seeing this presentation for a third time. Also, I believe that it was in conjunction with my blog topic. Nevertheless, I got it.
     The whole idea of Invisible Children started with individuals in the United States trying to fix a conflict in Africa. These Americans who had this idea can be considered outsiders. To them, they were stuck in the United States looking over the Atlantic Ocean and trying to come up with a solution to the problem. It was not until they could set foot on the ground in Africa that they realized what this conflict actually was.

"Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes." -Carl Jung

     Carl Jung's quote summarizes the outside perspective perfectly. Imagine from the perspective of American looking at Africa. The American is an outsider. To solve the issue in Africa, all the American can really do is dream. They can try to think of possible solutions to the problem. However, when an individual actually goes to Africa and sees pragmatically what can and can't be done, then a whole other viewpoint is set into place. This "awakening" is not a dream anymore. It is a realization. In the context of the conflict in Darfur, the organization, Invisible Children, was not able to fully succeed in the region until it went in on the ground and realized what they as outsiders could do.
     At first, it is entirely possible that they were not gladly welcome into the African region. Africa has had a poor history with white people, and anti sentiment could still be in the air. It is possible for Africans, as the native people, to feel that the white people are nosy, and that this is none of their business. However, I believe that the success of Invisible Children banked on the willingness to accept this notion. Invisible Children sounds like yet another missionary group to enter Africa. It is different. They went into Africa knowing their role. They weren't going to transform African society. They were only going to help the people of a specific reason.
     In a more broader sense, the outsider must know the appropriate time and place for each action. The outsider cannot act out and draw attention to himself. If that were the case, then the outsider would be kicked out by the insider. The success and survival of the outsider depends on the acceptability of the insider. Make best friends with the insider, and the outsider will survive and thrive.