Missionary group makes an obnoxious music video about life in Uganda

[lilah]

Via Npr 

 

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/10/21/498840456/why-many-ugandans-are-offended-by-music-video-made-by-u-s-missionaries?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2047

 

Here's a link to the video. The original was taken down after the backlash 

 

 

If there was a bingo card for missionare savior bullshit this would hit all the squares. The worst part is when they borrow a bunch of babies to use as props. GROSS. 

 

 

[Howl]

Truly cringeworthy. 

After listing all the problems in Uganda at the end, they tell you to get your missions on, and not how they are going about addressing these problems. 70% of the population under the age of 24 with a moribund economy and widespread poverty?  Free access to and education about contraceptive use  should be at the top of the list, maternal health care, education, education, education. 

[FundieWatcher]

"This video is intended to make you laugh."

"63% of people here live in poverty."

Oh hahaha lololololol that is so funny, I'm cracking up over here. Miserable idiots. 

[FundieWatcher]

I went to the missionary Facebook page. They studied the Lori Alexander Philosophy on Negative Comments- delete, delete, delete. They kept a comment from a Ugandan that supported them and deleted another Ugandan that respectfully disagreed. So much for honesty.  

[AuLait]

OMG. How embarrassing. At first I thought maybe it was a video they made as like a souvenir of their trip or something but as a promotional or outreach tool it's absolutely horrible. Wearing the traditional dresses makes it extra bad, imo. It wasn't the slightest bit funny either. My soul cringes when I think of how they filmed this in front  locals, times using locals as props. Ugh.

[formergothardite]

That was bad. But it seems like "missions" has turned into young, untrained people going to poor countries to use the people as props for their missionary fantasies, so it really isn't that those young women thought this was okay to do. 

[ILoveJellybeans]

When I first saw the name of the thread, my first thought was "this is going to be cringingly racist". I was not disappointed....except for in them.

[anjulibai]

I....um....

This video is so obviously bad and racist, I'm only going to comment on how odd it is that they used Sexy Back for this. 

[acheronbeach]

"Uganda, cool!  Where is that?"

"Aaaaaaafricaaa!"

"Oh boy!   Like Lion King!"

(For fans of Book of Mormon)

[Lurky]

4 hours ago, ILoveJellybeans said:

When I first saw the name of the thread, my first thought was "this is going to be cringingly racist". I was not disappointed....except for in them.

I was expecting that, plus some of the massive homophobia that white USA fundies have exported to Uganda, so I guess it could have been worse?? 

I just have no idea how they even thought that was a good idea...

9 hours ago, Howl said:

After listing all the problems in Uganda at the end, they tell you to get your missions on, and not how they are going about addressing these problems. 70% of the population under the age of 24 with a moribund economy and widespread poverty?  Free access to and education about contraceptive use  should be at the top of the list, maternal health care, education, education, education. 

I'm guessing their answer would be "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus", because all those black people are going to die young, right, so the most important thing is where they'll go when they die....  AAAAAAAAARRRGGGGHHHH

The black babies as props for their clueless white saviour shitshow was just the icing on a shitty cake.

[Mercer]

A few things:

1.) If you have to start your video with a disclaimer that you are not intending to offend or do harm, your video is probably offensive and harmful. You should rethink your plans at that point.

2.) What the hell do these missionaries actually do? For a recruitment video, you'd think they'd show how they're helping people. "Get your missions on" doesn't actually mean anything, and videos of them randomly wandering around doesn't show me exactly what they think they're accomplishing in Uganda. Tacking on a litany of grim statistics at the end doesn't magically fix that.

3.) Is it just me, or was the missionary women's dancing a little... provocative at some points? I don't mean to sound prudish, but Ugandan culture is pretty conservative, and there were men present in some of the dancing scenes. I can't help but wonder what the locals thought of that, and whether the missionaries gave any consideration to how their hosts might feel about it.

4.) Yup, very racist, check.

[Lurky]

10 hours ago, Mercer said:

2.) What the hell do these missionaries actually do? For a recruitment video, you'd think they'd show how they're helping people. "Get your missions on" doesn't actually mean anything, and videos of them randomly wandering around doesn't show me exactly what they think they're accomplishing in Uganda. Tacking on a litany of grim statistics at the end doesn't magically fix that.

I was assuming they were typical vacation-missionaries, doing skits and handing out tracts etc, but then that list of stats at the end, and the focus on clean water, the obvious thing is they're one of those well-building-and-praying trips...  BUT there's no way in hell they'd do that without showing off about it, so I'm back to the beginning.  I'm steeling myself to wade through the inevitable pool of racism to try to work out more...

Their website is very pretty, but unsurprisingly short on actual details (though of course there's a prominant GIVE button).  Per the site, the Mission is one family, plus an intern, so I've no idea how all the awful women fit it.  Here's what they do:

Quote

The Luket missionary team pours their individual talents into non-profit and humanitarian aid organizations around the world. Currently, Luket shines in the Pearl of Africa, Jinja, Uganda. Weekly they serve at orphanages, parasite and malnourishment clinics and strive to meet village needs that come in various forms. Maximizing their unique skill set and experience of the team, they empower the community by providing business mentorship, teaching hygiene, art and homeschooling classes, while providing cosmetology services and medical assistance.

I have no clue how cosmetology comes before medical assistance, and it seems like they're helping out at other people's clinics and orphanages, but I don't speak Fundy good. Homeschooling classes... Is that classes for parents (mothers) on teaching homeschool, or is it schooling for kids (in which case, how would it be "homeschool"?)

[BabyBottlePop]

Does Uganda have public schools? Maybe the missionaries are trying to start their own school that's more religion based so people go there instead of evil public school. But still doesn't explain why they would call it homeschool. 

[Lurky]

I know I am over-thinking this, but... Do we think they bought their traditional Ugandan dress to make this video, or they've borrowed from the women they're mocking in it?  I really can't get the type of person who will stress that access to clean water is a huge thing in a country, then mock the way women have to transport that clean water...

 

[Cleopatra7]

1 hour ago, BabyBottlePop said:

Does Uganda have public schools? Maybe the missionaries are trying to start their own school that's more religion based so people go there instead of evil public school. But still doesn't explain why they would call it homeschool. 

It's my understanding that in many sub-saharan African countries that schools are run by religious organizations. Even so-called  public education involves school fees in many instances and it can be too expensive for many families to pay:

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/apr/23/uganda-success-universal-primary-education-falling-apart-upe

[Lostie]

Well that is 5 minutes of my life I can't get back. 

I have to agree with what someone said above about it being surprising that they would be using Sexy Back for this. Somehow I wouldn't think they would have been exposed to that. Although, these girls are being allowed to leave home (albeit in a very limited/restricted way) so maybe they're more worldly than your average fundie.

Other than that it was basically what I expected. Although, did anyone catch that one point when they had the two girls witch them who I am assuming are locals and the local girls were dressed in 'western' clothes while the missionary girls were wearing the traditional dress. It just caught my eye because it seemed to show just how out of touch these girls are despite living there...

[elliha]

I know some about Uganda from a Swedish woman who runs an organisation there and I would say the dancing is probably ok, people do love to dance and I have seen that people dance in this way even in public places so I don't think is necessarily inappropriate per say but the video in itself is not very flattering describing the country. As for clothes I have gotten the impression that yes younger women tend to wear more western clothes but I don't think a Ugandan  person would think it is offensive for a white person to wear clothes like that, I think it is more the impression they give of their country in general. This is the impression I  have got from the woman I  mentioned above, I have not visited the country.

[Lurky]

I am actually boggling at the Luket folks' justifications for this - from here:

Quote

 

“Our dance video came in a dream from God, the author of every creative thing.”

Those are the words of Natasha Perryman, the creative director of Luket Ministries,

 

Quote

When I reached out to the creative director of Luket Ministries on the same day it published, she was very dismissive. Instead of listening to Ugandans (and white American allies who are in development work) who tried to explain cultural appropriation, White Savior Complex and simply the need for organizations likes hers working in African countries to be respectful and treat people with dignity, she replied with “Everything posted is indeed controversial these days. We had our Ugandan pastors and staff view and edit before sharing to be respectful and promote missions. Please feel free to remove it from your feed.”

Why wearing the cultural dress is so disrespectful, from this piece on The Guardian's website:

Quote

As a Ugandan woman from the Baganda tribe, the Gomesi is part of my identity and ethnicity. It is part of our rituals during birth, marriage, funerals. It’s the nearest an item of clothing can get to being described as sacred.

I do not object to your wearing of the Gomesi – this would be expected of you during our cultural ceremonies – but when I watched the video I felt like my culture was being ridiculed.

Some more responses to the video here: http://www.africaontheblog.com/this-is-whats-wrong-with-voluntourism/

including

 

[Mercer]

I deeply resent that I have had this group's stupid song stuck in my head all day. 

[FundieWatcher]

They think God inspired the video through a dream. Ok. Then they saw what happened- lots of negative feedback. Would they then not then think God designed this as a message to them? By their logic that the video was divinely inspired, they should  think God is trying to show another them a different  of view. That Okay Africa interviewer doesn't seem to think they have experienced much in the way of academic or cultural awareness yet though.