Uganda Attempts to Counter Image Presented by 'Kony 2012' Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi of Uganda sought to turn the new attention from a viral video into increased tourism. He has posted a long video to YouTube and sent Twitter messages to celebrities, but so far Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi of Uganda has yet to match the explosive virality of the original campaign against the wanted warlord Joseph Kony. Perhaps that was not the point. Mr. Mbabazi, who once directed forces against Mr. Kony as the head of the country's defense ministry, called the original viral video "slick" and, as if in deliberate contrast, his own presentation, posted over the weekend, lacked the flash and narrative spark of the work by Invisible Children. But he did have a similarly simple message: Uganda is safe. Seated and staring at the camera in one long take, Mr. Mbabazi spoke slowly and deliberately as he attempted to present a vision of Uganda as a "modern developing country which enjoys peace, stability and security." "Only a couple of months ago, Lonely Planet described Uganda as the best country in the world to visit in 2012," Mr. Mbabazi said in the 8-minute-long video. The Lonely Planet did list Uganda first among an eclectic mix of places to visit this year, ahead of Myanmar and Ukraine. Still, Uganda still isn't without its problems. Human rights abuses aren't uncommon, and the country breathes a collective sigh whenever President Museveni thinks of another ruse to stay in power for a few more years. But now, as ever, explorers in search of the source of the Nile won't leave disappointed. Mr. Mbabazi's video pitch to tourists followed criticism of Invisible Children from Ugandan bloggers, described in The Lede, and reports last week of anger at screenings of the 30-minute film in northern Uganda, where Mr. Kony's rebels, the Lord's Resistance Army, had operated. Explicitly borrowing the tactic of Invisible Children, whose campaign urged supporters to enlist major celebrities on social media to join them, Mr. Mbabazi then described posting Twitter messages from his account to many of those same stars, and a few others. His message to each was the same: Before challenging the accuracy of the "Kony 2012" video (rejecting the suggestion, for instance, that Mr. Kony was still in Uganda), Mr. Mbabazi celebrated the attention that its success had brought to the country. "I must say it has been inspiring to me, despite the cynicism and solipsism of the modern world, to be reminded once again of the innate goodness that is at the heart of humanity," Mr. Mbabazi said. It is particularly welcome to see so many young people uniting across barriers of nation, race, religion and culture to take a stand for justice. Few in Uganda have seen the video, The Times reported last week, but those that did at a screening in northern Uganda expressed puzzlement and anger. Some tossed rocks at the screen, according to a video report by Al Jazeera English. The controversy appears to have taken a toll on the maker of the "Kony 2012" video. Jason Russell, who is also the founder of Invisible Children, was detained by police and hospitalized amid reports that he was nude and behaving irrationally on the streets of San Diego on Thursday.