A notable contribution from the mainstream media on the Darfur genocide crisis, which has left over two million people homeless, is this article from Time Magazine, Who Speaks For Her? which has reports from women systematically raped by the Janjaweed militia, and also reports on the current situation. In part:
"As children played among spent gun cartridges in the village square, aid workers from World Vision distributed food under the stripped limbs of a baobab tree. "I feel safe now, but what is safe?" asks Amna, one of the nine raped in April. "I have felt safe before." It's an insecurity that will not easily go away. Several of the women are now pregnant, and their children will be lifelong reminders of Darfur's hatreds.
...Humanitarian access has improved and fewer people are dying, but in the vast swaths of land outside the control of either the government or the rebels, lawlessness prevails. Attacks on trucks and aid convoys make roads too dangerous to travel, and the scared and hungry arrive at swollen relief camps daily. Even then, their safety is not ensured. At Kalma, Darfur's largest camp, refugees complain of government harassment, and women who venture beyond in search of firewood and fodder are often raped."
I recommend reading the whole article.The Sudanese government continues to avoid taking responsibility or action to stop the ongoing intimidation and violence.
In response to the crisis there are some with high media profiles who have decided to use their publicity pull to highlight the situation. Actor Don Cheadle, who starred in "Hotel Rwanda", the movie about the 1994 Rwandan genocide, has launched "Live for Darfur". It will be a series of events involving actors, musicians and Nobel Prize winner Elie Weisel. Weisel is a holocaust survivor whose own true story of living through genocide is recorded in his autobiographical novel Night. It's a profoundly spiritual and haunting work.
"Live for Darfur" is in Cheadle's words, a "raindrop approach" which he hopes will become a torrent. Bob Tourtellotte reported on "Live in Darfur" for Reuters on August 25, and the report is now being picked up be other news agencies. From the Reuters report:
"Live For Darfur", a series of events in which celebrities from rock band U2 to Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel dedicate their work toward raising awareness about refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan. In September, Cheadle will attend Save Darfur Coalition's "National Day of Action" in Washington, to address the death and disease plaguing Darfur. On the same day, he will participate in a National Leadership Assembly for groups to brief Save Darfur members and others on Sudanese issues.
Cheadle has previously visited Darfur and is now increasing his involvement in bringing the crisis to the wider attention of politicians and the public.
It isn't just famous actors, musicians and authors who are now working to bring attention and relief to the Sudan. The Miami Herald reports on suburban Dad Tim Nonn, who finally couldn't avoid the issue anymore:
"When TV mentioned atrocities in that western region of the Sudan, south of Egypt, Nonn switched channels. "It was just too hard to see those starving families," he said. Nonn's avoidance of the ethnic cleansing the Sudanese government-backed militia has engaged in since 2003 changed a year ago. He tuned in to a news program, and his world view changed. Today, Nonn is the founder and national director of a grass-roots organization called "Dear Sudan." The group spreads awareness of the genocide in Darfur, and wants to stimulate suburban Americans to do something about it. About 50 communities nationwide have started a chapter or are planning one, he said. The organization is supported by the Church World Service and the American Jewish World Service."
Meanwhile peace talks on Darfur have been stalled until September 15. It is obvious from the latest Reuters report on bandit activity that the African Union needs assistance in providing basic security for aid workers and the refugees, who still live in threat of the Janjaweed militia. Like Cheadle I hope the raindrops of attention on Darfur become a torrent.
Note: Spotlight on Darfur 1 will be hosted at Allthings2all on 5 September. It will feature posts on the current Darfur situation from various bloggers. If you are a blogger and would like to send in a post for inclusion in the Spotlight on Darfur see here for the email address and details.
Cross-posted at Allthings2all
