Darfur's demize

It's now almost five in the morning and I'm all awake sitting here on my computer, drinking ice water, while in another time zone, a young girl of boy are either running away from the Jangaweed or starving at a refugee camp. I often find myself wondering two things: what would it be like to suffer what they are going through? And if I was given the chance to go to Darfur, would I go at the risk of me being hurt or killed? No matter how hard I try to make believe, I can never know how much the Darfurians are suffering and although I would jump at the opportunity at going to Darfur, it's easier said than done, I guess. While I'm on the subject, here's an update on Darfur:

*The Intenational Criminal Court has already said it's first war crimes suspects on charges of genocide. This is music to my ears, since this is a very important milestone towards bring those responcible to justice. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21692&Cr=darfur&Cr1=

*Actress and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie recently went to Chad's border to visit refugees from Darfur. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21707&Cr=Sudan&Cr1=

*The U.S. State Department reported on human rights abuses happening worldwide, which they mention Darfur being the worst human rights abuse in the world. As for the U.S. own assement on the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuses and Gitmo? Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice notes that the U.S. doesn't "think ourselves perfect.'' http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/editorial/16874451.htm

As for me? All this week, I've been posting flyer's all around my school and telling my teachers about what's happening. My Algebra teacher told me about how whenever she see's on of the flyer's, she thinks of me and now knows about Darfur. I remember early on last year, before undertaking the intiative that if I can get at least one person to know about Darfur, then I'd have done my job. I know I still have a long way to go, but at least in my heart, I'm doing my part in helping Darfur. I'm just a person among the hundreds of thousands of dedicated activists worldwide who aren't backing down and won't stop anytime soon. If all of us want to honer the memory of victims of genocide in place like Rwanda, Bosnia, and the Holocaust, then instead of feeling sad, we should take action. It the least we can do.

Bamako Review

Socially Conscious NYC, a project of Never Again International organised a group of people to watch the acclaimed new film from Malian director Abderrahmane Sissako. To read the review, please click here.

Creating a Culture of Peace

Florence, Italy

My Grandmother – Joanna Lace – recently read a book by leading Brazilian Liberation theologian Leonardo Boff titled Fundamentalism, Terrorism and the Future of Humanity (SPCK, 2006). Boff seeks to understand and explain the phenomenon of fundamentalism, and to identify its causes and possible solutions. Joanna found the book so inspiring and thought-provoking that she has donated a copy to the Never Again International Peacebuilding Centre Library in Kigali, Rwanda.

For those of us not able to visit the Peacebuilding Library in person to leaf through Boff’s book for ourselves, here is an interesting quote from his conclusion:

"There are many philosophers of some stature, such as Martin Heidegger, whose thought rescues an ancient tradition that goes as far back as the time of Caesar Augustus. These philosophers see ‘caring’ or ‘taking care’ as the very essence of the human being. Without a sense of being caring or without being careful a human being can neither live nor survive. Everything needs to be caring and careful in order to survive. Being caring and careful represents a loving relation towards reality. Wherever we see one caring for others we see that fear disappears; fear that is the secret source of all violence, as Sigmund Freud argued.

The culture of peace begins when we cherish the memory and the examples of figures that represent ‘being caring’ and ‘being careful’. And when we live the generous aspect that inhabits us, such as Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Gandhi, Martin Luther King and others have done.

It is important for us to undertake small changes…and we must start these changes in us, since we are the cells of our communities. Each one of us must establish as a personal and collective project peace as a method and as a goal, peace that is the result of co-operation, being caring, compassion and love – all these must be lived every day. As we can understand, peace does not develop of its own accord. Peace is always an outcome of values, behaviour and relations that have been lived. The final and joyful result of these values, behaviour and relations is peace; peace which is perhaps the good that is currently most desired and required by humanity."

A Good Year

Discover
Knowing
Seeking
Found
The raining in of never ending words
Standing up
screaching of pain
Hurt
Longing
Justice
The awaking of an Upstander
Tears
heartache
Love
Loss
Catch
Release
Nothing's in my way
(but then again, it never has)
Left behind
Leading the way
Going my own path
A plethera of feelings.
This was a good year
Wonder what's in store 2007.

France's true colors

Sorry for the absence, darlings! I was really busy with my Darfur activism and NA Miami with Nidya, among other things. Less than a month ago, a French judge issued an arrest warrant on Rwandan President Paul Kagame along with nine of his associates of the shotting down of an aircraft that killed then President Juvenal Habyarimana and triggered the 1994 genocide. Yet despite that, France grants immunity to heads of states and there for can't make an arrest. As expected, Rwandan officials were inraged and broke diplomatic ties with France. For many years, Kagame has accused France on playing a role in the murder of the Tutsis, to which they keep dening and accusing Kagame of shotting down Habyarimana's plane. I would think that Kagame would have more brains and common sense not taking part in the President's assaination. Andrew Waills has written a book on France's role during the Rwandan genocide called ''Silent Accomplice: The Untold Story of France's Role in the Rwandan Genocide'' in which reveal' France's sinister role during the genocide by providing millitary, finacial, and diplomatic support to Hutu extremists doing the bulk of the killings. History won't judge France to kindy on it's secretive role in Rwanda's genocide.

Review: Conspiracy to Murder (part one)

Everybody involved in the pursuit of preventing genocide, has a moment when they switch onto its horrors and vow that 'this must never happen again - not on my watch'. For me, it was Linda Melvern's words that did it at the 10th anniversary conference organised by Never Again and the Imperial War Museum. Her words haunted me to the extent that I continue to have trouble writing down what she said - it was about the women who were raped every day of the genocide and still die every day of the after-effects. Since then, despite becoming incresingly involved in peacebuilding, I have avoided reading Melvern's very clinical, forensic books about the genocide, which she has worked tirelessly on since conducting some of the first interview about it in 2006. Call it cowardice if you like. But it is true that everybody, whether or not they feel they have any involvement in building a more peaceful world, has a responsibility to at least listen to what was done in their name, or if not in their name to the detriment of humanity.

I've finally started reading Conspiracy to Murder, which has been updated and republished in paperback this year. It does have the hard-hitting style that I expected but so far has been less haunting than interesting and compelling. In the first two chapters Melvern outlines the history of genocide - 'a deliberate attempt to reconstruct history' - detailing the different theories behind ethnic division in the small African country and the methods used by different parties to exacerbate and take advantage of two groups that lived, worked and built families together.

From the first two chapters, you can see that some of the conditions that caused genocide are still there. A densely populated country with limited space and a mobile population. A one-party state and reports of arbitrary arrests. Even the idea of communal work, twisted into massacres, still finds echoes in the much more positive pursuit of Sunday tidy-ups which Rwandans sometimes grumble about in the New Times. I wonder why Rwandans are so quick to condemn Amnesty International now when they were often the only organisation drawing attention to what was happening in Rwanda before the genocide.

The biggest difference, I hope, is in the youth. As I read over familiar names, I think of Ladislas, our Clubs Chairman who has walked great areas to set up Groups that now inspire youth to meet across divides. The issue of unemployment is also being addressed by Never Again as well as many other groups in income generating projects.

Another difference is in connection. Rwanda is quickly establishing itself as a green country with a multiligual, charming population who can talk to those of us in other countries who were born with all the opportunity in the world - admittedly this is still far too limited. They have the sort of confidence that is taken for granted in the West, but is rarely suggested for the 'poor Africans'. I remember being told that nobody in Rwanda ever starved and that Rwanda was the place where God might leave, but he would always come back. Many young Rwandans - most of those I met there who became my friends - grew up outside the country and are now back in the only place they can call home. As long as they continue to turn their back on violence and to work in fellowship with those who witnessed the horrors as children, I have a lot of hope for Rwanda.