The steady diet of bad news and impotent peace efforts have continued to flow from the land that I love even while I’ve taken a brief absence from writing. Just because my words have been few and far between doesn’t mean my mind has left Darfur or the men, women and children who are struggling to avoid dying in the dust.
I wish I was being melodramatic – but I’m not. And the situation for millions of families just got grimer with this news:
“Humanitarian organizations Oxfam and Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) have suspended their operations in Kerfi, Eastern Chad, following rising insecurity in the area. The two NGOs say gunmen have increasingly attacked their staff and compounds, the latest incident being a night attack on July 9, when six gunmen shot at and tried to burn a house where Oxfam staffers were hiding. And MSF reported that dozens of local young men beat up their staff members and patients on July 8. The two organizations undertake humanitarian work that supports over 10,000 displaced people living around the town of Kerfi.”
I sit up and take notice when the brutal actions of angry thugs are causing MSF (one of the most fearless humanitarian groups in the world) to leave their mission. 10,000 lives in danger due to the actions of six gunmen. This is the reality on the ground.
The politics are getting heated up more than usual with the impending indictment of Sudan’s president by the International Criminal Court for charges of crimes against humanity. While the government-forced rallies in the Sudanese capital have slowed down, the calls from other governments to avoid the indictment have increased. The African Union has weighed in, asking the ICC to drop the indictments.
The question I have for you is this: What message does it send Sudan’s president if the African Union (his peers) are standing by his side and urging the ICC to drop the case? Is this a good thing because it means they are united and focused on diplomacy and peace, or a bad thing because it gives credibility to a genocidal leader?
Showing posts with label New Year's Eve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year's Eve. Show all posts
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Our great big world...
One of my most memorable New Year’s Eve celebrations in my young life was the one at the turn of the millennium. While the rest of the world was trying to outdo their neighbors in either Y2K panic or frenzied jubilation, my family was packing our bags for a special, one-night vacation.
We quickly loaded our clothes and toiletries, eager to get on the road and experience one of the biggest events of our lifetime - the change of the millennium. Our excitement would have you think we were headed to New York City, or Paris or Sydney to ring in the year 2000 with millions of other revelers. But this was not the case – we were going someplace better. We were headed all the way across town to the unoccupied house of an aid worker friend.
Why was this house special? For starters, the aid compound had electricity. With this privileged existence came the real prize – satellite TV. We bundled ourselves into our rough and tumble 4x4 and drove through the dusty town as evening fell. We quickly settled in to our home away from home and immediately turned on CNN International. My family gathered in front of the flickering screen, soaking up the images of the outside world and its rich diversity of celebrations. We saw amazing fireworks, huge parades and extravagant shows. Outside, the donkey started braying. We saw people dressed in their glitz and glamour braving the cold to giddily grip their microphones. Through our window came the far-off wailing of a Muslim call to prayer. As CNN’s coverage flew us around the world to witness noisy celebrations, we gathered together as a family on the concrete floors and lit a few quiet, orange candles.
As midnight struck, we sat around illuminated by the twin glows of our candles and the TV and enjoyed being a part of the great big, beautiful human race. It was fun to feel a part of something spectacular even though it stood in stark contrast to the reality of life in Chad. But despite the fun being held elsewhere, as I looked outside my screen door, I remember thinking – there is no other place I would rather be than right here, right now. I love my family and I love Africa.
We quickly loaded our clothes and toiletries, eager to get on the road and experience one of the biggest events of our lifetime - the change of the millennium. Our excitement would have you think we were headed to New York City, or Paris or Sydney to ring in the year 2000 with millions of other revelers. But this was not the case – we were going someplace better. We were headed all the way across town to the unoccupied house of an aid worker friend.
Why was this house special? For starters, the aid compound had electricity. With this privileged existence came the real prize – satellite TV. We bundled ourselves into our rough and tumble 4x4 and drove through the dusty town as evening fell. We quickly settled in to our home away from home and immediately turned on CNN International. My family gathered in front of the flickering screen, soaking up the images of the outside world and its rich diversity of celebrations. We saw amazing fireworks, huge parades and extravagant shows. Outside, the donkey started braying. We saw people dressed in their glitz and glamour braving the cold to giddily grip their microphones. Through our window came the far-off wailing of a Muslim call to prayer. As CNN’s coverage flew us around the world to witness noisy celebrations, we gathered together as a family on the concrete floors and lit a few quiet, orange candles.
As midnight struck, we sat around illuminated by the twin glows of our candles and the TV and enjoyed being a part of the great big, beautiful human race. It was fun to feel a part of something spectacular even though it stood in stark contrast to the reality of life in Chad. But despite the fun being held elsewhere, as I looked outside my screen door, I remember thinking – there is no other place I would rather be than right here, right now. I love my family and I love Africa.
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