GlobalPost (Boston)
John Aloysius Farrell
25 June 2009
Washington — Five years after American activists began to call attention to the violence in Darfur, their movement has bloomed in size and sophistication, reaching out via the internet, enlisting Hollywood celebrities like George Clooney and Mia Farrow and touching everyone from presidential candidates to junior high school service clubs.
In its mission to raise awareness, the coalition to save Darfur has been "spectacularly successful," said Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. Yet if "you go to Darfur and you look on the ground, you find it very difficult to put the words Darfur and success in the same sentence," admitted Rebecca Hamilton, a Darfur activist.
Hamilton, a fellow at the Open Society Institute, is now conducting research for a book, to try to understand what she says is the troublesome "mismatch between all the energy and the outcome."
"We still have thousands of people living in camps," said Scott Gration, the Obama administration's special envoy for Darfur, briefing reporters last week.
"We have women (threatened by rape) who are afraid to go out and collect firewood, and we have children that are not having the benefit of growing up in their homeland; they are growing up in these camps." Meanwhile, violence in the nearby region is increasing, Gration said.
"The status quo is horrible," said John Norris, a foreign aid expert with the Enough Project. "There is no effective peacekeeping on the ground."
A group of women living in a refugee camp in Chad compiled a manifesto on their condition. Video by Canadian filmmaker Pete McCormack, distributed by Physicians for Human Rights.
This spring, after being indicted by the International Criminal Court, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir expelled 13 international aid groups, who are still trying to work their way back. Prominent advocates, like New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and actress Angelina Jolie, have recently voiced concern that the crisis is slipping from the public radar.
"The Save Darfur movement seems to be losing steam," Kristof wrote in his blog June 9. "It is riven by internal debate, it is being ignored by the Obama administration."
"I find it very sad that this administration should seem so uninterested," he said. "Darfur has been allowed to fester." The devastating north-south civil war in Sudan, which has been contained by a temporary peace agreement, could erupt again, Kristof warned.
Amid the self-examination, the Save Darfur movement has been bruised, as well, by Mamdani's new book "Saviors and Survivors: Darfur, Politics, and the War on Terror," which accuses the coalition of a long list of sins, including religious and racial imperialism, hype, historical ignorance, and sentimentality.
One of the most noteworthy criticisms voiced by Mamdani - that activist groups inaccurately raised the specter of genocide by exaggerating the number of people killed in Darfur - has, to some extent, been accepted by international bodies like the ICC, and even some activists themselves.
Estimates of fatalities that ranged as high as 400,000 have slid, in official tallies, to about 100,000, Mamdani said, and some 80 percent of those deaths were due to disease and may, or may not, have been war-related.
"The estimates of the dead are usually done by agencies whose funding depends on how many have died," Mamdani said.
"Maybe it's stupid, frankly, to talk about" the number of dead in Darfur, acknowledged John Prendergast, a leading activist in the Darfur movement, while responding to Mamdani in a debate at Columbia University earlier this year. "At the end of the day it's not really credible it's not something we are ever going to know."
The Obama administration is divided on the subject. The word "genocide" is a powerful term, and focuses the world's attention on ethnic violence that might otherwise be dismissed. U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice described the situation in Darfur as "genocide" in a speech in Europe last week, but Gration declined to go that far.
"What we see is the remnants of genocide," he told reporters at the State Department, carefully selecting his words. The level of violence in Darfur has decreased significantly, Gration said, and "it doesn't appear that it is a coordinated effort similar to what we had in 2003 to 2006."
Mortality estimates in remote, war-torn places like Darfur are extrapolations, said Prendergast, and though he personally still believes that what happened is accurately termed genocide, "I wouldn't fall on my sword for it," he said.
"I do know the number of dead, diseased and the number who will suffer will increase exponentially if we do not act boldly" now, he added.
Mamdani's critique goes beyond numbers. The Save Darfur movement had a "salutary effect at the beginning," he said, but then it "went on its merry course uninterested in what was happening in Darfur intent on building a movement."
The coalition does not provide aid to starving or displaced Africans itself, Mamdani noted. "It is a lavish advertisement" and represents "a systematic attempt to discredit any kind of African solution to an African problem." In the post 9/11 climate, Mamdani said, the Arab population of the Sudan was vilified, and Save Darfur peace activists urged U.S. military intervention.
All grassroots movements face the challenge of perpetuating themselves.
Threats may be exaggerated, as well as a movement's achievements, to keep volunteers motivated and engaged, Hamilton said.
"You end up celebrating the small victories," she said. "It is a victory but it's not a real victory. It's not the victory that counts on the ground."
"A public outcry is necessary," Hamilton said, "but not sufficient." In a recent forum at the Washington think tank Center for American Progress, Norris, of Enough Project, agreed.
"It isn't enough just to hold rallies. It isn't enough just to write letters," he said. "The activist movement has a long, long way to go." The international response to human rights disasters in places like Kosovo, Rwanda or Darfur inevitably sprouts, he said, "crisis after crisis in an ad hoc way."
But as bad as conditions are in Darfur, Norris said, "the situation on the ground would be far worse" if the movement had not focused the world's attention on the brutal war being waged by Sudanese paramilitary forces upon the civilian population of Darfur.
"If the entire movement had ended the conflict one week earlier," he said, "it would be worth it."
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It may be true that whatever efforts have been undertaken by the international community have fallen short of the expectation, but so have so many efforts at addressing several problems that bedevil so many places in Africa. What is patently dishonest is for Arabist-Islamists like Mamdani to use it to justify the genocide - however and whenever it happened.
To the extent that Mamdani in his socalled books (and one recent interview posted on AllAfrica) accuses the international community of "demonizing the perpetrator", meaning Bashir. Who would Mamdani have the international community demonize ? The African tribes that have been annihilated ? Anybody who is killing people for political reasons is a DEMON. That is the nadir of Bashir politics. It seems Mamdani being consumed with his ideological predispostions has completely lost the concept of justice.
Mamdani's attempts at defending and justifying the indefensible makes for the most dishonest scholarship there is on Darfur.
What happened and continues to happen in Dafur is genocide. If a picture is worth a thousand words then millions of horrid pictures from Darfur are worth gazzilion words that no amount of fictions trolled by the Mamdanis types will disprove or dispel.
Nigeria:
Government Spends $5.5 Billion Yearly On Food Importation
China Reneges On $2.5 Billion Rail Contract Pact With FG
These are just two (2) headlines on one Black African Country . So Many nations seem to be interested in Black Africa. We should grow our own food and build our own infrastructure. WE SHOULD BE SELF-SUFFICIENT !!!
How long will we play the role of welfare recipients ? When will we finally see what we have and why so many want our natural resources ? I can’t be so silly that I would definitely say that I know why so many others want to help us. But we should ask them WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU ? We should also not forget how human nature works. We are not operating in that logical way of doing things.
Questions :
1) Would you allow someone to move into your house and take over your household responsibilities ?
2) Would you expect a stranger to care more about your family than you do ?
3) Are we blind and unable to see the connection between our unrefined resources and the wealth they bring to those so-called First World Countries ?
HERE’S A LINK TO SOME HISTORICAL EVIDENCE AS TO WHY SO MANY ARE INTERESTED IN BLACK AFRICA : [http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/leopold.html?q=printme] PART I : BERLIN CONFERENCE ( General Act Of Berlin ) Saturday Novemeber 15, 1884 to Feb, 1885 According to the book “King Leopold’s Ghost “ (1998) Adam Hochschild 1884 - In November 14 European nations (Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey) and the US meet at the Conference of Berlin, called to carve up central Africa among them. 1885 - The Conference of Berlin concludes in February. FRANCE is given 670,000 square kilometres on the north bank of the Congo (modern Congo-Brazzaville and the Central African Republic) and PORTUGAL 910,000 square kilometres to the south (modern Angola). Trade in rubber and ivory is strictly controlled, despite Léopold's undertakings in the Berlin agreement. *************************************************************************** ********************************************************************* PART II : BRUSSELS CONFERENCE November 18, 1889 to July 2, 1890 a total of 16 Nations met : A) Their cover story was : SUPRESSING THE ARAB SLAVE TRADE B) Their SECRET AGREEMENTS were on dividing up Black Africa among themselves C) It took 33 sessions to reach agreement between these nations. Heads Of States Names are inserted as they were in charge at the time of these plots 1) Austria-Hungary - Francis Joseph I Charles - August 18, 1830 - 2) Belgium - King Leopold II – April 9, 1835 3) Denmark - Frederik VIII -June 3, 1843 4) France - Marie François Sadi Carnot – August 11, 1837 - 5) Germany - Wilhelm II -– January 27, 1859 6) Great Britain - Queen Victoria (Hanover) – May 24, 1819 – British Ruler – 2nd 7) Holland –William III – February 19, 1817 8) Italy - Umberto I - March 14, 1844 - 9) Norway - Oscar II [Oscar Frederik] – January 21, 1829 (Also Sweden) 10) Portugal - Carlos I – September 28, 1863 11) Russia - Alexander III Alexandrovich – March 10, 1845 12) Spain - Alfonso XIII – May 17, 1886 13) Sweden - Oscar II – January 21, 1829 (Also Norway) 14) Turkey - Abdülhamid II, - September 2 or September 22 - 1842 - 15) United States - Benjamin Harrison – August 20, 1833 - 16) Persia (Iran) - Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar – July 16, 1831 - Here are just a some major Black Africans who have had an impact on the world With their initiative These are INVENTORS : * Sarah Boone - IRONING BOARD - April 26, 1892
* John A. Burr - LAWN MOWER
* Marie V. Brittan Brown - HOME SECURITY SYSTEM - Dec 2, 1969
* Buridge & Marshman - TYPEWRITER
* George Carruthers - X-RAY MACHINE
* George Washington Carver - PEANUT BUTTER - PAINTS – PAINT STAINS – ETC
* John Clark - TRACK ATHLETE TRAINER
* W.A. Dietz - SHOE
* Joseph Dickinson - PLAYER PIANO - ARM FOR RECORD PLAYER
* P.B. Downing - POSTAL LETTER BOX
* Charles R. Drew - BLOOD PLASMA STORAGE SYSTEM
* T. Elkins - TOILET (COMMODE)
* Robert Flemming Jr. - GUITAR
* Cathleen McCoy Garrett SIREN - HORN LIGHT INDICATOR
* George F. Grant - GOLF TEE
* J. Gregory - MOTOR
* Joanna Hardin - KEYBOARD STAND - Feb 23, 1993
* Michael Harney - LANTERN
* Solomon Harper - THERMO(HEATED) HAIR CURLERS
* Augustus Jackson - ICE CREAM
* B.F. Jackson - GAS BURNER
* H.A. Jackson - KITCHEN TABLE
* Ruane Jeter - DIGITAL TOASTER - April 14, 1987
* Isaac R. Johnson - BICYCLE FRAME
* John A. Johnson - WRENCH
* Lonnie Johnson - SUPER SOAKER WATERGUN
* P. Johnson - EYE PROTECTOR (GOGGLES)
* W. Johnson - EGG BEATER
* Frederick M. Jones - DEFROSTER - REFRIGERATION CONTROLS – AIR CONDITIONER
* Jones & Long - BOTTLE CAPS
* John H. Jordan - CLOTHES DRESSER
* Mary B. Kenner - SANITARY BELT (TAMPONS) - May 15, 1956
* Mary B. Kenner - SANITARY BELT (WATERPROOF) - April 14, 1959
* Mary B. Kenner - BATHROOM TISSUE HOLDER - Nov 19, 1982
* Mary B. Kenner - BACKWASHER ( BATHTUB OR SHOWER MOUNTED) - July 29,1987
* Lewis Latimer & Nichols - ELECTIC LAMP
* W.A. Lavalette - PRINTING PRESS
* F.W. Leslie - ENVELOPE SEAL
* Maurice W. Lee PRESSURE COOKER
* A.L. Lewis - WINDOW CLEANER
* John L. Love - PENCIL SHARPENER
* Tony J. Marshall - FIRE EXTINGUISHER
* Alexander Miles - ELEVATOR
* Jan E. Matzeliger - SHOE LASTING MACHINE
* W.A. Martin - LOCK
* Garrett A. Morgan - GAS MASK - Traffic Signal
* Lydia Newman - HAIR BRUSH - Nov 15, 1898
* Alice H. Parker - HEATING FURNACE - Dec 23, 1919
* J.F. Pickering - AIR SHIP (BLIMP)
* Purdy & Sadgwar - FOLDING CHAIR
* W.B. Purvis - FOUNTAIN PEN
* L.P. Ray - DUST PAN
* W.H. Richardson - BABY BUGGY
* Walter Sammons - PRESSING COMB
* G.T. Sampson - CLOTHES DRYER
* Dewey Sanderson - URINALYSIS MACHINE
* Ralph Sanderson - HYDRAULIC SHOCK ABSORBER
* S.R. Scottron - CURTAIN ROD
* Adolph Shamms - MULTI -STAGE ROCKET
* .W. Smith - LAWN SPRINKLER
* Richard B. Spikes - AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFT
* J. Standard - REFRIGERATOR
* T.W. Stewart - MOP
* Maxine Snowden - RAIN HAT - 1983
* Theora Stephens - PRESSING & CURLING IRON
* Rufus J. Weaver - STAIR -CLIMBING WHEELCHAIR
* Paul E. Williams - HELICOPTER
* J.B. Winters - FIRE ESCAPE LADDER
* Granville T. Woods - Telephone System Apparatus Oct 11, 1887 – Patent # 371, 241
* Granville T. Woods - Roller Coaster
* Granville T. Woods - Auto Air Brake - June 10, 1902 - Patent # 701, 98
* Granville T. Woods - Telegraph Transmission Devices - Dec 2, 1884 Patents # - 308, 816 (7)
Thanks to The Black Inventors Museum P.O. Box 76128 Los Angeles , Calif. (90076) Phone (310) 859-4602) Director : Ghanaian Mr. Hamza Salifa Contributor of Information : SEESTAH Imahkus Nzinga Okofo
*************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** ****************************************************************** Ghana: Despite Global Economic Downturn
Nigeria: Govt Spends $5.5 Billion Yearly On Food Importation China Reneges On $2.5 Billion Rail Contract Pact With FG
These are just two (2) headlines on one Black African Country . So Many nations seem to be interested in Black Africa.
How long will we play the role of welfare recipients ? When will we finally see what we have and why so many want our natural resources ? I can’t be so silly that I would definitely say that I know why so many others want to help us. But we should ask them WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU ? We should also not forget how human nature works. We are not operating in that logical way of doing things.
Questions :
1) Would you allow someone to move into your house and take over your household responsibilities ? 2) Would you expect a stranger to care more about your family than you do ? 3) Are we blind and unable to see the connection between our unrefined resources and the wealth they bring to those so-called First World Countries ?
Possible Solutions :
1) All Black African countries should take charge of their own households by : * Develop First World Infrastructure for our people. * Here is where we would need the expertise of individuals ( who might just be From other World households). * Avoid those Ponzi Scheme “ Loan Interest “ traps . Loan Interest is the major Wicked way of keeping us in economic slavery . * Develop , Process, and Manufacture our own Natural Resources and sell them to the rest of the World community and the same prices that the rest of the world does. For far too long we have subjected ourselves to the FLOATING DECIMAL POINT OF CHAOS [AKA BARGAINING]. * Develop a complete system for over-seeing the performance of our leaders . This LEADERSHIP OVERSIGHT must be done constantly and regular reports must be submitted to the public in various media outlets. For example : A Monthly Report Card . We could call this Leadership Oversight Instrument “ THE MONTHLY REPORT : For Our Elected and Appointed Public Leaders “.
2) Take charge of our own countries. President Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya both saw those persons occupying their lands and took measures to get control of their own country’s household. Each Black African country’s household has its own unique situation We must be aware of our own need and not expect a stranger to run our household.
3) Each individual Black African must begin to [ continue to, and teach their children to See themselves as equals with everyone. Our wealth, character, and social standing does not make us inferior or superior .
Conclusion : Our actual fight is not against each other or any of God’s creation.. We are at war against principalities, powers who are the rulers of the darkness of this world. And these rulers of darkness are not humble. They have minds like the fallen angel , formerly known as Lucifer (now known as Satan “The Accuser of The Brethren) who said “I will rise into heaven ! I will exalt my throne above the angels of God ! I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High ! Our leaders’ hearts and minds are under constant attack from Hell’s inhabitants. Spiritual warfare is going on constantly, therefore we must be vigilant. I suggest that we develop a consistent prayer regimen. There are types of prayer lists that we can develop and implement twice per day The evening & the morning sacrifice of our lips to God (Sunset & Sunrise). Types of Prayer Lists Family & Relatives (Natural Family / Christian Family) – Truthseekers Friends – Associates – Causes – Daily Prayer List – Weekly Prayer List – Monthly Prayer List – Yearly Prayer List “ Pray On My Child, Pray On My Child, Pray On My Child , Pray On My Child “, I Got A Home On High, Yes I Got A Home On High “ ************************************************************************
So who does Mamdani think is in charge in these African countries ? Does he suggest rape, plunder, and murders can go (for years)in Sudan without the knowledge, blessing and condonation of the Khartoum (Bashir's) government. If Bashir is not responsible for the directly overseeing the killings, at a minimum he is responsible watching, with negligence and glee, as it happened and continues to happen, when he has the capacity, authority and power to stop it.
"Human fundamentalism" as Mamdani describes it here essentially victimizes the Darfuris once more more than trumps religious (Islamic) fundamentalism, which Mamdani is really advancing in his writing.
The usual excuse of blaming colonialism, the climate (droughts), or hiding behind politics to obscure the ethno-religious agenda of exterminating African tribes who have refused to convert to Islam doesn't wash. All humans including Africans should have freedom of speech and association.
And to compare American politics of red states versus blue states is diversionary.
Moverover if digging back in history for arguements makes any sense we might as well go farther back and blame Adam and Eve for all human ills.
"Human Rights Fundamentalism"
This argument is specious! Justice must not need to regard political context. Mamdani's conclusions are patently false. We must not place politics on a pedestal. Politicians, historically demonstrated, are self-serving, egotistical, wasteful, unintelligent, venal and corrupt and generally out of touch with reality. They generally end up in politics when no other industry will have them. They are NOT persons to be admired. If not for a facility for lying with a straight face they would be mostly living out of cardboard boxes 'neath concrete abutments just off the motorway! As religious leaders lost [and still lose] credibility over the centuries so politicians will equally lose the trust of the voting population. But please - don't turn them into heroes!!!
Thank you for a great artcle. It is the first I read that explained what the problems there really are. Though it was clear from the propaganda used by the Bush admin. that the US had its hands in it as well and was using it to justify adversity against Arabs and particularly Muslims to rationalize US aims regarding energy and territorial issues underlying the war on terror, none of the coverage elucidated as well what the real problems are as Professor Mamdani's explanations. The African Union cautions against Bashir's arrest. It is incumbent on the ICC to listen. This article shows why that is so.
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