Yesterday was the official Day of Action for Darfur, where activists from across the world rallied for the Darfuri people of Sudan. The timing for the day of action was perfect, seeing as just before the rallies actor George Clooney had given a heart felt appeal to the United Nations to help end the genocide. But will the Global Day for Darfur help spark global action? This remains to be seen. There appears to many people that there is no end in sight as the situation gets worse by the day. But we must have faith that love will conquer hate, and that our collective action will make a positive difference in the lives of countless Darfurians.
Many people have argued that Africa is a lost cause and that there is nothing that those in the West can do to solve the problems that overpower the people of that continent. Droughts, wars, genocides, starvation, diseases are commonplace, and their results are heartbreaking. We can no longer allow ourselves to sit back and watch and allow the problems facing the African people to escalate. If we do ignore their plight, we will not only pay for it in our dollars but tens of millions will pay for it with their lives.
The movement may not be as big as we would like: that is mostly the fault of the media falsely believing that people do not care about the situation in Darfur. It is not that they would not care about stopping this genocide: it is that they are under informed. We must remember that a single candle of knowledge can be used to light others until the entire room is illuminated. Educating one another is the first step, and yet I am afraid that even I, who has put many days of effort into stopping this genocide, am terribly under informed. It is up to us to educate the world. Bloggers have taken on the media before and have won, and shining a light on this issue is no different.
Though I do admire and thank Pastordan and his readers for praying for the people of Darfur, I only saw one `recommended diary' about Darfur. The good news is, however, that it is swamped with recommendations and comments. Thanks for the great post, Righteousbabe! However, the movement to end genocide needs your support. Are we in the Daily Kos community going to be overwhelmingly silent in the face of genocide and international apathy towards this crime against humanity? Are we going to forget about this injustice after the Day of Action for Darfur? I say, never again shall we forget, never again shall we remain silent.
The Promised Land
By KDANTEATER
The abandoned have no shelter tonight,
No peace upon a bullet-ridden ground,
Ghosts of murders to us not worth a damn,
That's how it seems to my eyes,
And whether you lived or died,
You have cried
Look at the faces, reach for their hands,
Out of Egypt's river, to the promised land
Maybe you have shed tears in silence,
Waiting to hear just one person grieve,
Maybe you have held-in bitter sadness,
That's how it seems to my eyes,
And whether you lived or died,
You have cried
Look at the faces, hold tight their hands,
Out of Egypt's river, to the promised land
Never again will our promises be broken,
For those who die are not merely memories,
They die as we stand here doing nothing,
That's how it seems to my eyes,
And whether you lived or died,
You have cried
Look at the faces, lift up their hands,
Out of Egypt's river, to the promised land