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Darfur Now
"Who now remembers the Armenians?"- Adolph Hitler
“I personally believe that U.S. [sic] Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps, and, uh, I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and, uh, the Iraq everywhere like, such as and I believe that they should, our education over here in the US should help the US, er, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children.” - Lauren Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen South Carolina
Shudders still go down my spine when I remember, in 2000, when then Texas Governor George W. Bush was asked by reporter Andy Hiller to name the leaders of four countries that were then considered to be hot spots – Chechnya, Taiwan, India, and Pakistan. After months of prep for this Presidential run, George had no clue when it came to Chechnya, India, and Pakistan, but was really close when he replied that the leader of Taiwan was Lee-something. (His name was Teng-hui.) Later, he was asked what citizens of Greece are called. That was an easy one for W. He replied Grecians. (Greeks) Bush's spokespeople quickly spun his blunders telling reporters that this proves he is just like an everyday ordinary American, one of us, and he has advisors who know those things. President Bill Clinton, aboard Air Force One, said an almost prophetic statement, "I think as a presidential candidate, for the main trouble spots of the world, he should and probably will pick up those (names) ... But the most important thing is do you have a clear idea of what the world should look like and what America's policies ought to be in those areas?" In 2003, our President green-lit the invasion of Iraq without knowing the first thing about the three distinct groups in the country, the Sunni, Shia, and Kurds, or even knowing there were three groups. He might have had a better post-invasion plan if he had the barest of knowledge about the history of that country.
Americans got the leader they deserve. Even though this is a university town, I would be willing to bet that 99.9 percent of the Americans reading this column could not name who is currently the Prime Minister of Canada is or who the President of Mexico is. How about this one, the current Supreme Leader of Iran and it is not Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Can you name five world leaders? Okay, three. Don’t feel bad. Ignorance regarding the larger world is an all-American trait. We know where to get the best designer jeans. We just cannot figure out on the map where the country is, that some six-year-old is making them for us. According to the National Geographic Society, 30 percent of our college age young people cannot identify the Pacific Ocean on a map. While their inhabitants might be taking our jobs, more than 50 percent of us cannot locate India and only 15 percent can correctly identify where Iraq is. Even our own history, our best and brightest are getting failing marks. A majority of kids walking around our campuses cannot tell you what came first the Korean War or World War II. (Before we get down on the kids, according to historian Dr. Sam Wineburg, most history professors also get failing marks when asked questions outside of their research specialization. You know how it sometimes seems your teacher is pulling an answer out of their backside? (He or she probably is.)
So what? Americans have always been ignorant. Your grandparents and great-grandparents, when it comes to world knowledge and history, have been taking the short bus home from school for generations. Since at least 1917, we have been flunking basic knowledge tests. As Wineburg notes, "The only thing growing seems to be our amnesia of past ignorance." Here is the problem. We live in a mass media corporate age where facts can be manipulated, and coupled with fear, world events can be spun in whatever fashion our leaders want, especially with the aid of Pravda-like news organizations and reporters who know more about Paris Hilton’s romantic life, than world events. (Hiller, who made Bush look like a monkey, could not name the President of Mexico.) Our ignorance makes us cows just following the herd, believing whatever we are told at the moment. You might be the coolest frat rat or the cutest piece of meat at the bar but you are just a human cow, chewing your cud and hanging out with the herd, if you don’t work at overcoming your lack of knowledge, because America needs you more than ever before. There are several major crises on the horizon, global warming, rising oil costs, the washing out of the middle class, health care, and if we are not prepared, this nation will go under and injustice with continue to reign in places where we could stop it, places like Darfur.
Darfur, most of us cannot find it on the map but a good majority might know that it is somewhere in Africa from the few seconds the news devotes to it and vaguely know that a lot of innocent people are getting killed. The United Nations estimates 200,000 people have been killed and another 2.5 million displaced since the conflict flared in 2003. Words like ethnic cleansing and genocide are being tossed around. Okay, let’s have a little quiz and see how you do. You don’t have to tell anyone the results
1. What country is Darfur in?
2. Can you tell me anything about the country?
3. What groups of people are being slaughtered?
4. What groups are doing the killing?
5. How did the conflict start?
6. What are the issues at stake?
7. Does global warming have anything to do with this conflict?
8. What is the major religion of the country?
9. What has President George W. Bush done to lessen the slaughter?
10. What has been the international response?
Bonus question: What role does oil play in the conflict?
How did you do? Don’t feel bad. My dog did just as well and I had to give him a couple breaks to drink out of the toilet. For the answers to these questions, you will either have to do your own research or watch the documentary Darfur Now. Underrated actor Don Cheadle (Ocean’s Eleven, Boogie Nights, Crash) realized that there is a lot of ignorance about what is happening in Darfur and decided to do something about it. He has been actively involved in addressing the humanitarian crises in Africa since he starred in Hotel Rwanda in 2004. His reason for making the documentary is simple. He stated, “We’re trying to speak in a loud voice now, so that people cannot say ‘I was unaware.’ They can only say ‘I acted’ or ‘I stood by.’” His documentary follows six people including activist Adam Sterling, Ahmed Mohammed Abaker, Hejwa Adam, Pablo Recalde, and Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who have tried to stop the rape, murders, and displacement that have occurred since 2003. Well, I know what you are thinking. Who wants to go to a documentary about genocide? My answer: Moo. “I would rather go to a comedy or a horror film.” Moo. “Documentaries are too much like education and learning isn’t fun.” Moo. “I don’t like politics.” Moo. “I would rather go to the bar, slam back a few beers than go to a documentary.” Moo. “I only have so much time and this just does not interest me.” Moo. Moooooooo….
I know that everyone feels like they are burning the candle at both ends and have too many things on the plate with work and family, to take another job of being an informed citizen, especially because our media makes it so difficult, but you have a responsibility to your children and grandchildren to keep this grand experiment of democracy going. One of the criticisms of democracy when America first started was that such a system was doomed to failure due to the ignorance of the population and such a people could be manipulated. I would like to hope that we could prove them wrong, but just in case… mooooooo.
Verdict: An Informative Documentary