THERE ARE TIMES IN MY LIFE I HAVE PRIDE THAT I BELONG TO THE HUMAN RACE AND TODAY WAS ONE OF THOSE

There have been a few times in my life that I feel more at ease, warmth in the heart, stand up more erect and have pride in belonging to the human race. Only a few, but those few times have been inspirational and memorable. Those times never fade from the prominent place that they reside in my experience.

Today, was one of those.

Gabriel and Katie-Jay Stauring, James Thacher, Eric Angel and Yuen-Lin work as a team to bring the people at a Darfuri camp into our lives. Today, the three who are in the camp, Gabriel and Katie-Jay Stauring, James and Eric Angel in California and Yuen-Lin (in Malaysia, I think) did a LIVE online-cast of a Town Meeting, where we could ask questions of the Darfuri people and hear their answers while watching them on our computer screens. Technology meets genocide.

To watch a recorded version of the LIVE Town Hall Meeting of Sunday December 12, 2010 with Darfuris in Camp Djabal in Chad, on the border of the countries of Chad and Sudan (African continent), go here.

Also, if you click the post title, it will take you there.

And I hope you won't miss watching videos by the Darfuri youth, who Gabriel and Katie-Jay provided with cameras. Pictures and videos have been uploaded . It gives a view from their camera lens of what life is like, where they are forced to live because of a genocidal regime in their home region of Darfur.

Much thanks goes out to each one that helps bring this to us and also for allowing those there to have a voice. It is powerful to hear from them!

Darfuri Youth Photo Journalists
Katie-Jay and Gabriel have turned Darfuri youth into photo journalists. The camera work tells us so much about student videographers and photographers and the camp, all at the same time. The town hall, the videos, pictures and stories altogether makes it so easy to feel we are them and they are us.

Photo credit: Khaltouma

Photo credit: Khaltouma

More photos iactivism.org/ionground

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December 13, 2010

Poetry From a Young Darfuri

A young Darfuri handed us these carefully written pages yesterday. They provide a glimpse into one person’s experience of exile, hardship and hope for the future.

Continue Reading

WHY DARFUR?
Reason #12: Children deserve a childhood
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i-ACT 9: Raouda's little brother from iActivism on Vimeo.

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Raouda's little brother and the stuffed animal brought by Katie-Jay

Katie-Jay writes ~
When we met Raouda in January 2009 we asked her what she missed about Darfur. She described a small animal that had cotton inside it, a stuffed animal! Something almost every child has connected with at one time or another during their life. Several people sent us animals to give to Raouda and the other children. Today, we were able to give one to Raouda. It was her youngest brother, Mydi, that enjoyed the animal the most. Raouda herself smiled a bit when I gave it to her. She is married now, at age 13, and I fear that between caring for her grandmother, and now her husband she has missed the small joys of childhood, like playing with stuffed animals.


Blog posts of the trip to Darfuri refugee camp Djabal

www.stopgenocidenow.org/iact/iact9/day3
December 11, 2010

www.stopgenocidenow.org/iact/iact9/day2
December 10, 2010

www.stopgenocidenow.org/iact/iact9/day1
December 9, 2010

www.stopgenocidenow.org/iact/iact9/day0
December 8, 2010

Communicate to the President
that he has a role to play

1-800-GENOCIDE
1-202-456-1111
www.whitehouse.gov/contact


Won't you use your voice?
Darfuris have been put on the back burner by our President
and many other leaders on the planet
and
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
has put them on the front burner.

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Eric Reeves' November 12, 2010 article

The Obama Administration"Decouples" Darfur

Khartoum is given free rein to obtain its "perfect ending" ("Misk al-Khitam")

A small fraction of the article ~

One well-informed Darfuri has written to me that “evidence of mobilization in Darfur is everywhere: airports, convoys leaving large cities and towns, heading toward villages in North and West Darfur” (email received November 2, 2010).

This source continues: “Many tanks, troops were seen in North Darfur near Kutum, Kornoi, and al-Tina. Additionally, Janjaweed gatherings were seen in the West Darfur areas of el-Geneina and Kulbus.” And further, “Loads of pro-Government of Sudan volunteers landed in Kutum (North Darfur) airport.” When asked who they were and where they were going, one enthusiast replied, “We are mujahideen and the government told us we have to fight the infidels and supporters in Darfur. We came to clean Darfur.” The same source reports that a family member in Nyala has observed a sharp uptick in military flights out of Nyala airport.

Eric Reeves full article www.sudanreeves.org