Update on Darfur
Six years after the genocide in Darfur began, government institutions, nonprofit organizations, and citizens around the world are still looking for ways to end the violence in the region. In the editorials, "Trailing George Clooney" and "Sisters, Victims, Heroes," New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, draws attention to how the continuing violence in the region forces many Dafuris to make. For example, 13-year old Suleiman Ahsan choose to become a child solider as a reaction to the murder of his father by the janjaweed. (Kristof's blog provides more information about the genocide in Darfur, including readers' comments, images and video.) In the article, "An Inkling of Hope, Justice for Darfur," anti-genocide activist Rebecca Hamilton explains how the expected arrest of Sudanese President Bashir presents an opportunity for the citizens of Sudan to oppose Bashir, and in doing so distance themselves from the legally-punishable actions of their leader.
- Kristof asserts that more people pay attention to actor George Clooney than to the people suffering in Darfur. Do you agree with his assertion? Why or why not? Why do you some people may be more interested in the lives of celebrities than in the lives of Dafuris?
- What difference can it make if people around the world know about the continuing violence in Darfur? To what extent do you think spreading information can be a tool for ending the genocide?
- If President Bashir is arrested by the ICC, what message does this send to the people of Darfur? What message does this send to the rest of the world? If President Bashir is not arrested by the ICC, what message would that send to the people of Darfur and to the rest of the world?
