His Street: "Investing In Others"

New Hope for the New Year

Class is over, but the genocide is not. So, I continue to post on this blog in the hopes that people will come and read and be informed. There are many different sources for gathering information out there, but allow this to be an account of our journey towards discovering and providing African solutions for African problems. We love seeing organizations reach out and offer solutions to problems in Africa, but we also acknowledge the ability of mankind to fight to protect their own humanity.

My partner, Jahkova, and I are now working to do just that. What started as a plan to host a few parties to raise awareness to the crisis in Darfur has escalated into a full-blown attempt to host a concert in the Darfur region. It will be a concert for the Refugees and/or Internally-Displaced Peoples of Darfur. Relief Web shows the numbers of refugees and IDPs at-a-glance for the passing Fiscal Year 2005 and they are staggering. There are millions of people in need. This concert will be an attempt to bless just a few of those millions.

There are camps all over Darfur, bordering Chad and even Kenya. Global Security.org shows the locations of camps in the region. The plight of IDPs and Refugees should be of major concern, especially in light of the Katrina disaster here in the States. We can learn how our government may respond to this crisis from how we respond to crisis abroad. The Long Journey Home: an IRIN Web Special on the challenge of refugee return and reintegration addresses the challenges Sudanese refugees face daily in the camps. Sudanese refugees continue to be confronted with hard realities after escaping the genocide that has destroyed their homes and families. There seems to be no safe or fair place to run. Not to depress you, but simply to alert you to more atrocities occurring in the camps, visit the web for the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT).

And people in the camps are frustrated. It is no way to live. This LA Times article highlights recent happenings at the Kalma camp in Southern Darfur are an example of this frustration. Over 90,000 people have been “living” at the Kalma camp since 2003. That’s an entire city of people (unemployed) receiving UN issued water and other aid while still fighting off attacks from rebel groups.

So, why a concert in light of more pressing concerns? Well, alleviating the situation in Darfur and in the camps requires a long-range plan that the UN and international community are working on diligently. Unfortunately, stopping the genocide is not a priority. To give credit where due, the crisis is the focus of numerous individuals whose lives are often in danger for the work they do. Jan Egelman, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, speaks about the crisis and possibility of peace. A bit outdated, but this info sheds light on efforts being made and needs that require meeting in order to slow the tragedy.

In the meantime, music is a medium of hope. There are several music festivals coming in the New Year on the Continent. While there are security issues to be resolved in order to hold a similar event in or near a camp, a concert would be an amazing means of offering hope as a means of survival. Hope is often times just as critical for life as food, water, or medicine. One must will to live. Like Emmanual Jal-a Sudanese survivor, former child soldier, now rapper. More on his story, and his connection to our story to come.

Be a blessing to others in some way this New Year.

Peace.

posted by Colleen Yvonne Mae @ 1:54 PM