Research and Analysis - Week 2
Okay. So I think I am going to stick with genocide. After our discussion today about powers and how or what forms of power structures play out in our ideas about corruption, I’m starting to maybe see some links between structures of race and learned superiority complexes that contribute to acts of genocide in Africa. I don’t even fully understand what I just wrote! But it sounds good and it sounds like I might be being led somewhere and I’m just going to chill, and dig up some resources and maybe 60 resources later, it’ll start to make a little bit of sense.I think these links in the beginning are just going to be resources I’ve found while researching and informing myself of the ongoing genocide in Darfur in the Sudan. Occurrences of genocide have taken place in other countries throughout the Continent (the way I like to refer to Africa to remind me that it’s so much more than just a country) so maybe I’ll try to broaden my scope a bit in this first assignment too and find out where, besides the obvious – Rwanda, and post links to that information as well. It’d be interesting to see what nations, if any, are entrenched in all of these issues we are individually researching across the board. And if so, what the connections are between the issues – much like Kirsten’s brilliant idea of mapping the process of corruption. So we’ll see where genocide fits along the map. I look forward to your feedback and your own research.
It seems like on a very surface level; my initial impression (from our discussion today) is that by forcing Africans to operate within a western system of …everything, the stress of being torn from their own customs and systems has bred major corruption within their own borders.
What follows is my initial research and as I spent more time researching, my search was narrowed to the genocide in Sudan. What is unique about this situation, in comparison to the past situation in Rwanda 1) is that it is present and 2) our president has declared the crisis in Darfur a genocide calling even more attention to the crisis. But now our government does nothing and relies upon the African Union, the Continent’s military force that is widely reported to be under-staffed, under-trained and wholly ill-equipped to handle the crisis.
So for now, excuse my informalities and lack of properly cited and documented research. I hope you browse some of these sources and learn for yourself from others way more knowledgeable about the crisis. I encourage others to commit themselves to first being open to learn and then from there, open to be moved to act.
Films:
http://www.theconstantgardener.com/
A great must see film on many levels; specifically related to the issue of corruption. How it could fit into each individual issue is probably left each to his/her own interpretations.
http://www.hotelrwanda.com/intro.html
A powerful film documenting the effects of civil war in an African nation ignored by the international community.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/16/AR2005061601625.html;
http://www.ericdsnider.com/view.php?mrkey=2348
Two separate reviews of documentary, Shake Hands With the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire; the story of General Romeo Dallaire who in 1993 was chosen to command the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Rwanda. (Unfortunately no website for actual documentary)
News Articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/opinion/07kristof.html?ex=1128830400&en=e64066a331746934&ei=5070&ei=5070&en=9db0a6d520de9
Nicholas Kristof’s June 2005 op-ed “Uncover Your Eyes” comments on President Bush’s labeling of the crisis in Darfur as genocide and again, as in previous genocides (and fairly, as in previous administrations), doing nothing.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/218498/112627525676.htm
WOW! “RWANDA/GENOCIDE - RWANDAN GENOCIDE COMES TO HAUNT A SILENT CATHOLIC CHURCH” This article is about accused priests of the Catholic church and a Seventh Day Adventist pastor in Rwanda who allegedly contributed to the acts of genocide in Rwanda. My reactions: Racial supremacy overrides religious allegiance? Loyalty to political structures over loyalty to God?
http://www.sudanreeves.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=66
“The Economics of Genocide in Rwanda” by Eric Reeves, leading researcher and expert on the genocide in Sudan.
Research Tools:
http://www.yale.edu/gsp/
The Yale University Genocide Studies Program homepage. Links to resources. Really looking forward to exploring this!
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3060&l=4
Overview of the crisis in Darfur. Links to resources.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5424.htm
Background Notes on Sudan. Overview of government, economy, geography, people and political situation.
Aid Organizations:
http://www.mercycorps.org/countries/sudan/632
An aid organization. Link to details about the structure of their programs/initiatives. It will be interesting to track and compare these orgs that have a presence in the Sudan to consider how to frame a church response. One thing I’m noting and is rather disappointing is that none of the organizations I’ve observed so far give details about travel to the regions to volunteer. It’s like, why are we not aloud to choose to risk our lives to help. Perhaps it’s a liability issue? I don’t know. The only way to help is to give money and that kinda turns me off.
posted by Colleen Yvonne Mae @ 1:41 AM
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