Darfur:
Why Should We Care?
By Mary Shaw
09 October, 2007
Countercurrents.org
A
symbolic Olympic torch relay is making its way around the world to call
attention to the ongoing genocide in Darfur, in western Sudan, and to
call on China, host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, to use its considerable
influence with Sudan to end the violence there.
The torch relay began in
August in eastern Chad, across the border from Darfur. It has been traveling
around the world, and came to Philadelphia on Sunday, October 7. I had
the opportunity to attend the local event, which featured speedskating
superstar and Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek as the keynote speaker.
Cheek is an athlete with a heart, having founded a coalition of athletes
committed to raising awareness of the crisis in Darfur and bringing
an end to the violence.
The event was held outdoors
in Philadelphia's historical district, with a direct view of Independence
Hall to the south and the National Constitution Center to the north.
The location seemed quite fitting, as several Darfuran children and
adults were in attendance, now enjoying America's freedom and liberty,
which began right there more than 200 years ago.
I was inspired.
Some of the tourists walking
by, however, were apparently not so inspired.
A woman walked by with three
young children of elementary school age. The children had noticed the
Darfuran children their own age participating in the event, and seemed
very interested. They asked their mother what was going on. The mother
replied, "They're having a talk." And she whisked them away.
A talk.
Signs and banners everywhere
advertised the fact that this was about much more than just having a
talk.
This mother passed up a great
opportunity to teach her children about how we can help others who are
suffering in other parts of the world - and in a way far more effective
than the method used when I was a kid, of citing starving children in
India to lay a guilt trip on a picky eater.
But I was disappointed more
by a wealthy-looking middle-aged woman who walked by with her male companion,
the latter of whom seemed interested in the Darfur-related festivities.
The woman, however, felt differently. As they passed me, I heard her
say, "I think it's in Africa. Why should I care about something
in Africa?"
In his moving speech later
in the event, Joey Cheek answered that woman's question, although she
was no longer around to hear it.
Cheek joked that people might
wonder why they should take political advice from someone who makes
his living skating in circles, in tights. His answer was that he had
the opportunity to follow his dreams, and he felt that he therefore
has an obligation to help others follow their dreams as well - including
the persecuted citizens of Darfur.
Imagine how much better the
world would be if everyone shared Joey Cheek's sense of caring and compassion.
And, as a further answer
to the rich lady who can't be bothered with African affairs, I would
like to add these words from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that
matter."
Life is about more than just
you.
Mary Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist.
She is a former Philadelphia Area Coordinator for the Nobel-Prize-winning
human rights group Amnesty International, and her views on politics,
human rights, and social justice issues have appeared in numerous online
forums and in newspapers and magazines worldwide. Note that the ideas
expressed here are the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect
the opinions of Amnesty International or any other organization with
which she may be associated. E-mail: [email protected]
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