Students at Loyola Marymount University recently returned from fall break to find "Camp Darfur" set up on a stretch of grass near the hub of campus activity.
A project of Stop Genocide Now, the camp consisted of 10 canvas tents, each containing various media that accounted for a specific instance of genocide in recent history. The tents were covered in written messages and artwork from students from around the United States, some attempting to offer hope to Darfuri refugees, some asking for forgiveness, and some simply saying "I love you."
I don't see Camp Darfur as a mock refugee camp, but as a way to synthesize symbolism and action. It would be inappropriate for us to try to parody what life in a refugee camp is like. It is completely valid, however, to use Camp Darfur as a visual reminder of the human capacity for genocide.
Yes, genocide is a human endeavor. It's easy to write off these instances as evil or inhumane - aberrations of typical human conduct that just can't be explained. If we adopt this mindset and forget that human beings are indeed capable of eliminating whole groups of fellow human beings, a realistic solution to genocide seems an intangible mystery.
LMU students were invited to peruse Camp Darfur and learn about genocide from Armenia to Bosnia, from Cambodia to the Holocaust. Tables were set up with letter-writing campaigns, instructions on how to call one's Senator, and information on what it means to divest from Darfur. The camp at once spread awareness and offered a way for students to do something, right then and there, to pressure the Sudanese government to end its campaign against its own people.
The genocide in Darfur, Sudan's western region, is government-sponsored in that the Sudanese government's Janjaweed allies have deliberately targeted and killed non-Arab tribes in their movement westward. More than 400,000 people have been killed and over 2 million displaced since 2003.
It takes large amounts of money to support the Janjaweed militia, and much of this money comes from revenue in external trade, specifically the oil industry. Targeted divestment aims to remove foreign investment in those sectors, like the oil industry, that provide funds for the Sudanese government and the social elite. Divestment should be targeted because it is important to not divest from sections of the economy, such as the agricultural industry, that do indeed benefit the people of Sudan.
As part of Camp Darfur, LMU hosted Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams, who spoke to the LMU community about the fact that ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they "just get up and get moving." Williams is known for her work on the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), a coalition of over 1,300 organizations working together to eliminate antipersonnel landmines. She is currently head of the United Nations Human Rights Council's High-Level Mission to Darfur.
Earlier this year, Williams wrote a scathing report to the council which, among other recommendations, urges the UN Human Rights Council to condemn the Sudanese government for its violations of human rights and to cease doing business with companies that have an adverse impact on the human rights crisis in Darfur (this is targeted divestment).
"Never again" means nothing if we do not take seriously the crisis that plagues the people of Darfur. The Sudanese government is, of course, the main participant in both the problem and the solution. But that doesn't mean you can't go online, learn about Darfur, and find a letter you can send to the UN, your senator, or to a company invested in the Sudanese oil industry. Get up, dear reader, and move, write, educate yourself; do something for the people of Darfur. Marian Alonso is a senior at Loyola Marymount University majoring in psychology with a minor in music.
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