Finding the link at Tearfund made my day, for more reasons than I can recount here right now. TEAR is one of my favourite charities, along with UNICEF and Save The Children. My thoughts on Darfur are always concentrated on ways to advocate human rights and non-violent conflict resolution while trying to get the balance of information as best as I can manage in this blog - without sounding like too much of a lone voice. Rarely do I find bloggers that think anywhere near the way I do when it comes to Darfur and Sudan. Most seem combatative and gung ho on war, taking what they're told at face value, without doing much thinking about it or any homework.
My heroes are the late great Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer (see Philosophy of Civilisation and Ethics of Reverence for Life). As stated here many times before, I do not believe fighting violence with violence is a solution to Darfur. For me, the following excerpt from Democracy Now's interview with Alex de Waal puts my stance in a nutshell. In Darfur Violence Intensifies as Deadline for Withdrawal of AU Peacekeepers Looms [hat tip POTP], Mr de Waal said:
"I think the key thing to bear in mind is that the solution to Darfur is a political solution. No solution can be imposed by any amount of arm twisting, any amount of bluster, any amount of military force. Even if we sent 100,000 NATO troops, we would not be able to impose a solution. The solution has to come through political negotiation. And that, unfortunately, is a very slow process."Patience is a virtue. I look forward to blogging news of the Darfur Darfur Dialogue. When is the conference to begin? I'd rather push for the conference and a few billion dollars for the fledging AMIS to continue the great job they are doing rather than waste precious time pushing for a peacekeeping force that won't happen until next year. The children of Sudan will be another year older soon and another year without schooling ...
I'd like to see politicians - including those in Sudan - put more emphasis on laws to protect Sudan's children and educate the greedy twisted bullies, thugs and murderers on a fact of life that they will have no power base if there is not enough of a drinking water supply throughout Sudan.
Adults in Sudan ought to be shamed into caring for Sudan's children and their country's drinking water supply and land issues. Surely the women and mothers in Africa and big countries like China and Russia can help alongside dozens of other countries already helping, for the sake of the children, not the greedy money and power hungry rebels and ex rebels running the horror show in Darfur.
CALLING MAMA MONGELLA (AGAIN): WHERE ARE YOU ON DARFUR?
Photo: Gertrude Mongella The first president of the Pan-African Parliament.
See Aug 17 2006 Where's Mama Mongella and the voices of the AU born Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to mobilise the Arab world, Egypt and Saudi Arabia?
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DR ALBERT SCHWEIZER - THE ETHIC OF REVERENCE FOR LIFE
Photo: Dr Albert Schweitzer - b 14 January 1875 - d 04 September 1965 - The Ethic of Reverence for Life:
"The course of history demands that not only individuals become ethical personalities, but that nations do as well."- - -
WHEN WAS THE LAST SILENT, NO-PLACARDS, NO WORDS, PEACE MARCH?
Photo: See Gandhi's 1930 march re-enacted.
DROPPING YOUR GUNS WHILE THE WORLD IS WATCHING AND GATHERING 3 MILLION DARFURIS FOR A TOTALLY SILENT UPRISING - ENMASSE, PEACEFRULLY, WITHOUT A WORD BEING SPOKEN - WOULD SPEED WORLD SYMPATHY AND GET ALL SIDES A FAIR DEAL.
God bless all the children of Sudan.
Ref Gandhi's grandson urges peaceful uprising - non-violence would speed world sympathy.
The last word goes to Amnesty: Women take brunt of human rights abuse.
This post is for Drima of The Sudanese Thinker blog in response to his commentary on Darfur & the Continuing Dilemma - and to say thanks for the links to Sudan Watch and sorry I've been too busy to contribute any comments.
See Blogging Drima, The Sudanese Thinker at the UN.
PLAY GANDHI FILM TO SUDANESE
Apr 7 2005 Gandhi film plays to Palestinians - The award-winning 1982 film Gandhi is being released across the West Bank and Gaza to try to persuade Palestinians to embrace non-violent resistance.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and actor Ben Kingsley, who starred as the pacifist Indian leader in the film, attended the premiere in Ramallah.
The project is being co-sponsored by Jeff Skoll, the founder of the internet auction site EBay.
Why not play the Gandhi film to Sudanese? ANYTHING to speed up Darfur Darfur Dialogue and stop the violence so IDPs can return home and grow their own food.
M.K. Gandhi photo and quotations
"My life is my message"
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"
"If my faith burns bright, as I hope it will even if I stand alone, I shall be alive in the grave, and what is more, speaking from it"
See M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.
