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March 11, 2008
Three everyday citizens of America decided to do extraordinary campaigns for the people of Africa. They encouraged fellow citizens to stand up against crimes against humanity in Sudan and brought a message of hope to Hawaii with the Camp Darfur project.
A coalition of non-governmental organization (NGO) coordinators visited Hawaii, and spent time at Maui Community College, at the end of February to mobilize public support to end the modern-day Holocaust happening in Darfur, Sudan. All agreed that the horrors can be halted through the personal actions to promote and protect human rights for all in Africa.
“This is the first mass movement to end genocide while it is happening,” said John Prendergast, a senior advisor to the International Crisis Group and a former official in the Clinton White House. “We can create a political price for ignoring genocide.”
“Every time there is an election it’s a new chance to influence the government,” he expressed. “We must contact our elected officials. It’s the bedrock of our democracy. It will take only 15 minutes a week to make a difference. We can end the first 21st century genocide.”
The Hawaii Institute for Human Rights, along with a network of human rights movements, mobilized together to bring Camp Darfur to commemorate the Never Again; Stop Genocide Now campaign. Camp Darfur is an interactive educational traveling refugee camp highlighting the 400,000 people who have died in the conflict in Darfur.
Hawaii was the first stop since the return from Chad by Stop Genocide Now. Camp Darfur has visited 55 universities, community centers and state capitols.
Camp Darfur allowed students, faculty and community members the opportunity to learn about the humanitarian crisis taking place and to exercise their own moral and political power to make a difference.
Camp Darfur is a moving museum that allowed participants in the all-day event to learn about genocide of the past and how to be involved today to prevent genocide in the future. MCC lawn hosted several tents resembling the refugee housing for the more than 2.5 million people of Darfur that have been displaced. The tents provided interactive displays offering historical lessons from Armenia, the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda and Darfur.
The architect of the refugee tent display shared his experiences along the Chad border to students throughout the day and also spoke to the World Politics class and interested individuals in the evening.
Gabriel Stauring, co-founder and director of Stop Genocide Now, shared the firsthand experience of his four trips to the region walking in the footsteps Joseph Campbell’s philosophy, to participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world.
The impetus for his involvement was remembering the genocide in Rwanda and not doing enough to stand in solidarity with those slaughtered while the world was silent.
“Guilt is the major reason,” he said. “I remember turning the page of the paper or changing the channel when Rwanda was happening. When I heard about Sudan on NPR, I said – no excuses. What can I do?”
“I believe change can be made,” Katie-Jay Scott, community organizer of Stop Genocide Now, said. “I believe in grassroots empowerment.”
“When you get involved in advocacy, make it personal,” Scott said. “Responsibility has slipped down to us – the people.”
The event was co-sponsored by the United Nations Association USA Hawaii, Amnesty International Hawaii, MCC Political Science Honor Society, Four Freedoms Forum and the Hawaii Institute for Human Rights.
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Joshua Cooper
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