last night, on the recommendation of a fellow india adventurer, i went to see the documentary "the devil came on horseback." a well made film, the documentary provides an inside look at the crisis in darfur through the eyes of former marine brian steidle. the filmmakers (both women are dartmouth grads) guide us through steidle's background to help us understand why he volunteered for the african union in sudan, his work to document the cease-fire that was declared in April of 2003, and his return home after his disgust with the lack of assistance to the communities in and surrounding darfur.
steidle skillfully explains the situation in sudan and darfur in simple terms; the politics and dynamics that exist there. the arab population in the north and the christians in the south. the sudanese government and its relationship to the janjaweed militia. why china is a key player. how rape is used as a tool of war. his tragic photos and heartbreaking stories help document what has been going on in this region for the past three years.
only after many months have g.w and his people decided to label what is going on in darfur genocide.
what matters now is that both the united states and the united nations are fully aware of these atrocities. what matters is that after armenia, after the holocaust and after rwanda, after cambodia and after the balkans, we have another genocide occurring, right now. americans across the nation, both in d.c. and beyond, are turning a blind eye.
this makes me ashamed to be an american.
please. go to www.savedarfur.org - learn about the film and learn about what is happening.
