Darfur IntroDarfur. You know the place - that god-forsaken desert area of western Sudan. You have seen the pictures on the news - poverty-stricken refugees terrorised by the Janjaweed militia. You have heard the stats - 200,000+ dead, 2.2 million displaced and now fully dependent on humanitarian aid for survival. Fours years after the genocide in Darfur began, the situation in Darfur still remains the world’s No.1 humanitarian crisis and I am joining thousands of international aid workers in playing our humble parts to help the millions of affected Sudanese people.
I’m writing this from Paris, having completed my briefings and about to step on a plane to Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. Over the next 6 months I will be living and working in a town called Niertiti, at the foot of the Jebel Marra mountain ranges in western Darfur. It is a town of 30,000, most of whom are refugees (or more correctly IDPs - internally displaced persons). This is small compared to some of the other refugee camps but will keep me and the Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) team very busy! From everything I have been told this is a great mission. It is a typical MSF refugee scenario, working with excellent local and international staff. The Darfuri population are resilient and strong, and treat the visiting MSF workers with warmth and generosity. It will be a privilege to spend time on their land! I am excited and can’t wait to finally get there!
For You to Do
As friends of mine, you are invited to join me on this journey. I will share with you some of the stories behind all the stats and news bulletins. And hopefully these will enable you to inform your own response to the situation of the people of Darfur (and indeed others like them around the globe).
In return I would ask three things of you.
1. Remember me, the MSF team, and most importantly the people of Darfur in your thoughts and prayers.
2. Talk to your family, friends and colleagues about the situation in Darfur (and feel free to pass my emails along - just don’t give them to the media!)
3. Choose a book from my reading list below and read it sometime during the next 6 months (see also the films and websites listed below).
Thank you to all of you who have wished me well, and I apologise for not being able to return all your emails and letters individually at the moment. Please feel free to email or write to me in Darfur (contact details below) - particularly if you have any questions for me.
Email - hamish_hammer_graham@hotmail.com
More Info
There is tons of information about Darfur around (of varying quality). Don’t be overwhelmed, just pick one of these to get started (-:
Books
‘Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond’, by Don Cheadle (actor in Hotel Rwanda) and John Prendergast.
‘Heart of Darfur’, by Lisa French Blaker about her experiences as an MSF nurse in Darfur during 2006-2006.
‘Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival’, by Jen Marlowe (and others) who collected testimonies from many survivors of the Darfur genocide.
‘What is the What’, by Dave Eggers following the story of one of the ‘lost boy’ refugees from Sudan through refugee camps and finally to the USA.
Films
‘The Devil Came on Horseback’
‘Darfur Diaries: Message from Home’
Websites
http://www.msf.org.au/
http://www.savedarfur.org/
http://www.darfurolympics.org/
http://www.reliefweb.int/
http://www.alertnet.org/
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