My time in Darfur has come to an end. As I return to Australia I want to say a huge thank you to all of you who have vicariously accompanied me on this extraordinary adventure. It has been a great encouragement knowing there are so many people interested in Darfur and the work I have been involved in. Already my humble letters home have found their way into hundreds of hands all over the globe. And very soon they will all be publicly posted as a blog on the MSF Australia website along with lots of photos (www.msf.org.au). So please invite all your relatives and friends to check them out and also read the letters and blogs of other MSF volunteers from all over the world.
FarewellsMy last few weeks were spent tying up loose ends, completing some pet projects and saying lots of goodbyes. The end of my mission has come so quickly, but as I reflect on everything that I have seen and done I find it difficult to believe it is has been only 6 months. A list of highlights is impossible, but here are a few memories from my last week.
· Visiting friends in the IDP camps and feeling so humbled by their love and generosity (it still leaves me speechless and moist-eyed - and an upset tummy).
· Being stopped a dozen times while walking down the street by men who heard the mosque health talks to have tea and chat more about sex infections (and starting to see condoms come into vogue).
· Giving the medical assistants a quiz which they took very seriously (and gratefully seeing results that justified the many hours of teaching).
· Playing with kids in the hospital and seeing their fantastic reactions to my little koalas (with one mother wondering if I would like to take her son back to Oz).
· Receiving a huge tub of wild honey from the staff in Thur (and seeing their motivation and hard work reap results in the improved malnutrition program).
· Enjoying my farewell party complete with live music and a swarm of cute kids who came to join the fun and dance (and could they dance!).
· Being given a traditional knife and decorate leather pouch by our beautiful cook Fatma (then miraculously getting it through customs despite it being a ‘dagger’).
· Being loaded up with jalabiyas, shawls, writing boards, tagia, and local craftwork that I will treasure as a reminder of my amazing friends in Darfur.
· My tough translator (and best Darfur friend) hiding his tears as we talked of when we would meet again (and him reminding me that the traditional marriage rules for his daughter could be modified for a certain khawadji doctor…uh oh).
Profiling 'Mahmoud'Mahmoud Abdujamal Issa, 69 year old man from Nieriti who I see regularly for diabetes and heart failure.
Mahmoud has been sitting in the queue outside my consultation room since the morning along with dozens of other patients attending the Monday chronic disease clinic. I am hot and sweating as I usher him in and try not to rush as I apologise for the long wait. He looks me in the eye, smiles beautifully and tells me how grateful he is for our work no matter how long the wait is. I thank him, and as I look back into his one eye I think with amazement of all the things he has witnessed in his life.
Mahmoud was 18 years old when Sudan became independent from British-Egyptian rule. He was in Darfur at the time and cannot remember many details about the event. But he remembers well the overthrow of the civilian government two years later while he was living and working in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. Another couple of years and the Communists were in power, only to be overthrown by another military junta (who executed a few of his communist-leaning friends). By this time Mahmoud was 32 years old and decided it was time to return to Darfur to get married and start a family.
At the age of 42 years Mahmoud decided to head south to the newly opening oilfields in the hope of improving the situation for his family (now grown to wife and three children). Mahmoud soon found a job and had his first experience working with the culturally very different south Sudanese. Unfortunately this was soon disturbed by a fresh outbreak of war in the south so Mahmoud returned to Darfur determined to stay out of the political conflicts. This turned out to be a good choice as southern Sudan was locked in a brutal civil war and another two military coups took place in Khartoum (finally depositing the current President Omar Al-Bashir into power in 1989).
Mahmoud’s homecoming was mixed with joy and sadness. His children were all growing up quickly. But his wife had been very unwell and died a few months after he got home. Mahmoud took this very hard and initially resisted encouragement to marry again. But in the end he realised he needed a wife to look after his children and married his younger cousin Hawa. Life settled into a pattern for Mahmoud who had reopened his trading business, headed a growing family, and played his role as an elder in the local community. It would be these strong social connections that continued to give Mahmoud hope and meaning in the next difficult years.Mahmoud does not like to dwell on his suffering and loss, preferring to praise God for what he still has. But I do know that he has lost sons and daughters in the fighting and suffered great personal loss at the hands of the various armed factions. Mahmoud’s concern is for the children who have never known the peaceful coexistence with neighbours that he remembers from his own childhood. He tells me that it is for them he tries to tell his story “so that they know that peace is possible”. I ask him if he really believes that peace is possible and he reminds me of the peace agreement that ended over 40 years of war between north and south Sudan – “the same can happen for Darfur…it must happen”.
On his last visit to see me Mahmoud took my hand and asked if I would come back to Darfur. I said that I would certainly like to, inshallah. Mahmoud concluded by telling me that the world needed more people who could see beyond the colour of skin or the identity of race and tribe. I cannot remember his exact words but the touch of his hand and the intense sincerity of his gaze will always stay with me as a profound challenge. A challenge to always confront my own prejudices and assumptions and actively seek to identify with the marginalised. A challenge to free myself from the tribal thinking that defines my relationship with others in terms of race or ethnicity or gender or language or religion…
Homecoming ChallengesSince leaving Darfur I passed through Paris, Sydney and Melbourne before heading to Tasmania to spend some quality time with my family. I am still reaching for the mosquito net when I wake up, but the novelty of hot water has faded and I actually wonder if squat toilets are not anatomically better for bowel functioning. I know culture shock is invariably worse on return home and I am sure it will be a while before things get back to ‘normal’. I just hope I can find enough friends who I can continue to share my experience with – there is nothing worse than finding those closest are apathetic about something I am so passionate about. So I will ask you (as I ask myself) what now? Will this adventure just be filed in the ‘interesting story’ box or is there something more that we can do?
Personally, I don’t want my involvement with Darfur to end here. And I would love your help in trying to make a continuing contribution to Darfur and the world. Here are a few ideas I have been pondering. If you are interested or have other ideas please drop me an email and let’s make something happen.
1. Discussion forums and presentations. Lots of you have expressed interest in seeing my photos and hearing more of Darfur, humanitarian aid work and the work of MSF. I am very keen to share my experience and would be very happy to speak to any group of co-workers, friends or family that you could get together. Perhaps you are also involved in a community group or religious community that could organise something like a Darfur dinner or discussion group…
2. Polly push. Before leaving to Darfur I sent letters around a few Federal MPs. When I arrived home I found a pile of really quality replies from Jenny Macklin, Kevin Rudd’s African advisor, Bob McMullan, and Brendan Nelson. I wonder how we can do more to encourage our government to contribute more strongly and effectively to areas of the world experiencing humanitarian crises. Perhaps I can send around some of my letters that you can use to write to your own MP. And if they are interested, we can pay them a visit and push global health and international affairs onto their agenda even more strongly…
3. Write to the newspapers. Writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper is pretty simple but can attract a great deal of attention to an issue. Perhaps you also know of other magazines or newspapers who would be interested in publishing a feature article on Darfur. Maybe we could even get together for a writing workshop…
4. Money. There are many aid organisations like MSF doing really amazing work in some of the most challenging places on earth. Of course they all need finances to keep things working and provide their much needed services. Unfortunately the current global financial crisis has slashed donations and program spending is being tightened across the board. Perhaps we could all sign up as regular donors to an aid organisation we respect and trust, and encourage family and friends to do the same. And maybe we could organise a fundraising evening to both raise awareness and raise money...
5. Thoughts and prayers. It is sometimes easy for important issues to fade from our consciousnesses as they disappear from the media. It is also easy to get overwhelmed but the suffering that saturates the media anew every day. But maybe there are some things we can do to keep our hearts caring and minds sensitive. We are all part of a family and friendship group, and perhaps also involved in discussion groups or spiritual communities. Perhaps these all offer us great opportunities to share our concern for justice and humanity with others and keep ourselves passionate…
More Info
When I left for Darfur 6 months ago I sent around a list of books, films and websites for you to check out. I hope you have found them useful. Here are some more resources you may be interested in.
Books – personal stories
‘The Translator’, by Daud Hari a Zaghawa tribesman from north Darfur who risked his life translating for journalists and genocide investigators after his own village was destroyed and community destroyed.
‘Heart of Darfur’, by Lisa French Blaker about her experiences as an MSF nurse in Darfur during 2005-2006.
‘Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival’, by Jen Barlowe (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.
Books – exploring the issues
‘Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond’, by Don Cheadle (actor in Hotel Rwanda) and John Prendergast.
‘Darfur: A New History of a Long War (African Arguments)’ and ‘War in Darfur and the Search for Peace’, edited by Julie Flint and presenting essays from African activist and thinkers.
‘Darfur’s Sorrow: A History of Destruction and Genocide’, by MW Daly.
‘Darfur: A 21st Century Genocide’, by Gerad Prurier.
Films
‘The Devil Came on Horseback’
‘Darfur Diaries: Message from Home’
Websites
www.msf.org.au
www.savedarfur.org
www.darfurolympics.org
www.reliefweb.int
www.alertnet.org
