YOUR ROLE
November 5, 2007
One of the primary ways of getting involved is by raising awareness about the plight of the Sudanese. This goal can be accomplished in many ways: tabling on campus, speaking at local schools, conferences, and organizations, writing a letter to the editor of your local paper, flyering, chalking, telling your friends and family, and keeping up to date on what is going on in Sudan and Darfur. If there is any hope for the future of Sudan it lies in the voices of those who know what is going on. Without informing people, without keeping the issue in the news, little will change for the people of Darfur.
The second way to get involved is to help with the political end of Action in Sudan's efforts. There are obvious things to do concerning political action, including calling your senators and telling them to support legislation that will benefit the people of Sudan. This would include bills related to divestment, the national Farm Bill, fair trade legislation and more. Divestment, for those who are unfamiliar with the term, is defined quite simply as the opposite of investment, or pulling out previously invested funds. Since 1997 the US has had trade sanctions on Sudan because of its links to terrorism and its known sheltering of Osama bin Laden. Thus the point of the Darfur Divestment bill is not to un-invest in Sudan, but to take it a step further. It is currently legal for US companies, state pension funds, and individuals to invest money in companies that invest large sums of money in the Sudanese government, who is funding the genocide in Darfur. The bill would make this illegal. Unlike past divestment movements (the South African apartheid divestment movement included) this divestment would be targeted. It would only go after companies who invest in the Sudanese government. Non-governmental Organizations (NGO's) and companies unrelated to the government would not be affected at all. Thus penalizing the government would not have the drawback of also penalizing the people (particularly since Khartoum does little to help its citizens anyway).
The divestment issue is also closely related to China since China is Sudan's leading trading partner buying nearly 70% of its oil from Sudan. (Sudan is a leading producer of oil. Though most of Sudan's oil is in the South, the North is typically the only region that sees these huge oil revenues.) Hence, many people are focusing on pressuring China in connection with the upcoming Beijing Olympics with its slogan of "One World, One Dream". It seems rather contradictory of a nation looking to bring a positive light to itself on the international level, to be indirectly funding genocide in Africa. Thus putting pressure on China to put pressure on Sudan is an easy way to change the situation in Darfur. It is important to note that no one is suggesting that athletes boycott the Olympics, rather athletes are encouraged to go, but to make sure that they are aware of what China is doing and bring the issue to light (and to the press) whenever possible.
The final major work undertaken by Action in Sudan is fund raising. We fund raise in a variety of ways including selling t-shirts, fair trade coffee, fair trade African art and jewelry, holding benefit concerts and other similar events. The funds we raise are donated to a non-governmental organization started by a Sudanese refugee named Augustino Ting Mayai who is currently attending graduate school here at UW-Madison. His project is based in his home village in southern Sudan which he was forced to flee as a young boy as a result of the second civil war. His project focuses on clean water access, education, and basic health care. Since we give the money to him directly, we are able to know exactly what are dollars are spent on which can be items ranging from textbooks, uniforms, wells, teacher's salaries and more.
For those who still don't see why they should be concerned with a conflict that is thousands of miles away, here are a few thoughts to consider. Part of the reason for the original conflict in Darfur was the drought that occurred in the 1980's which lead to increased tensions between people in Darfur who'd been fighting over land for thousands of years. Not only is the crisis in Darfur an economic and political issue, it is also strongly rooted in climate change.
For those interested in women's rights, consider the following. Hundreds of cases of rape have been reported as a result of the conflict in Darfur. Of these over 80% were said to have taken place while women were attempting to pursue daily activities. Many women have told stories of being raped in front of their husbands or even their children. And HIV/AIDS is no stranger to Sudan either. Like many areas in Africa, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is spreading through Sudan. It's presently estimated that over 600,000 people in Sudan are currently living with AIDS. In 2005, 35,000 people had died as a result of AIDS in Sudan. It's also noted that female circumcision, very common in Darfur, leads to a greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDS which is already spread more rapidly among women and children because of sexual violence.
Though the conflict in Darfur may seem like a tremendous injustice in our world, it is important to remember that there is a great deal we can do here in the US. This is not just an issue for students concerned strongly about human rights, or students looking to take political action; this conflict is the result of many problems in Sudan and many other neighboring regions of Africa as well including, but not limited to, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Uganda, and the Congo. For students interested in getting involved in Action In Sudan check out our website at www.actioninsudan.org or email us actioninsudan@gmail.com. Also feel free to come to one of our Thursday night meetings at 7:00 TITU.