Greetings! We are producing a short video about rape in Darfur with the goal of reaching millions of viewers on YouTube.
Maia Monasterios (Project Runway, Mtv True Life) has donated her services as a director. We have an opportunity for a talented video editor to help end rape in Darfur.
We already have a rough cut of this 3 minute project and need a professional editor to fine tune and refine our project. If you have experience as an editor and would like to volunteer:
Send a sample of your work to:
Volunteer@LifeNets.net
If you have editor friends, please forward them this email!
For 28 years, Robert Mugabe has held power in Zimbabwe, which has the world's lowest life expectancy, the greatest percentage of orphans, and the highest inflation rate. His policies have crippled the country, and 70% of the country wants him gone, but he is clinging to power. After two weeks, the government has still not released the election results.
If the world took a stronger stance against human rights violations like those in Darfur, people like Mugabe would think twice about clinging to power.
Now we need a slogan....Here’s what I’ve got so far:
"Social Networks that Save Lives"
"An Online Human Rights Community"
"Log in. Network. Save Lives"
"Join the Human Rights Movement"
"Human Rights 2.0"
"Save the world. No pants required."
Vote on your favorite, or suggest your own. An ideal slogan would empathize our focus on increased user-participation. e.g. LifeNets allows you to save lives on our own terms and/or human rights, The Wikipedia of Activism...
Imagine this: 300 trucks mounted with machine guns and heavy artillery storm into Washington, DC, leveling buildings and killing hundreds of civilians. Large portions of the capital are destroyed. The President is confined to the White House, commanding the U.S. army to beat back the rebels. After several days, the rebels are defeated, and the U.S. government survives.
Do you think this would make the news?
Not only would it be the only thing on every channel - it would be covered all over the world. However, when the exact scenario described above occurred in Chad last Febuary - there was little to no coverage. The media was preoccupied with celebrity gossip. If the media had the slightest bit of imagination, they could portray this story in a way people would watch.
Unfortunately, we have reports of another rebel attack on the capital. It hasn’t been confirmed and the rebels have not reached the capital yet. Chad of course borders the Darfur region of Sudan, and the government of Sudan supports the rebels. Chad returns the favor by supporting Sudan’s rebel groups.
Reports indicate that a second group of rebels from Sudan is crossing the border to assault the capital N’Djamena (Pronounced Jah-may-nah). 700 people were confirmed dead after the last assault. Hoping for the best.
Here’s a picture my friend sent me from Chad after the rebel assault:
John De Mott CEO, LifeNets.net
Feel free to repost, as always.
update: Check out www.GoogleDarfur.com for video from the friend who sent me the above picture.
Here we have two extremely intelligent, extremely eloquent civil rights leaders with two very different approaches. In my mind there is no question whose approach was more effective. It's easy to demonize the opposition, as Malcolm X did, but in the long run it can be counter-productive. How can we protest China's support of genocide without resorting to the sort of divisive rhetoric used by Malcolm X? What would MLK do?
Recently, the Chinese Communist Party has come under pressure to stop supporting genocide. They have responded with minor steps (providing engineers to the UN Mission, humanitarian funding) and whole lot of rhetoric about their "helpful" role in Darfur. They have continued to fund the Sudanese government, provide them weapons, and block action against the Sudanese government in the U.N.
In 1936, the Nazi party used the Olympics to showcase their rise as a world power and hide their human rights abuses.
When China was awarded the bid for the 2008 Olympics, China promised to clean up it's human rights record. Instead they let their desire for cheap oil supersede 400,000+ human lives. So I have NO PROBLEM ruining their birthday party. The question is more strategic - will a boycott be effective?
Keep in mind - a boycott will enrage the Chinese people - this could be a good thing in that it will scare the hell out of the Chinese government. In the past, governments in China have collapsed when Chinese people felt the government was not standing up for national honor. So the current government in China actually fears an overthrow due to an enraged public.
If a boycott gets momentum, it could bring down the whole stack of cards and end the Darfur genocide once and for all. If it doesn't we could waste a lot of time and effort.
Last week, 300 trucks mounted with machine guns and heavy artillery stormed the capital of Chad in a ruthless attempt to seize control.
(Meanwhile the media was talking about Britney Spears.)
Some of the same groups who have raped, murdered, and tortured civilians in Darfur were behind this attack. If the rebels had won it would have been catastrophic for the people of Darfur and Eastern Chad (which borders Darfur). Luckily, government forces defeated the rebels. (Don't get me wrong, the government in Chad is far from perfect, but better than the groups who were trying to seize control.)
Breaking News: China tells Sudan "World is running out of patience."
If you follow the crisis in Darfur you know China is the main supplier of money and weapons to the Sudanese government and their proxy militia groups. We've been trying to pressure China to end their support for Sudan - a government which is engaged in genocide.
Today a Chinese diplomat warned Sudan that "the world is running out of patience over what's going in Darfur." That is as far as they have come to criticizing the government of Sudan - it's a sign that our strategy is working and we might be able to get China to increase the pressure and force the full deployment of the UN peacekeeping force.
Like many people, I'm in awe of Martin Luther King, Jr.
He had an almost magical dynamism - the way he could captivate an audience with a paradoxical blend of strength and humility. Other black leaders such as Malcolm X were able to galvanize the black community and restore communal pride - but only MLK could cross the racial divide and unite the country behind change.
I think part of his appeal was the fact that he was an ordinary person. A young preacher who led a community, and then a nation, to overcome racism. Today, we have people like Bono and Angelina Jolie who try to make a difference - but a celebrity can never match the power of an ordinary person who stands up for whats right...
So what do you think? What made Martin Luther King so powerful? Is what he did still possible? Leave us your comments and share your favorite quotes, pictures, and videos of America's greatest political activist.
The situation in Darfur is volatile right now - everyday it seems there's some unexpected piece of news. Just saw this article about how gunmen (possibly Janjaweed) stormed a prison in south Darfur and released 90 inmates. The "Arab" tribes that are sometimes called Janjaweed have been used by Sudan's government to commit genocide. However, many of these tribes are turning against the government.
It seems that the tide is changing - the United Nations confirmed that the Justice and Equality Movement has captured the town of Beer Dageeg, and is moving toward the capital of West Darfur. Of course, Omar Al-Bashir is not going down without a fight - his government has responded by bombing the rebels in West Darfur.
"Dictators ride to and fro on tigers they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry."
