Think Bigg

My husband and I just returned home from a lecture given by Mia Farrow.

Admittedly, I went in expecting to be more than a little annoyed by a teary, Sally Struthers-esque presentation on Darfur. Instead I came out moved and grieved by the relentless violence that continues to plague the lives of the people in that region, and impressed by the efforts of Ms. Farrow to lend her own voice to a people that the rest of the world seems to have forgotten.

All photos courtesy of MiaFarrow.org

Mia Farrow’s website dedicated to the genocide in Darfur, MiaFarrow.org, recently reprinted an article written by Nicholas Kristof at the NY Times which I think is worth reading in its entirety, but here is just a bit:

The Beijing Olympics this summer were supposed to be China’s coming-out party, celebrating the end of nearly two centuries of weakness, poverty and humiliation.

Instead, China’s leaders are tarnishing their own Olympiad by abetting genocide in Darfur and in effect undermining the U.N. military deployment there. The result is a growing international campaign to brand these “The Genocide Olympics.”

This is not a boycott of the Olympics. But expect Darfur-related protests at Chinese Embassies, as well as banners and armbands among both athletes and spectators. There’s a growing recognition that perhaps the best way of averting hundreds of thousands more deaths in Sudan is to use the leverage of the Olympics to shame China into more responsible behavior.

The central problem is that in exchange for access to Sudanese oil, Beijing is financing, diplomatically protecting and supplying the arms for the first genocide of the 21st century. China is the largest arms supplier to Sudan, officially selling $83 million in weapons, aircraft and spare parts to Sudan in 2005, according to Amnesty International USA. That is the latest year for which figures are available.

Sudan feels confident enough with Chinese backing that on Jan. 7, the Sudanese military ambushed a clearly marked U.N. convoy of peacekeepers in Darfur. Sudan claimed the attack was a mistake, but diplomats and U.N. professionals are confident that this was a deliberate attack ordered by the Sudanese leaders to put the U.N. in its place.

Another possible sign of Sudan’s confidence: an American diplomat, John Granville, was ambushed and murdered in Khartoum early this month. Many in the diplomatic and intelligence community believe that such an assassination could not happen in Khartoum unless elements of the government were involved.

Other countries also must do much more, but China is crucial. If Beijing were to suspend all transfers of arms and spare parts to Sudan until a peace deal is reached in Darfur, then that would change the dynamic. President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan would be terrified — especially since he is now preparing to resume war with South Sudan — and would realize that China is no longer willing to let its Olympics be stained by Darfuri blood.

DreamforDarfur.org has several easy steps for you to take action to help pressure China into using its leverage to stop the genocide in Darfur. Click here to petition the UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Mr. Adolf Ogi, to ask him to make the issue of Darfur central in these upcoming Olympic games.

Better yet, click here to send a message to the corporate sponsors of the Olympic Games — Coca Cola, Johnson and Johnson, Adidas and GE, among others — reminding them that your patronage comes at the cost of their social responsiblity.

And if you want to give financially to reputable organizations who are working in the Darfur region, check out Charity Navigator’s list of 3- and 4-star rated charities to ensure that your money is getting to the people of Darfur.

Don’t let the overwhelming statistics or the overwhelming distance be a reason for failing to act. Tonight I go to bed humbled and reminded that with knowledge comes responsibility.

Know better. Do better.

Share This