Darfur refugees speak on the Hill
by Bessie Taliaferro '10Two refugees from Darfur, Sudan, shared their stories and promoted activism on April 23 in the chapel. The STAND Against Genocide Club invited the two speakers, who are touring the country as part of the SaveDarfur's "Voices from Darfur" series. "It was terrifying, saddening, and inspirational," said Max Wall '10.
The crisis in Darfur began in 2003 when two rebel groups challenged Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir. In response, the government armed local militias, which are known as the Janjaweed. They have demolished entire villages, destroyed food and water supplies, displaced over two million and murdered over 400,000 Darfurians. It is unknown how many people have been raped or tortured.
The presentation opened with an informational video, which described the crisis generally, through historical facts and figures, and personally, with graphic anecdotes and images. One survivor featured in the video revealed how he watched as the Janjaweed buried his father alive. "I was watching people's faces during the video," said STAND member Andrew Boddorf '10, "and you could see the shock of the whole situation kind of dawn upon them."
After the video, the first speaker Abu Asal Abu Asal spoke about his life in Darfur. Abu grew up in Western Darfur and attended the University of Khartoum's School of Veterinary Medicine. As a member of the Darfur Students Association, he was detained by the Sudanese government and beaten on several occasions. He was forced to flee from Sudan to Egypt because the government believed that a short story he wrote was too controversial. As a resident of Cairo, he worked for the Sudan Organization against Torture, the Middle East Refugee Legal Aid Project, and the Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance. He moved to Massachusetts two and a half years ago.
Initially, Abu spoke softly. Almost teary-eyed, he described how he has spoken at over fifty events but it never gets easier. He spoke about the value of education, which is hard to come by in Darfur, and youth activism, which he perceives is hard to come by in America. Some students were surprised that he did not include graphic descriptions of the genocide. "I think Hamilton students have to have a very vivid picture of the horrid events going on. But I was really happy to see people going and learning about what's going on," said Liz Kessler '10.
After Abu, Marwa Abdalla spoke briefly and genuinely. Currently a senior in high school, Marwa has lived Portland, Maine since 2004 and plans to attend college to become a nurse. She is still waiting for her mother and siblings to be granted asylum in the United States. Marwa spoke personally and urged students to be active in ending the genocide. "When she spoke, that's when I felt the desperate plea for help," said Emerson Sosa '10.
"Voices from Darfur" concluded with a question and answer session, during which Abu shared his knowledge with the audience. Audience members gave the speakers a standing ovation. "It was a chance to really hear it from someone who was in the horrific tragedy happening right now. You can have what's going on right in front of you and not in a video. It really makes you feel the reality," said Rafael Rosa '10. Similarly, Alden Masters '11 noted, "There was a real difference between reading about it and hearing it straight from a refugee. It's an emotional difference."
A few members of STAND ate at the Diner with Abu and Marwa after the event. Conversation was light and lively as Marwa taught a few Arabic catchphrases, and Abu reminisced about his college experiences when he lived with seven roommates. STAND plans to keep in touch with both Abu and Marwa through e-mail.
Jeff Escalante '11, the President and Founder of STAND Against Genocide, was very pleased with the event. "We were hoping a few prominent faculty members would go, but I was really happy with how it turned out. I hope people learned a lot from it and will actually do something to help," he said. Through selling t-shirts, STAND has raised over $500 to support the charity, "Save the Children." STAND meets every Monday at 7 in ELS.