Reading again the transcript from Dajhima’s interview brought tears to my eyes. In person, she is one of those people who you instantly connect with. Her arms open, waving her hands, clasping mine and repeating her daughters name, Khadija (also shared by me :), with laughter in between. She repeats the regular greetings, Assalammualaikum, Alhamdulillah… and more, all the while smiling. She rushes to wrap her scarf around her and stand tall for the camera. Charismatic and honest, she recounts her story. I can’t help but grasp her hands and tell her how sorry I am about her losses. The many in Darfur, and the one she recently lost here in the camp.
It makes me so angry that we haven’t been able to bring peace to her life. I remember learning about the Holocaust. We did not have the technology then, as we do know. Not for Cambodia, either. But for Bosnia, Rwanda and now for Darfur, we have technology that shows and tells the world exactly what is happening. Why is that the world is responding the same way as all the previous genocides? Why is that we continue to fail in persuading people that what is happening is happening to real people, just like us. We all agree that no one deserves to be targeted for hate crimes. Then why is that we fail to stop the biggest, most horrific hate crime of them all?
I believe in humanity and I believe in change. I believe there can be peace in Darfur. The next time we return to these camps, I want to bring them news of progress towards peace, not just that we are trying. But with news and steps about how things have begun to change, and what we, as the international community, have accomplished. I know it can be done, you know it can be done, we just have to make everyone else believe and therefore, act.
hoping and believing in peace,
ktj
2 replies on “believe, therefore act”
Katie-Jay,
This has been so helpful to me to be on this journey with you through the internet.
I so agree about this being a genocide during the time of the internet to help us organize and speak out and yet… We are more than halfway through the time that the holocaust went on and we have not had a leader step up and not only not hit a home run, but not even gotten a good base hit with regards to getting the Darfuris back home.
How do they do it I wonder. How do they manage to bring hope to our lives while living in Bashir’s hell? Freedom and justice don’t just happen…we are all the keepers and providers for these rights. For not only ourselves, but for those who live in need of our voices and determination to speak out. Thank you for bringing us the reality of our fellow human beings
Hug,
Sandra
Hug to you to Sandra.
I am just not sure how they retain the strength to continue with hope. I often wonder, if this was my life, how would I be? I guess they continue because this is their life right now, and they don’t have the choice. The choice to determine their own life ahead of them. They have been denied this freedom, this right. And yes, Sandra you are so right when you say we are the keepers and providers for the rights.
peace ktj