This past Sunday marked the Global Day of Action for Darfur. The aim was “to show world-wide support for the Darfuri people and to put pressure on our Governments to protect the civilians.” A number of African bloggers posted special pieces to mark the day.

‘Wordsbody’ - (http://wordsbody.blogspot.com/2006/09/endgame-in-darfur.html) a literary blog by Molara Wood, wrote a moving piece entitled “Endgame in Darfur”. Wood reminded us of the “never again” mantra echoed after the Rwandan genocide just over 10 years ago.

“Now it is Darfur. The World again is being its (or is it her?) old useless self. The World is being racist again. Not only are the people being killed in Darfur as black as night, they are Africans - a terrible thing to be if you want the World to care about you.”

Wood continues, “What is more, the Dead, Dying and Displaced of Darfur are Muslims. I don’t know what is the worse thing to be in the current World order - African or Muslim. The people of Darfur have a terrible Double Whammy of an albatross round their necks.”

She writes about the “anxiety” being expressed by various people, countries and organisations over the genocide that is taking place before our eyes. Wood wonders: “And so the new anxiety. And how inadequate a word is ‘Anxiety’. But what word should we grasp and attempt to speak, to express the unthinkable?

"And is the new ‘anxiety’ because Hollywood liberal George Clooney spent 5 days with his father in Darfur in April, and in the last few days urged the US government to do something about 'the first Genocide of the 21st century'"

'Mshairi' - Mshairi (http://www.mshairi.com/blog/2006/09/17/suffer-the-little-children) posted a poem titled “Suffer The Little Children”. Here is a short excerpt:

Who will weep for me?
I died
Famished
Belly distended
Flies clustered
Over my face
Gunfire and screams
The last sounds
I heard

'Alexcia' - Alexcia (http://alexcia.blogspot.com/2006/09/global-day-for-darfur.html) tells us the meaning of Darfur – Land of the Fur. She writes:

“Death and Funeral announcement
Here lies eighty thousands souls
Names and identities – unknown
Passions and pains – unknown
Feelings and fears – unknown
Origin and nationality – Western Sudan Darfur region
Now buried in a mass grave known as Darfur Crisis
All died at home from a janjaweed epidemic
Two million others infected of unknown origin
Inadequate attention from United Nations is believe to have
Played a part in these deaths…”

'Sudanese Thinker' - Sudanese Thinker (http://www.sudanesethinker.com/2006/09/19/jews-stay-away-next-time-p/) reports on a counter demonstration held in Khartoum in which the Global Day for Darfur was labeled a “Jewish Conspiracy”. Demonstrators predictably opposed the deployment of troops in Darfur. Drima (Sudanese Thinker) also takes issue with the lack of protests against the genocide by the Muslim world.

“By the way were there any rallies in the Muslim world to protest the ruthless killing and suffering of “blackies” in Darfur? Okay fine, fine. I’ll stop being the cynical person I am. There were small tiny efforts in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Cairo. I’m starting to see the “light”. In 5 years time we’ll protest things like Darfur besides continuing our violent protests against the Pope. Great improvement huh?!”

'Black Looks' - black Looks (http://www.blacklooks.org/2006/09/global_day_for_darfur_.html) points to an article in African Action looking at some of the similarities between the response of the USA to Rwanda and their response to Darfur. In the case of Rwanda the focus was on Yugoslavia and in the case of Darfur…

“In Darfur at present, the U.S. is focused more urgently on the crisis in the Middle East, on the war in Iraq and on the so-called “War on Terrorism”, which are estimated to be more pressing policy priorities than genocide in Africa.”

'Passion of the Present' passion of the present (http://platform.blogs.com/passionofthepresent/2006/09/global_day_for__1....)has a roundup of the events across the globe to mark the Global day of Action for Darfur.

*Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks, www.blacklooks.org

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