Monday, January 22, 2007

Take a Minute

I spent a few hours yesterday volunteering for an amazing film at Sundance, The Devil Came on Horseback. It is about photographer Brian Steidle and the photos he took in Darfur. I was actually working for SaveDarfur. The film was horrifying, showing footage Steidle took when he was in Darfur and still photos he took of the bodies. He was one of the first people to bring pictures back of the genocide. He and the filmmakers were actually at the film, along with a survivor from Darfur who is working to collect survivor testimonies.
What's most horrifying about this film and Steidle's work, however, is that we've known about the genocide in Darfur for so long and still are doing nothing. In my work at the college, I get the opportunity to meet many amazing African students. I always wonder what they think of American culture, when they have so recently come from refugee camps where there are no schools, and see us with our laptops and iPods, ignoring all the people being killed whom we could save, if only we could get our political leaders to pay attention.
Please take a minute to follow the link above to SaveDarfur.org, and send an email to President Bush. With all the money we are spending to kill people in Iraq, it seems that we can afford to spend a little money to save lives in Darfur.
I believe more and more people are paying attention and raising their voices for this cause. Please join me. And see the film if you can. It's playing in town again next week.

4 comments:

ErinAlice said...

I don't know if it will show here but I will definately be on the lookout. It is troubling indeed. Good work!!

Lisa B. said...

Thanks for the reminder. I e-mailed.

Limon de Campo said...

Thanks for the link. I've been looking for a place/organization to which I can donate time and/or money. (Trying to be a better person and all that jazz. Also Ipod guilt, etc.)

Scorpion's Tail said...

Sundance...thank you for this. It's so horrific, hard to wrap our brains around it. Thanks for the link.