The Infliction of Indifference
Stand up and make a difference.
BRYN JONES SQUARE
The utter apathy of today’s youth is truly alarming. Unlike the revolutionary generation of the 1960s that was animated by its activism, today’s generation is best defined by its indifference. We have become numb to the devastating humanitarian crises that are occurring all over the world. Instead of working together to enact change, we have become complacent, dispassionate, and lethargic. We are unaware or unconcerned that by standing by we are actively enabling these crises to continue. For, as George Steiner has said, “We are active accomplices of anything that leaves us indifferent.”
Evidence of this dire situation of indifference is unmistakable on the U of M campus. Having manned many displays on various human rights issues for different groups, I can attest to the absolute dejection and frustration one feels as student after student walk by, unmoved, uninterested, and unaffected. It is difficult to understand why our generation is so indifferent. Maybe we have come to feel that any action is useless as genocides, wars, and human rights abuses continue to plague our world. But are our cynicism and pessimism really just excuses for forfeiting our moral responsibility to take a stand? Abraham Joshua Heschel has adamantly advised youth, “Remember that there is a meaning beyond absurdity . . . be sure that every deed counts, that every word has power, and that we can all do our share to redeem the world in spite of all absurdities and all frustrations and all disappointments.” Although indifference characterizes our generation, it is important to note that the situation is not entirely hopeless. Student groups at the U of M, such as Amnesty International, World University Services Canada (WUSC), Engineers Without Borders, and Rights and Democracy persevere and, despite the prevailing cynicism and pessimism, work to raise awareness and make a difference.
SHOUT, an acronym standing for Students Helping Others Understand Tolerance, is another student group at the U of M that is working to effect change. As part of Genocide Awareness Week, SHOUT held their first event on Jan. 31, 2008, in the Engineering building. The event included a screening of the movie Sometimes in April, which details the events of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and a special guest speaker, Akim Kambamba, chair of the African Canadian Cultural Heritage Centre, who discussed the current genocide taking place in Darfur, Sudan. Akim was born in southern Sudan, and came to Canada 19 years ago after escaping the first Sudanese conflict. His presentation included an extremely moving slideshow that detailed the situation in Darfur through harrowing pictures. The slideshow was created in collaboration with the Shaarey Zedek Synagogue and makes important parallels between the Holocaust and the current crisis in Darfur.
Kambamba gave a detailed history of Sudan, explaining how the origins of the current crisis in Darfur can in fact be traced back 700 years to the migration of large numbers of Arabs from Egypt who occupied the centre of Sudan. In doing so, they displaced and enslaved the African farmers currently inhabiting the region. When the British arrived in the 1880s, English rule was established in Sudan. The deep-seated and dangerous tension between the North and the South persisted. When the British departed in 1956, power was given to the Arabs in the north, which precipitated further enmity between the North and the South. Civil wars between the Arab Muslims in the north and the African Christians in the south have plagued Sudan for decades. The current genocide in Darfur is connected to these civil wars as the same atrocious killing tactics used in Sudan by the Arab militias are being used by the Janjaweed in Darfur. As well, the same conflict over resources such as oil, land, and livestock is driving Arab aggression in Darfur as it did in southern Sudan.
The current crisis in Darfur erupted in 2003 when two rebel groups made up of non-Arab Africans — the Sudanese Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement — attacked government outposts in Darfur in response to decades of neglect, drought, oppression, and political marginalization. As a result, the Sudanese government increased arms to the Janjaweed militias, recruited from nomadic Arab tribes. The Janjaweed militias have deliberately destroyed crops and food supplies, poisoned water supplies, and has systematically murdered, tortured, and raped hundreds of thousands of non-Arab Africans. These government-sponsored attacks by the Janjaweed have already resulted in 400,000 deaths. Further, about 2.5 million people have been internally displaced. According to Akim, it is estimated that 10,000 people die in Darfur every month.
Although the situation in Darfur is extremely dire, there are things we can do to make a difference. Simply educating yourself is an important step. You can also become an advocate by informing friends, family, and your community about the situation in Darfur. Writing to your local MLA and the federal government, signing petitions, becoming involved in various fundraising/informational events, and joining a human rights group on campus also have significant impact. Instead of standing idly by while others are dying, we must take a stand. For, as Heschel has said: “Our energies are too abundant for living indifferently. We are in need of an endless purpose to absorb our immense power.” That purpose is obvious: for the sake of humanity, we must act against genocide.
Bryn Jones Square is a student at the University of Manitoba completing her BA in English and religion.
