It is hard not to watch television or read a newspaper this week without seeing something about the passing of celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, or Billy Mays (just to name a few). But such passings give cause for reflection on those who use their power and fame not for personal gain or fortune, but for the betterment of their societies. Whose lives become a testament to their work for humanity. I’m thinking about Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai rose to power on a wave of popular support, despite violent oppression. He has survived three assassination attempts, imprisonment, beatings and the tragic death of his wife. From working as a miner, Tsvangirai became a union leader before helping to form Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change party and becoming its leader in 1999. Opposing President Robert Mugabe's party, he and his supporters have faced violence, intimidation and he was personally charged with treason in 2003. After months of negotiations following the flawed elections of 2008, Tsvangirai became prime minister in February 2009 agreeing to play a role in his arch-enemy Robert Mugabe's power-sharing government.
“It was not a personal decision,” he explained. “The circumstances that we were in was that our people were in a struggle. They had suffered so much, they were down on their knees.”
A lot of good can happen when people are down on their knees.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Meeting Mandela
As part of a series of activities in preparation for Mandela Day on July 18, twelve New York City high school students won a competition which had required them to submit creative projects on Nelson Mandela's life and legacy. The prize for the winners? A trip to South Africa to meet the man himself. The competition was organized by 46664, Mandela's global HIV/AIDS awareness group named after his prison number when he was held captive on Robben Island in the 1970's and 80's. (See their website at http://www.46664.com/).
The aim of the activity is to have the students return to New York as youth ambassadors for the Mandela Day project. A Nelson Mandela Foundation spokesperson said “the students will return to their schools and communities as 46664 youth ambassadors promoting the spirit of Mandela Day in their own communities, and will encourage their peers to adopt the principles of the Mandela Day Student Charter.”
The students wrote blog entries during their visit. One of the students, Jasmin Suarez from South Bronx, wrote that her “knees were shaking” as she went into the former South African leader's office. Once she met him, though, she “felt this immense welcome. He kept holding my hand throughout the short two minutes I stayed with him.” Most of the students agreed that it was “the greatest moment of their lives.”
We should all meet Nelson Mandela.
The aim of the activity is to have the students return to New York as youth ambassadors for the Mandela Day project. A Nelson Mandela Foundation spokesperson said “the students will return to their schools and communities as 46664 youth ambassadors promoting the spirit of Mandela Day in their own communities, and will encourage their peers to adopt the principles of the Mandela Day Student Charter.”
The students wrote blog entries during their visit. One of the students, Jasmin Suarez from South Bronx, wrote that her “knees were shaking” as she went into the former South African leader's office. Once she met him, though, she “felt this immense welcome. He kept holding my hand throughout the short two minutes I stayed with him.” Most of the students agreed that it was “the greatest moment of their lives.”
We should all meet Nelson Mandela.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Hope for Zimbabwe?
Last Friday, it was announced that the U.S. will provide $73,000,000 in aid to Zimbabwe. The announcement was made after a White House meeting between President Obama and Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
President Obama noted that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has oftentimes “not acted in the best interest of the Zimbabwean people and has been resistant to the democratic changes that need to take place. But, he continued, “we now have a power-sharing agreement that shows promise, and we want to do everything we can to encourage the kinds of improvement not only on human rights and rule of law, freedom of the press and democracy that is so necessary, but also on the economic front.”
The aid will not be going directly to the government, Obama continued, “because we are concerned about consolidating democracy, human rights and rule of law. But it will be going directly to the people in Zimbabwe.” The Zimbabwean Prime Minister remarked that he is grateful for the generosity. “Whether it is humanitarian aid or transitional support, it adds up to the relief that Zimbabwe is seeking.”
With record inflation, a decaying national infrastructure and a cholera epidemic that has forced tens of thousands to flee the country, this can only be the beginning of the relief that the people of Zimbabwe need. Let us continue to keep them in our prayers.
President Obama noted that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has oftentimes “not acted in the best interest of the Zimbabwean people and has been resistant to the democratic changes that need to take place. But, he continued, “we now have a power-sharing agreement that shows promise, and we want to do everything we can to encourage the kinds of improvement not only on human rights and rule of law, freedom of the press and democracy that is so necessary, but also on the economic front.”
The aid will not be going directly to the government, Obama continued, “because we are concerned about consolidating democracy, human rights and rule of law. But it will be going directly to the people in Zimbabwe.” The Zimbabwean Prime Minister remarked that he is grateful for the generosity. “Whether it is humanitarian aid or transitional support, it adds up to the relief that Zimbabwe is seeking.”
With record inflation, a decaying national infrastructure and a cholera epidemic that has forced tens of thousands to flee the country, this can only be the beginning of the relief that the people of Zimbabwe need. Let us continue to keep them in our prayers.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sharing our stories
Each of us has a story to tell. Long before images were recorded on film or videotape, sharing stories was the way civilizations passed their history from one generation to the next. Now, that is what the people of Liberia are doing.
“In 1990, I was a very small, and I saw so many things," Michael Chea recalls. “The war took us away in the forest, and we started running. They killed my grandmother. They killed my grandfather. They killed my auntie.” Chea could have easily become just another anonymous victim of the war in Liberia, but he found a way to preserve his pain. His story has been captured on film by an American college student. The project uses an interactive video system to show others how nations emerging from war can come to terms with their violent past.
It is a long arduous process and -- as someone explained -- getting at those truths may require Liberians to sift through some gruesome memories. But ultimately, some transformative truths will allow people to see themselves in a new way. And isn’t that what we all hope for?
“In 1990, I was a very small, and I saw so many things," Michael Chea recalls. “The war took us away in the forest, and we started running. They killed my grandmother. They killed my grandfather. They killed my auntie.” Chea could have easily become just another anonymous victim of the war in Liberia, but he found a way to preserve his pain. His story has been captured on film by an American college student. The project uses an interactive video system to show others how nations emerging from war can come to terms with their violent past.It is a long arduous process and -- as someone explained -- getting at those truths may require Liberians to sift through some gruesome memories. But ultimately, some transformative truths will allow people to see themselves in a new way. And isn’t that what we all hope for?
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The Plight of Darfuri Women
Physicians for Human Rights, an American human rights group, is documenting the continued widespread sexual violence against Darfuri women in Sudan and Chad. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the group issued a report this past Sunday “documenting the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence” experienced by women who fled the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur and now live as refugees in neighboring Chad. The findings of the report are based on interviews with 88 female refugees living in Chad's Farchana refugee camp. “Many Darfuri women refugees live in a nightmare of memories of past trauma compounded by the constant threat of sexual violence around the camps now,” said Susannah Sirkin, the physician group's deputy director.
“Women who report being raped are stigmatized, and remain trapped in places of perpetual insecurity,” she continued. “There's no one to stop the rapes, no one to turn to for justice for past or ongoing crimes, and little psycho-social support to address their prolonged and unimaginable traumas.” The group is pushing for the issuing of International Criminal Court warrants against the Sudanese perpetrators.
In the midst of this, one must ask: where is the international outcry against this horror? Why is there so much silence in the midst of such suffering?
“Women who report being raped are stigmatized, and remain trapped in places of perpetual insecurity,” she continued. “There's no one to stop the rapes, no one to turn to for justice for past or ongoing crimes, and little psycho-social support to address their prolonged and unimaginable traumas.” The group is pushing for the issuing of International Criminal Court warrants against the Sudanese perpetrators.
In the midst of this, one must ask: where is the international outcry against this horror? Why is there so much silence in the midst of such suffering?
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