As a political science major who regularly focuses on the developments in Africa, I've been semi-addicted to the New York Times website reading the blogs of the winners of the "Win-A-Trip" contest, where the winner gets to travel to Africa with (awesome) writer Nick Kristof. This year two people were chosen, and their blogs have brought a new light to a few of the situations African countries are in, including prolific spots like Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I caught up on the latest blog entries today, and a lot of the stories - of rebels and government troops raiding villages, women being raped, possessions and food being stolen, homes being destroyed, people living on the run and in constant fear - reminded me of a situation I found myself in a couple nights ago. A friend of mine asked me to watch Blood Diamond, the Leonardo DiCaprio film that came out several months ago that depicts the collapsing of Sierra Leone and gives some background (Hollywood-style) on Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the diamond trade. My two male friends, who I know have watched a million-zillion-trillion movies, of every genre, were pretty shocked by the film. One got up and left the room for a while. The other commented during a particular scene, where rebels are celebrating their success in Freetown, how disturbing but how real this probably was to the story. I told him that these things are still happening, to which he responded with a surprised "Really?"
It's difficult to watch these films, even Hollywood-style; sitting through Blood Diamond and Hotel Rwanda both gave me shivers. Feeling the fear for a couple hours of staring at my TV - I can hardly, hardly, hardly imagine what it would be like to live in such a constant state of such distress.
What is most discomforting, despite such hopeful (and even happy) resolutions to these movies, is that in reality there has been little or no resolution to many of these situations, and if there has, places like the DRC and Sudan have remained untouched as far as film attention goes. People might say, Sudan is not another Rwanda; or that considering the past, the Democratic Republic of Congo has gotten better - but such assertions have little or no backing. People dying or giving birth to babies of rape are realities. Extreme and frightening realities.
I can sit in front of my TV and watch a movie for a couple of hours, and perhaps feel sick and turn it off or leave the room. But just because I have turned my TV off or walked away from the images doesn't mean that similar situations are not happening. I wish I could bring myself to say - these things ARE HAPPENING and not use filler words such as "similar"; it just goes to show that even I myself am always trying to pretend that maybe, just maybe, the gravity of these situations isn't the same as it was before.
But it is.
Don't let turning off your TV turn off the knowledge of the desperation and fear that has plagued a continent.
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"Don't let turning off your TV turn off the knowledge of the desperation and fear that has plagued a continent."
That's great advice. Far too often we watch these movies and think about how horrible it us. But we are not moved enough to go beyond that in-movie thought to taking action. We need more thought to continue long after the credits have started to roll.
I would recommend reading scoutbanana's blog. He does a lot of writing about Africa (I believe he's even spending some time over there now) and really provides food for thought.
"If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them." Isaac Asimov
"Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth, or the only truth." Charles Dana