I have a heartI have a heartThis is a very good time to post this, and since i am starting to post again, I'm also one to take a break from all the fashion craziness, boys, and all that jazz; to post something that would stir social awareness. I may not have a gazillion readers but it's a start. Please do read this, this was forwarded to me and I want to know what you think.
I'm sure you've all heard, and half of you are on, Twitter right now. As social media becomes increasingly relevant in today's culture, it's interesting to see how it can be used to help social activism.
II've made no secret of the fact that the genocide in Darfur is something I feel strongly about; the lack of empathy and regard for human life is ridiculous and needs to stop. However, it can only be stopped if attention is brought to it. And we're going to make it a topic.
How Twitter works is by using a #, it defines a word and sets it apart as a topic. All statements also have to be in a 140 character limit. So I've prepared for you 100 statements, hashtag included, about Darfur that are under 140 characters. 85 are posted today, and more will be on Monday.
On Wednesday, July 29th, (and the days after) I want you to tweet as many of these messages as you can.. space them out, come up with them of your own, tell your friends to... basically, make Darfur a topic. It's an easy way to make a change using the internet an bring attention to something that so desperately needs it.
If you repost this article in your blog, tweets & explanation, let me know and I will link you at the bottom of this post.
I have nothing to say about the facts, except that they are all verified and pretty much speak for themselves... when ironically, the Darfuri people can't.
1) What do 400,000+ people have in common? They were all murdered in the genocide in #Darfur. http://www.standcanada.org/
2) Ignoring the Holocaust didn’t make it go away. Save #Darfur.
3) To call #Darfur anything less than a genocide is ignorant to both the definition of genocide and the suffering of the victims.
4) The most meaningful characters you could type today: Save #Darfur.
5) There are currently 2.5 million refugees because of the genocide in #Darfur. Demand action.
6) Imagine living in a country where a girl is as likely to be sexually assaulted as she is to be able to learn to read. Save #Darfur.
7) Government using helicopters to light their own people on fire? Sounds like a movie, for some it’s reality. Save #Darfur.
8) The Sudanese government hired a private militia just to kill its own people. Save #Darfur.
9) Isn’t nine years of genocide in #Darfur enough? Call 1-800-genocid(e)
10) In #Darfur elders are sent to get water at night because girls are will be raped and men shot. There is no guarantee the elder is safe.
11) The famine in Sudan killed a lot of people, but the genocide it caused killed more. 400,000 more. Save #Darfur.
12) What do we want? A stop to genocide in #Darfur. When do we want it? Nine years ago.
13) Rape and genocide go hand & hand in #Darfur: http://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=141
14) If a government is killing its own people, why on earth would they be allowed to chose where the refugee camp goes? Save #Darfur.
15) Water: we take it for granted, and yet a lack of it has lead to over 400,000 deaths in #Darfur.
16) Start a STAND chapter at your school today! http://www.standcanada.org Save #Darfur.
17) If the UN doesn’t call #Darfur genocide, they don’t have to stop the atrocities. Stop saving money and start saving lives.
18) When you invest in Sudanese oil, you are investing in genocide in #Darfur.
19) What kind of message does it send when we let a government kill its own people based on ethnicity? Save #Darfur.
20) A little apathy never hurt anyone... except the victims of #Darfur.
21) The people of #Darfur worry about famine& AIDS just like other 3rd world countries, but they also have to deal with genocide
22) Several current members of the Sudanese government have been charged with over ten counts of sexual assault. Save the women of #Darfur.
23) Many organizations currently consider #Darfur one of the most dangerous places on the planet.
24) "since the #Darfur Peace Agreement was signed in May 2006, attacks against peacekeepers and humanitarian workers have increased ninefold."
25) re:newint.org "90 per cent of the villages of Darfur’s targeted ethnic groups have been destroyed." Save #Darfur
26) re: newint.org: "3.6 million people are dependent on international humanitarian assistance in #Darfur."
27) re: newint.org: "A third of people [in #Darfur] in need are beyond the reach of humanitarian workers."
28) Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir states ‘there will not be any international military intervention in #Darfur as long as I’m in power’.
29) "The WHO has warned that a major health catastrophe could erupt if the necessary funds and supplies are not made available." Save #Darfur.
30) The ICC has "arrested" Sudanese president Al Bashir, but this is merely symbolic. Firm measures need to be taken. Save #Darfur.
31) "A hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force is on the ground in #Darfur, although it remains underfunded, understaffed, and vulnerable to attacks."
32) Girls as young as eight are considered at high risk vulnerability levels for sexual assault in #Darfur.
33) People in #Darfur have an average of a three hour each way every night to get highly protected water.
34) Water is so heavily protected in #Darfur that night time trips are necessary to avoid being shot.
35) "For the first time since 2004, global acute malnutrition rates in #Darfur rose above the emergency threshold in 2007."
36) re: Unicef: "As of September 2008, 225 humanitarian vehicles have been hijacked or stolen during the year [in #Darfur]."
37) re: Unicef: “As of September 2008, 144 humanitarian compounds [have been] broken into [in #Darfur.]”
38) Attacks on convoys means that 180,000 people in #Darfur may not receive expected clean water supplies this year
39) How long the genocide in #Darfur has been going on for is disputed, but the fact that 100s of 100,000s have died isn’t.
40) Why should you care abou #Darfur? Why shouldn’t you care about #genocide?
41) Calling #Darfur a genocide is the difference between a UN intervention and political apathy. Call #Darfur what it really is.
42) Aid serves an important role in providing for the people of #Darfur, but it will not effectively address the root causes of the conflict.
43) Because Canada has no colonial ties to Sudan, it is in a prime position to help the people of #Darfur.
44) Because of the horrid conditions in #Darfur and the high rape rate, the infantcide levels have skyrocketted.
45) Sondra was a nine year old girl shot in the back of the neck when she was only two hours away from a refugee camp. Save #Darfur.
46) Machuk is a 12 year old boy who took care of 3 younger sisters. One day in #Darfur his town was lit on fire. He hasnt seen them since.
47) To see the damage done in #Darfur, check out google earth. It will show you what villages have been burned to the ground.
48) in #Darfur theres a religious belief that you cant kill a virgin. Unfortunately for young girls, the "solution" for this is rape.
49) In #Darfur, a girl wil sometimes have to go through a humiliating forced marriage before being raped several times and then shot.
50) Daoud was an elderly woman who was kicked so hard she died. She was trying to get water for her family. Save #Darfur.
51) #Darfur can be hard to understand because it is not a difference of skin colour, but the fact remains that people are still dying.
52) Genocide is the systematic killing of a people. #Darfur is the systematic killing of a people. Call #Darfur genocide.
53) Saving #Darfur will be difficult, but letting an entire type of people die due to apathy is unacceptable.
54) The Holocaust, Rwanda... didn’ we say never again to genocide? Save #Darfur.
55) As long as the genocide in #Darfur continues, it will be one of the biggest broken promises of the Western world.
56) Issa was a thirteen year old girl raped by four different soldiers, two from her own governement.
57) When two Canadian aids workers went missing, the news media mentioned Sudan but not the words genocide or #Darfur. Why the silence?
58) Demand more of your local media; write them and make them pay attention to what is happening in #Darfur.
59) Although Canada isnt a major world power, we are respected internationally for commitments to peacekeeping and human rights. Save #Darfur.
60) “Who the hell cared about Rwanda?” –Romeo Dallaire. Save #Darfur.
61) www.instantkarma.org: a collection of John Lennon covers with profits going to #Darfur!
62) Here’s how you can start a STAND chapter and help #Darfur! http://www.standnow.org/chapters/start
63) "Having called what is happening in #Darfur genocide and having vowed to stop it, it is time for the West to keep its word" Romeo Dallaire
64) Why You Should Care: http://www.standcanada.org/index.php?section=why-you-should-care Save #Darfur
65) Genocide: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/genocide See #Darfur.
66) "Dozens upon dozens of groups and organizations have prioritized stopping the killing in #Darfur before there is no one left to be killed."
67) "The UN has become a largely irrelevant, [...] and the just-released U.N. report on the atrocities in #Darfur, Sudan, proves the point."
68) "We all might ask ourselves why we tune in to these more trivial matters and tune out when it comes to #Darfur. " -Nicholas Kristof
69) "While Americans have heard of #Darfur and think we should be doing more there, they arent actually angry at the president about inaction. "
70) #Darfur is home to many races of farmers, who identify as African, and nomadic herders, who identify as Arab.
71) Janjaweed: an armed militia supported by the Sudanese Government to help the Sudanese army kill its own people. Save #Darfur.
72) "If a government shuts off all access to the country, how can we get a clear sense of the nature and extent of the violence?" Save #Darfur
73) How to get the Facts about #Darfur: http://clg.portalxm.com/library/keytext.cfm?keytext_id=157
74) Every month I update my power point about #Darfur, yet the only thing that ever really changes is the death count numbers.
75) #Darfur is a region in Sudan that has been suffering from genocide for numerous years, yet is barely heard on the news.
76) #Darfur is one of the biggest tragedies of the 2st century -and one of the most ignored.
77) Take action in #Darfur, because the UN doesn't seem to be doing anything.
78) Unfortunately, because the UN Security Council has countries that trade with Sudan on it, it impedes action in #Darfur.
79) The people of #Darfur have enough to worry about without the genocide. This is unacceptable.
80) Support Bashir's arrest warrant, put strict trade sanctions on Sudanese oil, and return the displaced home.
81) Follow: @ExhibitDarfur, save #Darfur
82) Follow: @StandCanada, save #Darfur
83) Read: The Devil Came on Horseback, save #Darfur
84) Isa is a seven year old girl who will never know her parents because they both died when her village was lit on fire. Save #Darfur.
85) If the people of #Darfur aren't being shot at, they're starving from trying to escape being shot at.God Bless Us All.
Cheers!
