In 1994, the world turned its back on Rwanda. In 100 days, some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered while the international community did nothing. The Security Council sold UNAMIR down the river, events in the Balkans taking precedent over one of the most horrific and systematic acts of genocide since the Second World War.
But make no mistake; those that did nothing had their reasons. The French were flying some of the individuals involved in the masterminding of the genocide out of the country, even while it was occurring. They also supplied the Rwandan military at the time with arms. One of the revolving seats on the Security Council at the time was actually occupied by Rwanda, allowing those in power in Kigali a front row seat from which to observe the world’s response. The United States, gun shy due to previous events in Somalia, refused to intervene.
All of it led to the hobbling of any real, concerted effort that the UN could have taken. Thus, a skeleton force led by General Dallaire remained, despite the fact that the Security Council had ended UNAMIR’s mandate. Dallaire, and a handful of others, chose to remain and, at the very least, protect those that they had already given sanctuary to. In the end, they were able to save the lives of some 30,000 people without really firing a shot.
Now, consider what could have been accomplished had there been a real UN presence on the ground.
During a recent stop in Rwanda on his current tour of Africa, President Bush said the following…
“Evil must be confronted,” he said after touring the Kigali memorial.
He said the UN’s response to the crisis in Darfur “seems very bureaucratic to me, particularly with people suffering”.
Indeed it does, Mr. Bush. And being that your country has one of the most predominant voices on the Security Council, one has to wonder why more isn’t being done? True, UNAMID has been instituted, but the time for half measures has come and gone. The Sudanese government, with which your government has worked covertly, may refuse the presence of a substantial UN force in Darfur, the Chinese may very well fight you tooth and nail to stop a concerted intervention, but at least have the fortitude to make the issue one that is utterly unavoidable. Breath into it, sir, the urgency that it deserves.
There is the truth and then there is talk of it. In the case of African events of this nature, talk is all that is ever produced. The reality is that were an event comparable to Darfur to take place in, for example, the Balkans, the Western world’s actions would be considerable. In fact, it would become an issue that would dominate the headlines the world over. Unfortunately, when it comes to African nations, the horrible truth is that while the killing is occurring the world does nothing, and only after the fact laments it.
In comparison to UNAMID, UNMIK, empowered by UN resolution 1244, has been active in Kosovo since 1999. UNMIK is provided security by KFOR, which is a NATO led international force. In April of last year, KFOR’s numbers consisted of some 16,000 soldiers from 34 different nations – nine years after UNMIK’s mandate began. At its height, KFOR had 50,000 personnel in operation. As of January of this year, UNAMID, the joint UN-AU mission in Darfur, has a mere 9,065 personnel in place, of which 6,880 are soldiers, 645 are military staff and observers, 1,400 are police officers, 285 are civilian personnel, 552 are local civilian staff, and 63 and UN volunteers.
UNAMID’s actual mandate, as passed in UN resolution 1769 in July of last year, allows for - “Up to 19,555 military personnel; 6,432 police, including 3,772 police personnel and 19 formed police units comprising up to 140 personnel each; and a significant civilian component”.
So where are they?
Perhaps they’ve been employed writing speeches for the likes of Mr. Bush and other world leaders that use the issue when convenient and ignore it when it’s not.
In 1994, while the world was struggling to come to terms with the untimely death of Kurt Cobain, almost 1 million people died in Rwanda. Most of them, if not all of them, had never heard of Nirvana.
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Did you recently see Shake Hands with the Devil? It moves you to extreme sadness and one cannot help but feel disillusioned with the Western World after seeing it….
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It maddens me when I hear the name Kurt Cobain, let alone hearing it in the same sentence as 100 million people dieing in Rwanda and everyone mourning that ‘American Idol’, than woman and children, men, soldiers, families etc etc etc..
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When Kurt died I was eight and I never knew who he was. Nine years later a friend told me about Nirvana and I fell in love with the band right away. They never did re-open that case. I wonder if Courtney love really did him off. She does seem really cracked out all the time.
I never knew about the Rwanda thing untill now. High Schools don’t teach recent history unless it’s about the 1930’s. As if to say thats when history ended or something.
I wonder why that is?
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YIkes, I don’t want to make this a debate about who killed Kurt, but I really think they ruled it suicide? Am I wrong? I didn’t know they have never found why? Plus she was in a different State, I thought, when it happened…. Plus if she did it I honestly don’t think she’d read the note he left behind, let alone show up at the funeral….. sorry, not the topic really……. so, on that note……………………..
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Quoting T-Lee:
100 million people didn’t die in Rwanda.
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lol matt you DO read our comments! very astute observation!
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It is such a tragedy what happened in Rwanda.
It disgusts me to think about it.
I once watched General Romeo Dallaire speak, no doubtingly traumatized by what happened over there. But I hate how every one views him as a “hero”. He only did what anyone with an actually conscience should have done. There was nothing heroic about what should be a natural instinct.
“And being that your country has one of the most predominant voices on the Security Council, one has to wonder why more isn’t being done?”
I think this point is important, because it’s so true. The US has such a great voice in situations like this. They have the power and ability to make change, but they’d rather stay out of the situations, especially if there is nothing in it for them.
I’m just sick of these conflicts sparking up all over the place and nothing being done about it. Too many innocent people dying.
“In 1994, while the world was struggling to come to terms with the untimely death of Kurt Cobain, almost 1 million people died in Rwanda. Most of them, if not all of them, had never heard of Nirvana.”
Now this pisses me off! Kurt Cobain is no one special in my books, to some he may be… but because he was a musician, some people like to give him a Godly characteristic. I’m sick of people seeing entertainers as “higher” beings. They are only doing their jobs, just as all of us do. Just because you hear them on the radio or watch them on TV doesn’t make them more important than anyone else. It especially doesn’t mean their life is worth more than any one else. Our preoccupation with one individuals death (nothing more spectacular than the other 1000 or so people that died that day in America) helped us to put a blind-eye to the death of over 800,000 innocent individuals… who’s lives could have been saved. It’s because it wasn’t happening in our own backyard… we need to wake up!
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Quoting PharmingForDissidence:
Yikes, he most certainly does….. I knew it was 1 million, I have no idea why the zero’s…. I saw the movie.. I love Don Cheadle, the guy just makes me bawl my face off.. something about him, even in Boogie Nights. His eyes.. something, I don’t know….. the man got it goin on.
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Quoting Amanda Kyffin:
How could you hate Kurt? How many celebrities, besides Matt, do you hear of as being anti establishment these days. In my humble opinion, some people are saintly, and that’s why we idolize them. People who are extremely gifted should be idolized. People that are made by a buiseness aren’t usually that talented, they’re just marketed the right way. People that start from the bottom and work their way to the top are better then people that come from the top, down. Like Britney Spears.
“Our preoccupation with one individuals death (nothing more spectacular than the other 1000 or so people that died that day in America) helped us to put a blind-eye to the death of over 800,000 innocent individuals… who’s lives could have been saved. It’s because it wasn’t happening in our own backyard… we need to wake up!”
Mabye it’s a governmant conspiracy. Mabye it was a way of covering up what was happening over seas. You never know. So if you think people need to wake up, you should help them come to. Start by making your own flyers about the world’s events that people don’t hear about . Photocopy them and place them around your block. Put them in places where they won’t be ripped down right away, so more people will read them and move on. Bathroom stalls, street posts, building corners etc. Then you will be actively taking part in ‘waking people up’.
I like to attach post itnotes to magazines and CD’s that I think are pop culture bull crap. Sometimes I target the corporations themselves. The notes usually say ” this is talentless crap or, by purchasing this you’re supporting child slavery or, by buying oil you’re contributing to war and global warming, etc.
It’s great fun!
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DoinMyTime I never said that I hated Kurt Cobain… I just don’t believe in putting people on a pedestal just because of their occupation. One persons life no matter how “idolized” they are does not deserve more coverage than 800,000 peoples lives… Yes people who are extremely gifted should be idolized; like the person in your community who runs the soup kitchen for impoverished people for example. Or the unknown local author who knows more about making change then any “well-known” international author. There is such a great amount of “gifted” people out there!
But we are diverting from the actual discussion here… Kurt Cobain is one person, but because he was widely “idolized” his one life received more attention then the lives of 800,000 “regular” people. Doesn’t make any sense to me :S
I may be a pessimistic individual who honestly doesn’t have hope or faith in our systems anymore… but I still do my part to try and make a difference. I do this by educating others about the situations… posters and stickers are great, and can help influence others and change their views, but they are purely symbolic.
“a symbolic action is one primarily intended to convey a message. A non-symbolic action is one primarily intended to create some tangible change on its own”.
Symbolic actions are defiantly needed! But how about some ideas for quick and direct change… I’m just saying that some people hold the power to make this quick and direct change… but leave it in the hands of those with a lack of power to make slow and indirect change.
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I hate what he did to his child .. END OF STORY…. … His daughter is finally speaking for the first time ever. I’m not sure if the magazine has hit stores yet but I’m doing research…
How would you feel if you father said “I can’t be here”, or “it’s better to burn out, than to fade away”.
I am a mom, it’s tough, I have stomach upset too, sometimes and it sucks ass. But is that any reason to take my own life? No, it’s cowardly. And irresponsible, especially when the mother of his child was an addict herself. He had a stomach ailment??? hmmmmm I’ve always wondered.. I believe I read that he did drugs because it made his stomach problems go away… I can’t really remember… That or someone told me…….
So, no… I feel an extreme amount of hatred for what he did… that girls parents were both so screwed up, I can’t even believe anyone let that child stay with that what’s her bucket of a mother.
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In 2005 a movie came out called shooting dogs. I totally recommend it.
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Quoting Amanda Kyffin:
You’re right you know. Post it notes only make a few people think but not everyone. And ones job doesn’t difine them. John Lennon was considered an activist more so then an artist at times. Everyone freaked when he died. You hear more about him then the Vietnam war.
What do you think I should do to make tangible change? Who made that quote? Are you a teacher? Isn’t teaching really just talking about things? Wouldn’t that be an example of a symbolic action primarily intended to convey a message??
I know I’m a pain in the ass ( I get that all the time) I’m just trying to make people think. I’m a small nobody with a desire to make the world a better place. Its so hard doing that when you’re anti social and live in the middle of nowhere. If you have any advice please share it!
“leave it in the hands of those with a lack of power to make slow and indirect change.”
That is so true. It sucks too, because the people with no power are the ones who need change the most.
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I have a friend (customer who plays Keno) who escaped Rwanda with his family and he tells me stories of what it was like and why he now loves Canada so much. A horrific thing and when I’m feeling sorry for myself and having a bad day I just need to listen to him for 5 minutes to appreciate that my life isn’t so bad.
Oh and on the Kurt thing…I love that he was a kind, gentle soul. He was passionate about children, animals, women’s & gay rights and other things that went beyond being “a rock star” (which he hated). Ironic that he drove a Volvo because it was “safe”.
I haven’t read the comments so I’ll go back and do so to see that I probably didn’t need to post this. But somehow I doubt this topic was meant to be Kurt Cobain and I’m straying again.
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Quoting DoinMyTime:
Be yourself.. if others view you as a pain in the ass and you are standing up for what you believe in, who cares, the rest is nuttin of your worry.
I’m nuts on here sometimes, I admit… this is an outlet to be crazy sometimes, because we are hiding behind a monitor, no one sees us….. but it’s who we are… we say what we are thinking, because sometimes in person no one gives a crap about what you have to say… that is why alot of people become writers.
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I have no clue why Bush is in Africa now; it’s not like he gave a damn about it in the first 7 years of his term.
(Oh, that’s right. It’s the portion of his term where he gets to take an all-expenses-paid tour of the world.)
(Because he hasn’t taken enough vacations already.)
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Quoting deb:
Deb, everyone’s lives are different and you are allowed to let yourself grieve and have a hard year.. Don’t deny yourself to grieve in any stage of grieving…….
Congratulations for being the user of the month.. You couldn’t be more deserving!!!!!
My thoughts and prayers are with you, and I’m so sorry to have read about your mom passing away….
Matt, sorry I meandered again.. damnit, I’m trying…..
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“Perhaps they’ve been employed writing speeches for the likes of Mr. Bush and other world leaders that use the issue when convenient and ignore it when it’s not.”
Indeed.
It’s almost too easy to say it but in daily life and when discussing heavy issues such as this, I find myself desperately insistent that ignorance is not bliss.
Personally I’d rather be a mess of informed awareness than an ostrich with my head in the sand by choice any day. What a shame that many of those people “in power” or at least in the position to have done something in regards to what happened in Rwanda chose the coward’s way out and opted not to ruffle their own feathers.
The fool’s hope is that the lessons gravely afforded by history, recent or not, will spur necessary action onto these situations that are in desperate need of attention, action and intervention. I will admit for this I am a fool.
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Quoting T-Lee:
Thanks t….it means alot. xo
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Amanda Kyffin: While I am sorry to hear you say so, I am not surprised if you are skeptical about Romeo Dallaire’s status as a hero if you’ve heard him speak. He is ridiculously humble about what he did in Rwanda. Perhaps this is related to his post traumatic stress disorder…. To get the full understanding of what he accomplished, and how hard-won it really was, forget the movies and read the book “Shake Hands with the Devil”. The title itself tells a story. What he did was heroic and was not what just anyone would do. Most people would have given up a lot easier. It is easy for us to look back in retrospect and agree that what he did was right. But at the time, no one supported him and he did one of the most difficult things there is to do. He stood firm and continued to work for what he believed was right and just, despite meeting opposition to that at every turn. It is so easy to lose sight of the truth when one is constantly fed an “alternative truth”, especially when the alternative truth is so much more comfortable with which to live. He displayed a fortitude of character that I know I don’t have. He was in a politically complex situation that was not important to most of the world. And he used every tool that he could to affect the change that was needed; he wasn’t just a voice of protest. He used the media, military channels, diplomacy, negotiation, brute force sometimes, and sometimes, sometimes, he had to shake hands with the devil. And it wasn’t easy. He risked his life daily, and although it did not utlimately cost him his life, it was all at great personal cost: to his career, his family and to his own mind. I think when he shook hands with those devils, they never really let him go completely. Romeo Dallaire is one of the few real true heros we have in this world.
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How can you condemn the U.S. for being involved in Iraq and then question where they were for Rwanda?
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Oh this is getting good….. Good?
And I mean that in the best debatey kind of way……
I can’t speak for him, but there is a term ‘pick your battles wisely’….
Won’t say no more, I will let him answer that.
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Yes, the U.S. too picks its battles wisely…. Africa will always be left behind - just like said in the post, any conflict in the Balkans is of great importance, especially to Europe. It has to be resolved as soon as possible otherwise there is no way to predict where it will end - there is nowhere to run. The middle east is a different issue all together - carefully constructed by the U.S. themselves most reading this know the stories. But Africa - whatever oil and resources they may have are all under careful foreign control already, governments and military are corrupt, but, most importantly, the countries are isolated from the rest of the world and therefore any internal conflict poses no immediate threat to anyone. Should we care ?????
Natural instinct of any animal is self-preservation
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good entry, thanks.
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Quoting Denisey:
Well said!
Amazing how many people here are commenting on Kurt Cobain!! I don’t get that.
For those folks who are unaware of the story I encourage you to read Shake Hands with the Devil. Romeo Dallaire IS A HERO.
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Quoting theMitchster:
Because in Iraq, the invasion was based on completely false pretenses, while in Rwanda there was a completely legitimate reason to intervene that was ignored?
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“In the case of African events of this nature, talk is all that is ever produced.” How true. How long have we been hearing about the horrors of Darfur? And it’s always followed by “Something must be done!” Yes, we’ve established that, a hundred times over… move along to actually doing the “something” now.
Reading about Bush making comments like that raises my blood pressure. He always knows just what to say, doesn’t he? But it’s all meaningless and falls apart under the slightest scrutiny. You’re not an helpless, impartial observer, for god’s sake, you have actual power… stop making speeches that sound like someone’s blog entries.
I remember being heartbroken when Cobain died (I was 17… just the right age for Nirvana to have been the soundtrack to my life) but, you’re right, had no sweet clue what was happening on the other side of the world. I don’t begrudge anyone mourning his death, but for it to overshadow genocide… sad.
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It seems like it’s always been that way, and always will be. What should be considered as very important world news, a huge tragedy and loss of human life, doesn’t get the chance to be as widely known as it should because of celebrity news.
Unless the tragedy happens in the US.
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Quoting Denisey:
I think you misunderstood what I was saying… What Romeo Dallaire did was amazing!
What I was saying was that we shouldn’t have to considered him a hero for what he did… He shouldn’t have HAD to do what he did alone… he should have had support! It should have been a natural thing for everyone to want to change the situation.
Does that make sense…?
I think he is very heroic! But we shouldn’t need heroes for these situations, everyone should be willing!
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Quoting Minivan mom:
Thanks minivan. I will check it out…. Yes, I didn’t fall asleep so easily last night….. I fell into the trap of talking about KC, and was actually wishing you could delete your comments on here, yourself…. so, here they stay, and yeah.. not overly proud of that…..
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I’m gonna read Shake Hands with the Devil too. It’s been mentioned so many times that it must teach a lot. I think so many people comment on Kurt Cobain before Romeo Dallaire because, again, people know more about Kurt then Rwanda. You see things on the news all the time like genocide, that might make the front page one day, then only a paragraph the next. I read a few books on KC because I never heard of what was happening at the time of his death. Now I know! Got to learn more every day. The more you learn the less you know, It seems.
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Re: It makes me made that we’d devote so much time to one individual
Did every college kid in America have a picture of a little Rwandan baby swimming after a dollar bill on their shelf?
Get mad at yourself… not me.
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i just finished watching shake hands with the devil, excellent film, but i would suggest the book. its funny how when bush came into office and was asked about rwanda, he said ‘not on my watch’, well bush it may not be rwanda but it is still a genocide, and it is occuring on your watch. maybe you need bionoculars.
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A hero (Greek: ἥρως), in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demi-god, the offspring of a mortal and a deity.[1] Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters that, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice, that is, heroism, for some greater good, originally of martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.
Romeo Dallaire is a hero - perhaps, but really, just like all the nameless soldiers who committed many acts of courage during all the conflicts in which our Earth was involved he was just doing his job. Of course he had the choice of staying or leaving…
By the way, according to the newest Russian history book to be used in schools next year, Stalin is a hero too - and to many people he is, after all it was under his rule that we (russians ) won WWII, “and nothing else matters”
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On the Subject of Suicide…
I think it’s a Misconception
that a Person committing Suicide
is ” tired of Life ”
and therefore consciously
by Power of their own Will
decides to ” Check out Early “
My Theory is….
that the Soul “dies”
of an unbearable Pain of Hopelessness
long before the Body does
Man without Hope
becomes emotionally exhausted
shuts down and goes numb…
leaving behind an empty Shell
unable to feel, think or reason…
The Death of the Body seems
to be the ultimate Freedom
in the End…
Like I said before…
I strongly believe
that Life without Hope
equals Death
p.s.:
Let us do one Thing every Day
to bring Solace to a griefing Soul…
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Reading the entries above makes me feel just a little bit more depressed for Darfur.
From the ground I can tell you this….the UNAMID mission as it stands is almost completely ineffective. On Jan 1st when the AU turned into UNAMID there was a ceremony in El Fasher, North Darfur, where the soldiers exchanges their red or green berets for blue ones. This is the only significant change I have seen. The number of troops on the ground is essentially the same— they are almost wholly African, with poor training and experience. Vital equipment needed to have any kind of effect, such has helicopters, have not been donated by donor nations. Until recently, not one helicopter. Then I heard that Ethiopia and Bangladesh and pledged to donate a helicopter each to the mission. Two of the poorest countries on earth. From the West, nothing. It is compounded by the fact that the Sudanese government is doing everything in its power to have this mission fail, by stalling or halting the deployment many troops. In any case it is a tough situation for peacekeepers, given that at the moment, there is no peace to keep.
The UN troops where am living (at a camp of displaced people of over 25,000 people)almost never leave their compound. And last week when we had a shoot-out between rival rebel factions in the village, not only did they not do anything, they didn´t even know about it, despite being less than 2 kilometres away.
And every week when I write to my friends and family, I tell them about yet another village bombed and burned by the government, another few hundred killed, another 10,000 fleeing to Chad. And I ask them, did you know? Is it on the news? Always, they say no.
So at the moment, from this position, I see very little hope for the people here. Who are, by the way, some of the most kind, lovely, and generous people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. OH, and Kurt Cobain is so, like, cool. OVer and out.