I met Shamir back in first year of undergrad. It wasn’t much of a surprise really: he literally stood out in the crowd (imagine a brown Yao Ming, and you’ve got a pretty accurate picture). He’s hard to miss and you may have spotted him around campus in his efforts to raise awareness for Darfur. I asked Shamir to contribute a guest blogger article to blogUT about his efforts and the Darfur issue. Thanks to Shamir for contributing this article.

About: Shamir is a 4th Year Electrical Engineering student and he’s actively involved with STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur)

So tell us about STAND. First, what’s the goal of the organization in two words?
Education, Advocacy

Can you give us a little background info?
The Sudanese government is engaged in ethnic cleansing in Darfur. The people of Darfur generally fall into two groups: the pastoral nomadic groups, typically considered “Arab”, and the farming groups, usually considered “non-Arab”. Starting in the mid-1980’s increasing land and water scarcity led to tensions between the two groups. Those tensions were manipulated by Sudanese, Libyan and Chadian politicians and resulted in the creation of Arab militias that began attacking non-Arab communities. In the 1990s, the Sudanese government stepped in and disarmed only the non-Arab militias, leaving the Arab militias (known as the Janjaweed) intact to attack the non-Arabs. In 2003, non-Arab rebel groups launched a series of attacks on government military installations. In response, the Sudanese government, in conjunction with the Janjaweed, launched a campaign to destroy all non- Arab communities in Darfur in an effort to undermine the rebel groups

To date, around 400,000 civilians have been murdered and 2.5 million have been displaced from their homes. The most tragic part is that the situation is getting worse. Aid organizations have had to pull out of Darfur because it is too dangerous for their workers. Innocent people are in danger not only from violence but also from starvation. But there is hope; we can all make a difference. (Learn more at www.standcanada.org)

How did you first get involved in this cause?
I first heard about Darfur through learning about the Rwandan genocide. I watched the movie ‘Hotel Rwanda’ like a lot of people and was amazed by the unbelievable gravity of the situation. One million people murdered, and everyone vowed “Never again”. But here we are again with Darfur. Although the situation isn’t exactly the same, a couple of aspects are identical: thousands of innocent civilians are being killed, and we have the power to make a difference for these people.

What specific effect do you hope to achieve with your efforts? What needs to be done?
The most important part is to make people aware of the situation going on in Darfur, and to know that we can all make a difference. When asked why the United States didn’t step in to stop the massacre of Tutsis in Rwanda, Bill Clinton’s National Security Advisor, Tony Lake, answered, “Because the phones didn’t ring”. Our goal is to make the phones ring; to increase political will by displaying how much Canadian students and their families care about this issue. For this reason, we are writing letters to the Prime Minister, meeting with MPs, and educating everyone we know about this crisis. It’s important to raise our voices and make it loud and clear to the Canadian government that this is an issue that we, as voters, care about.

Can you talk about some past efforts you’ve carried out?
STAND is full of such passionate and amazing people. STAND at U of T does tons of educational events like speakers, film screenings, educational seminars, and NGO networking. In addition, we do many regular, fun university events as well. In fall 2006, we raised almost $2000 for Darfuri refugees through “Samba for Sudan”, a cultural music and dance night we held at Fez Batik. In January, we stood outside in the freezing cold with a big ‘Save Darfur’ sign tied to us to raise awareness about the Darfur crisis! Recently, we raised funds and awareness with a huge upcoming band ‘Vanity Falls’ at the Opera House.

On a national level, STAND: U of T has worked with STAND chapters at universities across the country on two huge rallies here in Toronto, as well as participating in the International Fast for Darfur.

As a group, we have a good time working together and doing everything we possibly can to make a difference for Darfur. There
are tons of opportunities to get involved and we are always open to new members and new ideas! It is an exciting group to be involved with.

What do you have planned coming up?
Our next big event is ‘Dial for Darfur’. Phones will be set up across campus where you can call your MP and Prime Minister for free and voice your concern about Darfur. This event will be city-wide; York and Ryerson university chapters will be participating as well! For more details on how to participate or volunteer, e-mail standuoft@standcanada.org.

Why do you think there’s so little international attention given to this issue?
Darfur has been on the UN and international radar for the past three years. The problem is not attention; the problem is ACTION.

When we hear about a child in Canada being murdered, we read, mourn and question what went wrong, and rightfully so; it is a huge tragedy. What is the difference between a child in Canada and a child in Darfur? We are all human. As Canadians, we were born in a place of freedom and opportunity. Why are we not doing everything in our power to help? Would we want help if we were constantly facing violence and living in fear? It is time to stop talking and start providing these men, women, and children with the help they need.

Where can people find out more information? How can they get involved and what can they do?
Educate yourself. Education is the most powerful tool. Talk to your friends, family, and your MP and Prime Minister. Send letters, call, and visit your government officials. This is your right and doing something is their job. Nothing will happen politically unless we make our voice known. As well, there is great opportunity at STAND to meet and work with some awesome people, and really make a difference.

Useful links:
www.standcanada.org
www.savedarfur.org
Email standuoft@standcanada.org

This entry was posted on Monday, February 26th, 2007 at 8:00 am and is filed under Guest Blogger. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.