Where you there? - Genocide visited in a far away African nation.
In 2011 I took one of my final classes for seminary with Dr Sharon Welch and the Rev. Dr Susan Thistlethwaite on Peace and Justice.
We were to read a book about modern day horrors by Samantha Powers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Problem_from_Hell) and I was transfixed by the story of Rwanda. Probably because I remember the talk about this small country and I remember being confused by the odd accounts, small snippets, random thoughts I was recieving about what attrocities were going on. I remember being frustrated that the US was not engaged. Frustrated that my government - my liberal progressive government - was failing me. I had no idea the magnitude. I went on with my life as if everything was alright. As if I was safe (which I was), as if all was normal (which it was not), as if my life would not be impacted (which was true and not true).
This thing happened in our world in the days just before the internet exploded. Rwanda occurred in the time before CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews and their 24 hour coverage on what ever tragedy was occurring. The odd thing is that the internet and the news channels may bringing fear closer to my door step but they do not stop the senselessness of violence that erupts. I would like to believe that the US is are more engaged now because there are powerful knowledgeable watchful people who would decry this sort of thing going without our intervention. Indeed in this time after the fall of the Egyptian and Libyan governments I would like to believe that the solution is as easy as stopping one side from killing another.
But peace takes more than letting go of a particular instance of violence.
Why we did not act is still a part of our make-up.
How we support people to further justice through education, conversation, healthcare, rights... is still a complicated problem.
My voice in the wilderness cries out - at least let the story be remembered.
Where you there? I was...
In 1994 Rwanda erupted with ethnic violence that was finally understood as genocide. What is our responsibility to ensure this does not happen again? What is our understanding of our role, of our response, of our concern? We can talk after the fact about how we might act to stop atrocities, but really will we look hard enough to see the next place that violence claims lives lost far away from our comfortable living rooms? What of Libya and her people? Have we learned our lessons from the past?
Facts and Quotes taken from:
Samantha Power, “A Problem from Hell” America and the age of genocide, (New York-London-Toronto-Sydney: Harper Perennial, 2002)
In 2011 I took one of my final classes for seminary with Dr Sharon Welch and the Rev. Dr Susan Thistlethwaite on Peace and Justice.
We were to read a book about modern day horrors by Samantha Powers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Problem_from_Hell) and I was transfixed by the story of Rwanda. Probably because I remember the talk about this small country and I remember being confused by the odd accounts, small snippets, random thoughts I was recieving about what attrocities were going on. I remember being frustrated that the US was not engaged. Frustrated that my government - my liberal progressive government - was failing me. I had no idea the magnitude. I went on with my life as if everything was alright. As if I was safe (which I was), as if all was normal (which it was not), as if my life would not be impacted (which was true and not true).
This thing happened in our world in the days just before the internet exploded. Rwanda occurred in the time before CNN, MSNBC, FoxNews and their 24 hour coverage on what ever tragedy was occurring. The odd thing is that the internet and the news channels may bringing fear closer to my door step but they do not stop the senselessness of violence that erupts. I would like to believe that the US is are more engaged now because there are powerful knowledgeable watchful people who would decry this sort of thing going without our intervention. Indeed in this time after the fall of the Egyptian and Libyan governments I would like to believe that the solution is as easy as stopping one side from killing another.
But peace takes more than letting go of a particular instance of violence.
Why we did not act is still a part of our make-up.
How we support people to further justice through education, conversation, healthcare, rights... is still a complicated problem.
My voice in the wilderness cries out - at least let the story be remembered.
Where you there? I was...
In 1994 Rwanda erupted with ethnic violence that was finally understood as genocide. What is our responsibility to ensure this does not happen again? What is our understanding of our role, of our response, of our concern? We can talk after the fact about how we might act to stop atrocities, but really will we look hard enough to see the next place that violence claims lives lost far away from our comfortable living rooms? What of Libya and her people? Have we learned our lessons from the past?
Facts and Quotes taken from:
Samantha Power, “A Problem from Hell” America and the age of genocide, (New York-London-Toronto-Sydney: Harper Perennial, 2002)
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