Posted on 02/23/2008 4:56:09 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Actress Mia Farrow may not have achieved her childhood dream of becoming a pediatrician in Africa, but she is fiercely determined to help the victims of genocide in Darfur.
In a passionate speech drawn from firsthand experiences during multiple trips to the ruined villages and rough refugee camps in the no-man's land between African nations Chad and Sudan, Farrow drew a standing ovation in Madison from hundreds of teachers with tears in their eyes Friday as she described the plight of what are arguably the most desperate people in the world.
The occasion was the 117th annual Southern Wisconsin Educational Inservice Organization teachers' convention at the Monona Terrace Convention Center. Farrow was the latest in a long line of inspirational speakers, including Coretta Scott King, Frank McCourt and Reggie White, who have spoken at past conventions.
Born into a Hollywood family, Farrow grew up in Beverly Hills, became a teenage star in the television classic "Peyton Place" and earned fame and recognition as an actress in more than 40 movies, including "Rosemary's Baby." She was married at 21 to Frank Sinatra and later to noted composer-pianist Andre Previn. After that, she had a long personal and professional relationship with filmmaker Woody Allen.
Still slight and luminously beautiful at 63, she has become known in recent years for her passionate humanitarian work. A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, she has undertaken eight risky trips to the Darfur region of Sudan, which shares its eastern border with Chad and the Central African Republic.
There she has become a witness to genocide, where she says the government of Sudan, largely financed by Chinese oil money and armed with Chinese-made weapons, has declared war on the rural, agrarian tribal people of Darfur.
According to Farrow, China buys about 70 percent of its oil from Sudan.
"I first heard of Darfur in 2004, that there was something terrible happening in this remote part of Africa," she said.
She told the teachers that 2.5 million people are refugees in the area and that probably more than 400,000 have been killed in ethnic violence.
"We don't really know how many have died. The United Nations count stopped at 200,000 because there is now no one to count the bodies," she said.
According to an Associated Press report Friday, the already difficult situation in Darfur has worsened recently as the result of new fighting, including aerial bombing and increased banditry of humanitarian aid.
'Villages in ashes'
With knowledge of the desperate conditions in Sudan and on the Chadian border has come the responsibility to act, Farrow said. She added that she has been horrified by the world's willingness to avert its eyes from the killing going on in Darfur.
Using photographs she has taken herself and stories told to her firsthand by survivors, Farrow described the desperate and terrifying plight of mostly women and children who have been displaced from their villages, first by attacks from government helicopters armed with bombs and then by militias known as janjaweed, who ride horses and camels and slaughter the fleeing people with guns and machetes. She said many of the boys and men of Darfur are simply gone or dead or have disappeared.
"Eastern Chad is an inferno, and 90 percent of Darfur's villages are in ashes," she said.
As Farrow showed pictures of desperate children carrying their siblings, scarred mothers cradling their dying babies and a 13-year-old boy who died trying to defend his family with a bow and arrow against janjaweed machine guns in the face, there was profound silence in the auditorium.
"I've seen the worst of what humans can do to one another, but I've also met women of astonishing courage, humor and generosity in the midst of this suffering," she said.
And, she said, the upcoming Olympics in Beijing provide an opportunity for both individuals and the world to apply pressure to stop the killing.
The Chinese, she said, are very interested in presenting an impressive view of their country and culture through the Olympic spectacle.
"How can the Chinese host the Olympics with the slogan 'One World, One Dream?'" Farrow asked. "They are sweeping a nightmare or three under the rug."
"Now is the time," she urged.
"Boycott the opening of the Olympics. Contact the sponsors. Tell Coca-Cola you're switching to Pepsi, or tell McDonald's you're going to eat at Burger King," she said. Other sponsors she cited included Budweiser and UPS.
But U.S. Olympic Committee chair Peter Ueberroth said in Atlanta recently that he wants American athletes to focus on being good guests, not outspoken reformers, according to an Associated Press story.
Farrow noted that famed director Steven Spielberg recently backed out of his role as artistic director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics because of China's role in the suffering in Darfur.
In addition, according to the AP, American speedskating gold medalist Joey Cheek has co-founded the Team Darfur athletes coalition to bring attention to the cause.
"Make a call. Become involved. These are things as individuals that we can do," Farrow told the teachers as they rose to their feet, clapping.
Diana, those remarks were not meant to be personal. I generally take the to name out when doing this, and I forgot this time.
Not to worry, most teachers couldn’t find half the major cities in the US on a map let alone Darfur. Its kind of like white noise until the dems need a diversion.
Just how are we to take care of Darfur? Take it over? Send in Peace keepers? Airlift the people out to America? What can we do? Santions will not work. Its a mess. If we keep talking about this problem it will go away when there are no more Christians etc... to kill.
Hey Mia, there was genocide with Hussein’s regime, oh but that is Bush’s war, that’s right, I forgot—and 9/11 never really happened. But we took care of that pretty good. Well then, how about Boy Clinton’s Kosovo and Somalia campaigns? Brave US Soldiers prosecuted those wars to the best of their ability only to have your boy president betray them. Yeah, I particularly like the “home by Christmas” mantra over Kosovo, uh huh, how long has that been now? Yeah, they’re still there.
Let’s see Mia, what should we do about Iran?? Grace us with your vast knowledge. How about the Muslim scourge in the Philippines, Indonesia and all around the world? Do you still run around with your bumper sticker “FREE TIBET!”? I think they’re under Communist rule, isn’t that like what Cuba is under? Don’t you like Fidel?? I work for a man that says, “What can a tiny island like Cuba do anyway?”. I guess like you, he forgot about all the Cuban soldiers throughout Central America (FOR DECADES) and elsewhere killing folks, supplied by Russia, er, the Soviet Union, er CCCP or whatever, oh well...
What’s your point about Chinese arms and materiel? Hell, have you looked on the things you buy lately? What’s the problem, isn’t China under the same form of government that Cuba is?? And Tibet?? I just need help in all of this and I know that you can set us all straight in world affairs.
By the way, have you served your country yet? Just asking. Our Armed Forces accept women you know...
www.savedarfur.org
Baord of Directors
Sam Bell, Genocide Intervention Network
Dr. Mahmoud Braima, Darfuri Leaders Network
Rev. Richard Cizik, National Association of Evangelicals
Mike Edington, Wellspring Advisors
Zeinab Eyega, Sauti Yetu Center for African Women
Rev. David Emmanuel Goatley, Ph.D., Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention
Rabbi Steve Gutow, Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Omer Ismail, Darfur Peace and Development
Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, National Council of Churches
Ruth Messinger, American Jewish World Service
John Prendergast, ENOUGH
Fr. Michael Perry, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Jill Savitt, Dream for Darfur
Scott Warren, STAND, A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition
Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, M.D., My Sister’s Keeper
Dr. James Zogby, Arab American Institute
Staff
Alex Meixner
Director of Government Relations
Prior to joining the Save Darfur Coalition in September 2005, Mr. Meixner worked on a variety of legislative issues for former Congressman Robert Matsui (D-CA) and Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA). Preceding his work with Congressman and then Congresswoman Matsui, Mr. Meixner worked on political affairs for former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, serving as the Deputy Political Coordinator of the Senator’s Leadership PAC.
Chuck Thies
Campaigns Director
DC Democracy Fund Political Director Chuck Thies
Rally organizer Chuck Thies, a longtime D.C. political activist
Amjad Atallah
Senior Director, International Policy and Advocacy
Amjad Atallah is founder and President of Strategic Assessments Initiative (SAI)
For the past three years before Mr. Atallah founded SAI, he advised the Palestinian negotiating team, and later Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas’ office
Colleen Connors
Communications Director
Colleen Connors, media relations manager at U.S. News
Jerry Fowler
President
Fowler was previously the founding director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience
Before joining the museum, Jerry was legislative counsel for the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights
OMG - who beat her with an ugly stick? Francis Albert just spun in his grave!
She looks more like Woody Allen with each passing year. Must’ve been “True Love.” ;)
No offense taken. Good post. You and I are on the same wave-length on a lot of topics. :)
Boy. These lefties sure know a money-making (grifting) opportunity when they see one, don’t they? ;)
The anti-war left wants to start WW3 with China over Africa and central Asia (Burma). I think they have no idea of the strategic implications of these regions but they see people suffering and imagine we can send a few “peace keeping troops” and make the world a happy place.
They have no clue what bringing our military into a Chinese psuedo-colony would do to instigate a new war unlike any of the tiny skirmishes going on today...
Does anyone recall if there was anything resembling a serious outcry,particularly in Hollyweird,over this slaughter of Sudanese Christians?
Thank you.
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