Celebrities including Elton John, Mick Jagger, Bob Geldof, George Clooney and Mia Farrow have appealed to the international community to do more to protect the civilians of Darfur, the province of Sudan where 200,000 have died in four years of war, and millions have lost their homes.
This appeal comes from these celebrities to mark the fourth anniversary of the start of the conflict, and coincides with the Global Day of Darfur being observed by Britain and 33 other countries.
“Though thousands of people across five continents will today urge their leaders to ‘do something’ about Darfur, few leaders can agree on what that ‘something’ is,” reports The Independent.
“The US, which is alone in labelling the conflict ‘genocide’, is preparing to increase its sanctions on Sudan. Britain is talking up the idea of a no-fly zone, but one non-British Western diplomat in Khartoum was quick to point out that this was being suggested only by Mr Blair.
“So far, though, the outside world is just talking – not acting. Numerous UN resolutions urging action remain unenforced. A no-fly zone was even agreed in 2005, but was never implemented.”
Another report states: “What began as a rebellion by three non-Arab tribes against perceived marginalisation by the Arab-dominated Khartoum government has escalated into a complex multi-layered conflict.
“There are Arabs fighting alongside the rebels and Africans siding with the government. Arab tribes are fighting other Arab tribes – some are even fighting themselves. Desertification has increased tensions, between everybody, as tribes fight to gain control over precious water points.
“If it was ever as simple to describe the conflict as a ‘genocide’ of black Africans by an Arab government – and few analysts in Sudan believe it was – it certainly is not now.
“Sudan’s government is arming any group that is prepared to attack anyone connected with the rebels, be they African or Arab. In some cases they have even armed both sides of the same mini-conflict. It is less about ethnic cleansing and more about power. Khartoum, argue some analysts, may not even want the war to end.
” ‘This government has always had a crisis,’ said Dr Madawi Ibrahim, a Darfurian expert with close ties to the rebel movement. ‘You keep people busy with a crisis’.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.