Refugees from Sudan's western region of Darfur will share their experiences with the Wilmington community on Thursday, April 10 as part of the Save Darfur Coalition's "Voices from Darfur" national speaking tour. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7 p.m. in the Warwick Center Ballroom on the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Voices from Darfur was started in the summer of 2007 and has already visited 44 cities across the United States. Reaching more than 10,000 people, Voices from Darfur highlights the personal stories told by the fortunate few who have escaped the ongoing crisis. Darfuri refugees share their personal experiences, giving the audience an emotional and personal story, rather than seeing the conflict in terms of numbers.
This specific stop of the tour will feature acclaimed Arabic-language novelist Abu Asal Abu Asal, among other Darfuri refugees. Abu Asal founded Voices from Darfur in 2007 after being forced to flee Sudan. He was arrested and beaten by the Sudanese government for protesting the mistreatment of Darfuris. Now living in Massachusetts, Abu Asal tours the United States to share his story and educate people about the Darfur conflict.
The United States has declared the crisis genocide, making it the first time that a conflict has been called genocide while it is still occurring. As many as 400,000 people are estimated to have died in Darfur, and 2.5 million have been displaced as a result of the genocide. Suffering continues to intensify as a result of the killing, which is supported by the Sudanese government and fueled by the Janjaweed militias. More than four million people are now affected by the crisis as it has spread into neighboring African countries, Chad and the Central African Republic.
The event sponsors, members of the UNC Wilmington anti-genocide student organization STAND, hope to raise awareness and advocate stopping the genocide in Darfur. "We are excited to bring refugees from Darfur to our campus to share with the community a first-hand account that something as horrific as genocide is still happening in our world today," says STAND co-President Sara Casey. "We hope they can be apart of the movement to put these atrocities to an end." It is part of Amnesty International's weeklong global awareness campaign, "UNCW Goes Global."
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STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition (www.STANDnow.org) has more than 1,000 chapters at schools around the globe and is the fastest-growing student anti-genocide coalition in the world today. STAND mobilizes students to take action to prevent genocide by educating, advocating, and fundraising for civilian protection. STAND is the student division of the Genocide Intervention Network.
About Voices from Darfur – Voices from Darfur is a national speaking tour and accompanying web site sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition featuring personal accounts from Darfuri refugees. Launched in the summer of 2007, Voices from Darfur brings the genocide to America's doorstep in an effort to educate citizens and spur advocacy to make a difference for the people of Darfur. Survivor testimonies and other resources can be found at http://www.voicesfromdarfur.org
Media contact:
Sara Casey, STAND student organizer, 704.907.4620 or sec6002@uncw.edu
