Posts by Martha Heinemann Bixby
Celebs, CEOs light candles, invest in Rwanda
Published April 14, 2009 @ 09:09AM PT
Last week marked the 15th anniversary of the beginning of the Rwandan genocide. Global stars - of film, politics and more - are honoring this anniversary by lighting candles in honor of those killed.
The website www.CandlesforRwanda.org urges you to "join in – light up the world with hope for Rwanda by Sending a message of hope, Uploading a video of you lighting a candle," or by "Making a small donation toward widows and young people still affected by genocide."
For every donation of $10, a candle will be lit in the donor's name and placed in remembrance at mass graves on the grounds of the Kigali Memorial Centre, where 250,000 victims of the genocide lie buried. The money will go towards education and support, particularly for the widows and orphans of Rwanda in order to ensure that the survivors of the genocide can live, not merely exist.
At Darfur: An Unforgivable Hell on Earth, cooper has an impassioned critique of this campaign:
Honestly, I can barely stand to look at candle lighters. I know the intention is good but I think we like lighting candles, it makes us think we are doing something. We will forever be remembering victims of genocides and unprovoked pre-preemptive wars. It is that path that needs to be changed.
"A war between crazy people, between monsters"
Published April 06, 2009 @ 01:37PM PT
Seventeen years ago, on April 6th, 1992 the longest siege in modern warfare began on the day the European Commission recognized Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent state. The siege - and near constant shellings, mortar attacks and sniper hits - lasted 43 months.
The BosniakAmerican Advisory Council released a statement today, saying:
The Siege of Sarajevo not only marked the start of the war of aggression, but also the beginning of genocide and ethnic cleansing throughout B-H [Bosnia and Herzegovina].
Kurt Schork wrote this heartbreaking snapshot of the devastation in 1993:
Two lovers lie dead on the banks of Sarajevo’s Miljacka river, locked in a final embrace.
For four days they have sprawled near Vrbana bridge in a wasteland of shell-blasted rubble, downed tree branches and dangling power lines.
So dangerous is the area no one has dared recover their bodies.
Bosko Brckic and Admira Ismic, both 25, were shot dead on Wednesday trying to escape the besieged Bosnian capital for Serbia.
Sweethearts since high school, he was a Serb and she was a Moslem.
"They were shot at the same time, but he fell instantly and she was still alive," recounts Dino, a soldier who saw the couple trying to cross from government territory to rebel Serb positions.
"She crawled over and hugged him and they died like that, in each other’s arms." [...]
Make a difference for Darfur this April
Published April 01, 2009 @ 03:50PM PT
April is Genocide Prevention Month, and this year it is a critical time for Darfur. An arrest warrant has been issued for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Darfuris have been displaced by genocidal violence for six years. And, President Obama will have been in office for nearly 100 days.
We must show our leaders that thousands of Americans demand action at this high-stakes moment — and they won't be able to ignore thousands of Americans rallying in communities across America.
In April we will raise our collective voice with hundreds of grassroots events nationwide and demand that Obama act to ensure peace for Sudan, protection for its people and accountability for the architects of genocide. Become part of this momentous campaign.
Host or attend an event in your community
This April, during Genocide Prevention Month, communities across the country will come together to honor the past and act for change in Darfur today. Become part of this momentous campaign by hosting an Act Now for Darfur event in your community. Whether it's a film viewing or forum, a rally or vigil, or a faith-based event, there's something right for you.
Send a letter to Ambassador Susan Rice. Text Secretary Hillary Clinton. Film a YouTube video to President Obama. Watch a film about survivors advocating for an end to genocide. Take action!
Genocide over breakfast: Parade's "World's Worst Dictators"
Published March 22, 2009 @ 04:51PM PT
Every year, Parade Magazine releases a list of the "worlds worst dictators". Parade usually covers celebrity, health, and human interest type stories that are slightly more pleasant to read over your Sunday waffles. Yet, once a year, they devote their cover and a "top ten list" inside to some of the worst people to ever be called "head of state". Three of the individuals run countries that are marked as "red alert" on the Genocide Prevention Project's list of Mass Atrocity Crimes Watch List.
This year, Robert Mugabe tops the list. (He's moving up in the world - last year he was at a lowly number 6). Regular readers of this blog will be quite familiar with what Mugabe's done to deserve this honor. But, helpfully, Parade highlights a "U.S. link" for each of these dictatorial super-stars. For Mugabe, despite our government's heighten rhetoric,
imports from Zimbabwe (primarily nickel and ferrochromium, both used in stainless steel) rose in 2008.
Demoted from #1, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the first sitting head of state the International Criminal Court has ordered arrested, is now the proud holder of the "World's Worst Dictators" silver medal.
Again, the U.S. link is two-fold:
Both former President Bush and President Obama have spoken out strongly against Bashir’s actions. Although we’ve imposed trade sanctions against Sudan, the U.S. still supplies the country with substantial amounts of sorghum and other food products. The U.S. also purchases from Sudan millions of dollars worth of gum Arabic, used in soft drinks, candy, and shoe polish. In 2008, U.S. trade with Sudan actually increased to $148 million.
Gum Arabic - part of this balanced breakfast?
Mia Farrow Documents Darfur Traditions
Published March 01, 2009 @ 08:20PM PT
Actress and activist Mia Farrow recently returned from the Chad-Darfur border, where she spent a number of weeks documenting Darfuri traditions.
I have visited this camp many times—they know I care, they know that I have been fighting for them—for their protection, for justice. For their safe return home. They know I come here in solidarity, and in respect. So, as we talked, and I said if we do not preserve the old traditions, the songs and stories and the ways of their grandparents, they will be lost forever. Omer Al-Bashir and co will have destroyed everything. But we cannot allow this. Let us do this together, for their children, and their children’s children. For the children of Darfur who do not know their homeland and their heritage. We will operate the camera, but this is for them. The museum will be theirs. Whatever they feel is important, they can bring it to us and we will preserve it.
I'm fascinated to see what comes from the project, but in the meantime, check out some of the beautiful photographs Farrow took while there:
Lemon necklaces
Woman wearing hijabs - protective amulets
The Oscars, the Grammys and Genocide
Published February 22, 2009 @ 07:34PM PT
The red carpet is filled with stars tonight, but you might have noticed that an awards show regular is missing.
Instead of hanging out with Brad and Angelina, George Clooney is recovering from a trip to Chad and the Darfur area.
Nicholas Kristof traveled with Clooney, promising:
You read my columns about Darfur from this trip, and I’ll give you the scoop on every one of Mr. Clooney’s wild romances and motorcycle accidents in this remote nook of Africa. You’ll read it here way before The National Enquirer has it, but only if you wade through paragraphs of genocide.
Kristof explains Clooney's decision to return to Chad [instead of attending the Oscars]:
Mr. Clooney figured that since cameras follow him everywhere, he might as well redirect some of that spotlight to people who need it more.
According to reports, Clooney is to meet with President Obama this week to discuss his trip.
Clooney has already called on President Obama to
"appoint a high-level, full-time diplomat to negotiate and work hard every day for a peace treaty."
A meeting with President Obama? Not a bad trade-off when you've already won an Oscar!
In other awards season genocide news, Sri Lankan singer M.I.A. made headlines when she performed at the Grammy Awards on her due date. She made human rights headlines when she charged the Government of Sri 
Lanka with genocide just a few days later:
"There’s been a systematic genocide which has quiet thing because no one knows where Sri Lanka is. And now it’s just escalated to the point there’s 350,000 people who are stuck in a battle zone and can’t get out, and aid’s banned and humanitarian organizations are banned, journalists are banned from telling the story."
(Hat tip to Amnesty USA).
On Thursday, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister responded:
"M.I.A. is a great artist and we wish her well," "But, sorry, I think she is misinformed and it's best that she stays with what she's good at, which is music. Not politics."
"The Tamil people are our people. They are our brothers, they are our sisters, they live amongst us. I don't think there is a problem that the Sinhalese have with Tamils. They do have a problem with the Tamil Tigers," he said.
Karadzic to Face Criminal Tribunal Tomorrow
Published February 19, 2009 @ 07:36PM PT
Tomorrow, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic will appear before the International Criminal 
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague.
According to TVNZ:
He has already made clear his intent to represent himself and has been busy filing numerous motions over the past month contesting the appointment of judges, demanding former US peace mediator Richard Holbrooke and ex-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright appear at the tribunal, and challenging the legality of the case against him.
Karadzic argues that his trial is illegal because he was offered immunity by Holbrooke, who represented the United States during peace talks.
Holbrooke has repeatedly denied Karadzic's claims.
Aside from Karadzic's (almost definitely) delusional ideas that Holbrooke and Albright will bail him out, it will be interesting to watch this trial develop for future implications for international justice and determinations of genocide.
