Sunday, July 29, 2007

Genocide

I'm also interested in doing my first blog on the Genocide theme. It's always been something that has interested me, and it was renewed earlier this year when Greenday released a cover of John Lennon's Working Class Hero to raise awareness for the genocide in Darfur (This is a link to the video clip if anyone wants to watch it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPPgeDhGzKY) It's a great song and very moving with Darfur survivors talking about their experiences and what they want for their country throughout the song.

I just don't understand how things like this can continue to happen. After the Holocaust the world seemed so horrified and determined never to let such an atrocity occur again, but it has happened again, and more than once. I find it hard to believe that in this day and age, when, thanks to technology something happens on the other side of the world and it's on our tv and computer screens within half an hour, that society can continue to stand by and let these things happen, ignorance can't be an excuse anymore. It will definitely be interesting to look into it more and find out what components can contribute to creating something so horrible - I really don't have any understanding of what makes it possible for one human to do something so terrible to another, or why people can comfortably stand aside and knowingly allow genocide to occur.

2 comments:

Michaela Draca said...

Hi Debbi,

I have not seen Hotel Rwanda which i really want to see but I have seen The last king of Scotland and yes i was amazed by the contradiction of the Amid's character cruel and a good man. You just not sure how to understand such a personality. I enjoyed to movie and think that art is a way to deal with human failures such as killing or genocide. It should prevent us from making another mistakes, so much repeated through the history.
I have also listened to the Green Day song. I like the verse: 'if you want to be hero just follow me'. Its sarcastic and engaging.
I find Fi's statements about reconcilliation in Rwanda very interesting.

michaela

Fi Braybrooks said...

Hi deb, thanks for your comments! Its good to see other people looking into genocide and showing concern about its origins. It is difficult to comprehend how such terror can take place, but through a bit of reading, i'm already discovering it isn't difficult to fire people up when they feel they are being oppressed, so i'm not surprised at how easily genocide eventuates. Next time i head home to Coota town i will try and find my photos and post them on the blog - who knows where they are, but will make an effort to find them!