Day 10: Darfur & Poetry

As many of you learned during yesterday's video, genocide isn't a thing of the past. There are genocides taking place right now. One of the largest genocides--and one that has received much media attention--is taking place in Darfur, a region in Sudan. Here are some sobering statistics about the region:

1. Over the past five years, over 400,000 Darfurian civilians have been killed.
2. 150,000 people have died directly from acts of violence in Darfur.
3. 90% of the villages of Darfur’s targeted ethnic groups have been destroyed.
4. 97% of these killings have been against innocent civilians and executed by militia groups instructed by the government.
5. 80 infants die each day in Darfur due to a lack of proper nutrition
6. 80% of those displaced are women and young girls who are consistently the victims of sexual violence and abducted into sexual slavery
7. Humanitarian refugee camps in Chad and Sudan are overcrowded, disease infested, and prone to attacks.
8. 2.8 million people have been displaced within Sudan.
9. 250,000 people have fled Darfur, mainly to Chad where they are facing further violence.
10. Despite an abundance of oil and other natural resources, the vast majority of Sudan’s people live in poverty, and its Government has been described as ‘the most repressive regime in the world’.

Here, you'll find a selection of poems written about the terror in Darfur: http://www.thehypertexts.com/For%20Darfur%20Poets%20Poetry%20Literature%20Art%20Genocide.htm.

After you have read through these materials, we would like for you to choose one poem that particularly resonates with you and write a 250 word response. If you'd like, you can include the poem in your own post.