I’ve been asking this question for atleast to years. We have alot of study-abroad students from the US here and I see a few of them wearing “Save Darfur” t-shirts, when I ask them about it, they are either absolutely clueless or severely misinformed. Yes, people should be concerned about it, but they should know enough about the situation before wearing t-shirts with save darfur slogans, protesting infront of the sudanese emabassy in DC and sending e-mails to their senators calling for divestment.
and yes why do they really think joining a facebook group, donating a dollar or even demonstrating is going to stop the conflict? if they know anything about it, they should advocated for a political resolution!

This is an excellent post. Make it into an op-ed and try to get it publish it in one of the mainstream US papers!

A good piece on the US politics of Darfur is by Hisham Aidi, see here: http://www.merip.org/mer/mer234/aidi.html

Nice post.
Sean

The answer to your question is simple in my opinion. Here it is:

http://www.sudanesethinker.com/2007/10/06/tweaking-the-narrative-of-the-darfur-cause-in-america/

P.S.: Most Sudanese would tell you America focuses on Darfur because it wants to steal the oil and uranium there (which I don’t believe to be true).

I emailed you btw.

Ethan Zuckerman of Global Voices raises some disturbing questions on media coverage of Darfur — on why this conflict has received more coverage than others with comparable or greater costs in deaths and displacement, and on whether the success of groups like Safe Darfur in rallying public interest in Darfur has also contributed to an over-simplified view of a complex conflict.

The Pulitzer Center has attempted through its projects to shed light on all aspects of the conflict in Sudan, from our 2006 project on the African Union’s role in Darfur (http://www.pulitzercenter.org/showproject.cfm?id=18) to subsequent work on the government’s conflict with the Beja people of eastern Sudan (http://www.pulitzercenter.org/showproject.cfm?id=23) and the return of several Lost Boys to southern Sudan (http://www.pulitzercenter.org/showproject.cfm?id=33). Heba Aly is currently in nothern Sudan on another Pulitzer Center project, reporting on why many Sudanese Arabs feel alienated from their government as well.

Ethan raises issues we all need to address. So does the essay he references by Mahmood Mamdani of Columbia University from early 2007, in the London Review of Books.

Jon Sawyer, Executive Director
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting