Darfur Now (2007)

Dionysos, god of wine: Athena fought to get us to review this movie. Now I'm glad I listened to her. I knew bad things were happening, but I had no idea how bad. Don Cheadle of Hotel Rwanda and George Clooney have my undying respect for bringing this story to light. The same goes for all the others involved. Thumbs up.

Athena, goddess of heroism: Activist Adam Sterling says it all when he remarks that unlike previous genocides, this one is going on right now, and we finally have a chance to stop it. Unfortunately, certain wealthier nations have not gone crusading into Darfur as they have into certain other oil-rich countries. The fight to stop this atrocity has been long and hard, and this film makes known the struggle. It should be required viewing in all high school social studies classes. The only thing I disliked was that it came to a sort of "happy ending" with the California legislation and ICC decision, giving the impression we don't need to be concerned anymore. Darfur still desperately needs our help. Thumbs up.

Hestia, goddess of the hearth: Goodness, I just don't understand why people can't share the same hearth in peace. I don't get out much, so Athena showed me this thing they have now... called the Internet... and the ways people can help out. One is giving to Amnesty International and another is sending a postcard to that nice new American president, Barack Obama, to remind him of his promise to act. She tried to show me more ways but then an indecent image popped up and I just couldn't bear to look! Anyway, the film was interesting. Thumbs up.


Three thumbs up

DARFUR NOW
This documentary tells the stories of six people struggling to save Darfur in different ways. Adam Sterling, a 24 year-old waiter and activist, campaigns tirelesly to pass legislation in California, while Actors Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) and George Clooney (Burn After Reading) use their celebrity as political clout. Meanwhile in Sudan, Hejewa Adam joins the rebel forces after her baby is beaten to death, Ahmed Mohammed Abaka struggles to hold together a camp of some 47,000 displaced Darfurians, and Pablo Recalde braves the violence to get World Food Program aid to the people. While all this is going on, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo slowly builds an undeniable case.

Darfur is a region of western Sudan embroiled in conflict since 2003. The following year, the UN's outgoing Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan called it "the world's greatest humanitarian crisis."
Director: Ted Braun
Cast: Don Cheadle, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Adam Sterling, Sheikh Ahmad Mohammed Abakar, Hejewa Adam, George Clooney
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 69%
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DID YOU KNOW? Although Classical Greece gave birth to some of today's most esteemed values, like democracy and the study of ethics, it was unfortunately also a place of what we would today view as human rights violations. For example, the male head of the family had the legal right to expose an unwanted child unto death. If we have progressed since Classical times, it is due to constant effort, necessary today as much as ever.