book review on "The Translator"

    Article I of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations states, “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” This statement represents what the United Nations believes is inevitable to the definition of Human Rights. Unfortunately, the beliefs of the UN do not carry to every corner of the earth. Sex trafficking, slavery, rape, genocide, and racism occur in many countries around the world, in some cases such as in Darfur, more than one of these unacceptable phenomenon occur at a constant rate.
    “The Translator” by Daoud Hari, is a book that illustrates a portion of Daoud’s life in a hope of reaching out to anyone he can and get the story of Darfur on the political map. “I bring the stories to you because I know most people want others to have good lives, and, when they understand the situation, they will do what they can to steer the world back toward kindness.” The book has three main purposes: to prove that genocide occurs in Darfur, to get Daoud’s point across to the readers and later on, people in power; to trigger people to act and aid the people that are being targeted in Darfur. He believes that all humans deep down have a desire for peace; they will do something to reach peace if they know of real accounts in different areas of the world and if they understand how they can help.

    The book jumps straight into one of Daoud’s experiences. He is traveling through the jungles of Darfur along with a driver and working as a translator for a filmmaker from Britain. This story is very important for it shows just how dangerous life in the midst of civil wars can be. The land rover in which they are traveling comes to a stop when they are face to face with six land rovers of a rebel group. They tell Daoud, “Daoud Ibarahaem Hari, we know all about you. You are a spy. I know you are Zaghawa like us, not Arab, but unfortunately we have some orders, and we have to kill you now.” (The Zaghawa people are a tribe in Darfur, they are known for quotation-mark-like scars on  their temples and are usually easily recognized by them) As Daoud is kneeling with the barrel of the rifle pressed against his head, the filmmaker tells everyone to stop and calls the rebel group’s leader who he had met earlier on one of his film projects. The leader ordered his troops to not kill Daoud for he was only a translator. This event is very memorable as you become directly aware of life in Darfur, from the start of the book.
    Throughout the book, Daoud tells of stories that are truly gut-wrenching and horrific. There are several accounts in which Daoud comes close to death, and many more in which he sees death take control of people that he knows, right in front of his eyes. An atrocious example of one event is about a man of whom he hears a story about. This man was running from the rebel troops as they were attacking his once peaceful village and bombarded it with Ak-47’s and RPG’s. With his 4 year old daughter by the hand, this man ran as fast as he could. Just before reaching the point of escape, the Janjaweed (Arab militia group)() reached them. With nothing else for him to do, he told his daughter to run. “But she didn’t keep running; she watched from some bushes as they beat me and tied me to a tree...” The Janjaweed men began to beat him to the point of barely having consciousness.  His daughter could not hold back, “she ran toward me and called out, Abba, Abba. ” (Abba means Daddy). The story of this man becomes only more dreadful. “The Janjaweed man who had tied me to the tree saw my daughter running to me. He lowered his rifle and he let her run into his bayonet. He gave it a big push. The blade went all the way through her stomach. She still cried out to me, ‘Abba! Abba!’”

    Stories of ordinary, peaceful people being slaughtered in Darfur are no surprise. Many people in Sudan suffer and are eternally scarred from the death, rape, and beatings that they see happen in front of them. Daoud Hari portrays only a limited amount of the events that occur. “The Translator” depicts moments of the lives of the people of Darfur, including their daily struggle and hope for survival. The book demonstrates how Daoud wants to tell people of the horrid events in his home country, to urge people to make a change out of love, and prove that genocide has battered Darfur.
    Genocide is defined as: deliberate extermination of a people or nation. At the beginning of the book, Daoud Hari explains how he believes that genocide is occurring in Darfur, with the targeted group being the tribespeople and natives to Africa. The stories that are told in every part of the book shows, in detail and with clarity, how the government in Sudan is deceitful and untrustworthy.
    Daoud makes an argument in which he states that the people of his land understand how the government works and manipulates. The Arab government that is currently in power attempts to wipe out all of the native Africans by lying to rebel groups. There are many rebel groups in Darfur; they are constantly agreeing to peace contracts with the government that will promise peace for the group if they in return attack and defeat another rebel group that may be causing problems to the government. The government of Sudan is the one that overlooks all of the terror that occurs between the same people. The native Africans have turned against one another in the quest to survive. The targeted group has been dying out for past few years due to all of the hostility that the government instills on rebel leaders’ minds. With the constant change in peace contracts with the rebel groups, the people suspect no end to the massacre. I believe that throughout the book, Daoud clearly proves his point and will convince many that genocide is truly in existence in Darfur.
    Another argument that is made in the book is that the people of Africa are not malicious, but instead very kind; the only reason they join the war is to survive. Daoud explains how the Zaghawa are thoughtful of others throughout the coarse of the book. As he explains the way they live, you learn of what Daoud thinks of his people. They are all a big family, everyone in the village knows everyone, and for the most part, most of them are in someway related. There is also Sheik for every village, that helps care for any visitor or person in need. Daoud shows his people’s affection towards animals when he speaks of camels and how they are very valuable and very helpful around the household, even to the point that they are loved so much that they are treated as family. Although he promotes his people’s kindheartedness, there are still Zaghawa and of course other Africans that join the rebel groups. Daoud believes that men and boys join the war because they see no other alternative. Some people believe that they will become powerful and be able to protect their families, or that as long as they are a part of a group, they will at least have a constant source of food and protection. Others have lost all of their family and see no point in running, instead they allow rage and vengeance to control their thoughts and decide to enter a rebel group. When Daoud is in Chad translating the interviews between refugees and reporters, he makes it clear that this is why his people join the armies and militias. There are several examples that prove him right. A man once asked him, “Am I a woman who should stay in this camp, or a man who should go fight, and leave my wife and son without protection?” There are many issues that engross the mind of the family member during these times. A trend of confusion from the refugees and victims is seen throughout the book.
    Daoud also states that he believes that people “...will do what they can to steer the world back toward kindness.” In the introduction and in the acknowledgements sections of the book, he conveys a voice that pleads for a chance to enter your heart, and convince you to do something for his people. “I have seen and heard many things in Darfur that have broken my heart.” He clearly understands what needs to be done. The way to allow aid to enter Darfur is to reach out to other countries and tell a few of the stories that he has witnessed. Daoud argues that the leaders of the world are capable of resolving the problem in his country, and that this book can reach them. “The leaders of the world can solve this problem, and the people of Darfur can go home, if the leaders see that people everywhere care deeply enough to talk to them about this. So, if you have the time, perhaps you can do so.” He has lived through many near death experiences and believes that there is a purpose for all of his troubles. “For  it has no meaning to take risks for new stories unless the people who read them will act.”

Movie Review

     Invisible Children, is a documentary that covers the story of children in the midst of the civil war in Sudan, Africa. Sudan has been involved with a civil war for the past twenty years. The documentary is very well produced and edited. Although the young men who made the documentary have never made a documentary before, their lack of experience can sometimes be shown but in no way deteriorates its' ability to be suffice for an audience. The documentary is a captivating movie that speaks out to the hearts of many and really educates the audience about children in Sudan, deserving a very high appraise.

     The documentary began as a trip to Sudan, by three young men that wanted a story on Sudan's civil war. What they found was better than what they were looking for. The men ended up learning about the children of Sudan, and how they are effected by the civil war. These investigators labeled the children as Invisible Children. The children are left to tend for themselves due to the deaths of their parents because of AIDS or the war, and are not fully statistically accounted for; therefore: Invisible Children is their title. 

     The documentary interviews many children. Their stories are truly profound and penetrate the emotions and heart of the viewer. Throughout the movie, the stories cultivate and give the viewer a better understanding of what is truly going on in Sudan. The children are severely hurt mentally, physically, and emotionally by the sinister rebel group called the LRA (the Lord's Resistance Army) who abduct many children in the darkness of night, killing all kids who show weakness and unwillingness to kill. Luckily, many kids have found refuge at St. Mary's Hospital, which is referred to as a "sanctuary" in the film, for kids who need a place to sleep at night and cannot sleep in their homes because the LRA will abduct them.

     The documentary definitely deserves a very high rating from any viewer. The film persuades the audience to not show pity for the children, but instead aid in relief in any way that is possible. Even if it may just be to show the documentary to as many people as possible. I would highly recommend anyone to watch this video, whether it be for educational purpose or due to simple boredom, everyone should watch and attempt to help the Invisible Children of Sudan!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3166797753930210643#

Survey Results

After conducting a survey, the results came from a small group of five students. The questions were: "Do you think Child Soldiers can be an issue in the United States?" and, "What is the continent with the most active Child Soldiers?". The options of the poll for the first question were a "yes", "no", or "maybe". Two of the five students said "yes", one student said "no" and the other two stated that child soldiers might be an issue in the United States. For the second question, the four options were: Asia, The Americas, Africa, or the Middle East. Four students answered "Africa", and one student answered "Middle East". There are many possible reasons as to why the students chose the way they did. 

The responses were not at all surprising. The reason why the students chose what they did was because it seems that most of them had at least a little bit of background knowledge about child soldiers. For the first question, the United States can be in a little trouble with child soldiers. There are many people in the U.S. who do something about child soldiers, whether it be an organization, a student group, or even a small group of individuals. The official definition of a child soldier includes a child under the age of 18. In the U.S., recruitment begins at age 17 for males. This draws a thin line between legal soldiers in this country.  The second question also gives insight about the students who answered the polls. It is true that continent with the most child soldiers is Africa. The students definitely know about the area in which child soldiers can be found. After conducting a survey, the results came from a small group of five students. The questions were: "

What's on the Web!

     The Coalition to stop the use of Child Soldiers is the epitome of a coalition in the fact that it is highly productive and stops at nothing to get it's point across. By simply jumping on the website, you see the effectiveness of the coalition and how it elicits great organizational skills, contacting skills, and informative skills. The website was made by the Coalition to Stop the use of Child Soldiers in 1998 and by the International Secretariat of the Coalition in London. With every day that passes by, the website is updated, which gives it the ability to engross recent activity in the Child Soldier Rights movement and the prevention of using Child Soldiers. It is sponsored by donations and by the Coalition.
     The website for this Coalition is definitely effective. The homepage is pretty much an overview on each tab on the website and it makes it a lot easier to follow and know what your looking at, searching for, and learning about. The credibility of the website is definitely high; the website is up to date and has both direct and indirect sources including stories of the actual children and information on what is happening government wise with Child Soldiers. As far as accuracy goes, the website is on top of things and has a lot of information that is applicable to anyone who wants to learn more about Child Soldiers. It includes the facts and real life accounts. The content of the website is also beneficial to the topic, has all kinds of sources, news updates, and articles about the children.
     Overall, the website is very helpful and has an altruistic point of view. It has a lot of information on the Coalition and it's causes and goals. The website greets the reader well and effectively shows him/her the information and enough information on how to help the reader learn how to donate and be a helping hand to the coalition. 

Whats going on??

     Today there is an estimated 300,000 child soldiers under the age of 18 participating in 33 different conflicts around the world. Everyday, children are being abducted, taken from their parents, villages, and families, or are joining a rebel or government military system in order to achieve protection and the chance of survival. What happens after they are a part of the military? Well the most common answer to the question is that the children are usually used as spies, combatants, suicide bombers, for "sexual relief", ammo carriers, guards, messengers, or human mine detectors. At any given time, the child is vulnerable to being beat, raped, shot, and killed. The only way to diminish your chances of death in war is by increasing your chances of death at camp, by escape.
     There have been cases in which child soldiers have escaped, or attempted to escape. They escape when they go out to get water, at the middle of the night, or during combat; just about any chance that they get. Most of them end up shot and killed, but the ones who make it are still not done. After escaping camp, they can be spotted by the leaders of the camp, or can encounter wild animals or other rebel/government forces.
     But what happens after the kids are away from war? What happens next in their lives? In the Mozambican province of Gaza, there was two 23 year olds (2006) who were child soldiers but were lucky enough to escape with their lives. They were abducted from their village at a young age and forced to serve in the rebel force called Renamo. The two 23 year olds live very different lives. One of them is called Macamo, he has managed to have three young children of his own, by harvesting reeds on a riverbank. He is still poor but has a hut of his own and makes enough money to live with his family, extended family, and be able to buy plastic chairs for his dirt yard in order to welcome his guests.
     Quive, is the other escaped child soldier, now at the age of 23 (2006), he lives on his parents property with his mother. He takes the little hut on the property while his father's house is empty. Quive's father was expelled from the tribe for stealing a radio. Quive is an example of a child soldier who has never really recovered from his life during the war.  He has rotten teeth and no income; this has left him unmarried. During the war, Quive was working as a colonel's bodyguard, he saw some brutal events happen right in front of his eyes. He says he still has nightmares and flashbacks about working for the rebel force and has PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
     After a child is made into a soldier, his/her life will never be the same. They might end up escaping, but there is little hope for them to survive. If they survive, child soldiers will most likely be poor, loose a lot of education and an opportunity to be successful. 


Sources:
     Herbert, Wray. "The Children of War." U.S. News & World Report 20 Dec. 2004, Article #46 sec. Print.
     Becker, Jo. "Child Soldiers Changing a Culture of Violence." Human Rights Journal32.No. 1 (2005): 16-18. SIRS Human Relations. Print.

Background Info on Child Soldiers

Child Soldiers today are usually thought of as only existing in the African continent. As the blog continues, you will know that there are several other areas around the world that use children as a military tactic. Before we begin to list these places, we must first understand what a child soldier is. According to the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) a child soldier is "any child—boy or girl—under eighteen years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity." With that said, we can now move on to name the areas that contain the use of child soldiers. Africa, is the most known area in the world that has child soldiers. The countries in Africa with the most are: Burundi, Liberia, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Other areas around the world include Colombia in South America, and Myanmar in South Asia. 

An estimated 300,000 children are believed to be in war, worldwide. The overwhelming reality that there are so many children in today's wars is a source of grief, and supplies numerous questions such as: How can children be effective soldiers? and, How long have child soldiers existed? 

The practice of having children in a military can be seen throughout the coarse of history. The most notable account would be Hitler's Nazi Youth that were used throughout World War II. The way that the children are treated has definitely changed since then. Instead of having "the honor" of being a Nazi Youth, as many believed, child soldiers today are treated as cheap warriors who are given drugs in order to forget memories, pain, and fear when in combat.

Children in areas where there is war can be easily manipulated into becoming child soldiers. In areas with a lot of conflict, there are many children who are left orphaned and or are killed by wars around them. They are left with the only choice of joining the war in order to survive. Hence, many child soldiers are either voluntary, or are forced when their towns and villages are raided by rebel troops. Warlords believe that child soldiers can be useful in many ways. The children are used as spies, combatants, and water and ammunition carriers.

Sources: http://www.reliefweb.int/library/documents/chilsold.htm

http://www.cfr.org/publication/9331/child_soldiers_around_the_world.html

Introduction to My Blog!

     Have you ever been in a physical state of war? Do you know what it feels like to carry a gun that ways almost as much as you do? These are few of the questions that are answered by the daily lives of Child Soldiers in Africa. Through my blog, I plan to educate the reader on many aspects and different viewpoints on the effect of child soldiers. A few questions that I plan on also answering are: What events in Africa have lead to Child Soldiers? Since when have children been used as soldiers in the African continent? What is the process that is taken by the children to be used as soldiers? Is there some children who decide for themselves to fight in the wars? Has a civil war been the cause for the use of Child Soldiers in Africa? Is Africa the only continent with Child Soldiers?
     My goal for this blog is to learn more about Child Soldiers and to educate the readers at the same time. I hope to learn about real accounts and about the daily life of a Child Soldier and their families. I plan on answering all of the questions above and keep the blog interesting as well.