On March 26, 2007 the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education and the JoAnne Boyle World Affairs Forum hosted a lecture by Sharon Hutchinson at Seton Hill University (SHU).
Hutchinson was a 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and professor of anthropology and African studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The topic of the lecture was �Genocide in Darfur: Sudan’s Defiance of International Human Rights.�
By Kayla Sawyer,
Staff Writer
On March 26, 2007 the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education and the JoAnne Boyle World Affairs Forum hosted a lecture by Sharon Hutchinson at Seton Hill University (SHU).
Hutchinson was a 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and professor of anthropology and African studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The topic of the lecture was �Genocide in Darfur: Sudan’s Defiance of International Human Rights.�
�My interest in genocide just crept up on me,� said Hutchinson. �I was there when the Darfur issue exploded and I have an ethical obligation to alert people to the reality of the situation.�
Hutchinson served with the U.S . State Department’s Civilian Protection Monitoring Team in Sudan for four months during 2002 and 2003. During her time there, she reported on the military violence conducted by the Government of Sudan.
�The government of Sudan really doesn’tlike me. I�ve done some damage to them,� Hutchinson said.
She had also conducted field research in the area since 1980 and has recently started several primary schools in the area. She is also the author of �Nuer Dilemmas: Coping with Money, War and the State.�
�It’s a war of information. Our media is increasingly controlled by a number of people, and of course it’s much easier to control when people think it’s all in their best interest,� said Hutchinson.
�I think it’s really unfortunate that not a whole lot is said about Darfur in the media,� said Daryle Gracey, a sophomore. �I can guarantee that a lot of people didn’teven know where Darfur was, let alone all the problems that are going on there.�
During her lecture, Hutchinson discussed the conflict and its history, as well as what is hanging in the balance.
�We are in need of a tremendous grassroots movement, and without one, impunity reigns,� said Hutchinson.
�If many people ban together something can be done to aid those affected by the genocide,� said Gracey.
She spoke about the mass executions, the systematic use of rape, and the poisoning of wells. She reported that 2.7 million people have been displaced and that millions are dependent on international human relief.
�I didn’tthink the lecture focused on the human aspect of the issue fully,� said Ryan Gephart, a sophomore.
�I learned a good many new things on the political and socio-historical spectrum of things, however, I still felt like that human component was missing,� said Gephart.
�We�ve been told that economic globalization is the answer. Sudan is evidence to the contrary. The idea of globalization is unsustainable, and yet it’s an idea that’s used to justify a lot of things,� said Hutchinson.
Examples of ways for students to get involved were provided by Hutchinson. She recommended that people write to their congressperson and send letters to the editors of newspapers.
Other organizations that raise money for humanitarian campaigns are A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition (www.standnow.org) and Save the Children USA (www.savethechildren.org).
Hutchinson said, �When people say �I can’tchange anything. There are just too many things wrong in the world,� then I say: Fine. Pick one!�
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