By T. Coreentje Phipps
Acclaimed Actor Don Cheadle and former official in the Clinton White House, John Pendergrast, authored the book "Not On Our Watch" in which they tell true and riveting stories of the plight of Africans in forgotten Darfur. They give a detailed insight of the tyranny unleashed on a helpless people at the merciless hands of Sudanese militants known as the Janjaweed. The havoc that these terrorists have wreaked on the lives of their fellowmen bears a grave political, religious, and social underpinning that fuels wounds of discontent, hopelessness, and fear of a people in the once prosperous independent Kingdom of Darfur that even time cannot guarantee to repair. The innocence that has been stripped from a people undeserving of such brutality has shaped the face of an African nation where life as its inhabitants knew it, will never be the same again. As the 20th century ended in Darfur, the horror of “slow-motion” genocide dawned on the 21st century. Real lives, real people, dishonorably forced to an early death; violently, mercilessly, brutally.
Cheadle and Pendergrast embarked on their mission as activists against the genocide in Darfur mainly to bring worldwide attention to the demise of an African nation (over 800,000 slaughtered in 1994, 400,000 in 2003 and more every day since). They believe that beckoning all who can to take a proactive role in the fight against this violence caused by ethnic cleansing is as important as issuing a clarion call to a sitting government. In fact, they suggest that such terror, such grave and violent human loss ought not happen in the 21st century; "Not on Our Watch". Both men have openly condemned the Bush administration and other world leaders for their neglect of the Darfur crisis, offering six key strategies for effective change they believe can stop the genocide in Darfur notably, raising awareness, raising funds, writing letters, calling for divestment, joining an organization and lobbying the government. With the world's eyes cast on Darfur, the hotbed issues have been brought to the fore, and the skeletons of Darfur 's past have been unearthed.
Although our St. Kitts-Nevis crisis is a “far cry” from the demise in Darfur, we face an unprecedented modern day challenge ignited by an upsurge in youth and gang violence. Violent crime resulting in death among our nation's young people is occurring at an alarming rate today than at any other time in the history of our Federation. What's the point in sugar coating it? Crime and the fear perpetuated by criminals is unquestionably one of the single most destructive ingredients of our Federation, likened to a natural disaster. The proof is in the statistics. As the 20th century ended in our Federation, on our watch, crime has cunningly seeped into our once peaceful society, like a meandering stream on its way to a vast ocean with a force so powerful, it threatens to sink us all, not just the criminals. On our watch, crime continues to impede the tranquil lifestyle we were once accustomed to. As adults, we bear some of the responsibility. After all, we are the ones who unleash venomous verbal attacks on those who oppose our opinions or ideals. Oh, and with very little thought, we adults turn the tongue lashing up a notch if others oppose our political views or any view for that matter. Agree to disagree? Respect the views of others? Challenge the issues and not the individual? What’s that? On our watch, we have allowed party politics to sour once healthy and vibrant relationships. Some of us engage in futile chatter, character attacks on others, and disrespect authority and ourselves with little or no regard for our children before whose innocent eyes and ears our squalid acts unfold.
As the increase in global challenges continue to negatively impact the development of most countries, somehow we have missed the opportunities to unite and transform our nation, and for some of the silliest and often most selfish reasons. We reserve our civic duty to place country above self because, for some of us, "we government ain't in power". We love our land of beauty, not unconditionally, but on the condition that who we support rules our land of beauty. On our watch, simple yet meaningful acts, capable of enriching our nation, somehow seem to evade us. We don't stand as the national anthem plays, we disrespect those elected to public office because we don't think "they" should be in office, we accost police offers because we allow rage and ignorance to be o
ur modus operandi in handling disagreements. Alas, as these things and more continue to fester, our youth, who will likely take up where we left off, are carefully assessing us. After all, we are "on their watch" too. We have heard it countless times. If our concerns about crime do not translate to more effective efforts to fend off this social plague with all the resources we can amass, then on our watch, St. Kitts and Nevis will be a nation gone with the wind, the likes of our once progressive days a mere line in history. Not because of the weakening economy or because the islands lack tourist appeal, but because fear, much like the fear looming over our nation today, can cripple us into a stupor. It can consume us, control us and confine us to a world where "see and blind, hear and deaf" seems safer than the pursuit of truth.
How will we account for the interest we have demonstrated in directing, shaping, and changing the lives of those who look to us? What will our legacy be? That we watched the devastating effects of crime on our nation, particularly its young people, and did NOTHING? That we sat in silence saying NOTHING as criminals openly boasted about their acquired craft? That political differences made us seething enemies, too drunk with hate to reason rationally for the good of our nation? That we knowingly shunned young people we well knew could use our adult intervention? When we reflect on our lives at this extremely critical juncture in our Federation's history, what account would we give of our stewardship as Kittitians and Nevisians?
Don Cheadle, Pendergrast, and many others drew world attention to Darfur because of their actions, not their inaction. The six key strategies they adopted in their mission to save Darfur don’t necessarily apply to us, but along with other solutions, we can certainly raise awareness, raise funds, write letters, call for divestment, join an organization and lobby our government. Today, reports from Darfur indicate that the crisis has not ended. In fact, when people hear about Darfur they think of pain, loss, and slow motion genocide, but they acknowledge the impassioned involvement of thousands to end the war in Darfur. The reality is that in doing something, these activists might not save everyone, but saving one child or one family offers hope for many. It is this reality that challenges each of us to think soberly and intently about our role in the transformation of our nation. On our watch, we ought not surrender our diminishing supply of hope for our prosperous nation to the muggers of human existence. Our claim to Kittitian and Nevisian fame should not be that we are the murder capital of the world.
Not today; Not Ever; Not On Our Watch!
