Nonfiction
by
Don Cheadle and John Prendergast
Not on Our Watch is a wake up call to people. Although genocide has been denounced, after the Holocaust, Bosnia, and Rwanda, to name a few, it continues to be a part of our world today in Darfur, Sudan. The elimination and extermination of the non-Arabs in Darfur by the Arabs is quietly taking place as our attention is focused on Iraq and the Middle East by the news media and politicians because of our greater interest in their oil resources.
Cheadle and Prendergast hint that little or no attention is being paid to the atrocities being committed against the non-Arabs in Darfur, because Africa has few if any resources that are of economic benefit to the United States. According to the authors, this is probably one of the greatest reasons why the United States has not stepped in either diplomatically or aggressively to try to end the genocide that is taking place in Sudan against Darfurians even though Colin Powell has openly declared what is happening in Darfur to be “genocide.” They also suggest that nothing is being done about Darfur because the Sudanese government has joined President Bush’s war on terrorism and he doesn’t want to upset the Sudan government.
Even though President Clinton said that “never again” should there be genocide in referring to the atrocities against humanity that took place in Bosnia, it is happening once again in the twenty-first century in Sudan. No matter what the reasons given by any government or individual for genocide there isn’t one that can be agreed upon as being okay. So why then is genocide occurring in Darfur and no one is talking about it? The authors state that it is the “obstacles to action” that keep nations and people from stopping the injustices and atrocities against the non-Arabs in Darfur; these obstacles are “apathy, indifference, ignorance, and policy inertia.”
Not on Our Watch is a mix of history about previous genocides throughout the world and how inaction allowed them to go on, the current day genocide taking place in Sudan in Darfur, the history of Sudan, specific incidents reported by refugees from Darfur who have fled their homeland, and experiences from visits to the region by the authors. In a sense the book is historical nonfiction that also has some biographic accounts from the refugees, as well as, a diary-like quality when the authors bring in their own stories or experiences.
Overall this book is a good source to help motivate people to action because it gives specific things people can do to become involved in trying to stop the Darfurian genocide or anything that brings a call to action. Each page gives the reader the sense that every individual makes a difference. This book is worth reading by anyone who does not want the history of genocides to repeat itself. I highly recommend this book as a handbook on how to personally bring change in the world.
Related YouTube Videos:
How some are...
Links to Help:
Other Links:
