The book Not on our watch by John Prendergast and Don Cheadle tells us about the genocide and mass displacement of three tribes in Darfur, Sudan, and what we can do to end the atrocities.
This book is not a literature masterpiece, nor is it trying to be that. It is written,so that people reading it would become aware of Darfur, and take action. Therefore the book's three main themes are true stories from Darfur, ways of taking action, and real stories on how people have taken action already. The book is for the American public, but the message stays clear - do something!
For me, who really didn't know too much about Darfur, the book was a perfect information source; in a clear way it tells what is going on, and what the history behind the situation is. Did you know that there are three tribes that have been killed, tortured and driven from their homes - the Fur, the Zaghawa and the Massaleit? Did you know over 400 000 are dead already? Did you know it is the Sudanese government that are responsible? Me neither, before reading this book. It is truly terrible what's going on in Darfur.
As tips on what I and you can do against it John and Don give many plausible methods of taking action. Raising awareness (as I'm doing now), raising funds, writing to your congressman or parliament representative or joining an organisation are all good ways of working towards a genocide-free world. It's easy too: I wrote a mail to a few government reps to let them know this issue is important. One might think it is just so little, but it does help! I plan to write a few more later on, to let them know I haven't forgotten.
I recommend this book to everyone. Visit your library or buy it ; just read it and take action. A few of the tips are also listed on the website www.notonourwatch.com
I also moderate a Darfur group on Ravelry , please join!
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