August 8th, 2007. The countdown has begun. A year from today the Beijing Olympics will open. No doubt amid hoopla, fanfare, dangerous smog levels and with or without their celebrated artistic advisor Steven Spielberg. These games will be tainted with blood unless the Chinese Government moves swiftly to reverse the public relations nightmare that they have created through their complicity in the Darfur genocide.
China has played a huge role in the economic development of Sudan, including its oil industry and weapons manufacture. Both help fund the Sudanese governments support of the Janjaweed militias that have caused the death of over 400,000 Darfurians and the displacement of millions of others. For years China has resisted efforts in the UN Security Council to put a halt to this genocide and as August 8th 2008 draws closer their small steps of reversal seem far less than Olympian.
Most activists involved in the genocide in Darfur stop short of calling them "the genocide Olympics" but there is a huge cloud of shame hovering over China. As producer of the film The Devil Came on Horseback, I (and the team I work with) do not advocate boycotting the games because we honor the years of hard work that all the prospective Olympians have devoted to their sport. However we do advocate learning about China's role in Sudan and lobbying to end the genocide.
The slogan of the games "One World, One dream" rings hollow to those who know of China's support of Sudan. Consider the official explanation of the slogan: '"One World One Dream" expresses the common wishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future of Mankind. In spite of the differences in colors, languages and races, we share the charm and joy of the Olympic Games, and together we seek for (sic) the ideal of Mankind for peace"'.
It is exactly because of differences of color and race that there is genocide in Darfur today. Let us hope that a year from now this will no longer be true.
August 8th 2007: let the countdown to peace for Mankind begin.