#WeStandInSolidarity
Pray for: S̶u̶d̶a̶n̶,̶ L̶y̶b̶i̶a̶,̶ C̶a̶m̶e̶r̶o̶o̶n̶,̶ Y̶e̶m̶e̶n̶,̶ D̶R̶ ̶C̶o̶n̶g̶o̶,̶ N̶e̶w̶ ̶G̶u̶i̶n̶e̶a̶,̶ S̶o̶m̶a̶l̶i̶a̶,̶ K̶e̶n̶y̶a̶,̶ N̶i̶g̶e̶r̶i̶a̶, I̶r̶a̶q̶,̶ A̶f̶g̶h̶a̶n̶i̶s̶t̶a̶n̶
…The World.
You may have seen this topic circulating the internet recently. You may even have seen the hashtags, videos and protests on your feed and a few celebrities posting or reposting media… but what's really happening around the world and what can we do to help?
Unless you’ve been living under a virtual rock or have somehow lost internet over the past few weeks, you would have seen the recent news on Sudan circulating the internet. You may be wondering why your instagram feeds and twitter followers suddenly have blue avatars too. Nope, your phone isn’t glitching, this is the internet’s way of spreading a message that has been grossly ignored by the media and has only gained recognition because of social media sharing and awareness via these platforms. At the moment the world stands in solidarity with Sudan, however, this is sadly a theme we continuously see as tragedies around the world come to light on a regular basis. One day it’s one hashtag, another day there’s a new one. This week Cameroon is finally getting some social media attention although there has been suffering for over a year. Despite this, there is still no news outlets reporting on this and sadly many people are unaware of what’s going on. As with anything that goes viral, the situation in Sudan and other countries alike have had people questioning how effective this “solidarity movement” really is. Is simply changing your avatar or reposting media making any difference or are some people using the opportunity to gain more image and clout? Even if you have good intentions does it really change anything? Are you wasting your time? It’s a tricky one.
There are people with no intentions of fighting a cause and want to “support” just because others are but at the same time, IT IS spreading awareness further… so, you know. When social media went blue for Sudan it made a lot of people ask why this was the case and they soon learned about the situation going on. This lead some to go on and do their own research as well as finding ways to contribute in a supportive way. As a result, news outlets acknowledged the #BlueForSudan movement and started reporting on it. It’s doing SOMETHING and aside from the fact that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to identify my followers (now I actually need to look at names), it’s refreshing that we can all agree to support something that really needs attention and is morally wrong. Sudan has always helped where they can, homed refugees with dignity and now, as a people, they are suffering. In the same way we came together for Grenfell and Paris amongst many others, we must extend our sympathies for the rest of the world. It’s the least humanity can do regardless of how you feel towards their governments. At the end of the day, humans are suffering, and as humans, we must do our very best to stand together when we can.
“You’re wasting your time. Nothing will change”.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that I’m an expert on this topic or suggest that I have all the answers but I’ve been following the limited news on Sudan for the last week (as I usually do when news surfaces) and have researched a little into the Cameroon situation (this was a little tricky as you really have to search to find information). I will try and break down the situation in these two countries, however, they are only one small piece to a bigger puzzle. Many many more countries are suffering around the world; some getting more media attention than others and if I attempted to name them all, we would be here forever (because of course, I’d need to research them). I speak on these two as they are the most recent to come to light but I encourage you to go and do your own research and education.
If you haven’t heard anything about Sudan and have no idea what I’m talking about I wouldn’t be surprised. There was a four-day media blackout in Sudan and hardly anyone had posted anything on it. It’s only in the last week that we - the rest of the world - have taken to social media to spread the message and alert everyone on the monstrosities that have been going on. Similarly, there is a “silent genocide” in Cameroon that has been going on for over a year and troubling images and videos have surfaced from Mamfe: the predominantly English-speaking side in the west. Their president Paul Biya is residing in a Luxury hotel in Switzerland while the chaos continues and he seeks to serve a seventh consecutive term (he has been in office for 36 years). I’m sure right now you have your own reaction towards this information and it’s no surprise that people want to know more and help.
A quick breakdown
Why is everyone’s profile blue and what’s going on in Sudan?
As addressed above, people have been changing their avatars to raise awareness about Sudan so what exactly has been going on over there? In layman’s terms:
Trigger warning: Sensitive content
Protests in Sudan began last year after an economic crisis that led to high food prices and a shortage of cash.
1. Former Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir finally stepped down in April after months of peaceful protesting. He had been in power since 1989 and had been indicted for genocide and war crimes in Darfur.
2. It was decided that Sudan would have a transitional government for 3years led by the transitional military council until a new leader is elected but these talks broke down in May.
3. Ever since there has been a massive peaceful situation for the demanding for civilian rule… until last week.
4. Civilians carried out a two-day strike and there was a response...
5. Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia known as “Janjaweed” violently attacked and shot demonstrators.
6. The military created an internet blackout by cutting off mobile data while the monstrosities continued.
7. During the holy month of Ramadan an estimated 100+ deaths, 650+ injured, 40+ corpses found in River Nile and many many rape cases including a girl of 6 being raped by 10 grown man and grown men also being raped.
So what do protestors want?
They want pro-democracy and want civilian rule with a long transition period to allow enough time for a proper vote and elections to take place while also allowing adequate time for the political system to reduce. Instead, the military has said that they will hold elections within nine months. This is not enough time.
What Can we do to help Sudan?
Look at protests that you can support if you’re available. There was a protest in London last Saturday (15th June 19) where demonstrators took to the streets and night vigils have been taking place. Look and see if there are any more around your area/ country.
Download apps such as boss revolution - this is particularly helpful to Sudanese living in the diaspora and they can use it to make direct international calls. For those of us who aren’t you can let people know about the app that may find it useful and donate a calling card of $2, $5 or $10 to help people reach home.
Educate yourselves by reading and watching content such as Hasan Minhaj’s 20 minute Patriot Act Episode on Netflix.
Check out this Google Doc for detailed information and ways to help. This is continuously updated so it is a great source to use.
What’s happening in Cameroon?
As mentioned previously, innocent people are being killed, mainly English-speaking. Buildings are being burnt down with people in them, innocent people have raped, killed, beheaded and stripped with men also being castrated and then dragged in the street. Children and babies have also been shot and attacked by soldiers and the content I’ve witnessed on social media has been horrific, to say the least. As far as I’m aware the UN has been contacted but considers this an “internal problem” so aid from them isn’t happening. Some of these videos are old, however, the situation is still critical to this day. I’ve only seen this pop onto my feed in the last few days and sources are limited, however, I did a little digging. BBC Africa Eye did a documentary on Cameroon called “Anatomy of a Killing” which you can watch to get a better understanding. There are also * limited * articles available (some from last year) which have also reported on the situation. You can read more here: All Africa, Voa news, The Guardian, The NY Times.
These are not the only countries suffering; in April, 150 Fulani Muslims were massacred in Mali and only a few days ago bombs were dropped in Nigeria. It’s sad to note but it seems that the humanitarian crisis in Africa is often ignored or under-reported. This doesn’t mean that other countries in the West aren’t suffering, but as someone who recognises the privilege of having internet access and free speech, I can only shed light and awareness on issues that are restricted elsewhere. There is no amount of justice that can be done for innocent bloodshed and I wish I could say that speaking up and sharing will fix the problem but I know it won’t. I could sit here and name every tragedy this past year and still hear of chaos the next month. It’s a catch 22 I know many people have: do you speak up and support or do you keep quiet and accept that maybe little old me won’t change much? You might be right, but if I can at least inform those who don’t know and encourage people to check their information and contribute in their small way (or large… let me not underestimate the power of people), then I’m satisfied that this was all worth it.
So, what can we do to help?
This is by no means the full extensive list but here are a few things we can do to help when the world is in a crisis:
Educate ourselves
Write letters
Raise awareness by sharing and reposting
Help with local communities
Join protests and support the cause
Send money (where appropriate)
Prayers (for those of you that pray)
I know at times we may feel helpless but something is always better than nothing. If you have any more information that may be of use to me or others please feel free to share and educate. We work as people to help each other and the kinder we can be, the better. If you are currently being affected I send my condolences and prayers. Most of us cannot fathom the horrors we are hearing about but we still stand in solidarity.
Liz x