Savo Heleta's Blog, page 14

Shame on South Africa: No Visa for Dalai Lama

What happened to the morals, values, and principles of freedom and democracy in South Africa? What happened to Nelson Mandela's promise that "human rights will be the light that guides our foreign affairs?"

The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader and the Nobel Peace laureate, was expected to address a conference in South Africa whose aim was to discuss ways of using football to fight racism and xenophobia ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.


The government of South Africa, however, refused to

Darfur and the "Stupid Arab Media"

As expected by many analysts, the recent International Criminal Court's indictment of Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur since 2003 has radicalized many in Sudan and rallied thousands to support the president and alleged war criminal.

Since the arrest warrant for al-Bashir, the Sudanese regime began a large-scale propaganda war to portray itself among the allies (mainly the Arab and Muslim world, China, and African countries) as an i

Video Conference with California State University Students

On March 3, I had a video conference with 72 students from California State University – Chico who read my book in their sociology class. We talked about “Not My Turn to Die,” my experience in South Africa, and current research on the Darfur conflict.

Thanks everyone for a great talk and very interesting questions!

Professor Song, thank you very much for inviting me to talk to your class and for writing such a great review of the book (the review will soon be published in The Journal of Teaching S

Study Summary: The Darfur Conflict From the Perspective of the Rebel Justice and Equality Movement

This study critically explores the aims and perspectives of the Justice and Equality Movement, currently the most powerful Darfur rebel movement. The author has used the first-hand information gathered through interviews with the representatives of the rebel movement and additional data about the conflict and the rebels collected through an extensive literature analysis to portray the movement and its aims, perspectives, and plans for the future. Using the grounded theory approach as the data an

Academic Study: The Darfur Conflict From the Perspective of the Rebel Justice and Equality Movement

In 2003, a conflict broke out in Darfur, Sudan’s western province, between the mainly “African” rebels and the government forces and their proxy “Arab” militias. It is estimated that about 200,000 people have so far died in the conflict from fighting, diseases, and starvation. The UN and aid agencies estimate that over two million Darfurians, out of the population of about six million, are living in refugee camps. Even though the majority of all deaths in Darfur have occurred in 2003 and 2004, t

New "September 11 Attack" Over Darfur Indictment

As Sudan Tribune writes, "an alliance of Sudanese Islamic jihadists and Darfur Arab militia groups pledged to carry out attacks against countries that are supporting the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC)" in retaliation to the last weeks indictment of Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur since 2003.

The alliance promised "world imperialists and CIA agents in US, UK, and France with another September 11 attack." Th

Washing Machine Liberated Women, Says Vatican

It wasn't the right to vote that liberated women in the 20th century. It wasn't the right to work outside home, receive education, or the contraceptive pill.

No.

It was the washing machine that led to female emancipation. At least according to the Vatican and the Catholic Church.

This was revealed on March 8, the International Woman's Day, in Vatican’s official newspaper and the mouthpiece of the Catholic Church, l'Osservatore Romano, in an article titled "The Washing Machine and the Liberation of

God and Jesus are on our side, says Jacob Zuma

The African National Congress (ANC) will win the upcoming elections in South Africa. They don't really have to campaign for votes. God and Jesus are on their side.


Speaking to the ANC supporters in the Mpumalanga province on March 8, Jacob Zuma, the president of the ruling party and very likely the next president of South Africa, said church leaders must persuade believers to vote for the ANC.

"When priests pray for poverty to end and for development, then it means God agrees with the ANC because

British Press: How Could Obama Disrespect Us, We Are Not Some African Country

The British are angry. Their prime minister, Gordon Brown, traveled all the way to Washington and Barack Obama couldn't take a few days off to entertain him and give him some nice presents.

Brown and Obama met on March 4 in the White House and discussed the global financial crisis, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, had a lunch, then Brown delivered a speech to a joint session of the US Congress.

Still, Brown and the British expected much more.

The Sunday Telegraph writes that the British officials thin

After Zimbabwe, Thabo Mbeki to Negotiate (Ignore Suffering) in Darfur

The African Union has appointed former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, to chair a committee to investigate human rights violations in Darfur and be a liaison between the government of Sudan and the International Criminal Court.

Interestingly, the African Union decided to appoint the same man who while the president of South Africa had a very friendly relationship with Omar al-Bashir, the president of Sudan who is indicted by the International Criminal Court for the war crimes and crimes aga