Last Saturday night, a few staff members from our office (and a few of our spouses) took several of our Burmese refugees to the movie Burma VJ, which was playing at the True/False Festival. The movie itself was interesting, focusing on the video journalists who work in Burma, forced to hide their cameras and other equipment for their safety. They then try to smuggle the images which they captured out of their country via the Internet or satellite; different news companies such as CNN and the BBC are then able to broadcast images from Burma that they otherwise would not have been able to obtain, as journalists are not usually allowed into the nation.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, has been governed by an often brutal military junta since 1962 when a general led a coup that overthrew U Unu, the first prime minister of Burma. The military generals maintains strict control of the nation and of its people. The population is diverse in terms of ethnicities, and tension still arises between different people groups. The country's people are heavily influenced by Buddhism, but not all Burmese people are necessarily Buddhist. For instance, our office is currently resettling a large number of individuals from the Chin ethnic group, and we are beginning to resettle individuals from the Karen ethnic group, as well as a few individuals from the Burman tribe. The vast majority of our Chin refugees are Christian; Isaac actually teaches a Sunday school class for them at Grace. There are, however, a few Chin individuals and families that are Buddhist. So far, I've noticed that the Karen individuals are mostly Catholic, and the Burman individuals are mostly Buddhist.
The military junta claims to operate by Buddhist philosophies, but I tend not to believe that they truly live by the Buddhist ethic of non-violence, especially after what happened during the protests of the summer of 2007. Several hundred monks across the nation were protesting the government iron-hand rule, demonstrating their support for the Burmese people. At one point, the military actually began shooting at the monks and then ransacked a monastery, kidnapping many monks and nuns who were never seen again. In the movie Burma VJ, one video journalist is somehow able to capture the searing image of a dead monk who washed ashore on one of the rivers. His body is face down, but you can clearly see the blood and bruises covering his head, back, and legs. Furthermore, the denial by the government of Burma for offered foreign aid after Cyclone Nargis (a category 4 cyclone) hit the country in May 2008 led to international outrage. The official death count by the Burmese government was grossly underestimated, most likely to avoid negative political ramifications. All these things being mentioned, the country of Burma is a nation that struggles with human rights issues; simply ask anyone of our Burmese refugees and you can hear stories of threatened violence, unfair jail sentences, and even torture conducted by the government.
One of the local churches in town, The Crossing, was the main sponsor of the True Life fund, which is a part of the True/False Film Festival every year; one movie is chosen, and a specific cause is supported through the fund. This year, Burma VJ was the film chosen to benefit from the True Life Fund; money raised and donated through this method will go to the video journalists in Burma so that they can purchase better and smaller equipment, which will be easier to hide from officials.
After the movie, a representative from The Crossing spoke for a few minutes. He didn't preach; he simply got up and said that, as Christians we serve a just God who cares about the world. Because He is just, we should care about the injustices in the world and do what we can to correct those injustices, and that's why the church decided to support this cause. I agree with what he says completely. Sometimes it is hard for those of us who live in the Western world to think about such things because it makes us uncomfortable, which is not what we are used to feeling. I know that our economy is not in the best shape right now, but from a global perspective, we are still among the richest individuals in the entire world, and we are used to being comfortable. Houses, apartments, cars, air conditioning and heat, even food to eat on a regular basis- these are things that we take for granted; they are not guaranteed in other parts of the world.
I recently finished An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda. The autobiography itself was very good; Rusesabagina briefly related his childhood and adult life leading up to the events of the genocide in April 1994.
Not only does Rusesabagina relate the events, but he truly does an excellent job of explaining his views behind things; he discussed Rwandan history, the effects which European colonialism had on the tiny country, the interplay between Rwanda and its neighbor Burundi. I learned so much from this book, not just in terms of what happened inside the doors of the Mille Collines while over 800,000 individuals, including men, women, and children, were being hacked to death by their neighbors and former friends in just 100 days while the world stood by and did nothing.
There is a line from the movie Hotel Rwanda that continues to haunt me. An American cameraman just captured footage of bodies strewn along the roads as more individuals continued to kill others by chopping them with machetes over and over again. Don Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina in the film, and he says to the cameraman: "I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene." The cameraman looks down at the ground, raises his head to Rusesabagina and asks, "And if no one intervenes? Is it still a good thing to show?" A look of incredulity sweeps over Rusesabagina's face. "How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?" he asks. Again, the cameraman looks at the ground and replies, "I think if people see this footage, they'll say 'Oh my God, that's horrible,' and then go on eating their dinners."
I'd like to include an excerpt from this book which demonstrates our tendency to watch these horrors unfold and still remain silent:
"UN member states signed a treaty in 1948 threatening criminal penalties for the leaders for any regime found to have conducted an extermination campaign against a particular religious or social group. But the United States dragged its feet, fearing the encroachment of a world government telling it how to act. It was not until 1986 that the U.S. Senate finally ratified the agreement. By then genocides had been carried out in Cambodia, in Nigeria, in Pakistan, in Burundi, and in many other places on the globe. But this is characteristic. As Harvard University scholar Samantha Power has pointed out, the world's foremost superpower, America, has almost never acted to stop a race of people from being exterminated, even when confronted with overwhelming evidence."
Power has written a book on the West's failure to act in the face of genocide and other human rights situations. I would like to read A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide sometime this year. I've read other books detailing the Rwandan genocide from various accounts and perspectives, including Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda and We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families. After every book I read, I am still shocked at what the world allowed to happen in Rwanda, in Bosnia, in Cambodia, and continues to allow to happen to Sudan, among other place. I know that I am also responsible for this, as I too have watched the news at night, saw atrocities being committed in a city or country far away from me and thought, "Oh my God that is horrible." Then I went on eating my dinner.
I think we all realize that policies are shaped, things get done, and goals are accomplished when individuals join together and act. We can't leave change up to others; we have to be the instruments. So what will we do? Will we go on eating our dinner or will we allow ourselves to become uncomfortable so that we can do justice here and around the world?
My friend Jessica posted a video on her blog back in January. Please watch it, and become uncomfortable. Because I think when we become uncomfortable, that's when we decide to take action, and that's when we can truly change the lives of others and hopefully, the world.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, has been governed by an often brutal military junta since 1962 when a general led a coup that overthrew U Unu, the first prime minister of Burma. The military generals maintains strict control of the nation and of its people. The population is diverse in terms of ethnicities, and tension still arises between different people groups. The country's people are heavily influenced by Buddhism, but not all Burmese people are necessarily Buddhist. For instance, our office is currently resettling a large number of individuals from the Chin ethnic group, and we are beginning to resettle individuals from the Karen ethnic group, as well as a few individuals from the Burman tribe. The vast majority of our Chin refugees are Christian; Isaac actually teaches a Sunday school class for them at Grace. There are, however, a few Chin individuals and families that are Buddhist. So far, I've noticed that the Karen individuals are mostly Catholic, and the Burman individuals are mostly Buddhist.
The military junta claims to operate by Buddhist philosophies, but I tend not to believe that they truly live by the Buddhist ethic of non-violence, especially after what happened during the protests of the summer of 2007. Several hundred monks across the nation were protesting the government iron-hand rule, demonstrating their support for the Burmese people. At one point, the military actually began shooting at the monks and then ransacked a monastery, kidnapping many monks and nuns who were never seen again. In the movie Burma VJ, one video journalist is somehow able to capture the searing image of a dead monk who washed ashore on one of the rivers. His body is face down, but you can clearly see the blood and bruises covering his head, back, and legs. Furthermore, the denial by the government of Burma for offered foreign aid after Cyclone Nargis (a category 4 cyclone) hit the country in May 2008 led to international outrage. The official death count by the Burmese government was grossly underestimated, most likely to avoid negative political ramifications. All these things being mentioned, the country of Burma is a nation that struggles with human rights issues; simply ask anyone of our Burmese refugees and you can hear stories of threatened violence, unfair jail sentences, and even torture conducted by the government.
One of the local churches in town, The Crossing, was the main sponsor of the True Life fund, which is a part of the True/False Film Festival every year; one movie is chosen, and a specific cause is supported through the fund. This year, Burma VJ was the film chosen to benefit from the True Life Fund; money raised and donated through this method will go to the video journalists in Burma so that they can purchase better and smaller equipment, which will be easier to hide from officials.
After the movie, a representative from The Crossing spoke for a few minutes. He didn't preach; he simply got up and said that, as Christians we serve a just God who cares about the world. Because He is just, we should care about the injustices in the world and do what we can to correct those injustices, and that's why the church decided to support this cause. I agree with what he says completely. Sometimes it is hard for those of us who live in the Western world to think about such things because it makes us uncomfortable, which is not what we are used to feeling. I know that our economy is not in the best shape right now, but from a global perspective, we are still among the richest individuals in the entire world, and we are used to being comfortable. Houses, apartments, cars, air conditioning and heat, even food to eat on a regular basis- these are things that we take for granted; they are not guaranteed in other parts of the world.
I recently finished An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the film Hotel Rwanda. The autobiography itself was very good; Rusesabagina briefly related his childhood and adult life leading up to the events of the genocide in April 1994.
Not only does Rusesabagina relate the events, but he truly does an excellent job of explaining his views behind things; he discussed Rwandan history, the effects which European colonialism had on the tiny country, the interplay between Rwanda and its neighbor Burundi. I learned so much from this book, not just in terms of what happened inside the doors of the Mille Collines while over 800,000 individuals, including men, women, and children, were being hacked to death by their neighbors and former friends in just 100 days while the world stood by and did nothing.
There is a line from the movie Hotel Rwanda that continues to haunt me. An American cameraman just captured footage of bodies strewn along the roads as more individuals continued to kill others by chopping them with machetes over and over again. Don Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina in the film, and he says to the cameraman: "I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene." The cameraman looks down at the ground, raises his head to Rusesabagina and asks, "And if no one intervenes? Is it still a good thing to show?" A look of incredulity sweeps over Rusesabagina's face. "How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?" he asks. Again, the cameraman looks at the ground and replies, "I think if people see this footage, they'll say 'Oh my God, that's horrible,' and then go on eating their dinners."
I'd like to include an excerpt from this book which demonstrates our tendency to watch these horrors unfold and still remain silent:
"UN member states signed a treaty in 1948 threatening criminal penalties for the leaders for any regime found to have conducted an extermination campaign against a particular religious or social group. But the United States dragged its feet, fearing the encroachment of a world government telling it how to act. It was not until 1986 that the U.S. Senate finally ratified the agreement. By then genocides had been carried out in Cambodia, in Nigeria, in Pakistan, in Burundi, and in many other places on the globe. But this is characteristic. As Harvard University scholar Samantha Power has pointed out, the world's foremost superpower, America, has almost never acted to stop a race of people from being exterminated, even when confronted with overwhelming evidence."
Power has written a book on the West's failure to act in the face of genocide and other human rights situations. I would like to read A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide sometime this year. I've read other books detailing the Rwandan genocide from various accounts and perspectives, including Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda and We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed with Our Families. After every book I read, I am still shocked at what the world allowed to happen in Rwanda, in Bosnia, in Cambodia, and continues to allow to happen to Sudan, among other place. I know that I am also responsible for this, as I too have watched the news at night, saw atrocities being committed in a city or country far away from me and thought, "Oh my God that is horrible." Then I went on eating my dinner.
I think we all realize that policies are shaped, things get done, and goals are accomplished when individuals join together and act. We can't leave change up to others; we have to be the instruments. So what will we do? Will we go on eating our dinner or will we allow ourselves to become uncomfortable so that we can do justice here and around the world?
My friend Jessica posted a video on her blog back in January. Please watch it, and become uncomfortable. Because I think when we become uncomfortable, that's when we decide to take action, and that's when we can truly change the lives of others and hopefully, the world.
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