African Civil War Reality

As I watched Blood Diamonds, Hotel Rwanda and Beyond the Gates - all movies which detail some of the war crises that happen in Africa, I find myself angered by comments of North Americans that these movies depict too much graphic violence. Movies, news clips and documentaries cannot even come close to depicting the actual horror, fear and suffering the people of countries like Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Sudan and Congo have faced. We want to shield and protect ourselves from the horrible tragedies that have befallen these people and the immense scars that the survivors live with. We shudder at photos of Africans with missing limbs knowing they were brutally cut off with machetes. We are shocked by photos of young boys carrying machine guns who had no choice. We are upset by photos of young women looking ten times their age because of their suffering. We say "Stop. This is way too violent."

But this IS the reality of the people who have lived through these atrocities. Even the movies cannot accurately portray the depth of what these people have endured. It is watered down to protect the Western public. People make excuses that it is Hollywood making things more dramatic than it really was. But no - read any survivor's account, listen to their voices quaver in fear, look at the sadness in the face of a boy with no hands - these things really did happen and continue to happen. These are real people, real events and real stories.

When will we allow ourselves to even think of these horrors? When will we acknowledge this suffering? When will we speak up for justice for these innocent people? When will we step out of our comfortable lives and feel some of this pain? When will we stop hiding behind the excuses of "too much violence," "that's Hollywood," and "it's just a movie?" When will we say "I'm sorry we didn't care to end this violence. We were too busy trying to protect ourselves."?

I do not want to forget the images I saw as watered down as they were. I do not want to hide my head in the sand. I don't want to say it's so far away that it has nothing to do with me. I do not want to stop feeling their pain. I do not want to white out the photos of the survivors.

I wonder what I can do. Money seems so inadequate. Prayer sometimes seems so small. Going is expensive and risky. Talking seems so empty. I can state the truths. I can let some of their pain touch me. I can thank God that His grace has protected me so far from such suffering. But most of all, I can remember. I want to remember. I don't want to forget. These are people just like me, these are my brothers and sisters, my fellow companions on earth. In some little way, I can be their voice.