Wainaina 1

Brian Wainaina Lyn Raymond English 1102 April 6, 2014 1. Kiernan, Ben. Blood and Soil. Yale University Press, 2007. Print Summary: Amazing source for my investigation of the genocide in Darfur. The book does not begin with the current crisis, and discussing how many people were killed but rather almost twenty years before the incidence. Talks about the entities that played a role in the conflict that I never heard about such as the Arab Gathering. The Arab Gathering gave a written document fabricating their population of Arabs in Darfur. The Arab Gathering claimed Arabs made up 70% of the total population of Darfur (Kiernan 594). While in fact they only represented 2.5 of Darfurs 6.5 million occupants. The source also named the leader for the Islamic militant group called the Janjaweed. I will use this source to provide a deeper perspective on how the Darfur crisis begun! Bringing up points on how Muslims fabricated some of their stories to make their appearance seem stronger but however felt like a majority without weight. One limitation of the source is that it is extremely short only a page and a half. The source only speaks about the events leading up to the Darfur crisis and a few events during but not how it is in modern day Sudan. That has to do with the date of publication however, the book was published in 2007. The strength of the source again is that even though it covers a little part of the Darfur crisis it is extremely in depth. Evaluate: This source will be beneficial to our Semester-Long Multimodal Project because it discusses that Muslims were willing to work out their problems however they lied in that document as well. They also made absurd demands such as demanding 50% of all government posts which in fact should be left to the voters to decide those percentages. A
1

Wainaina 2

quote that was strikingly shocking was given by two powerful Muslims stating Should the Arabs not be allowed their fair share in government, we are afraid that things may get out of the hands of wise people. (Kiernan 595) I can use this source to show our viewers how some Arabs may have heighted the Darfur situation by making unrealistic demands. 2. Jewish Resistance. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. I read this particular article from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website which was about Einsatzgrupen and that was a German term for mobile killing units in World War II. The purpose of the article is that it provides information on an alternative killing method that Nazi Germany implemented during World War II. The article discussed that the units were composed of German SS and police personal. German SS were soldiers of Hitlers Secret Service, the men were extremely skilled soldiers essentially the cream of the crop. The Einsatzgrupen was formed because Germany was tired of transporting Jews from ghettos, cities and towns to killing centers but rather have a mobile killing group go to Jewish places and murder them there. That is how mass graves also came about during the Holocaust, the Einsatzgrupen would arrive at a settlement, gather up all Jewish people have them dig their graves and shoot the individuals by groups or per person. The source also includes that Heinrich Himmler was in charge of the Einsatzgrupen. One very eye alarming fact was that Mr. Himmler had to introduce gas vans later because shooting their victims was having a physiological effect on his mobile killing units. The strength of the source is that it provides details on why the mobile killing units were needed, how they approached every Jewish establishment

Wainaina 3

with the same thought process. A weakness however is that the gas van option is not very well explained in my opinion. Evaluation: This source will be extremely useful for our Semester Long Project. Reason being is that it offers information on an alternative killing method the Germans used and the effects it had on the victims, Germany and also the killers. One statistic that really broke my heart was that by spring 1943 one million Soviet Jews and tens of thousands of Europeans had been murdered by the Einsatzgrupen. 3. Prunier, Gerard. DARFUR. The Ambiguous Genocide. New York: Cornell University Press, 2007. Print Summary: The book attempts to cover the Darfur crisis from Sudans colonial days up until 2007. Mr. Prunier does an excellent job of giving vital background information on pre-independent Sudan and the struggles of colonialism. The author brings up an interesting point stating that Darfur was extremely underdeveloped by the British, in a sense neglected. Stating 5-6 % of the investment for the whole of Sudan had reached Darfur (Prunier 33). That information can be used to provide another explanation on why a genocide started in Darfur than other cities in Sudan. The author also speaks on the three main tribes in Darfur and how each tribe affects the crisis in Sudan. A strength of this particular source is the wealth of knowledge but can also be its limitation. The book contains a ton of information a bit overwhelming and it is difficult on what to choose to present or pass on by. Evaluation: I believe the source is extremely valuable to my semester long project because it is not just an article on Darfur but rather a book. It divides the situation into time periods which makes it easier to follow the story! I will definitely use this source in

Wainaina 4

our presentation. Even if not directly included into the presentation it will help me with background information to better understand the situation in Darfur, thus helping me explain the Darfur crisis during our presentation. 4. Inside Darfur: Vice News. Vice. YouTube. 2011. Online Video Clip. Summary: This source was primarily focusing on internally displaced refugees due to the crisis in Darfur. It talked about how a rich and religious Sudanese man named Shake provides opportunities for Sudanese orphans. How he does that is by clothing, feeding them in exchange they attend a Koran school called Madrassas which are located in Pakistan. I thought that was an odd trade because he is requiring these orphans to give him their entire life just for basic human needs. Also the particular location is where hundreds of Taliban members are breaded and the ideal training area for terrorists. On the alternative a lady named Barbara Gouldsbury has an outreach foundation called the bridge of hope. Alternatively this program offers 33 Darfur orphans a place to live, eat and clothes. The orphans are also provide them with educational opportunities at the learning centers. They also provide meals to other Sudanese orphans during the day and have a field for them to play soccer. Sadly, many of the older teens are addicted to sniffing glue or solvent and use that to cope with their harsh life experiences. Evaluation: This source is extremely vital to my presentation because it provides personal, tangible repercussions to the Darfur genocide. The online documentary provides faces to look at and is very heart aching to see young children and people my age literally not given a shot at life. One quote I will use is from a teenage boy who says he sniffs glue because without it he cannot breathe, sleep or function correctly. Really

Wainaina 5

states how that drug affects his life. I may include this source to show how people are helping Darfur orphans on an individual level. 5. Nazi Concentration Camps. Full War Movies. YouTube. 2013. Online Video Clip. Summary: The United States liberated plenty of concentration camps during the end of World War II, and one thing the government did to increase American support to fund affected individuals is tour the camps they were placed in. General Eisenhower visited Ohrdruf concentration camp which clubbed, burned and starved to death more than 4,000 German political prisoners in an eight month time span. General Eisenhower also did not cover any of the horrors when senators from America came to tour the camps. That way senators can see for themselves the work of the Nazis and vouch that the United States should be highly involved in helping those affected. Another thing the general required were top Nazi officials to tour the camp as well. Forcing them to visit every death spot and get up close views of what they had a helping hand in. Another place the American press visited was Hadamar concentration camp which killed 35,000 Russian and Polish prisoners. Mass graves where found there with thousands of death certificates of people. Doctors were also required to perform autopsy work on bodies that were still intact. Evaluation: This is a very strong documentary and source. It provides an example on how the United States increased involvement from their citizens by showing them real news reels of the horrors done in Germany. Also going to tour the camps with government officials helped raise the incentive for everyone to want to help the survivors of these camps. I will use this source to show how the military and news crews helped raise the American publics eye to the horrors that happened in concentration camps, thus making it easier for congress to help those affected with legislation.

Wainaina 6

6. Lynch, Colin. U.N Panel Finds No Genocide in Darfur. Washington Post. The Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2005. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. Summary: This particle source provided me with updated information on how the United States was handling the Darfur situation under the Bush admiration. The United Nations after intense investigation in a 177 page document deemed the crisis in Darfur not a genocide but pointed two individuals out Ali Kushayb and Ahmad Huran with war crimes against humanity. Ali Kushayb is the militant leader of the Janjaweed militia who is being charged with intent to kill the Zaghawa, Fur, Maslit, and Jebel and Aranga tribes in Darfur. The UN has decided to have the ICC which is the International Criminal Court to try those two citizens of Sudan. However, Sudans government does not believe the ICC has the right to try Sudanese citizens. The United States answer to the crisis under the Bush administration was a very different one then the UNs, the United States believed that the two men should be tried by an African Union but for domestic reasons. Former President Bush and American officials were concerned on acknowledging the legitimacy of the ICC under fear that private citizens of their own will be taken to the ICC for other crimes. That particular source explains how the US even when trying to solve international issues can still be influenced by domestic issues as well. Evaluation: This source is a very nice luxury source to have because it clearly states where the United States stands on the Darfur crisis. Also explains how the United States can be influenced by domestic issues even when trying to sort out international turmoil. I will use this source to demonstrate how all parties are attempting to solve this issue but keep in mind their own interests as well which is a bit understandable.

Wainaina 7

7. Novick, Peter. The Holocaust in American Life. Houghton Mifflin Company& NY Times. 1999. Web. 9, Apr. 2014. Summary: This particular source described exactly what the American people and officials knew about what was taken place in German concentration camps. The source spoke on how American officials knew that anti-Semitism was taking place in the mid1930s due to law such as the Nuremberg laws in 1935. The Nuremberg laws were legislative laws passed by Hitler that were early discriminatory laws towards Jews in Germany. Such as stopping Jews from working in the press, denying their right to vote, forcing Jewish stores to close. However, the United States were dealing with some domestic problems in the mid-1930s such as recovering from the Great depression of the 1920s and people wanting to practice isolation leaving Europe to handle European problems. Also another aspect that prevented US officials from gaining creditable knowledge of the horrors of the concentration camp was the fact the German government was very secretive. The only people speaking on the horrors of the concentration camps were third or second parities, Jews who may have escaped Germany or the camps, from anonymous sources or German informants. The government was informed by Gerhard Reigner who represented the World Jewish Congress in Switzerland in 1942 with personal knowledge from his informants of the notorious acts the German army inflicted on Jewish Jews. It would on be a year later that State Department granted the source credible sadly by the then the final solution was in full effect. Evaluation: This source will be extremely helpful because it provides reasoning as to why the United States was a bit hesitant to firmly declare what exactly was going on against Jews in the holocaust. Shows that the US was dealing with domestic issues while Hitler

Wainaina 8

was preparing his final solution plans. A quote that may be in the presentation is people thought about 100,000 or fewer Germans had been killed or persecuted in 1944 (Novick). 8. Ventrell, Patrick. Ten Years of War in Darfur. U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2014. Summary: The state department is providing a written statement discussing how they are extremely concerned with the genocide in Darfur. Stating that the people of Darfur still suffer from violence and sexual abuse. The statement also includes that the Sudanese government has a role and is causing brutal encounters with rebel groups with their own military, and also the Sudanese Armed forces are attacking civilian areas. The crisis has cost nearly 300,000 people their lives mostly unarmed civilians and displaced nearly two million people. They also state they support the United Nations-African Unions peacekeeping efforts and demand unlimited access of peacekeepers in Sudan. Over the past decade the US has given 7.5 billion dollars to humanitarian, transition, and peacekeeping assistance for at risk populations in Darfur and eastern Chad. Evaluation: This source will be used because it states what the United States is currently doing in the Darfur crisis. Although the US has not committed troops they are supporting the African Union and funding peacekeeping and other various relief efforts in the region. A quote that will be on the presentation is the crisis has cost nearly 300,000 people their lives and displaced nearly two million people. 9. Actual Sudan Situation. Darfur Conflict. Sudan Conflict. Sudan Conflict. YouTube. 2013. Online Video Clip.

Wainaina 9

Summary: This video clip included particular Sudanese people who have been victims of the Janjaweed military raids, and a Janjaweed solider. The Janjaweed solider admitted to being ordered by the government of Sudan to raid villages in Darfur to get rid of ethnic tribes. At first the orders were to kill armed militants but as the crisis carried on they changed to include civilians as well. Several people spoke stating how they had lost loved ones, belongings and homes due to military raids. Evaluation: This was a personal look into how the Sudanese government and Janjaweed militants are affecting people in Darfur. To me put a face to numbers no longer was I just reading how many people were killed but hearing personal stories full of emotion about how the chaos has affected peoples lives. I do not think I will include the clip but probably the Janjaweed solider stating that the government gives orders to Janjaweed militants to raid Darfur villages in kill first missions. 10. America and the Holocaust. PBS. PBS. Web. 09 Apr. 2014 Summary: This online source provided light on what the United States attempted to do during the war to help Jews in Europe. The source contains several documents, newsletters, and messages sent back and forth from the State Department, British government and German informants. The source includes Reigner message to the United States in 1942 detailing that Hitler is planning to exterminate all German Jews. The source also discusses how FDR and the United States government believed it was a fabricated lie but a year later would admit its legitimacy. The article also touches base with on how FDR was reluctant to meet with American Jews despite hundreds of Rabbis walking to Capitol Hill demanding a rescue agency for European Jews.

Wainaina 10

Evaluation: I believe this source is critical to my presentation because it provides State Department documents and their reactions to what was happening to European Jews during World War II. I will use this source for my presentation.

10