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The face of Darfur Print E-mail
By Donna Korando   

St. Louisans who have a mundane reason to go to St. Louis City Hall next week - renew license plates, check a deed, pay a water bill - will come face to face with people a world away.

hear Nicholas Kristof on DarfuR

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof won a Pulitzer Prize for writings about Darfur. He will present "Reporting from Darfur: the First Genocide of the 21st Century" at 7:30 p.m., Monday April 28 at Ladue Chapel.

Click here to read his columns on Darfur. 

Click here to sign up to hear him speak.

"Faces of Darfur" presents images of refugees who have fled what has been labeled a genocide, of Darfuris who have remained in Sudan and face continuous danger, of people trying to maintain a life where stability does not exist.

One of the goals of the exhibit is to develop "interest among regular people, not those in ivory towers," according to Cecilia Nadal, executive director of Gitana Productions. Gitana is presenting the exhibit, which features the work of Gina Bramucci, a graduate of the University of Missouri - Columbia.

habillah

nomadic_girl_san_dusted.jpg

Gina Bramucci

Habillah is a sand-dusted nomadic girl from Darfur.

Bramucci was in Darfur in 2005 and 2006; she has worked in humanitarian relief in that area and in other parts of Africa. The photos are Bramucci's personal record of a crisis; they were discovered by St. Louisan Lee Patton Chiles when doing research for another project.

Gitana is an 11-year-old nonprofit arts and education organization that works for "global healing through the arts," according to Nada. It has produced cultural events to bring people together and decided more than a year ago to mount a play on the crisis in Darfur.

Through her research, playwright Patton Chiles came in contact with Bramucci. As they discussed Darfur, Bramucci sent copies of her photos, which led to the exhibit. An opening reception will be held at 4:30 p.m., Sunday, April 27. Patton Chiles will be there, and actress Vivian Watt will do an 8-10 minute sketch from the play.

"Complacency of Silence: Darfur" will be presented May 23 through June 8 at the St. Louis University Theatre. As with the photo exhibit, the full-length play tries to show the human dimension of the Darfur situation.

Darfur has been called "the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe" by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The attacks by the Sudanese government have led to the deaths of about 400,000 people and caused more than 2 million people to flee their homeland.

Joseph Stalin said, "The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic." The exhibit and the play, which uses the words of actual Darfur refugees Hama, Fatima, Hawa and Khadija, attempt to give face and voice to that man, rather than the millions.

To get general background information on Darfur, click here for the BBC .

Read Alex de Waal's commentary on Darfur .

To learn about the St. Louis Darfur coalition, click here . 


 

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Editors' Picks

  • Books

    • From July 10-Sept. 30, the Missouri Botanical Garden will host “Madagascar,” an exhibit by National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting, who will be at the garden at 10 a.m. Sept. for a lecture and book signing. Information: www.mobot.org ; 314-577-9400.

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    • University of Missouri-St. Louis scholar Thomas McPhail's new book "Development Communication: Reframing the Role of the Media" provides an overview of a way of using media to promote social change. For information about the book, click here .

  • Theater/Dance

    • The Orange Girls theater company presents “Collected Stories” by Donald Margulies in the black box theatre at COCA July 16-Aug. 2. $15-$20. Information:  www.orangegirls.org or 314-520-9557.

    • Come to COCA , 524 Trinity, on July 16-18 to enjoy “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” It plays Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. $5-$8. 314-725-6555.

    • Check out "Painting Churches," starring Joneal Joplin at the Heagney Theatre, Nerinx Hall, in Webster Groves. For more information about the play, which runs July 8-12 & 16-19, go to www.insighttheatrecompany.com/home

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    • At 8 p.m. on July 1, KFUO FM (99.1 FM and www.classic99.com ) begins an 11-week summer series featuring music by the SLSO from archival recordings as well as more recent live recordings made during David Robertson’s tenure. The SLSO Summer Series will be heard on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and rebroadcast at midnight on Fridays. 

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    • Come to the “Healthy you, healthy planet festival” at the Missouri Botanical Garden, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. July 18. Start with the biggest stretch and learn about cooking and participate in health screenings. www.mobot.org ; www.siteman.wustl.edu ; 314-577-9400,

    • July 17 is the Third Friday so head to the open house - 6-10 p.m. - at the Third Degree Glass Factory , 5200 Delmar. Glassblowing (6:30-8:30), Union Avenue Opera (7 p.m.) Michael Jonas Band (8 p.m.) and the work of  Karen Woodard and  Jessica Cope-Kopitske.

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    • Come to the Atrium Gallery from 6-9 p.m. on July 10 for the opening of “Small.” The show, which features small works by several artists, runs until Sept. 6. The Salon level, however, will feature larger works.

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Voices

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