Our Time PressThe Local Paper with the Global View

By Mary Alice Miller

In response to the increasingly sensationalist “news” regarding conditions in Zimbabwe, the December 12 Movement recently held an information forum in Mt. Olivet Church in Harlem.
After showing a short video of a UN debate on human rights in Zimbabwe, Omowale Clay gave an analysis of the political issues underlying Zimbabwe’s current situation. According to Clay, “The question of land is the tip of the iceberg. This issue is underlying the politics of other African countries, including Kenya, South Africa and Zambia. The issue is self-determination, control of land. Culture is not just music and arts. Culture is a weapon for liberation. Zimbabwe is asking itself, ‘What were our goals when we set out to free our nation?’ Zimbabwe was the first to defend Congo against multinational corporations. Zimbabwe delayed land reform for 10 years to allow South Africa to take care of its business.”
Clay outlined three “lies” that are part of worldwide media disinformation:
1) Mugabe is alleged to be unable to govern Zimbabwe. There are allegations of human rights violations and fiscal mismanagement, leading to calls for regime change. “The issue is not regime change. Britain must pay the money owed. Britain must lift economic sanctions.” (Economic sanctions have led to recent reports of the 5000% inflation rate in Zimbabwe. In addition, there are reports out of Harare alleging acts of terrorism from opposition groups. “The MDC has been involved in acts of violence which border on terrorism, and no sane government in Africa would support such madness. They (MDC youths) have been petrol-bombing police stations, inter-city trains, public transport, residential properties and supermarkets with the covert support of their western masters.” The Herald (Harare) April 9, 2007)
2) Mugabe has successfully called for harmonization of presidential and parliamentary elections. 2008 will be the first time in Zimbabwe’s history when both president and parliament elections will be held at the same time. At 80 years old, Mugabe will run again. Clay states, “No one questions the leadership longevity of the Shah of Iran, Pinochet, or Castro.”

3) “In the absence of relief from the West (IMF and World Bank), Zimbabwe has developed a ‘Look East’ policy. Zimbabwe believes it can go into legitimate and equal trade relations with the Chinese, Malaysia, and India. Zimbabwe is looking for constructive economic trade and development.”
Members of the December 12 Movement fielded questions from the audience. The group included Viola Plumber, Coltrane Chimurenga, Omowale Clay, and Roger Wareham.
Ms. Plumber gave a history leading to current conditions. During Zimbabwe’s struggle to free itself from British colonization, the question of land was addressed. “In 1980, the Lancaster House agreement established that land holdings would remain with Britain under a policy of ‘Willing Buyer, Willing Seller.’ Under this agreement, the UK and USA would make dollars available to pay these thieves [white land holders] for the land [which would be returned to Zimbabwe control]. Thatcher and Reagan were signatories to the agreement. The Lancaster Agreement has not been honored. Blair and Bush say, ‘We did not make the agreement.’ With no ‘Willing Buyer,’ Zimbabwe’s 1997-99 land acquisition policy came into being.”
When an audience member asked about the land situation, Ms. Plumber said “Four percent of white land holders owned 80% of arable land. Under land acquisition, if a white land holder held four farms, three were distributed to Zimbabweans, and one remained with the white.” Clay added, “Commercial industrial farming was controlled by Rhodesians (the colonial name for Zimbabwe). When land reform came into effect, the whites took their liquid capital out of the country, ‘leaving no foreign reserves.'”
The question of leveling slums came up. Ms. Plumber spoke of what she observed during a trip to Zimbabwe. “Prior to the clearance, some housing in Harare was below sub-standard. I saw raw garbage that was piled six feet high. Conditions were horrendous. A year later, that housing was raised, with housing being built in rural areas.”
Chimurenga added, “As in most areas of the world, young people are attracted to cities. Landowners exploited the rural labor force. As a result, many young came to the city looking for economic opportunities. Harare does not have the infrastructure to support the population surge. In addition, many ‘riff-raff’ and squatters came to Harare, creating an unacceptable situation. The Mugabe government decided to build housing in the rural areas, with a ‘Clean Up, Restore, and Rebuild’ policy. Construction is slowed due to there being no foreign currency to buy building supplies.”
An audience member was concerned about stories of repression of the press. Clay stated that there are major newspapers in support of the Mugabe government, “including the Herald, the Sunday Mail and newsletters. [However] there are more opposition papers than government papers. Opposition newspapers outnumber government papers three or four to one.”
The December 12 Movement provided documentation of African support for President Mugabe and Zimbabwe.
According to this documentation, Zimbabwe’s Mugabe has the unconditional support of Southern African Development Community (SADC). The Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of SADC met in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on March 29, 2007. Member countries of SADC in attendance at this meeting included the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kingdom of Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, the Kingdom of Swaziland, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Madagascar, and Mauritius. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the political, economic, and security situation in the region, with special focus on the situations in Lesotho, DRC, and Zimbabwe.
A communiqu‚ from SADC outlined the meeting’s assessment of the political situation in Zimbabwe. According to this communiqu‚, the Extra-Ordinary Summit recalled that the 2002 Presidential elections in Zimbabwe were free, fair, and democratic. The Summit reaffirmed its solidarity with the Government and people of Zimbabwe. The Extra-Ordinary Summit mandated the SADC Executive Secretary to undertake a study on the economic situation in Zimbabwe and proposes measures on how SADC can assist Zimbabwe and recover economically. The Summit also reiterated the appeal to Britain to honor its compensation obligations with regard to land reform made at the Lancaster House and appealed for the lifting of all forms of sanctions against Zimbabwe.
The December 12 Movement reminds us to look beneath the fa‡ade of vitriol and righteous indignation coming from the West. In other words, don’t believe the hype.

By Mary Alice Miller

This year’s celebration of the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium encompasses the totality of our culture: music, spoken word, food, theater, arts, dance, and books. 
Here is a sampler of this year’s cultural celebration so far.
The festival opened with Community Day, held at Restoration. Mrs. Alma Carroll, wife of the late jazz vocalist Joe “Be Bop” Carroll, who worked with Dizzy Gillespie, recalled the days of Model City, the development of Restoration, and Neighborhood Youth Core. She remembered when Restoration was a milk factory and Von King Park was Tompkins Park. Then, the community’s dreams were to build what we have now. According to Mrs. Carroll, the current dream is the documenting of America’s classical music-jazz. Nightclubs, schools, and churches, 32 organizations in all, have come together to fulfill that dream.
Colvin Grannum, president of Restoration, assured those in attendance that Restoration is committed to promote the culture of our people and build the economic base of the community.
Keynote speaker Kevin Powell, hip-hop historian, gave a presentation entitled From Be Bop to Hip-Hop: the Historical Connections between Jazz and Rap.  Powell encouraged us to continue building bridges between youth and elders. He states: “Young ears have not been acculturated to jazz.” Powell gave three foundations for jazz: the black church, blues, and Ragtime. He noted that there is a difference between the hip-hop industry and hip-hop culture. Powell reminded us that, just as poor people created jazz, poor people created hip-hop.
Music for Community Day was energetically provided by Sabor & Company, allowing young members of Non Stop Productions to give a wonderful vocal performance.
A well-kept secret is the new Secrets Restaurant on Nostrand Avenue. Secrets hosted a couple of Sunday Jazz brunches featuring the Eric Frazier Trio. Although Frazier is a conga player, he calls himself an entertainer, engaging the audience while singing “The Jazz Spot,” (a tribute to the Bed-Stuy club) and a sultry version of “Fever.” The Eric Frazier Trio also performed selections from In Your Own Time, their current CD (#1 across the country, according to Frazier). Jazz vocalist Steve Cromity stopped by for brunch, and was enlisted by Frazier to give a beautiful rendition of  “On a Clear Day.”

Despite a chilly rain, jazz lovers flocked to Sugarhill Restaurant and Supper Club for the festival gala’s Afro-Caribbean Jazz Experience featuring the Hai Resolution Band. Announcer Harold Valle provided his melodic voice and rhymes.
Jitu Weusi, president of the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium (CBJC), presented awards to this year’s inductees into the Central Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame. The Deacon Leroy Appling Young Lion Award was given to Anthony Wonsey, pianist. The Hall of Fame Award was given posthumously to saxophonist and composer Roland Alexander. The Jazz Impact Award was given to drummer Ben Dixon. This year’s Jazz Shrine Award was given to Pumpkins Lounge. Saxophonist Gerald Hayes was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Weusi showed a short film of CBJC’s sojourn to the South African Jazz Festival last February. CBJC took five jazz groups representing American jazz, including Randy Weston and his Quintet, the Jeff King Band with Gregory Porter, Vanessa Rubin and her Trio, D.D. Jackson and his Trio, and Bishop Nathaniel Townsley, Jr. and the Gospel Jubilee.
The Hai Resolution Band filled Sugarhill with music, thrilling the crowd and enticing them to dance. The Band performed musical selections from all over the Caribbean, and the U.S. Hai Resolution’s band members played so tightly, the late James Brown, notorious for identifying the errant note, would have been proud. One enigma in the band was Sterling Sax, who could play both his alto and soprano saxophones at the same time, and could blow a sweet note for four bars while breathing in.
Last Friday, CBJC hosted a Jazz Sampler Tour, with first-class transportation sponsored by Brooklyn Tourism. First stop was Secrets, then on to Jazz 966. What would Jazz 966 be without house announcer Harold Valle? Dancing at Jazz 966 is rumored to cure minor aches and joint pain. Featured entertainment that night was Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers. Jeopardy question: Pucho is one of two African Americans in the Latin Jazz Hall of Fame. The other? Dizzy Gillespie. Next stop was Solomon’s Porch, home of the Jeff King Band. Solomon’s Porch is a comfortable, earthy space. It was pleasant to see the mixed crowd, young and not so, as well as singles and couples. As I looked around, I was struck by the fact that our elders felt comfortable being out at 11:00 on a Friday night in the middle of Bed-Stuy, enjoying a drink and great music.
The Jazzpazazz Preservation Society hosted Jazz Connection the next day at Sugarhill. The purpose of the Jazzpazazz Preservation Society is to collect and document the oral and written jazz traditions in Brooklyn. A panel of five including Mrs. Alma Carroll, Wade Barnes (drummer), Mario Escalera (saxophone), Mrs. Rachman, wife of Bilar (woodwinds), and Kiane Zawadi (euphonium-a type of trombone), gave recollections of jazz’s heyday. Of particular interest is Bilal Rachman’s In the Key of Me, a history of jazz in Brooklyn. Original copies of In the Key of Me are available; however, the book is being edited for reprint.
Next stop was open house at Afroart, featuring the Jeff King Band and the fine art of Answered Stewart. Afroart offers beautiful home furnishings with a cultural flair. You can get custom kente cloth wallpaper and borders, cultural greeting cards, custom-carved Ghanaian art, stoneware, multi-colored woven straw baskets, as well as candles, oils and scented soaps. Afroart features a new artist every six weeks. Item prices vary, so even if you are window shopping, you can spiritually support this black-owned business with a purchase as small as $1.
Sista’s Place hosted the Sonny Fortune Trio. With its bistro-like atmosphere, Sista’s Place attracts an eclectic, interracial clientele. Sonny Fortune plays his saxophone as if he were conversing with numbers instead of words, if numbers were a language like Swahili or Wolof. Drummer Neil Smith went so deep into meditation during a solo, I thought he wouldn’t come out. David Williams dances with his bass, rocking with it, plucking and stroking with undulation rhythms as if it were a favored paramour.
The Brooklyn Historical Society featured “An Evening of Jazz and Conversation with Randy Weston.” The event began by previewing An African Odyssey, a soon-to-be- released film about Randy Weston. Our palates were whetted by Weston himself, who told of being born and raised in Brooklyn by a Panamanian father and African American mother. Weston recalls his father telling him, “Boy, you are an African born in America.” Weston’s father believed in the teachings of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, and provided him with books on African history. Weston studied the cultures of ancient Egypt and Africa.  According to Weston, “Through that process, the music came.” Weston found that the “tradition of music in ancient cultures” was strong. He says, “They were masters of making musical instruments. African people have a spiritual music, no matter what the religion.”
Weston added, “Brooklyn can be like Kansas City, New Orleans, and Harlem, if it just claims its heritage.”
And then came the music.
The Randy Weston Trio’s first song, “Little Niles,” began with a beautiful interlude by Weston.
This song inspired Weston to expound on the essence of traditional African rhythms. You cannot improve on traditional music. There are songs for harvest and for babies being born. Music is a healing force all over the world. Mother Nature is the original music. The wind, plants, birds and insects make music. African music projects the beauty of our people. You cannot lie about music. It is a universal language of love, healing. We respect you, Mother Africa.”
The Trio then performed “Borom XanXan,” a song written for the great Egyptologist Chek Anta Diop. “Borom XanXan” is a Wolof phrase that means “man of high spiritual status.” Next came a song called “African Sunrise,” a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie. TK Blue on sax and Bennie Powell on trombone accompanied Weston, bassist Alex Blake and Neil Clarke on African percussion.
The performance was concluded with “African Village, Bed-Stuy,” and the Trio’s theme song from Ghana, “Love, the Mystery Of.”  Now, that’s entertainment.
The Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium’s 8th Annual Festival continues through April 29. Come out and enjoy yourself. You won’t regret it.

At a time in their lives when most men are starting careers and families, Bronx native Alan Newton was on trial for a rape he didn’t commit. The 22-year-old was engaged to be married and working for a phone company at the World Trade Center when a rape victim picked his photo out of a lineup. No physical evidence linked him to the crime. He was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to 13.3 to 40 years in prison. Partly because of his refusal to participate in the sex offender program, he was denied parole several times and, eventually, served nearly half his life-21 years-behind bars. Since his release last July, five more New York State men have been proven innocent through DNA testing. They come from all over the state-from Cayuga County to Westchester County to Kings County-and more will surely follow.
The Innocence Project, a pro bono legal clinic that represented Newton in his exoneration, has identified the common causes of wrongful convictions. In the next week, the organization will mark the 200th DNA exoneration nationwide. These DNA exonerations represent an unprecedented data set on wrongful convictions in the U.S. They show us the shortcomings of the criminal justice system that have been proven by hard science. For example, they show us that eyewitness misidentification played a role in 77% of wrongful convictions that were overturned by DNA, and that faulty science played a role in more than one-third of the cases.   
Two-thirds of the 200 people exonerated through DNA are African American. Most of the wrongful convictions that were overturned by DNA were rapes; 55% were cross-racial, and of those, 85% involved black defendants.
Actual Innocence, by Innocence Project co-directors Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld (with Jim Dwyer, of the New York Times), notes that just 15% of all sexual assaults nationwide involve black assailants and white victims (according to the Justice Department), yet the DNA exoneration cases alone show the starkly disproportionate rate at which black men are prosecuted aggressively (and convicted erroneously) for raping white women. The startling figures remind us that we have not come very far since the first half of the 1900s, when rape was a capital offense in most states, and 90% of those executed for rape were black men who were convicted of raping white women.
The DNA exonerations show us the causes of wrongful convictions and have helped develop reforms that can prevent such injustice in the future. But Scheck and Neufeld are quick to point out that there is one prevalent cause that has not yet been fixed: racism. Asked why he thinks he was wrongfully convicted, Newton says, “Race, economics, there’s a whole bunch of things you can point to. If I’d had more money, I would’ve had a better lawyer. With a better lawyer you get better representation, and with better representation, the court will listen.”
For many of the African American men exonerated through DNA, racism continues to prevent them from fully re-entering society after exoneration. Having served 10, 15, or 25 years for crimes they did not commit, these men often lost opportunities to build families or careers. Starting out from scratch once they are released, they face tremendous obstacles in finding homes or jobs. The stigma of serving time in prison is much harder for a black man to explain than it is for a white man (who is often given the benefit of the doubt when he explains that he was in prison for a crime he did not commit). Some black men who were exonerated have gone on to pursue higher education, start families, and build impressive careers. Since his exoneration, Alan Newton has enrolled at Medgar Evers College on a Thurgood Marshall Scholarship and is studying business administration. Many other exonerees have not adjusted so well, and will continue struggling for years.
Already, these DNA exonerations have transformed criminal justice nationwide. As a direct result, important reforms have been implemented (such as better eyewitness identification procedures, better oversight of crime labs, recording of interrogations, etc.), but these reforms have not yet taken hold everywhere in the nation. New York is not among the states that have implemented procedures that are proven to make eyewitness identification more accurate. New York still has not mandated the electronic recording of custodial interrogations. New Jersey, however, has done both.
Every exoneration provides a “learning moment” about how to make the system better. The first 200 DNA exonerations in the nation are a collective lesson, an opportunity to take stock of what still needs to be done to improve the criminal justice system. While DNA has been the key to releasing these 200 innocent men, DNA exonerations cannot represent the magnitude of the problem or the frequency of wrongful convictions. DNA testing is an option in less than 10% of cases. That makes these 200 exonerees-in this one sense-fortunate.

This spring, Barrington Irving, a 23-year old senior majoring in aerospace at Florida Memorial University, will trade his cap and gown for a brown flight suit, climb into a single-engine plane he calls “Inspiration,” and embark on a round the world flight that will make him the first person of African descent and the youngest person ever to fly solo around the globe.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in inner-city Miami, Barrington hopes his 5-week historic flight will inspire other young people to resist the negative influences of the streets and work toward their dreams. As a teenager, Barrington and his friends shared a sense of hopelessness about their futures, as there was little incentive or opportunity for minority youth in the inner city to pursue professional careers. He earned good grades in high school but saw a football scholarship as his only route to college. Then one afternoon, working in his parents’ Christian bookstore, Barrington began talking with a customer, a Jamaican airline pilot, Captain Gary Robinson, who invited him to the airport the next day to see the cockpit of the Boeing 777 jet he flew for United Airlines. That day changed the young man’s life forever.

Barrington was just 15 but had found his passion. He started spending afternoons and weekends at the airport, washing planes for private aircraft owners in exchange for half-hour flights or money he could use for flying lessons. Every evening he practiced flying on his own using $40 Microsoft Flight Simulator software. Focused on the dream of becoming a pilot, he turned down college football scholarships and enrolled in a community college where his tuition was partly covered by a Florida Bright Future Scholarship based on his high marks in high school.
Barrington spent every free moment thinking about aviation, doing odd jobs to pay for flight lessons and speaking to church, school, and community groups, such as “5000 Role Models,” about career opportunities for youth in the aviation field. Before long, his volunteer efforts were noticed by community leaders in Miami, who awarded him a joint Air Force/Florida Memorial University Flight Awareness Scholarship that would cover college tuition and flying lessons.
In 2003, Barrington enrolled in Florida Memorial University where he excelled in both academic and flight training courses. Over the next few years, he continued his volunteer work as he earned his Private, Commercial Pilot, and Flight Instructor licenses as well as his Instrument Rating.
In 2005, the young pilot founded a nonprofit organization, Experience Aviation, Inc., to address the significant shortage of youth pursuing careers in aviation and aerospace. Supported by a $10,000 grant from Miami Dade Empowerment Trust, a federally funded economic development group, he offered information and guidance programs to young people in South Florida that included touring planes at the airport and learning how to use a flight simulator. Given the success of that program, the Empowerment Trust increased its commitment to $75,000 to reach more youth in the community. Barrington used those funds to set up the first Experience Aviation Learning Center, using donated computers and Microsoft Flight Simulator software, at Miami’s Opa-locka Airport.
The Columbia 400 aircraft that will carry Barrington on his World Flight Adventure has its own story. In 2003, Barrington began calling aircraft manufacturers with the unlikely request to borrow, lease, or donate a plane he could use to make aviation history. When no one said yes, he decided to ask manufacturers of the various components to donate just one of their individual products to him; he also asked Columbia, an aircraft manufacturer, whether they’d agree to assemble the plane if he could produce the parts.

During the next year, with support and guidance from Miami Executive Aviation, he visited aviation trade shows throughout the country and secured more than $300,000 in donated components-the engine, tires, cockpit systems, seats, and so forth-and Columbia built him the world’s fastest single-engine piston airplane, ready to be modified with extended fuel tanks a few weeks before the global flight. In addition, he received fuel support from Chevron that enabled him to train for the global flight and visit schools throughout the country.
Barrington also approached Microsoft, who offered to host a flight blog during the trip and donate free Flight Simulator software to students taking part in Experience Aviation programs. Two satellite communications companies have also donaed a tracking system that will enable students to join Barrington’s flight, in real time, through a download from the Internet. In addition, a software development company has created a lifelike simulation of Barrington in the cockpit of his plane.
Barrington is an inspiring role model for children and adults alike. Though he started his aviation career with few financial resources, he has continued to pursue his goals with the self-confidence of an entrepreneur who sees no limits to what he can achieve. Having left the city streets for a future in the sky, he hopes his World Flight Adventure will encourage other young people to leave their fears behind and reach for the stars.
Follow Barrington on his blog at http://barringtonirving.spaces.live.com/.  As of April 11 he was in Spain.

By Mary Alice Miller

Rev. Herbert Daughtry led a delegation representing the National Religious Leaders of African Ancestry Concerned about Darfur, Sudan. Accompanying Daughtry was Darfurian Yahya Osman, Secretary General of the Darfurian Rehabilitation Project.
 .Osman, whose family has suffered greatly due to the conflict, was instrumental in personally introducing Rev. Daughtry to leaders of various factions in southern Darfur.  Keeping the ultimate goal in mind, Osman promised the people in the refugee camps that the delegation would speak out for them.
The timing of their trip happened to coincide with a meeting of the leaders of southern Darfur, who met to come to a resolution to the ongoing conflict. The central Sudanese government claims it also wants a solution, but says the Darfurian leadership is ‘fragmented,’ therefore thwarting resolution.
With Sudan’s border touching nine countries, there is a threat of spillover into other nations. Spillover has already begun. Rev. Daughtry visited Abeche, a city in eastern Chad that houses 17,000 Darfurian refugees and displaced people.
According to Daughtry, the crisis is as bad as, or worse than, reported.

 Daughtry saw women fight over water due to insufficient underground water supply. The 4-gallon per family per day is not nearly enough. He says the displaced can make a house from mud and straw, but the lack of water leaves these homes in a state of incompleteness.
Daughtry also saw naked children-without clothes or shoes. They had sores and blisters, and some were deformed.
Daughtry says medical service is inadequate-a donkey-driven cot served as an ambulance. Old canvases are used to construct housing.
Daughtry reports scores of refugees continuing to pour into the camps, increasing stress upon the villages and towns of Darfur.
Daughtry and Osman report that currently there are approximately 400,000 displaced persons in 81 refugee camps-12 camps are in Chad, 69 are in Sudan.
Daughtry heard ‘stories of cruelty that would disgrace a nation of savages.’
Daughtry heard stories of children being crushed and thrown into fire.

He met young girls in the bush who were fighting with rifles. When Daughtry asked them why, they said they had nothing else to do. One’s sister was raped; another’s parents were killed.
Story after story had consistent elements: First airplanes dropped bombs, then, military machines came through firing large guns. Finally the horseback riders-they call them “jejuin-evil on horseback”-came through burning, killing, stealing, raping, and confiscating property.
Daughtry was told that some managed to escape and found their way to the camps, where the young find conditions unsafe. If the young men stay in camp, they are beaten, and sometimes they ‘disappear.’ If the young women stay in camp, they are beaten, raped, and also can ‘disappear,’ so they go into the bush.
Through interpreters, Daughtry asked rebel leaders why they were fighting. They said they would lay down their arms if a solution were found tomorrow.
Yet with all the suffering, Daughtry saw signs of humanity.
Through dazed looks, the children laughed and smiled. Children will be children, finding imaginative ways to play. One 7-year-old gave Daughtry three pieces of ‘money’ he had made. All he asked for in return were books.
Osman believes one strategy of Arab cultural domination is to keep the indigenous Darfurian Africans in camps for 5-10 years while the Arab children are being educated and getting their Masters degrees. Even if people eventually come out of the camps, they will be unskilled and unprepared, and therefore, essentially unemployable.
Through conversations with refugees in camp and the bush, Daughtry was told that, overall, the displaced had ‘high praise’ for the U.S. role in providing assistance. Although they wished the USA would do more, they fondly remembered that Colin Powell called the situation ‘genocide.’  They are grateful for religious Christians and Jews, but wish religious Muslims would do more. In fact, the displaced are disappointed that Muslims have abandoned them, leaving them feeling alone.
In addition, Daughtry was told that the displaced believe the root of the problem is Arab expansionism. Those whose lands were destroyed and taken are Christian and Muslim Africans. The displaced also believe there is a ‘master plan’ by some Arab leaders to expand Islam and Arabism, and are sad that Muslims of African ancestry cannot see the problem.
According to Daughtry, Darfurians did not choose to go to refugee camps because they love refugee camps. They were forced to leave their lands. The displaced believe someone must pay; their lives need to be restored.
Daughtry and Osman report that the central Sudan government put forward a plan that was rejected by most of the Darfurian leadership groups because there was nothing on the table to redress wrongs, recoup lands, and establish power sharing. One Darfurian group, the Sudan Liberation Army, was forced to sign the agreement with the central Sudan government. They subsequently became part of the Sudanese government, and many were later killed in a questionable incident.
Daughtry explained further: “Yes, the root of the problem is British colonialism, but Arabs are as vicious as anybody. For too long, Arabs got a free pass because we blame Europeans.”
One of Daughtry’s immediate goals is to have heart-to-heart talks with Imams of African ancestry.
Daughtry states the more difficult problem is that black Muslims have not challenged Arab Muslims on the ‘authenticity’ of Islam the way black Christians had to challenge European Christianity. Daughtry asks: “Why have they not taken a stand?”
When asked what role slavery played in this situation, both Daughtry and Osman admit there are conflicting reports.
Osman stated that there are undeniable kidnappings, people are loaned out to work, and the children are being ‘pawned’ to rich people. Daughtry said there is a question regarding slavery as we know it. Osman added that people may not be chained, but if their resources are controlled, if people are forced to beg to be able to eat and are required to do a job for free, that equals slavery.
Having laid out the facts, Rev. Daughtry asks, “Whose side are you on-the baby or the buzzard?”