Uganda has been in the news lately. You may have missed it, but last month President Obama ordered 100 troops (almost entirely in an advisory capacity) to Uganda to help the government to suppress the ultra-violent Lord’s Resistance Army (the LRA). The LRA has been destabilizing and terrorizing Uganda for years, abducting and forcing into military service children. Refuse and they cut off your nose, your ears, your hands, or simply kill you. Uganda’s history is one of colonial oppression, brutal strongmen (Idi Amin), and perpetual civil war, and the LRA is symptomatic of this larger disease.

Onto this scene comes “breakdancing!” Yes, you heard me right. Watching the new documentary “Bouncing Cats,” set to premier on the Documentary Channel November 19 (with many repeat showings), I was reminded of Cedric the Entertainer’s line in the brilliant, Spike Lee-directed The Original Kings of Comedy: he says, and I paraphrase, “Back in the day, we didn’t solve our problems with violence: we would breakdance.” Cedric then goes on –in hilarious fashion- to demonstrate how a throwdown in a dance club might go.

This same idea, that dancing can bring peace and bridge divides, is at the center of “Bouncing Cats,” which details the efforts of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) to heal the wounds that run so deep in this central-African nation and to get kids focused on a worthwhile endeavor.

The documentary features narration by the rapper-poet ‘Common’ and follows the journey of ‘Crazy Legs’ and his ‘Rock Steady’ crew, arguably the originators of breakdancing in the United States in the 1970s, as they travel to Uganda to link up with BPU founder ‘Abramz’. Crazy Legs tours the slums of cities in both the North and the South of Uganda. Compared with his poor youth in the Bronx, he finds the depravity in Uganda “hellish.”

Interspersed with Crazy Legs’ travels are interviews with war victims, BPU figures, and expert commentary. The mise en scene of the film is itself hip-hoppy. Throughout the documentary, we jump back and forth between static and stock footage to grainy, cinema verite-style shots of Uganda’s slums and its more appealing countryside. Throughout, we see Crazy Legs and Abramz teaching kids about the hip-hop culture and the finer points of breakdancing moves, and we learn that the title of the film — “Bouncing Cats” — is the phrase, used in staccato-like fashion, to simulate a beat when no music is available. Say “bouncing cats” ten times quickly and you will understand.

The main question for me is: ultimately, where can something like BPU go? Programs that teach under-privileged kids, golf, for instance, in America help youth to comprehend that it takes discipline, devotion, and concentration — and keeping your nose clean — to succeed in sport. Learn those lessons with golf and even if you don’t make it to the PGA, you’ll succeed in whatever avocation or occupation you embrace. But in America, contrary to what those in the ‘Occupy’ movement claim, there is opportunity. Your efforts can pay off. You may not be part of the 1 percent –whatever that really means– but you can carve out a good life.

Is that true in Uganda? You can learn to dance, understand your adversary, and stay out of trouble, but to what end? Dancing didn’t end the United States Civil War (massive force did), and it took another 100+ years to end racial segregation and oppression in America. I was truly moved by the idealism this documentary captured and by all measures it’s a well-made film, but can BPU itself survive and affect substantial change? View “Bouncing Cats” and decide for yourself.

They came because they’d read a story.

In November 2007, a group of Bostonians converged at the Irish Immigration Center in downtown Boston, the workplace of Irish-born opinion columnist Thomas Keown. Some came because they’d been inspired by Keown’s article entitled “Give a Little Bit” which had appeared in the Metro two months prior. Others came because they’d received an email from Keown with the subject heading, “Our very own Irish Potato is starting a nonprofit.” Both the article and the email told the story of Anthony Mulongo, an up-and-coming Kenyan journalist whose life was forever changed by a girl named Gift.

As a teenager, Mulongo was chosen by the Kenyan government as one of the eighteen brightest students in the country to be enrolled in an intensive journalism school. He began a successful career as a reporter for national television and newspapers. Like all Kenyans, Mulongo saw street children frequently, but he never felt moved to do anything to ease the plight of these poor children whom most believed to be pests, until he met Gift and witnessed her story.

Six-year-old Gift was skeletal, her stomach protruding from starvation and malnutrition. Dirty and exhausted, she was carrying her infant brother on her back. Her mother had died of AIDS, so Gift had no choice but to dig through the trash to try to scrounge up food for her baby brother and herself. When Mulongo met Gift, he lifted her little brother off her back, only to find that he had died at some point in their journey. Gift had no idea until that moment.

This was a critical moment for Mulongo. He knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t do something to help. The choice he made changed the course of his life—as well as the lives of Keown and the others in the Irish Immigration Center. He decided to adopt Gift and raise and educate her as he would his own daughter. Additionally, he gave up his career as a national journalist and instead wrote advocacy pieces about street children.

When Keown visited Kenya on vacation in the summer of 2007, his plan was to spend time on the beach, see exotic animals, and drink cheap beer. But his friend Dave, who had done some pro bono legal work in Kenya, suggested that he look up Mulongo. Using quarters and a pay phone, Keown called Mulongo and the two men made plans to meet for lunch.

Keown got on a train from Nairobi to coastal Mombasa, the city closest to where Mulongo lived. When the train arrived in Mombasa, Keown was overpowered by the stench of rotting filth. He looked out the window and saw street children just like Gift who were digging and pawing through a mountain of trash, scavenging for something to eat.

When Keown found out that Mulongo was doing something practical to help children like those he had witnessed on the train to Mombasa, they connected instantly. Over a meal of bony chicken and watery soup, Mulongo told Keown how he had adopted Gift and, by this point, over 30 other street children as well. He and all the children lived in a small, three-bedroom house with a tin roof called “Mudzini Kwetu,” which means “our home.” Each of the girls living there had chosen her favorite color of paint and tattooed the house with her painted handprints, marking it as her own. The house’s walls were covered with bright yellow, red, and blue handprints, as high as the girls could reach. Mulongo’s goal was for these children to feel that they were part of a family and that the little tin house was where they belonged.

Keown went with Mulongo to see Mudzini Kwetu for himself. He met Gift, who was now 13 years old and acted as an older sister to the 33 girls and one boy who were living in Mudzini Kwetu. As the first child to be adopted by Mulongo, Gift was happy and healthy—living proof that a loving family and a good home can heal even the deepest scars.

But some of the other children, who had recently been rescued, were still physically and emotionally wounded, such as the three sisters who, for privacy, are known as K., A., and R. Like Gift, they had to forage for food after their mother died of AIDS; K. was 12 years old, A. was six, and R. was just a year old. After six months of living on the street and fighting for survival every day, they were discovered by the police. But the police didn’t help these girls; they turned them over to the authorities and they were sent to juvenile prison just for living on the streets. When Mulongo heard about the sisters’ plight, he and a pro bono lawyer fought to get them released into his care. They had to fight especially hard to get K. released because she was considered destructive and dangerous. When Keown met her, she was indeed bitter, angry, and mistrustful, as much from her months in prison as from her time on the street. The youngest sister, R., was still bony and malnourished.

The seven-month-old twins, Agnes and Macharia, were two other newly rescued street children. Agnes and her brother Macharia, the only boy living in Mudzini Kwetu, were found by the police starving and screaming in the slums of the nearby town Mtwapa. Residents of Mtwapa said the infants had been there for three days. Unlike the officers who stumbled upon K., A., and R., these officers knew about Anthony’s home for street children and brought the twins directly to him. Shortly thereafter, they found the twins’ mother, drunk on cheap liquor. “Save the girl if you want,” she said, “but throw the boy in the dustbin. He’s not going to survive anyway.” While at Mudzini Kwetu, Keown held Macharia in his arms; six weeks later, despite receiving the best care and medical treatment available, the little boy died.

Though these children came to Mulongo broken and abused, he believes that they will be the seeds of change that will break the cycle of poverty and injustice in Kenya. As a network of educated Kenyans who grow up together, they will enter industry and government, asking themselves and each other, “How do we make life better for children who are living on the streets like we were at their age? How do we build schools, provide clean water, and create good homes for them? How do we change the systems of injustice that contributed to their lack of resources, put some of them in jail, and made others live as sex slaves?”

Mulongo’s vision resonated with Keown. Up until that point, Keown had spent much of his adult life feeling cynical about large charitable organizations whose efforts didn’t seem to produce any tangible results. Sitting in Harvard Square with his friends, he had had many conversations over $3 coffees or $6 beers, discussing how there must be better uses for their beverage money but not knowing where to give it so that it would make a real impact. But Keown saw the difference that Mulongo was making. He was providing a home, a family, and an education for children who had suffered abandonment, starvation, disease, physical and sexual abuse, imprisonment, and neglect. And more than that, he was proposing a plan to equip these children to confront the country’s systemic injustices.

When Keown returned to America after his Kenya vacation, he continued to be inspired by Mulongo’s decision to devote his life to helping street children. He wrote his next Metro article about how everyone should follow Mulongo’s example and give up a little of themselves to make a positive impact on others’ lives. “Mulongo sacrificed everything,” he wrote, “but if we all give a little, no one has to give it all.”

When watching a play about an atrocity, it’s easy to feel that there is nothing  one can do but bare witness, and this can be particularly unsettling with a play like “Ruined.” The conflict depicted in the play is largely over precious metals like coltan, a high-charge conductor used in the manufacture of cell phones, iPods and Play Stations, and therefore in high demand in Western markets — our own being the largest. How can we be sure we’re not supporting this conflict? In this case, an answer is closer than you might think.

On Sunday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m., immediately following the 2 p.m. performance of “Ruined,” the Huntington Theatre Company has invited Congressman Barney Frank, Democratic Representative of the 4^th District, to discuss the Conflict Minerals Trade Act (H.R. 4128), of which he is a co-sponsor. This act calls for the establishment of a process to identify “conflict metals” and halt their importation and trade within the United States.

Read my review of “Ruined” here.

PARIS — A 2008 cable sent from the American Embassy in Paris to the Secretary of State and other U.S. embassies around the world outlines the history of the diplomatic relationship between France and Africa, as President Nicholas Sarkozy has tried to reshape.

The memo, recently released by Wikileaks, outlines Sarkozy’s efforts to reform the relationship between France and Africa.

The policy of Sarkozy’s predecessors, termed the France-Afrique, or Françafrique model, had become “a complex web of economic, military, political, social and cultural ties that linked France with its former colonies and to a lesser extent non-francophone Africa,” the memo said.

This included the governmental, educational, legal, military, bureaucratic and administrative systems of many African countries, which were modeled on French systems. These countries, some of which have French as the lingua franca and can only be reached by airplanes connecting through Paris, have long depended on France’s aid to stay afloat.

In addition, the memo says, African leaders were often able to amass private fortunes, enjoy luxurious lifestyles in Europe, and occasionally achieve high-ranking French government positions.

African troops fought for France during the World Wars and veterans still receive pensions from the French government, the memo says.

Perhaps the most poignant signal of the special relationship between France and its former colonies is the “Mr. Africas,” a long series of advisers to French presidents beginning with de Gaulle, whose special status allowed him to reported directly to the president with advice on Africa.

But nearing the end of the 20th century, the costs of maintaining a special relationship with Africa became too costly, the memo states.

“France-Afrique provided privileges to France but carried a burden of expectation that has become harder to shoulder,” the memo says.

And although the rest of the world had come to expect that France takes care of problems in Africa, Sarkozy made it clear that this is a burden the French government no longer can, or wants to, shoulder.

In a series of three speeches in Dakar and Lisbon in 2007 and Cape Towin in 2008, Sarkozy outlined his new plan for relations with former African colonies.

“The general theme emerging from these speeches is that France will seek to modernize relations, get rid of lingering colonialist and post-colonialist baggage, engage with Africans on a more business-like and arms-length basis, no longer seek to play a paternal role and instead opt for a partnership among equals.”

Sarkozy, the first French president to have grown up without meaningful personal experience with the colonial era, the memo points out, abolished the Mr. Africa position, and adopted a favorable stance towards countries like the U.S. and China, as well as the European Union and the United Nations, who all want larger roles in African relations.

But while France has actively supported EU and UN involvement, the memo says they are concerned about Chinese activity in Africa, that it is too rapid and too effective – “too much China too fast.”

“Publically, Sarkozy’s attitude has been that France has no objection to China’s becoming more present in Africa – so long as Africans apply the same rules to the Chinese that are applied to everyone else,” the memo states.

The memo concludes by suggesting that the new Africa policy, an abrupt break with French tradition, is perhaps a reflection of Sarkozy’s own personality, as a figure who has, from the beginning, advocated for vast reform, especially in foreign relations.

“To Sarkozy, France-Afrique no longer makes sense, with France and Africa needing to modernize their ties on both sides and move on, based on a calculation of interests on both sides,” the memo says.

A third part of the memo focuses on the impact of the new Africa policy on France’s military presence in Africa.

The memo, written in September of 2008, states that the French intend to consolidate their military presence and re-group into two hubs, one in the Atlantic Ocean and one in the Indian Ocean.

In addition, they want to update France’s Defense Agreement with its former colonies, and establish a new department that will more closely correspond with Africa’s sub-regional groups rather than the European-drawn country lines.

“He sought a more modern and transparent relationship, ostensibly of ‘equals,’ that would allow both sides to conduct relations on a business-like and rational basis,” the cable says.

But the cable points out that an attempt to reform the Africa policy is a formidable task that must overcome “a certain level of comfort on both sides that has accumulated over many years.”

A leaked embassy cable posted online by Wikileaks shows that the Zimbabwean government planned to forcibly displace 25,000 villagers in a diamond-rich section of the country early last year.

The January 23, 2009 cable shows that a local chief informed the embassy at Harare, the capital city, that the military was planning to force the residents from their homes.

“The military operation is intended to establish control over the diamond fields as well as to provide village-based housing to troops. The plan was temporarily delayed due to the discovery of gold ore in the region where the villagers were to be relocated,” the cable read. The gold was being mined by a Russian company.

The exact region of Zimbabwe where the villagers lived was redacted from the cable.

The source said that the area was designated a “‘government reserve area’ and consequently, it was authorized to displace all the local residents.’”

The chief was trying to establish a fund to raise money for the villagers to mount a legal defense against the government.

The incomplete cable ends with officials saying that the Zimbabwean government planned to use the diamonds to shore up their economy.

Most 13 year old girl’s lives revolve around school, friends and the boy that sits across from them in math class they have a crush on. Life doesn’t seem to go much further then the latest sale at the mall.

Leah Petty and Claire Miller are not like most 13-year-old girls. For the past three years, the Newburyport girls have been raising money for the children of Cambodia.

Petty, who lived in Singapore at the time visited, Cambodia for the first time and was touched by what she saw.

"It really struck me how people were living here," said Petty. That fateful visit made Petty want to do something to help. She contacted a group in Cambodia called Journeys Within Our Community, and contacted a friend back home in the US, Miller, and that’s when the ball was in motion.

JWOC was founded by Brandon and Andrea Ross, owners of Journeys Within Tour Company in response to guests and travelers desire to give back and make a difference. JWOC believes in its slogan, "See a Problem, Solve a Problem" and has been doing that for the last five years

"We are so amazed by Leah and Claire," said Ross. "To be so young, yet to be able to really embrace the idea that they can make a difference in the world. It’s very inspiring and they embody everything that JWOC stands for: To see a problem and to solve it!"

For Petty, working closely with JWOC founder Ross proved to be a rewarding experience. "I really admire Andrea. It’s been to work with her and ask her questions. I want to do what she does," said Petty.

To raise money Petty and Miller have had countless bake sales. Also they have made magnets and sold photos they took of Cambodia while they were visiting the country. Two weekends ago, the girls had a yard sale to raise money for Cambodia. Thanks to generous donations from family and friends, the girls raised over $1600. To date the girls have raised over $4000.

While the girls efforts have been tremendous thus far, they are still not done hatching up plans to raise money. Petty, who just moved back to the States, is thinking about throwing a pool party in her back yard. "I have a pretty big back yard," said Petty. "We could have a band playing and to come in everyone would have to pay five dollars or something. I am still thinking it out."

Petty admits that when she first wanted to help Cambodia, her family was a little surprised by her altruistic intentions. "I am the third child and I am always like ‘I want this or that’ so they were a little surprised I wanted to do something to help other people," said Petty.

While her family was at first initially surprised by Petty’s generosity, she continues to amaze them and others. "As an organization you always hope for people to be inspired by what you’re doing and to help you fundraise so you can continue to make a difference. Leah is different because she inspires us," said Ross. "It has been such a pleasure to watch her really take her cause and make it happen. I don’t know many kids who would give up their birthday presents and ask for donations instead, or who spend the summer brainstorming ways to fundraise and then carry them out."

Petty has been to Cambodia twice and says her second visit was the most powerful. "I actually got to socialize with the kids I was helping. It was nice to get a feeling from the kids and meet them instead of just seeing them," said Petty.

"I have spent time with Leah in both Cambodia and Singapore and she is a warm and outgoing young woman, she has endless energy and has a truly good heart," said Ross.

Petty encourages everyone to get involved and to help Cambodia or any third world country. Petty is a true believer that every little effort makes a difference.

"Anything you do will help them. They have so little. They will appreciate it.”

Hunger is one of the most urgent human rights issues of our time. It affects millions around the world, even in countries that are experiencing extraordinary economic growth during these tough economic times.

We all know of the hunger issues that plague Africa, however, there are states and areas in India where hunger is more widespread and severe than on parts of the African continent.

A few months ago I wrote a few posts about malnutrition in India. Ever since, I’ve been following that news religiously. As an Indian by ancestry, I feel a strong connection to India’s afflicted. I hope this podcast inspires you to do a little research and learn about the issues of hunger in India.

Take a listen.

About a year ago I did an interview with a prominent Canadian journalist named Olivia Ward. Months before the interview she had written an article that named the 10 worst countries in which a woman could live. Our interview focuses on the troubles women face in various countries around the world, namely in Iraq.

I asked her about the situation in Iraq and how the lives of women have changed since and as a result of the American invasion. We also talked about the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan and the then-recent UN Security Council declaration regarding sexual violence being a war crime.

Take a listen, Olivia is a seasoned Canadian journalist and a respected authority figure on global women’s issues.

At this moment, in some war torn country in Africa or the Middle-East, a child, brother, sister, mother or father is being forced to flee their home for safety. They run, as fast as they can, taking only what they can carry away from those who want to do them harm. They may never be able to return.

On June 20, we honor these people, their courage and quick-thinking in situations of extreme peril and terror. In 2000, the United Nations General Assembly decided the need for an international refugee day was imminent. To show solidarity with the plight of African refugees, they decided to have World Refugee Day coincide with African Refugee Day.

The day is extremely important, especially now. Along with several African nations, countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan are seeing their citizens run for solace, finding it in countries in Europe and North America.

Sometimes, they can’t even get out of their country, forced to make refugee camps, large open spaces equipped with just tents for shelter, their homes. The conditions are dirty and unsanitary. Debilitating diseases and illnesses spread quickly.

Recent wars in Pakistan and Sri Lanka have displaced millions of people. In Sri Lanka, many are still living in poorly kept refugee camps. In Pakistan, many will never be able to return, their homes destroyed by Taliban forces.

It is hard to comprehend, perhaps for many in North America, what it truly would feel like to have to flee your home to protect yourself or your family.

Imagine a war is taking place right outside your door. Opposition forces enter your home to use it as shelter against their enemy, killing you if you try to protect it, giving you just a short window to flee.

But war isn’t the only problem for refugees. Extreme poverty and governmental neglect can make surviving in your home country nearly impossible.

How can the children of Uganda, where it was recently discovered countless kids are being used and are at risk of becoming child soldiers or child laborers, leave? Today is not only a day to honor those who made it out, but also those who need to leave.

Events to honor the distressed are being held around the world. A dance event in Nairobi. A mini-marathon in northern Sri Lanka. A concert in Washington D.C. A symposium in Tokyo.

Take a minute today to research and learn more about the world’s refugees and the conflicts they face. Donate. Attend an event. Help our world’s refugees.

A lot of stories that come out of Africa, no matter how engaging or urgent, get swept under the media’s rug. They get them, assess them and dismiss them.

It’s an obvious truth, most people know that a lot happens on the continent that doesn’t get picked up or spotlighted. Hell, a lot happens in the U.S. that doesn’t get spotlighted so why should we care, right?

In an age of western media where Archie marrying Veronica is a top story (I can’t believe he’s not choosing Betty!), there just isn’t room for tales from the Dark Continent, even though they tend to sometimes be the most newsworthy international exposƒ©.

But that’s OK right? I mean, who wants to hear about horrible, daunting and depressing news when you can read about a historically pimp redhead choosing the brunette with the trust fund? (I’m actually distraught over his choice.)

There obviously has to be some kind of balance, but when stories like the one I’m about to tell you come out, they deserve some attention, even if the next Archie comic development involves Jughead losing his legendary, bejeweled crown for good.

A whole area of the world is ignored and while the problem the people face can sometimes be overwhelming and hard for us to even comprehend, they are still real people, facing real problems and they deserve some real attention and aid.

That may sound hypocritical, since I don’t talk about African news very much on Terra, or report on it very much for Blast. But we’ve been trained by our media to ignore them because they seemingly always have some problem they need help with.

But those constant problems arise from their lack of global attention. In other words, they always have a problem because we ignore them. It’s become a vicious, ruthless cycle that is destined to continue repeating itself with no impending solution, just the looming possibility of it getting worse.

It’s hard to keep track of everything that’s going on the world. North Korea is losing its mind, Sri Lanka has been reduced to wasteland in some areas, Archie is marrying Veronica (I’m not letting that one go), and the U.S. has more crises than you can count on all fingers and toes.

Add another continent and the news landscape becomes too vast, and rightfully so. So it’s understandable. But even if you don’t read too much about the AIDS crisis, the genocide, the malaria, the new, stronger Ebola-like virus “Lujo”, or even the hunger; read this.

Forty-eight albino people have been killed in Tanzania over the last 18 months. No one has been convicted. The killings aren’t random; these Albino people are not just a group caught in a mass genocide. Actually, it is believed by some that their body parts can be used to make magic potions more effective. The albinos must now live in constant fear of being slaughtered.

The violence isn’t solely in Tanzania; last November a six-year-old girl was found dead in Burundi, the BBC reports. All her limbs and her head had been chopped off. Only her bloody torso was found.

In the same month, in Tanzania, two women were hacked with machetes after the attackers failed to find their true targets, children. One of the women was hiding in a refugee camp used to protect people with albinism from this kind of violence. The attackers were looking for her two-year-old child, planning to saw off the baby’s limbs for a potion.

Eleven men have been accused, though none convicted. They were charged with murder and trafficking the limbs to potential buyers. The prosecution also claimed the men dug up buried albino people and harvested their bodies for limbs.

All charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Albinism affects just one in 20,000 people worldwide, though the number of albino people in Tanzania is much higher. Though only 4,000 people are registered as albinos in the country, the number is believed to be as high as 173,000, the BBC reports.

CHESTNUT HILL — Imagine walking into someone’s home and seeing a child’s drawing on the refrigerator. It’s filled from edge to edge with bright colors, wobbly lines and adorable depictions of everyday scenes. Now imagine taking a closer look at that drawing and noticing that in it there is a helicopter shooting bullets at a person who’s lying dead on the ground with blood coming out of his head. Meanwhile, a lime green and pink tank spits bullets at a cozy yellow and orange home made up of the most basic of shapes.

A child who escaped the nightmare in Darfur drew this disturbing image coated in candy colors.

That drawing is among a set of 500 others done by child refuges of Darfur as part of a traveling exhibition called Waging Peace.‚  The event is sponsored by Boston College’s center for Human Rights and International Justice, and the Center for the Arts and Social Responsibilities.

In 2007, Waging Peace member Anna Schmitt went to the country of Chad to learn about the living situations and humanitarian rights of Darfuri and Chadian refugees. Schmitt began collecting testimonials from adults in these areas when her focus turned to the youth, who had witnessed just as much terror as their elders. Schmitt handed out paper and pencils to kids between the ages of 6 and 18, and asked them to draw their future hopes and their strongest memories. What she found were honest depictions of the horror that these children witnessed in their everyday lives.

The government of Sudan’s story of the events that have unfolded in the past four years is not surprisingly very different from the pictures drawn by the children. What makes this exhibit fascinating is that the viewer enters with the back-of-the-mind thought that children have no reason to dramatize or fabricate their illustrations. At this age they are naƒ¯ve to the workings of politics and of government and its role in the gore and terror that they witnessed.

They just drew what they saw.

The sketches in the exhibit feature a number of elaborate events. Just as an American child might draw a scene from their home or school, the Darfuri children depict villages on fire, men on horseback shooting machine guns into crowds, and tanks and helicopters shooting into the air and dropping bombs on towns. The one common element that ties all of the drawings together is the blatant, and obvious red scribbles. Thick red smudges draw the viewer’s eye to outlines of adults, animals, and babies that lie on the floor of the representational villages, unmistakably and brutally murdered.

The images serve a duel purpose. While serving as a form of therapy for children that have obviously been emotionally scarred, the pictures also serve as an eye opener to audiences that may be unaware of the crisis that has taken over Darfur. The illustrations also provide evidence that there is much more brutality happening in Darfur than is being represented by its government. Therefore, many of the pictures will be submitted as evidence to the International Criminal Courts in the proceedings against officials of Sudan that have denied policies of genocide. The drawings certainly bring a level of awareness of the tragedy in Darfur to Boston, and shows how art therapy can be a useful tool when helping children and others deal with a crisis.

Hunger and malnutrition are serious issues in African society. Several African nations shamefully boast outrageous starvation and poverty rates, however there are parts of one nation that are in even worse shape. India.

Labelled as a “national shame” by its own prime minister, India’s malnutrition rates are rising during unprecedented economic growth. Perhaps that is the problem, the middle class and rich get richer, while the poor stay poor and in some cases, get even poorer.

Its neighbor, China, is experiencing a similarly remarkable economic advancement. But they’ve used their new money to help reduce malnutrition in several areas, reducing the number of children under the age of five who are suffering from starvation to seven per cent, one of the major forms of measurement of malnutrition.

In India, a shocking 42.5 per cent of children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition, a number that reveals a severe governmental failure.

As Somini Sengupta reports in the New York Times, there is no easy explanation for this problem. There are several contributing factors though: a disconnect between a large democratic government and the people who need it most, a lack of money being spent on children’s nutrition programs, and an overall negligent attitude towards health programs.

The Times reports that while India runs the largest child feeding program in the world, the program is severely flawed. India’s soup kitchens set up in low-income neighbourhoods help, but do not provide the nutrition necessary for pregnant women and children under two.

To its credit, India does ensure all children are immunized for preventable disease, however, malnutrition can make one more susceptible to diseases that could be prevented by nutrition. Malnutrition can also hinder development and growth for life, preventing Indian children from reaching their full intellectual and physical potentials.

India has a lot to do to fix its hunger problem, and it won’t happen soon. The first thing would be to make health a top priority among government again. The prime minister calls the situation a‚ ”national shame.” He can begin to reverse the trend, if only he could make his government operate like a democracy that acts on its words.

Blast absolutely loved the return of Jack Bauer Sunday night. If you missed it, here’s your chance to watch it free on Blast, courtesy of Fancast!

In “24: Redemption” Jack is in Africa, running away from a federal subpoena that will in all likelihood take him to jail. With a new president about to be sworn in, a coup threatens to unravel a Democratic government in Africa with America (sound familiar?) sitting still in the background.

It sets up the new season perfectly and gives us a longed-for 24 fix.

The situation surrounding Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir should be referred to as our world’s double standard.  While G8 nations hunt ruthless autocrats in Europe and Asia, war-torn nations of our world’s forgotten continent are treated like unwanted pests.

Al-Bashir is widely regarded as the mastermind behind the attempts to eliminate tribes in the Darfur regions of western Sudan.  He is accused, by the ICC (International Criminal Court), of raping and murdering countless men, women and children, as well as displacing nearly 2.5 million African residents.

Now I’m not implying the pursuit of dictators in Asia and Europe meaningless, it isn’t, it just seems as though the collective vision of our world’s developed nations encompasses everyone and everything except Africa. It is odd a continent that holds almost 15% of the world’s population can be as overlooked as Africa has been.  Africa only gets a minimal amount of press, often only after problems have been going on for some time, e.g. Zimbabwe’s elections and Darfur’s deaths.

The world has been presented with a perfect way to eliminate the divide—to act on the arrest warrant recently issued by the ICC for the Sudanese president on charges of genocide, murder and crimes against humanity. The ICC however has no police force which leaves it up to one (or more) of the 106 countries that comprise the court to infiltrate the presidential palace in Khartoum and forcefully apprehend al-Bashir; he obviously won’t come peacefully and his palace is as heavily guarded as possible.

Breaking into the presidential residence in Sudan isn’t exactly an attractive solution to any government, something that forms the basis of this double standard.  G8 countries will help those in their proximity; maybe to make sure that death and destruction doesn’t migrate over to their side of the border.  The same nations will avoid at all costs helping those in which they hold no financial or physical investment, even if the ruler of the nation is a merciless dictator.  What is sad is that as developed countries, these governments should be obligated to help the less fortunate.  As rulers of the world, G8 countries should recognize this obligation and act on it for the betterment of humanity.

What makes matters even worse is that al-Bashir has chosen to ignore these charges; it’s almost too easy to imagine him chuckling in his heavily guarded presidential palace in Khartoum, the corpses of thousands of citizens not bearing any weight on his conscience.

It is troubling that a man who is, more likely than not, responsible for displacing almost 2.5 million citizens can be allowed to remain in power.

The ICC’s ruling is the first of its kind and undoubtedly a step in the right direction but what remains to be seen is if the warrant will be honoured by the nations that back the tribunal, and whether or not they will find the situation dire enough to prevent the deaths of thousands more.  The only problem—the spotlight is no longer on Darfur and Sudan.

Our world, as it always has, places a spotlight on what it views as the most important issues of the time.  Currently the spotlight is on the United States, the Middle East and the crises that affect them both: the U.S. is trying to prevent a recession, save a withering economy and dumb-down the debt for 2009, while the Mideast is being torn apart by war, death and terrorism, ironically worsened by the actions of the former country trying to “do its part.”

The conflict in Darfur garnered the coveted spotlight for a while, educating many but not driving enough to take action.  G8 leaders took some well-thought out measures to improve the situation, but failed to create an arms embargo to prevent more weapons from entering the western Sudan region.

This allowed the conflict in Darfur to worsen and now that it has, the countries that allowed terror to rule refuse to capture its kingpin.

It was October 2005, and professional photographer Karen Sparacio was in Uganda. She was there to photograph a relief organization. Ayaa Grace, an Alhcoli woman, invited her to visit the Acholi Quarter.  What the Sparacio saw changed her life and, soon, the lives of hundreds of Ugandans as well.

Sparacio took in the creative and colorful jewelry that these women were making out of what little they had.  She brought some of the jewelry back with her to the states to see if she could sell some of these beaded works of art to help raise money for the women.  The few she brought with her sold quickly, and she returned to Uganda in January 2006, to initiate the beginnings of Project Have Hope.

The Acholi Quarter was a rundown civilization, a slum, outside of Kampla.  The state people live in was unparalleled to the sincere and pure souls that the photographer saw there.  Sparacio spent two and a half weeks photographing the Alcholi women and capturing the illuminating spirits of the women in this slum.

Project Have Hope is based in Malden, Mass. Sparacio learned the unique craft of the Alcholi women and took back these skills with her to the United States.  Like the Acholi women, she and other volunteers make colorful beads out of recycled paper.  She then sells the jewelry at local craft fairs and online at www.projecthavehope.org.

Project Have Hope has helped hundreds of women since its inception in 2006. With the money earned from jewelry sales and donations, Project Have Hope has created programs that provide women with the skills to work and become educated; the organization also rekindles the hope that may have faded from these women along the way.  With the money raised, Project Have Hope started a literacy program for 22 women who had never before even stepped inside a classroom.  Karen Sparacio’s organization also began a vocational training program.  Currently, 18 women are enrolled, and when the training is complete, they will receive a loan that will enable them to immediately start their lives in the working world.

What began as a small loans program for 30 women to start small businesses, has grown to a “high risk jumbo loan,” for women with strong and viable business ideas.  The high risk loan will take these women two years to repay.

“[The main goal of Project Have Hope] was to help women create something that is sustainable once I’m gone,” Sparacio said. “Realistically, I know I can’t do this work forever. So my goal is to help provide the women with the education, skills and finances needed to help them support themselves without the need of outside, foreign assistance.”

Sparacio has spent thousands of hours working on Project Have Hope. When asked what she has gained through this journey, she simply says, “Friends.” Many of the women she meets in Uganda have been raped and assaulted, their children have been abducted and husbands have been beaten or killed.

“But they smile widely and often, laugh gregariously, and move forward with each passing day,” she said. “I am honored to consider many of them as friends. They are the people who remind me, even when I do not see them everyday of what is important in life.”

It must be true that life’s greatest gifts are not seen, but felt.

Sparacio remembers one boy who had been abducted at the young age of 8. He was forced to become a child soldier, but escaped nine months later. Sparacio took the boy to live with his Aunt in the Acholi Quarter. Through Project Have Hope, he has been sponsored in school for the past two years.  Whenever he sees Sparacio, he walks with her and holds her hand.

In January, the boy saw her sitting alone and asked if he could sing her a song. He began to sing the children’s song “Head and Shoulders…Knees and Toes,” while simultaneously touching each body part.

“He grinned happily and proudly as he sung. No matter how bad of a day I am having, I think of him and smile. What a sweet, kind child!” Sparacio said. “To at least some small degree, I was able to give him back his childhood and give him hope for the future.”

For more information on Project Have Hope, visit ProjectHaveHope.org.