Lesson: Understanding the Human Catastrophe in Darfur

Intriguing Questions

1. What is different about the Darfur conflict and the resultant human suffering?
2. Is this a conflict between African and Arabs, as sometimes portrayed in the media?
3. How are human rights violations and conflict-related casualties measured?
4. How can an understanding of history help resolve the conflict?
5. Is some kind of military intervention the solution?

Do you have an intriguing question? Contact us.

This teaching module is coordinated by Michael Kevane

Last Updated: May 1, 2009

Module Teaching Resources: Resource created by the Understanding Sudan project.

Class Assignment

• 1. How to Use this Module on Darfur. 
• Darfur Policy Memo. Created by Carl LeVan for an American University course on Africa in Comparative Perspective.
• Darfur Simulation Exercise. Students take on the role of governments before the UN Security Council.

Lecture Materials

• Climate change and conflict in Darfur. Powerpoint presentation based on background paper, Darfur: Rainfall and Conflict, by Leslie Gray and Michael Kevane.
• Commentary on the Darfur Peace Agreement (as signed May 5, 2006 in Abuja and as made available on SudanTribune.org), by Michael Kevane, Department of Economics, Santa Clara University
• Contextualizing Darfur in Sudan Prepared by UnderstandingSudan.org Latest version: March 2, 2006
• Darfur: Understanding the ICC arrest warrant. (ppt)
• Explaining the Crisis in Darfur: Background and Context Prepared by Michael Kevane for UnderstandingSudan.org version: March 11, 2006
• Intervening in Darfur (ppt) 
• The International Criminal Court and the Darfur Conflict. by Michael Kevane and Evan Cauley.
• Understanding Darfur (ppt) 

Reviews and Teaching Tips

• All About Darfur - Review. 2005 documentary film. Produced and directed by Taghreed Elsanhouri, distributed by California Newsreel., 82 min, in Arabic and English with English subtitles. Review By Michael Kevane, Department of Economics, Santa Clara University.
• All About Darfur - Teaching Tips Notes for teachers using the documentary All About Darfur in the classroom. By Michael Kevane, Department of Economics, Santa Clara University, May 15, 2006.
• Comment on Intervention Tag Elkhazin, Subsahara Centre, addresses the question of "How are military interventions planned and their objectives determined? Lessons for Sudan," Ottawa, March 12, 2006.
• Review of Gerard Prunier's Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide (Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 2005) Review By Michael Kevane, Department of Economics, Santa Clara University.
• Review of Julie Flint and Alex de Waal, Darfur: A Short History of a Long War Zed Press, 2005. By Michael Kevane, Department of Economics, Santa Clara University.
• Was the Black Book Correct? Regional Inequality in Sudan by Michael Kevane, Department of Economics, Santa Clara University

Sudanese Arabic - Lessons and Vocabulary

      No Arabic currently available.

Multimedia Resources

Video

• Darfur Dirty Laundry Khalid Kodi, well-known Sudanese artist, discussed his art installation piece on Darfur at the Sudan Studies Association meeting of August 2006.
• David Buchbinder on understanding the crisis in Chad David Buchbinder, a Human Rights Watch Researcher, describes the unfolding crisis in Eastern Chad. Further information is in the HRW report "They Came Here to Kill Us" .
• The conflict in Darfur Dr. Ali Ali-Dinar is the Outreach Director of the The African Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also currently the President of the Sudan Studies Association (2006). Filmed in 2006. This video is also available on YouTube.
• The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars Douglas Johnson, author of The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars, introduces the book and places it in the context of the current war in Darfur. Filmed at the International Sudan Studies Association meeting in Bergen, Norway, April 2006. This video is also available on YouTube.
• Understanding Darfur and Sudan for Activists Michael Kevane, Santa Clara University, March 18, 2006 (15min).
• Al-Jazeera video reports on Darfur.
• Darfur special on Al-Jazeera's program, Frost over the World. First aired on 20 June 2008, David Frost interveiws Al-Bashir, and representatives from the ICC, JEM, AU, and WFP. Combined time of is approximately 45 minutes.
• Darfur: Rebellion from the margins. By Shane Bauer, on Slate.com. Posted Thursday, May 1, 2008. Slide show with audio. 6:47 minutes.
• Interactive Guide. A Council on Foreign Relations interactive look at the crisis in Darfur. By Stephanie Hanson. 2007.
• Link TV program on Darfur. Photographer Colin Finlay discusses his 1997 work in Darfur. Nunu Kidane (Priority Africa Network) discusses actions by the refugees from the current crisis to help themselves.
• One Day with the SLA. A clip from a film in post-production about the rebels in Darfur. Shot in August 2007 by Shane Bauer and David Martinez.
• SBS Dateline (Australia) Darfur's Dirty War, aired July 13, 2005. 27 minutes. (Scroll down to get to Darfur segment.)
• All About Darfur Distributed A film by Taghreed Elsanhouri , 82 minutes, 2005, Sudan and United Kingdom in Arabic and English with English subtitles available on Video and DVD and for Educational use from California Newsreel. Also see http://www.allaboutdarfur.com/.
• Darfur activists visit Boston Tapioca Productions, May 14, 2006, 5 min 46 sec
• PBS Frontline/World segment on Darfur "Sudan: the Quick and the Terrible", aired January 11, 2005: streaming video and more.
• The Darfur War Filmmaker Philip Cox was the winner of the Rory Peck International Impact Award 2004.

Audio

• Darfur Rising. An audio slideshow by Shane Bauer, 2007.
• Rebels & Refugees of Darfur: Enemy Combatant Radio interviews Shane Bauer Independent journalist and UC Berkeley student Shane Bauer visited Darfur and eastern Chad in Summer 2006. In this segment, Fault Lines' Liam O'Donoghue interviews Bauer about the origins of the genocide, the rebels' struggles against the Sudanese government and the environmental devastation in the region.

Maps

• Darfur - Google Earth Presentation In collaboration with Google Earth, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum created this presentation. Using Additional "layers" created from data provided by the U.S. Government, United Nations agencies, non governmental organizations, and photographers, this reveals the scope and personal impact of the genocide in Darfur and its continuing spillover into Chad.
• Map of Darfur. Originally from Human Rights Watch.

Photos

• Photographs of Darfur from online sources
• Ryan Spencer Reed, Cry for Compassion, Photo Documentary
• Ryan Spencer Reed, Darfur Crisis, Photo Documentary Includes some video
• United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Sudan: Darfur Overview photo essay by Jerry Fowler

Current News Items

• Darfur's climate roots challenged: Experts criticize UN view of Sudan conflict. By Declan Butler, Nature 447, 1038 (28 June 2007) | doi:10.1038/4471038b; Published online 27 June 2007.
• Darfur's Divided Rebellion. By Shane Bauer. Posted October 25, 2007 in the Nation.
• Special Report - Sudan in Crisis. By the Washington Post. A collection of videos, articles, photos and links.
• Unseen by western hysteria, Darfur edges closer to peace. Jonathan Steele, The Guardian, Friday August 10, 2007,
• Berkeley: Rita Williams reports on UC Regents vote to Divest KTVU interview of Michale Kevane (search for Sudan)
• Your Call Radio Program, KALW 91.7FM Call in radio program: What can we do to bring peace to Darfur? With Jason Miller (National Sudan Divestment Task Force) and Marie Clarke Brill (Africa Action). 25 May 2006.
• UC to drop stocks tied to Sudan Article by Matt Krupnick from the Contra Costa Times.
• AlertNet - Reuters Foundation Latest News on Darfur.
• BBC World Service - Darfur This 17 Feb 2009 article will point to others.
• Sudan Tribune - Up-to-date News on Darfur