Schindler’s List (1993)- 

STAND members really like Schindler’s List. STAND Policy Intern and chapter leader Timmy Hirschel-Burns says “Schindler’s List powerfully examines acts of heroism among the horrors of the Holocaust. Although the Holocaust demonstrates the massive negative potential humans have, Schindler’s List also demonstrates the bravery of those who resisted it.” Last year’s West Regional Organizer, Heather Klain, and Jessica Goldstein, STAND Communications Intern and chapter leader also recommend this film. Bri’Anne Parkin, a Lemkin Summit attendee, and Julia Zukin, a rising senior at Emory University both recommend this film as well.

Hotel Rwanda (2004)-

Jessica Goldstein, STAND Communications Intern and chapter leader says, “Hotel Rwanda tells the story of one man–Paul Rusesabagina–to save his country (or at least a few people) from a genocide that is engulfing it. As far as genocide movies go, this one is a classic, a must-watch.” Heather Klain, last year’s West Regional Organizer, Bri’Anne Parkin, and Julia Zukin, a rising senior at Emory University also recommend this film as well.

The Act of Killing (2013)-

Former STAND Policy Coordinator, Danny Hirschel-Burns describes it as “the best film in existence about how perpetrators think, what drives them, and how they manage to commit unimaginable violence.” Justin Schmierer, a former regional organizer expressed: “The Act of Killing was really a great documentary in my opinion. Just saying, if people haven’t seen it.” Recent graduate of Ohio University and former co-president of the Ohio University STAND chapter Neti Gupta also recommends the film.

Watchers of the Sky (2014)-

Southeast Regional Organizer Bethany Vance, a rising sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill stated, “‘Watchers of the Sky’ is a documentary based on the work of Raphael Lemkin ( who invented the term “genocide”) while also taking a look at the contributions of others to the fight against genocide and mass atrocities. Lemkin lost his entire family during World War 2 and devoted the better part of his life to inventing a term for the deliberate killing of a large group of people in order to make it easier to prosecute those who commit acts of genocide.” Heather Klain, a former Western Regional Organizer also recommends this film.

Hannah Arendt (2012)-

Former Education Coordinator Sean Langberg expressed, “The movie explores Arendt’s contributions to the narrative of the Holocaust (and thus genocide rhetoric more broadly) that developed following the trial of Eichmann. I enjoyed learning more about how she refused to accept the bad apples’ story that was being told at the time.”

War Dance (2007)-

War Dance tells the story of three Ugandan children living in Potango refugee camp who have the opportunity to participate in a nationwide music and dance competition. Bri’Anne, a Lemkin Summit attended concludes that “War Dance is a pretty powerful film. It’s one of my favorites.”

Worse than War (2009)-

Jessica Goldstein, STAND Communications Intern and chapter leader says, “This film is for anyone who wants to understand the concept of genocide. Daniel Goldhagen’s interview with a genocidaire is unforgettable.”

Concerning Violence (2014)-

Recent graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill Danielle Allyn, a former STAND Education Task Force member says, “This documentary, based on the life and writings of Frantz Fanon, displays the everyday violence of colonial regimes in Africa and analyzes methods of resistance. Not a feel-good film but necessary all the same.”

The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) –

Former STAND Policy Coordinator, Danny Hirschel-Burns says, “it’s the best film I’ve ever seen about how violent politics work. The characters are multi-faceted and they’re struggling with dilemmas many people in conflict zones experience: how much power to cede to outsiders, the effectiveness of armed struggle, and the implications of sectarianism.”

The Good Lie (2014)-

STAND Student Director, Francesca Freeman, says; “The Good Lie is a film that documents the experience of Sudanese refugees from the attack on their village to their life in the United States. Many of the actors in the movie are Sudanese and either lived through or are related to people who lived through different conflicts in the region. Additionally, the Enough Project played a large part in the making of the film, and therefore it is historically accurate and effectively portrays the experience of the Lost Boys of Sudan.”

Virunga (2014)-

STAND Communications Intern and chapter leader Jessica Goldstein says, “I’ve been obsessed with this movie even before I saw it. I remember watching and rewatching the preview of this film until I finally got to see it. This film deserves all the hype it is getting. It shares the story of conservationists who understand that the park’s success is inextricably bound to Congo’s survival.”’

Look out for more comprehensive lists to come! Thanks to all of the STAND members who contributed to this list! Contact Francesca Freeman at ffreeman@standnow.org if you have any questions or contributions.

While it is only the third year for the conference, the Women and Genocide Symposium takes on a larger significance as part of a growing movement to recognize the connections between women and genocide. The problems women face in genocide have been historically overlooked in analyses of mass atrocities which focus almost exclusively on men’s experiences in conflict. Sexual assault, in particular, has historically been viewed as a trivial side effect of violence and a lack of security, rather than part of a genocide itself. However, this perspective is starting to change.

Abroad, activists are beginning to document the way that gender roles in the affected areas are played on in genocide, leading to strategies such as the use of rape as a weapon of war. In the United States, scholars are starting to discuss the way that policymakers’ perceptions of gender have been obscuring their perceptions of conflict, causing them to tend to overlook the ways that genocide uniquely affects women. This negatively impacts the solutions they create, leading to inaccurate policies that fail to properly protect women. And perhaps one of the most important observations has been the way that women have historically been kept out of the peace process, both by domestic and international forces. However, if the international community can actively work to include more women in negotiations and rebuilding, there can also be hope for women at the end of these tragedies.

A few highlights from the event:

Darfur:

Ikklas Abdelmageed, a Sudanese fellow at United States Institute of Peace, discussed the lack of action on women’s rights and the lack of protection women are afforded from sexual violence, particularly in the IDP camps. She noted that NGOs that aid women in Sudan are not doing enough – she recounted a story of a young woman who tried to get help from UNAMID (The United Nation African Mission in Darfur) and was told that their mandate did not include rape cases. Ikklas said that many women are also doubtful about being involved in the peace process because of a distrust of the government, but that she is working to improve this in the future.

Burma:

Myra Dahgaypaw, an activist for Burmese women, discussed the sexual violence committed by Burmese security forces against Rohingya women, which she described as “widespread.” She made the point that it has negatively affected Rohingya women’s access to education, as their families often keep them home away from school in an effort to protect them from the sexual violence. President Obama recently completed his trip to Burma, so it remains to be seen whether the U.S. will be willing to play a role in halting the atrocities there, particularly for young women and girls.

Recovery in Rwanda:

Ambassador Mukantabana spoke about women in relation to the Rwandan genocide, providing hope for the future of other conflicts. Reconciliation and recovery in Rwanda has been held up as a success story and model for future recovery and women’s empowerment. However, while Rwanda made strides since the 90s, particularly by putting more women in the legislature, there were also critics who questioned whether these are legitimate changes capable of uplifting Rwandan women in the future.

Activists have made strides in changing the conversation, but the realities that women still face internationally are dire. In order to move forward, women and girls need to be protected from sexual violence and drastic changes will have to be made to ensure that justice is served to the perpetrators. However, the dedicated community of activists, scholars, and policymakers has the potential to make significant improvements. In her speech, Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda discussed the challenges that the community would have to face in the future but also said that the these abuses could not go unpunished, and in her final statements, she warned: “Let the perpetrators be on notice.”

We’d love to hear your thoughts on Women and Genocide! Write to Carly at cfabian@standnow.org.

This post was written by Carly Fabian, STAND’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Organizer.

Everyone knows what happened twenty years ago in a small nation in Central Africa. Over 800,000 men, women and children were murdered in a period of three months. Their only crime was of belonging to the wrong ethnicity, and in some cases, the wrong political faction; in other words, being Tutsi or a moderate Hutu. The extremists waited for their cue in beginning their murderous mayhem that swept the entire nation of Rwanda. After the President’s plane was shot down by unknown assailants on April 6th, the Hutu extremists began killing without mercy while most of the world stood on the sidelines. One of the most shameful aspects of the tragedy was the US demand for the withdrawal of the remaining UN force that was left behind and their refusal to intervene, along with the rest of the world.

Despite all of the horror throughout the genocide and the betrayal of the international community, it is easy to forget the few examples where acts of humanity took place. Carl Wilkens, for instance, was the only American civilian who stayed during the genocide. Mr. Wilkens and a colleague saved hundreds of orphans who would have been killed. Another example is of Capt. Mbaye Diagne, an unarmed UN observer from Senegal. In the early hours of the genocide, he defied orders to stay neutral and single-handedly rescued hundreds of lives by shuttling civilians to and from UN safe sites. Tragically, he was killed on May 31st and the exact number of lives he saved remains a mystery.

Other examples include the fearless aid workers treating the wounded and the small group of UN peacekeepers, with limited resources who somehow[S9] managed to save thousands. These men and women have set examples of heroism, courage, and humanity. They have set the bar on how to respond to a crisis and we can only hope that others will follow suit in current conflicts (Central African Republic, Congo, and Syria to name a few). In the FRONTLINE documentary Ghosts of Rwanda , Mr. Wilkens said that all of us have the potential to do good and evil. This was the case during the genocide in Rwanda where people chose to do acts of evil and kindness.

This April, we need to honor the 800,000 lives that were lost, the thousands of survivors who endured the trauma and have had the resilience to rebuild, and of course, we have to honor the brave individuals who stayed and did everything possible to save lives.

The United States and Russia reached an agreement on Saturday calling for the destruction or removal of Syria’s chemical weapons by mid 2014. Under the agreement, Syria must provide an inventory of its chemical arsenal to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) by the end of the week. On Monday, President Obama signed an order allowing the US to freely send protective equipment and training against chemical weapons attacks to the OPCW as well as approved rebel groups and nongovernmental organizations working within Syria.

While the agreement explicitly refers to a plan for a United Nations Security Council resolution under chapter 7 of the UN charter, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called reports that the deal included a threat of military force “distorted”. US officials have stated that a unilateral American attack remains a possibility should diplomacy fail. The deal also included an agreement for the US and Russia to renew efforts to convene a peace conference between the Assad regime and rebel forces that has thus far proved elusive.

Inspectors reported to the United Nations Security Council on Monday that they found “clear and convincing evidence” that a large chemical attack was carried out in Syria last month. Although the report itself does not state who is responsible for the attack, the United States and its Western allies cited parts of the report as evidence of the Assad regime’s guilt.

Following the Russian-American deal on removing or destroying the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons, United Nations Security Council negotiations began on Tuesday. Anonymous diplomats have said that disagreements arose over the draft put forward by the United States, Britain, and France over the threat of military force to enforce the agreement, whether or not to condemn the Assad regime for the chemical weapons attack, and whether or not to refer the suspected perpetrators of the attack to the International Criminal Court.

A car bomb on the Syrian-Turkish border was reported to have killed 7 and wounded at least 20 people. The bombing took place at a roadblock held by Islamist brigades at the entrance of a rebel-held crossing on Tuesday. The day before the explosion, Turkey shot down a Syrian helicopter in Turkish airspace.

Opposition activists reported Tuesday that rebel groups have intensified their blockade of many government-held areas of northern Aleppo to include a highway previously left open to civilians. This has caused a rapid increase in food scarcity and prices in government-held areas, and many activists have condemned the tactic.

The humanitarian crisis in Syria continues to intensify. A group of 55 doctors and medical professionals wrote in an open letter to one of the world’s most respected medical journals, the Lancet, warning that the Syrian healthcare system is “at breaking point”. The letter, set to be published Friday, states that the impending medical crisis is due to hospital staff being attacked, forced to flee, or imprisoned, as well as attacks on hospitals, and humanitarian organizations being denied access to patients.

Talks between the Congolese government and M23 rebels, which stalled earlier this year, resumed last week under the mediation of Ugandan Defense Minister Crispus Kiyonga. This round of talks is set to last two weeks, and Kiyonga announced after the first day that the groups had reached a draft of a peace agreement. Late last week, the Ugandan government announced that it was encouraged by the progress in the talks and by the commitment shown by both sides.

The Congolese government has announced that it is willing to grant amnesty to most, though not all, M23 rebels. Regional heads of state have called for M23, as well as other rebel groups such as the Rwandan FDLR, to disband.

Representatives from the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and the Myanmar government met earlier this week to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire in October as well as other issues relating to internally displaced persons. The KIO is the last remaining major rebel group to have yet sign a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government, which hopes to have nationwide peace with all ethnic nationalities for the month of October. The Kachin Independence Army, the armed wing of the KIO, consists of about 10,000 fighters and has been fighting the Myanmar government since June 2011. It is thought that fighting has displaced more than 100,000 people.

Aung San Suu Kyi and the Dalai Lama met in Prague, Czech Republic to attend the 17th Forum 2000 Conference on Societies in Transition. Suu Kyi, a Burmese democracy icon and MP, has expressed her intention to run for president in 2015.

The U.S. Presidential Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan Donald Booth met with Al-Khair al-Fahim, the head of the Sudanese envoy to the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) to discuss the ongoing dispute between the north and the south regarding the oil rich region. The two countries continue to squabble for influence and oil rights as the North continually threatens to cut off southern oil exports to ports in the north. Booth later flew to Juba to further encourage progress on the issue.

A Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) soldier maintains his post in Jonglei State. Over the past year reports have continued to surface showing evidence of SPLA soldiers attacking civilian communities in the region as they battle against rebel factions primarily led by David Yau Yau. SPLA spokespersons uphold that they are simply combating rebel groups while several NGOs and other news outlets claims civilian targeting especially against the Murle community continue to take place.

On Monday in the Sinai Peninsula, a bomb exploded on the road near the Gaza Strip. The bomb was allegedly targeting a bus of police recruits, and nine were wounded as a result.  The bombings follow a recent large-scale military offensive to combat growing violence in the region. Just in the past few weeks, Sinai has seen 20,000 new  military combatants enter the region. As allegations continue of Islamist involvement in bombings like this one, demonstrators of the Muslim Brotherhood continue to protest against the interim government.

Shown above is a “Rabaa” sign, recently utilized by pro-Morsi supporters. The sign, refers to the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque, the site of a violent confrontation between Morsi’s followers and the Egyptian army in which hundreds or perhaps thousands of people were killed. This shift, according to several Egypt experts, signals a shift from the Brotherhood seeking international legitimacy to seeking internal legitimacy.

A week ago in the Central African Republic, Muslim residents of Bouca were attacked. The attack occurred at 5 am, at the time of morning prayers, leaving at least 40 people dead. Survivors from the attack indicated that the aggressors were also residents of Bouca

According to Michel Djotodia, the president of CAR, the Seleka rebel group no longer exists. Last Friday, President Michel Djotodia announced that the Seleka rebel group, who helped him gain presidency, has been dissolved.