November 18y 2004
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professor calls attention to genocide in Darfur
by Stephen McIntyre
Staff Reporter
A professor from Emory University
I spoke Nov. 3 on genocide in Darfur and
the responsibility of the international com
munity to take action.
“My generation in the post-indepen
dence period has failed to deliver on the
|i promise of independence,” said Abdullahi
: An-Na ‘im, professor of law at Emory Uni
versity, in his speech “Genocide in Darfur?:
I Challenge and Response.” “Our generation
I has failed to bring a sense of unity.”
A native of Sudan, An-Na ‘im spoke
i about mass murders in Darfur. Darfur, a
'region of Sudan, existed as an independent
i political entity for 400 years before being
iincorporared into Sudan in 1916, after
(World War I.
An-Na ‘im labeled the crisis in Darfur
jas genocide, as he called it “part of the
(agony of post-colonial Africa.” An-Na ‘im
(defined genocide as the killing, destruction,
jmaiming or a variety of acts with the in-
itention of destroying people in whole or
|in part.
His main concern was the magnitude
of the killing in Darfur. An-Na ‘im spoke
of his concern for the prevention and pun
ishment of the crime of genocide by the
international community.
While politicians label the problem in
larfur as genocide, they do little to elimi
nate or resolve the problem, according to
lAn-Na ‘im.
There lies a pattern of non-response to
genocide in Africa, according to Mark
jibney, political science professor.
“ The reports are coming m constantly
LAUREN ABE/campus editor
Abdullahi An-Na ‘im, professor of law at Emory University, discussed President Bushs lack of concern for humanity.
of pillaging of villages, rape of women, kid
napping of children and killing of men,”
said An-Na ‘im.
The Genocide Convention of 1948
binds contracting states to take up the mat
ter with the Security Council and to seek
prevention and punishment for those in
volved in carrying out the genocide. How
ever, in the case of Darfur, this remains to
be enacted.
An-Na ‘im demanded an immediate re
sponse from the international community,
the United States in particular. Humani
tarian and national law must be concerned
with this magnitude of violence, accord
ing to An-Na ‘im.
President Bush admitted the situation
in Darfur is an act of genocide, according
to An-Na ‘im. Thus, in reference to the
Genocide Convention of 1948, President
Bush should assume responsibility to in
tervene, according to the convention.
To call the situation genocide and not
act upon it is as bad as not even noticing
the problem, according to An-Na ‘im.
If the international community only
addresses one aspect of the conflict and fails
to address underlying causes, then the goal
for peace remains unfulfilled, according to
An-Na ‘im.
In response to the sluggish response of
humanitarian aid from the international
community Gibney asserts “they see other
people as less important and less human
than they are.”
He addressed other situations similar to
the crisis in Darfur, which the American
media and public neglect. The goal is to
anticipate the crisis and preempt it.
“The invasion of Iraq has been the most
destructive single act any administration
could possibly take,” said An-Na ‘im.
An-Na ‘im compared the U.S. invasion
of Iraq to the colonial military conquest of
countries like Britain, France and Portugal
during the 19th century. What happened
in Iraq in 2003 discredits the notion of hu
manitarian intervention, showing thinly
veiled colonial intentions, according to An-
Na ‘im.
An-Na ‘im classified the problem in
Darfur as “an exclusively interim Muslim
conflict.” Darfur converted to Islam before
the rest of the country. Ethnicity, au-
• tonomy and elite politics play into the con
flict, according to An-Na ‘im.
“How does Sudan come to terms with
the post colonial?” said An-Na ‘im.
Colonial Africa was not prepared to deal
with the country after the rule of the Brit
ish Colonial Administration. The country
currenrly finds itself divided into two types
of tribes: the nomadic, who venture to seek
water, and the farming communities.
These farming communities tend to defend
themselves against nomadic tribes en
croaching on their territory, along with a
militia.
In the past, tribal mediations solved con
flicts in Darfur, as they were small in scale
with limited death and destruction, accord
ing to An-Na ‘im. Today, trained segments
of Islamic legion militia types incur long
term militarization of the region, the spread
of arms and the manipulation of tribal mi
litias. Military training has become an in
tegral way of tribal life, allowing all tribal
milirias to guard the sovereignty of their
country.
In closing An-Na ‘im focused on the pre
vention, punishment and intervention of
crises like Darfur. He closed with the bibli
cal passage, “If you want peace, do justice.”
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ANGIE FESPERMAN/staff photographer
^SBjane Eastman directed the excavation of the Cullowhee Mound.
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WNC excavates campus
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Staff Reporter
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UNCA hosted a talk on “Excavations at
Cullowhee Mound” by the director of the
excavation, Jane Eastman, at Ramsey
Library’s Whitman Room at 7:30 p.m. Nov.
11.
The excavation began last year as part
of Western Garolina University’s summer
archaeology field school, and focuses on a
Cherokee village and mound that once ex
isted on the current site of the campus.
Eastman, assistant professor of anthropol
ogy and director of Gherokee studies at
ecu, described their findings in the talk.
“In one area of the site, we uncovered
evidence of a more ancient land surface that
Was a campsite for hunters and gatherers
3,000-5,000 years ago.” said Eastman in
the talk. “In both areas I’ve tested, there
are intact remains of houses, subterranean
pits and, in one area, a trash deposit.
“There is tremendous potential to learn
about the architectural plan of the Ghero
kee town which was probably occupied
during the 1500s or 1600s and about the
daily lives of the people that lived there.
The mound was constructed and used
between 1450 and 1700, but earned down
'u 1956 to make room for an academic
building. The excavations center on the
[ntound fill, which was re-deposited else
where
— on campus.
‘I have always pulled for underdogs, and
diis site is a great example of an underval-
|ued resource, that although it has been se
verely affected by campus construction in
the past, it still retains tremendous poten
tial to teach us new things, said Eastman.
“This site was written off in the 1970s as
lacking any potential for further research
because of campus construction.
Eastman showed slides of the artifacts
discovered in the mound fill, including frag
ments of Qualla pottery, spearpoints, pieces
of burned animal bones and small arrow
heads. In deeper layers, the field school has
uncovered intact post molds and other evi
dence of occupations on the site that date
back to 3000 B.G.
“The most significant thing is the po
tential to have intact structural remains,”
said Eastman in a WGU press release. “We
can learn a lot about what happened in the
past from the structures.”
Students dug through several layers of
soil to reach the mound fill. Under this layer
is plowed soil from a farm that existed on
the spot in the nineteenth and early twen
tieth centuries. Subsequent layers contain
soil from centuries past, according to
Eastman.
The current excavations are not the first
to take place on campus. The intact mound
was thought to have been examined by re
searchers in the 1880s. In 1972, the field
school excavated a Cherokee structure in
an area where the university’s Ramsey Cen
ter is now located, according to Eastman.
Eastman also spoke of the difficulties
involved in researching the original mound.
“I was surprised that I have been able to
locate so little historical documentation
about the mound, said Eastman.
Stress Strategies Student Government
A message from the UNCA
Counseling Center...
It’s still “Relationship with Stress” month so
how are you dealing with your life these days? As
it gets closer to the end of the semester, I bet life
is feeling harder and going by faster. Maybe some
more tips will help.
■ Take care of your body. You will have a higher
tolerance for srress if you eat healthy food and
get enough sleep (not always easy in a college en
vironment). Avoid too much caffeine and sugar
because the “highs” result in “lows” later. And
breakfast is the most important meal of the day
(bet you’ve never heard that, huh?).
■ Laugh. Watch funny movies, hang out with
funny friends, find cartoons or jokes online.
■ Take a “minute” vacation. Create a quiet
scene in your mind. When you’re feeling stressed
or anxious, imagine the details of that scene, from
smells to temperature. You can also play peaceful
music or read a good book for a few minutes to
take your mind away.
■ Know your limits. Watch what you’re wor
rying about and decide if it’s something you can
control. If not, try to let it go. Don’t try to con
trol everything and think before you commit to
activities/responsibilities.
■ Must you always be right? Try to lighten up
on some of your opinions or at least be aware of
which buttons usually get pushed, and avoid situ
ations that trigger those buttons. Try to be open
to others’ opinions. You might actually change
your mind.
a Have a good cry. Big boys and girls do cry.
Crying often relieves stress and lets those bottled
up feelings out. Renting sad movies sometimes
provides a safe way to express sadness.
a Look for the rainbow rather than the rain.
It’s the old “when life gives you lemons, make
lemonade” adage, but still true. Your mind fol
lows your attention so when you pay attention to
positives in your environment, your mind be
comes more positive. Some rainbows are: a
friendly greeting from the bus driver...someone
you met yesterday remembering your name...a
car in a really cool color.. .childrens laughter...a
motorist who stops to let you through traffic.. .a
sweet piece of fruit.. .a call from a friend.. .a cool
evening breeze...a toasty fire. Can you think of
others?
Upcoming Event: Dec.l “Lunch & Learn —
The dark side of stress management.”
If you need to talk to someone about your anxi
ety, please call the Counseling Center at 251 -6517
for an appointment.
1,1,
Update...
MEET THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT: CHRIS BUBENIK
■ What’s your position in the Student Government? Commuter Senator
■ What’s your favorite movie? “Happy Campers” beacuse it was filmed
in the mountains of North Carolina, which I love, and it’s the funny most
irreverant movie I’ve ever seen.
■ Who’s your favorite professor? Dr. Mitchell, in the mass communica
tion department, because she takes a genuine interest in her students.
INTERESTED IN THE ISSUES THAT ARE AFFECTING YOUR CAMPUS?
Go to the new student forum and voice your opinion on the issues that
Student Government is looking into and the concerns that are important
to you. Directions to get to the student forum:
■ Log onto your pipeline account.
■ Click on the “Groups” icon beside the “E-Mail” icon.
■ When the new window loads, click the “Groups Index tab.
■ Click on the “Special Interest” link.
■ Click on the “Student Forum” link.
■ Click the “Join Group” button.
■ Check the two boxes under “Required Information.
■ In the explanation box type “UNCA Student.”
■ Click on the Join Button.
You will receive a conformation e-mail within 24 hours, after which
you can check back and contribute your ideas to the Student Govern
ment and express your feelings on important campus issues.
Bookstore Holiday Party
And Sale
20% Off Entire Store’*
Refreshments, Door Prizes,
and Other Surprises
‘Some exemptions apply, see store for details
Thursday, Dec. 2nd
9am to 5pm