Professor and journalist Nick Clooney took his son, actor George Clooney, to Darfur, but their mission to try to help the violence-wracked African nation failed, the elder Clooney said Tuesday.
Clooney, American University distinguished journalist- in- residence and a reporter for over 50 years, said he mixed advocacy with journalism for the first time to produce Journey to Darfur, a documentary shown to American University students during School of Communications Week.
Clooney said he made the film in 2006 to get the situation in Darfur on the front page of newspapers. The war in Darfur is a conflict taking place in western Sudan between the Sudanese military and various rebel groups such as the Sudan Liberation Movement. The military is attacking tribes from which the rebels draw support, killing over 200,000 people so far.
Clooney said his efforts have done nothing to change the circumstances in Darfur, and the violence continues.
“The most disturbing thing is how barbaric people can be to each other. There is absolutely no hope,” said Clooney. “Homes have been burned, children slaughtered and women have been raped.”
Clooney said he took his famous son to blatantly gain more attention from the media. The trip was covered by newspapers and celebrity magazines.
During their trip, the father and son talked to victims of attacks that destroyed their towns and killed their families. According to Clooney, the attacks on the villages would start with bombings by the military, and then the Janjaweed, a Sudanese militia group, would come to kill and rape survivors.
George and Nick Clooney claimed armed men stole their tapes twice, and that they constantly felt endangered.
“We were there for nine days and there was not a minute I didn’t think we would get killed,” said Clooney.
Nick Clooney strategically chose to go to Darfur directly prior to a rally on the National Mall organized by the Save Darfur Coalition, and in time to attend peace talks at the United Nations where he tried to press for action in Darfur, he said. According to Clooney, he believed that if people knew what was happening in Darfur, they would do something about it.
While in Darfur, both Clooney and his son spoke with a man who lost nine family members due to attacks, as well as several child soldiers, and a woman who survived an attack only because her baby on her back stopped a bullet. Clooney told the audience he was particularly moved by one young girl who asked George when he was going to come back and bring help. George said, ‘Soon,’ and the young girl replied, ‘That’s what you always say’,” Clooney said.
Clooney referred to the conflict as a genocide, which is something he says the United Nations is hesitant to do because to do so requires specific action, including a mandate for U.N. peacekeepers to protect civilians and ending impunity through judicial action in both national and international courts.
Clooney said he will not give up on Darfur.
“I have to go back, so that’s what I’ll do,” said Clooney. “I’m already forgetting them.”
Clooney encouraged AU students to take action by being a “pain in the neck.” Clooney told students to repeatedly call their representatives and senators until they get through.
Sarah Stahlberg, a sophomore in the School of Communications and a member of the SOC Undergraduate Council, said she was moved by Clooney’s admission that his film may not have had an impact.
“I was nervous to go start the film after he made his introduction,” said Stahlberg. “The room was so quiet.”
Joe McGrann, a freshman in the School of International Service, said he was moved by Clooney’s passion for the cause.
“It seems like he really wants to pursue this,” said McGrann. “I thought his point about going along as a journalist for so many years and now becoming an advocate for a certain cause speaks to how deeply the issue had an impact on him.”
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Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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