Untangling the False Narrative of a ‘New Humanitarianism’ for Darfur

In his book “Saviors and Survivors”, Mahmood Mamdani describes how US Secretary of State Colin Powell “made two pivotal presentations” during his term in Office under George Bush. The first presentation was his defense of the US government claim that there were Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) in Iraq, thus establishing the pretext for the illegal US invasion of Iraq. The 2nd false narrative Powell was instrumental in creating had to do with the claim that there was genocide being carried out in Darfur.

With respect to Powell’s claims of WMD in Iraq, much of the mainstream media in the US dutifully went along with the US government propaganda campaign by creating a false narrative to justify the US government’s military attack on Iraq.

There has been the general acknowledgement by some of the mainstream media that their advocacy on… weiter lesen

The following is the Introduction to a Program at the United Nations Correspondent’s Association (UNCA) held on Friday, March 13, 2009. Video links to the talk in 4 parts follow the introduction. (1)

It is a privilege to welcome Professor Mahmoud Mamdani to UNCA today to present his new book “Saviors and Survivors” . (2) Just a few words by way of background about this program at UNCA today.

Professor Mamdani was born in Uganda, got his PhD from Harvard, and currently is a Professor at Columbia University.

He has also served as the director of the Institute of African Studies at Columbia University . He has taught at the University of Dar-es Salaam, Makerere Univ and University of Cape Town. And he was the founding director of Centre for Basic Research in Kampala, Uganda (1987-96).

Professor Mamdani was a chief advisor to the UN High Level Panel on Alliance… weiter lesen

The March 4, 2009 action of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in issuing a warrant for the arrest of the head of state of Sudan, President Omar al-Bashir, has created a significant controversy.

Journalists Ask UN’s View of ICC Action Against Sudan

A press conference was held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on March 12 with the UN Deputy Secretary-General Ash-Rose Migiro. A number of the questions asked by the media reflect the opposition that the recent ICC action against Sudan has stirred up in Africa. (1)

One journalist asked, “On the ICC warrant of arrest on President Al Bashir, Africa’s perspective is very clear that it does not support this indictment. The Africans even have a different view from the ICC and believe what President (George) Bush of USA did in Afghanistan and Iraq is more serious than what is happening in Darfur. It seems that the ICC… weiter lesen

The weather in New York on Friday night February 27 was warm and damp. This was reminiscent of the night 50 years earlier when Thelonious Monk performed his now famous concert at Town Hall in Manhattan. The February 28 1959 concert was a significant event in the jazz world. Monk would at last be recognized as the significant innovator and contributor to the world of jazz after many years fraught with hardship and struggle.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Monk’s memorable jazz concert at Town Hall, NY, jazz pianist and composer, Jason Moran presented the concert “Monk in my Mind” on Friday, February 27, 2009 fittingly also at Town Hall. Music, video projected on a screen above the musicians and audio of biographical moments in Monk’s life marked the multimedia tribute to one of the most important innovators in the history of jazz.(1)

The program for the concert didn’t list… weiter lesen