Since gaining independence on Jan. 1, 1956, Sudan has been at war for 40 of its 52 years. From its first civil war in the mid 1950s to the current humanitarian disaster in Darfur and southern Sudan, conflict has come to define the Sudanese experience.
But why? While racism certainly acts as a catalyst for violence, severe regional disparities in income, education, infrastructure and political power are the most apparent causes of the violence. These disparities have fueled uneven development in Sudan's urban areas and retarded growth in the periphery. And while Khartoum grows at a rate of 12 percent annually, outlying rural regions remain mired in a state of poverty and neglect that inspires insurrection and feeds cycles of violence.
The global movement for peace in Sudan has galvanized substantial support on college campuses across the United States. Anti-genocide student groups like Students Take Action Now: Darfur (STAND) have grown to include over 700 local chapters at high schools, colleges and universities. Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see a classmate sporting a "Not On Our Watch" bracelet or a "Stop Genocide in Darfur" t-shirt. Here at Tufts, organizations like PANGEA have engaged the student body to raise awareness about the conflict. They have held fundraisers for relief work and continue to advocate for political action.
There is no doubt the "Save Darfur" movement has grown significantly and done a great deal to mitigate the region's massive suffering, but the movement itself suffers from three major limitations. First, there is an overriding focus on the short term. Activists have tended to ignore worsening long-term trends such as desertification and deteriorating public health infrastructure, instead pressing for meaningful but short-term solutions.
Second, there is a lack of diversity among activists. The absence of individuals directly affected by the ongoing conflict undercuts the movement's credibility in the Middle East, Africa and Diaspora communities. And third, there is a rigid geographical focus on Darfur and Eastern Chad. This has obscured the interrelated forces at play throughout the whole of Sudan. These are serious issues that can only be fully addressed by highly skilled native Sudanese with a vested interest in the welfare of the entire country.
Banaa: The Sudan Educational Empowerment Network seeks to address these challenges by empowering a vanguard of young Sudanese to seek peace from a long-term, big-picture perspective. Paramount to Banaa's mission is the establishment of full university scholarships for selected scholars. The George Washington University (GWU) has agreed to support Banaa's 2008 pilot program with a full four-year scholarship including room, board and related expenses. Mills College has made a similar commitment to begin in 2009.
Today, Banaa is a budding NGO on the cusp of national university outreach. Logistically, we have figured out how to disseminate applications widely in refugee camps, how to verify grades and letters of recommendation and how to ensure that accepted students will return to Sudan and commit to public service. We have built a network of government and think tank leaders to mentor the Banaa Scholars and assembled a board of advisors, including former U.S. Ambassadors and Sudanese diplomats. For the pilot program, applications have been sent to over 2,400 contacts identified through the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, as well as Banaa partners in the Sudanese-U.S. Diaspora community.
Last semester, I set out to try to bring Banaa to Tufts. After collaborating with a diverse group of student activists, my vision came to fruition with the formation of the Tufts Banaa Committee. Since its inception, the Tufts Banaa Committee - under the aegis of PANGEA - has grown significantly in size and scope. We have a robust student staff and are currently lobbying the administration to finance such a scholarship. Our members represent a variety of different backgrounds and interests, but what unites us is our commitment to making a strategic investment for peace in Sudan.
Within three months of releasing the application in October 2007, we received 140 full applications and many additional inquiries from south Sudan and recent Sudanese exiles in Uganda. More than 50 applicants demonstrated an ability to do college-level work and nearly all revealed a clear commitment to goals of peace and sustainable development in Sudan.
By January 2008, Banaa received more than 140 applications for its single scholarship offering at GWU. Dozens of applicants demonstrated academic promise; nearly all told tragic personal tales and revealed strong determination to work toward peace and development goals. Tufts' longstanding commitment to active citizenship, educational excellence, and its entrepreneurial spirit make it an excellent fit for Banaa. With your help, we can guarantee that a student from Sudan will study at Tufts in the next year. Let us follow through on our commitment to internationalism by establishing a Banaa scholarship and participating in the pilot program.
Tyler Shami is a junior majoring in international relations and Middle Eastern studies. He is the executive director of the Tufts Banaa campaign.
