By Erin DostalThe Daily Northwestern
The conflict in Sudan is more an insurgency than a genocide, and “the worst thing that can happen in Darfur is for American troops to go in,” said Mahmood Mamdani, a professor of government at Columbia University.
In a discussion ranging from the history of the conflict to the contemporary warfare within the region, Mamdani preached education as a precursor to activism to a crowd of mostly students in the Norris University Center’s McCormick Auditorium Thursday night.
“I know there’s no debate on the question that there’s a crisis in Darfur,” Mamdani said. “That’s not what the debate is about.”
Mamdani said he supports intervention, but only by groups more directly involved and with interests at stake in the region.
He said that countries like the United States and Britain can help by supporting the forces of the African Union, a coalition of more than 50 African countries that currently lacks the resources to solve the crisis.
The belief that American intervention can solve all of the world’s problems is misplaced because intention doesn’t matter if you don’t have the knowledge to understand your actions, Mamdani said.
Americans like to think of Darfur as a race conflict between Arabs and Africans, but that misrepresents the situation, he said.
“Nobody in this dispute is not African,” he said.
Mamdani said that the most puzzling aspect of the conflict for the Islamic world is the fact that Muslims are killing Muslims.
“In Africa, what we call ethnicity … a tribal identity, was not a blood-based identity,” Mamdani said. The difference between groups’ identities is almost entirely based on language, he said.
Addressing the topic of student activism, Mamdani encouraged his listeners to come up with innovative ways to solve the problems in Sudan.
“Don’t become a proxy … you have to create an independent movement capable of thinking for itself,” he said. “If you act out of ignorance, then innocence will be no excuse for the consequences of your action.”
Originally from Kampala, Uganda, Mamdani has written several books, including “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War and the Origins of Terror,” and “Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism.”
Mokaram Rauf, vice president of McSA, said Mamdani presented a bipartisan view.
“He looks at both sides and tells us what’s wrong with each one … he’s out there to expose the agendas of both sides,” said Rauf, a Weinberg junior.
Susannah Cunningham, a member of the Northwestern University Darfur Action Coalition, spoke after Mamdani about how students can take action. She suggested calling congressional members or becoming involved in grassroots movements at NU.
“As a student community we have an obligation to be informed,” said Cunningham, a Communication senior.
Adnan Javed, a Weinberg senior and member of McSA, said he was pleased with “(Mamdani’s) emphasis on analyzing our advocacy.”
“Even if we act with good intentions, they may not necessarily bring about good results, because we may be wrapped around someone else’s interest,” he said.
Reach Erin Dostal at [email protected].
