Comments on: festival of ideas. http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/2009/04/festival-of-ideas/ The story and conversation continue here. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:26:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Krissy Darch http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/2009/04/festival-of-ideas/comment-page-1/#comment-78 Krissy Darch Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:26:50 +0000 http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/?p=321#comment-78 Can we really ignore politics? http://www.buzzle.com/articles/292130.html Can we really ignore politics?

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/292130.html

]]> By: Krissy Darch http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/2009/04/festival-of-ideas/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Krissy Darch Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:41:35 +0000 http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/?p=321#comment-59 Thanks for your response. I've been thinking about this idea of distance a lot as well. I think this distancing you're talking about is systemic, and if I trace it back I find its roots in an individualistic world view. The same thing that allows people to say "we're lucky we're not ____(fill in the blank)" I was recently raising money for a rape relief shelter on the street and I had women coming up to me, putting change in my jar and saying hurriedly "It's never happened to _me_, but it's a good cause." And for people right now to say things like, we're lucky we live in Canada and not Iran. There's this amazing thing we manage to do in our minds where we only let ourselves see and identify with certain kinds of oppression, but not see the linkages between all kinds of oppression, the linkages to other ways we are creating distances, so that we can't see the ways the privileges (including the privilege of othering suffering) we enjoy might come at the price of someone else's oppression. I say this because of the unintended line in your bio about being lucky you don't live in a basement apartment wondering where the last fifteen years of your life went. To me that's just the same as most Canadians saying we're lucky we're not Sudanese, we're lucky we have healthcare...Let the distance fall away. I say this because I've worked in Ghana in education through CIDA, but I also live below the poverty line in Canada, I'm an artist and I live in a basement apartment, and many of my friends live in basement apartments, and haven't had resources, support or opportunities to be able to go to university. I guess I wonder why it seems romantic to live in a hut in africa, but not to live in a basement apartment back home... I just say these things because i otherwise agree with what you're saying- about how we should basically be working ourselves out of development jobs, that the goal should be our own obsolescence- otherwise we're just reproducing the conditions of our own power and another groups subordination. This is a perspective that seems so obvious after having been "on the ground"...but I think to maintain that perspective I'm thinking a lot about how it applies here as well, where there is also profound suffering. Sex trafficking of women and children into the larger Canadian cities for example. Let the distance fall away. Thanks for your response. I’ve been thinking about this idea of distance a lot as well. I think this distancing you’re talking about is systemic, and if I trace it back I find its roots in an individualistic world view. The same thing that allows people to say “we’re lucky we’re not ____(fill in the blank)” I was recently raising money for a rape relief shelter on the street and I had women coming up to me, putting change in my jar and saying hurriedly “It’s never happened to _me_, but it’s a good cause.” And for people right now to say things like, we’re lucky we live in Canada and not Iran. There’s this amazing thing we manage to do in our minds where we only let ourselves see and identify with certain kinds of oppression, but not see the linkages between all kinds of oppression, the linkages to other ways we are creating distances, so that we can’t see the ways the privileges (including the privilege of othering suffering) we enjoy might come at the price of someone else’s oppression.

I say this because of the unintended line in your bio about being lucky you don’t live in a basement apartment wondering where the last fifteen years of your life went. To me that’s just the same as most Canadians saying we’re lucky we’re not Sudanese, we’re lucky we have healthcare…Let the distance fall away. I say this because I’ve worked in Ghana in education through CIDA, but I also live below the poverty line in Canada, I’m an artist and I live in a basement apartment, and many of my friends live in basement apartments, and haven’t had resources, support or opportunities to be able to go to university. I guess I wonder why it seems romantic to live in a hut in africa, but not to live in a basement apartment back home…

I just say these things because i otherwise agree with what you’re saying- about how we should basically be working ourselves out of development jobs, that the goal should be our own obsolescence- otherwise we’re just reproducing the conditions of our own power and another groups subordination. This is a perspective that seems so obvious after having been “on the ground”…but I think to maintain that perspective I’m thinking a lot about how it applies here as well, where there is also profound suffering. Sex trafficking of women and children into the larger Canadian cities for example. Let the distance fall away.

]]> By: admin http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/2009/04/festival-of-ideas/comment-page-1/#comment-49 admin Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:49:02 +0000 http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/?p=321#comment-49 krissy. just that hers was in important idea, that we should think carefully about how we direct and dedicate our efforts, to ensure their consequences are measurable and trend to the benefit of those who we proclaim to be helping. in my interpretation, moyo's argument is less with humanitarian relief, and more with the dispersal of large sums through top heavy programs that are distanced from interpreting the effect on the ground. again, the distance thing. and as i tell students who gravitate towards the type of medicine i did in sudan, their job is to work themselves out of one, not perpetuate their own necessity. eventually, if we are careful, and our intentions genuine, south sudan will have enough south sudanese doctors to provide necessary care. in the meantime, while providing relief, we should be also dedicated to the pursuit of our own obsolescence. then, finally, we can all just get a good night's sleep for once, wake up, and go for a brunch that can last all day. we've got some work in the way first, though. krissy.
just that hers was in important idea, that we should think carefully about how we direct and dedicate our efforts, to ensure their consequences are measurable and trend to the benefit of those who we proclaim to be helping. in my interpretation, moyo’s argument is less with humanitarian relief, and more with the dispersal of large sums through top heavy programs that are distanced from interpreting the effect on the ground. again, the distance thing. and as i tell students who gravitate towards the type of medicine i did in sudan, their job is to work themselves out of one, not perpetuate their own necessity. eventually, if we are careful, and our intentions genuine, south sudan will have enough south sudanese doctors to provide necessary care. in the meantime, while providing relief, we should be also dedicated to the pursuit of our own obsolescence. then, finally, we can all just get a good night’s sleep for once, wake up, and go for a brunch that can last all day. we’ve got some work in the way first, though.

]]> By: Krissy Darch http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/2009/04/festival-of-ideas/comment-page-1/#comment-41 Krissy Darch Tue, 19 May 2009 04:01:45 +0000 http://www.sixmonthsinsudan.com/?p=321#comment-41 What did you say about Dambisa Moyo's book? What did you say about Dambisa Moyo’s book?

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