By?Rumbidzai Maweni?

They say if you want to get to the truth of something, get it straight from the horse's mouth. If one wanted to get to the truth of the ongoing genocide in Darfur by its closest witnesses, one would have done well to attend the "Voices from Darfur: A Call to Action" event that took place?on Saturday in DC. Hosted by Africa Action, the nation?s oldest advocacy organization working on African affairs, the event was held at the Sankofa Caf? in northwest DC, just across the road from Howard University. Co-sponsors of the event included: Sudanese American Young Adult Professionals (SAYAP), Sudan Hope Initiative, Rescue Nubia , and PanAfrican Youth Empowerment Network.

The event proved as educational as it was entertaining. Rescue Nubia placed special focus?on educating the audience on the Nubian people, the name given to the ethnic group that inhabits part of southern Egypt, along the Nile, though most residing in northern Sudan. In ancient times ? Nubia ? was an independent kingdom and the Nubians were famous for their wealth as well as their advanced military and civilization. But the colonial project spread the peoples across nation-state lines and in recent times, Nubians have been the victims of ethnic-cleansing and?forced relocation, scattering the peoples all over parts of northeast Africa. Nubians in both Egypt and Sudan are amongst the most marginalized and socio-economically disadvantaged groups and have been amongst the worst affected?by the ongoing violence in Sudan.?

The most inspirational aspect of the evening was the collective recognition of the need for a shift in mindset that must take place if Sudan is ever going to achieve peace and security. This sentiment was?expressed most presciently?in a call to dialogue we can all take to heart:

??Unity cannot just be an empty slogan,? said one poet towards the end of the program. ?Even here in diaspora when a group of Sudanese people of one ethnic group get together for an event it can be difficult for other Sudanese people to attend. There is so much anger and pain that needs to be worked through and addressed. We need more events like this where we can all come together on the same ground. Politics has a major role to play; but, so too, does love, empathy, and discussion.?