When Will China Listen?
The Dream for Darfur Olympic Torch Relay - a campaign urging China to help end genocide in Darfur - concluded its tour of the U.S. on December 10 in Washington D.C. Between September and December, the Relay visited more than 30 cities around the U.S. and reminded China that, as it prepares to host the 2008 Olympic games, it is failing to bring the Olympic Dream to Darfur.
To conclude the campaign, hundreds of Darfur activists accompanied the torch from the shadows of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. to the White House, the Sudanese Embassy, and finally the Chinese Embassy. Speakers ranged from Hollywood actors to Olympic athletes to faith and community leaders. All reaffirmed their support for the people of Darfur and demanded that China, Sudan's most powerful diplomatic, economic, and military partner, use its influence over Sudan to help end genocide in Darfur.
One World, One Dream. That's the theme for the 2008 Olympic Games, which China will host in just a few months. But as China prepares to host this potent symbol of global peace and cooperation, it hasn't done enough to end the carnage in Darfur.
Please China, bring the Olympic Dream to Darfur.
