darfur est la nouvelle chine.

darfur has become the new china. today during our usual, large sunday afternoon meal, one of my host brothers, vivien, was complaining because he didn't like anything my host mom had made to eat. my host dad looked at him and said to stop complaining and eat otherwise he would send him to darfur. it's odd to think that just within my lifetime the image of suffering has changed so much. china used to be the go to nation to threaten kids to eat their vegetables. unfortunately today it is a nation plagued by civil war resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and the loss of almost an entire generation. my host dad was just making a joke and i don't think vivien understood the scope of what was said, but it's hard to think of a worse place to be sent, especially when you're hungry and seven years old.