A journey no one should have to take

Testimonies and photographs of some of the more than two million people displaced by the ongoing genocide being committed, as you are reading this, in Darfur, are now available in Google Earth.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in co-operation with Google officially launched their Crisis in Darfur layer yesterday, which allows Google Earth users to zoom in on the many damaged or destroyed villages and through photos, testimonies and other data to learn about the atrocities executed by the Sudanese government and pro-government militias.

The photographs and testimonies are very disturbing, but are needed, in my humble opinion, in order for those of us geographically far away from Darfur to even begin to comprehend the graveness of what is happening there. The real distress will kick in when it sinks in that what you are seeing on your screen, is someone’s reality, not fifty-odd years ago but right now.

I’m sure, readers of this site will agree that the displaced people in Darfur have been on a journey that no one should have to take. Yet the international community has so far done precious little to stop the atrocities. Hopefully projects such as this mapping project will help us become more aware and kick us into action.

Download the Crisis in Darfur layer

If you’re not already a Google Earth user, you can download the mapping service for free at http://earth.google.com/.

Once downloaded and installed, the Crisis in Darfur layer should be available to you under the Global Awareness layer. If not, you can download the Crisis in Darfur layer from The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website, where you can also learn more about this mapping project.

Technorati Tags: Crisis in Darfur, Google Earth

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