As preparations for the January 9 referendum in South Sudan ramp up, the international news cycle is littered with discussions of high-level meetings, tense negotiations between leaders, and international diplomatic efforts. Amid this wave of information, it easy to lose sight of the real human impact the referendum will have on the Sudanese people.
In a special event next Monday, November 8 at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the focus will return to the people whose lives and way of life are at stake in the lead-up to the referendum and after.
On its exterior walls along 15th Street the museum will display building-size images captured by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lucian Perkins during his recent museum-sponsored trip to South Sudan. The projected photographs will bear witness to the urgency of the situation in the region and the need for continued vigilance to ensure that lasting peace is achieved.
Enough’s Omer Ismail will be one of the featured speakers on a panel that includes former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Andrew Natsios, Holocaust survivor Margit Meissner, and Sudanese activist Simon Deng. Omer will be speaking from his unique perspective as both a respected policy analyst but also a Darfur-born activist ever connected to how high-level decisions play out on the ground in Sudan.
What: Our Walls Bear Witness: Sudan at the Crossroads
When: Monday, November 8, 6:30 pm
Where: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Hall of Witness
If you're unable to join the event in D.C., here is a preview of some of the photographs. A full collection will be posted on the museum's website soon.