In an African country 7,000 miles away from Muncie, a group called the Janjaweed has murdered 300,000 people.
But the people don't expect their government to protect them from the Janjaweed. They don't expect their government to provide for them in the dismal displacement camps to which they are forced to flee.
That's because the government is backing the Janjaweed.
It all started in 2003 when non-Arabs from Darfur, a western region of Sudan, rebelled against what they believed was a repressive and pro-Arab national government. In retaliation, the Sudanese government armed the Janjaweed, a black Arab militia, and embarked on one of the worst genocides of the 21st century.
Many have stepped up to speak out on behalf of the Darfuri people: President Barack Obama, Olympian speed skater Joey Cheek and now Ball State University theater major Alyce Householter. Householter is the co-director of Ball State's production of "In Darfur," a Winter Miller play chronicling the fictional experiences of a New York journalist who travels to Darfur to report on a genocide she's not sure she believes is true.
Once there, she meets people and sees incidents that help her to understand the imperative need to help the Darfuri people.
"As an actor, one of our main efforts is to tell stories that need to be told," Householter said. "This is my senior year and I wanted to do some sort of final project tying in my major and minor [peace studies and conflict resolution]. I just knew, after reading the script, that this was the best way to tell this story."
The cast is comprised of actors from the student-run Busted Space Theatre Company and members of the campus group STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, are volunteering as well.
This is Householter's first directing endeavor, but she said she felt compelled to take it on due to the campus' lack of focus on the issue.
"I want people to come and see the play, and be moved by this tragic story," she said. "Just being educated on the issue is a massive achievement, and if we educate one person on this catastrophe, we have succeeded. There is so much we can do to help end the genocide, but we have to take action."
WHERE:
Cooper Science Building, CN 160
WHEN:
8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday
COST:
FREE, but donations will go to the Genocide Intervention Network
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