Hi y'all.
As a chair of a committee that discussed the Rwandan Genocide in BMUN 68 - I wanted to acknowledge that crisis committees can be useful spaces to learn about some of our world's most marginalized populations that have faced atrocities. However, it also can be a space for a lot of eager commitment to violence and solutions that are 'entertaining' rather than respectful. While in that committee, I found myself responding to delegates' violent crisis arcs at times and needing to integrate lectures and other ways to make delegates remember the gravity of the genocide that they were discussing how to address. I, therefore, wanted to similarly dedicate this post to the limitations of crisis and also expand on some of the pitfalls Best Delegate mentions well, but also add my own from crisis chairing experience. So here it is - your very own HISTORICAL CRISIS 101- and guidelines on what to AVOID doing in this committee.
Image Description: Delegates in the Rwanda committee from BMUN 68
take notes during a microlecture; placards decorate their note-filled desks.
One- Avoid trivializing the subject matter or attempt to devalue the historical trauma linked to Darfur's Genocide in any form. What this means: Respect the gravity of the subject and please recognize and mourn the loss of life and human destruction that is implicated in genocide-related topics and studies, such as our focus on Darfur. Utilizing broad generalizations or attempting to continue acts of genocide solely because your character was implicated for war crimes, is both disrespectful and potentially stereotypical of a broad category of people involved in the genocide that participated or resisted in various ways - not to mention devalues the many human lives that were lost in the conflict.
Two- Avoid starting an armed conflict for the sake of armed conflict *yes I am looking at my fellow male-identifying delegates*. What this means: crisis committees can be awful for two reasons in particular- one, it is extremely male-dominated and two quickly turns into a war game involving assassination attempts, kidnappings, and toxic masculinity-driven attempts to garner power. If you came into BMUN thinking you will get to do similar things with your directives - please stand corrected, because we absolutely will not tolerate such violent actions.
Three- Avoid making broad assumptions about the multiplicity of factors regarding this topic (can be related to multiple patterns of genocide, complications with the diverse ethnic landscape in Darfur, and multifaceted conflicts with the international community). What this means: Darfur is an extremely complex landscape to study because of the various histories of ethnic marginalization, colonial patterns of resource extraction, and various international stakes at play at well. Directives that are detail-oriented should not focus on military logistics or just the details of someone's whereabouts - we will prioritize directives that carefully craft informed action-plans based on history, respect Darfur's cultural and ethnic complexity, and finally take into account the geopolitics that motivated international action during the period. If you ever have questions about what these different factors we will be keeping an eye out for while approving personal directives and in your committee/public directives - come by our office hours!
Questions to consider (150-300 word comments on this post answering any question are appreciated):
1. How do you balance reality with the quick content and fast turnaround that directives entail?
2. What are ways you can integrate the severity of the crisis in Darfur with your goals as a representative of your character who may have had very specific motives in history?
3. Which factors are most important when considering the multiplicity and complexity of the Darfur genocide?
1. There are several factors to account for when dealing with a crisis that has a such a detrimental and violent impact on the world and trying to replicate it with respect is a key aspect. When dealing with a crisis like Darfur keeping reality within the crisis arcs is a fundamental idea because the point of crisis is to examine a real world problem that is occurring in real time. However, Crisis also is in such a limited amount of time that I do think some realistic standards should be foregone for a better and more immersive experience but does compromise the purpose and mission of crisis. Reality has to be integral to the arcs but with a more rapid pace is the best decision for creating a well thought out crisis committee. I think that also doing a more fantasy crisis might be an interesting opportunity as it can have real world aspects while not having to weigh the possibility of following the facts of a real life crisis.
ReplyDelete- Arjun
Ps: my name in the crisis is Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
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