After keeping a relatively low profile following the impressive opening launch in June, ROM organizers have launched another spectacular exhibit for the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, but it won’t be housed inside the structure.
DARFUR/DARFUR, an exhibit of 150 photos taken by seven international photojournalists and one U.S. ex-Marine, is being projected onto the side of the Crystal each evening from dusk to 11 p.m. until September 17. The images will appear as two loops, one of portraits and the other of images of the conflict. They will be accompanied by traditional Sudanese music.
Given the nature of the ongoing conflict, DARFUR/DARFUR is both a window into Sudanese culture and a political cause. Fighting broke out in 2003 between a militia known as the Janjaweed, backed by the Sudanese government, and various rebel groups such as the Sudan Liberation Movement. Over 200,000 people have been killed in the conflict, and 2.5 million have been displaced, making Darfur the subject of countless appeals to both governments and the public to provide aid to the region.
However, the aim of the DARFUR/ DARFUR exhibit is not to create direct political change, but rather to have a more personal affect on passersby.
A free mini-exhibit will be on display inside the front lobby of the museum during regular hours. ROM organizers say that DARFUR/ DARFUR may set a precedent that will allow other installations to be projected onto the crystal, using it as a canvas for cultural and artistic expression.
“The money that’s required (to end the conflict) is on a government level,” said Jane Sachs, one of the exhibit’s co-curators. She hopes the exhibit’s captivating images will spark a grassroots response.
“The most important thing you can do is send a hand-written letter to your representative. Emails just get tallied.”
DARFUR/DARFUR was first exhibited at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and has since traveled to 15 American cities. The exhibit comes to Toronto just as major advancements are being made to ending to the conflict, foremost of which is U.N. Resolution 1769, an agreement between the U.N. Security Council and the African Union to send 26,000 peacekeeping troops to the region. As well, BBC News reported in July that the discovery of a large underground lake may provide a great relief to tensions in Darfur, as competition for resources has long been cited as a major cause of the conflict.
