Give peace a chance

Samantha Snow and Danielle Nelson get cozy. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Samantha Snow and Danielle Nelson are hopping into bed and hoping to raise awareness about the crisis in Darfur.

The two Dalhousie Amnesty International presidents will stage their bed-in Monday, February 11 in the Student Union Building.

“We plan on having postcards, information and images about the events happening in Darfur, and an online petition that people can sign,” says Ms. Snow, 20, a second-year student majoring in history and international development studies.

Postcards will be sent to government officials to push them to do something about the situation in Darfur.

“Essentially, our job is to influence the people who influence change,” says Ms. Nelson, a second-year microbiology and immunology student.

This unique awareness event is inspired by John Lennon’s and Yoke Ono’s 1969 bed-in at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. For seven days, the couple promoted peace, entertained guests and spontaneously recorded “Give Peace a Chance.”

“A lot of people are afraid the situation in Darfur is going to become an act of genocide,” says Ms. Nelson, from Mississauga. “The U.S. has formally called the events in Darfur a genocide, but the United Nations hasn’t.”

Instant Karma was released to coincide with John Lennon's birthday on Oct. 9.

Amnesty International and iTunes are selling Instant Karma CDs for their Darfur campaign. With permission from Yoko Ono, Amnesty International has rounded up nearly two dozen contemporary artists including Jack Johnson, The Flaming Lips and Avril Lavigne to reinterpret John Lennon's solo work. Ninety-nine per cent of all money raised through iTunes downloads of Instant Karma are going towards Amnesty International.

The Darfur crisis began in March 2003 when militant groups in the Darfur region of western Sudan took up arms against the Sudanese government, which they believed was discriminating against them based on their ethnicity. Since then over two million refugees have fled to neighbouring countries. The United Nations estimate the conflict has left as many as 200,000 people dead from violence and disease.

“If we can prevent this scale of atrocities from happening again that would be a great step forward for us,” says Ms. Nelson.

The Dalhousie chapter of Amnesty International holds bi-weekly meetings in the SUB and takes on several case actions a year. Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all.

LINKS: John and Yoko's Montreal bed-in | Sudan: A Nation Divided, indepth coverage by the BBC | Amnesty International | Dalhousie Amnesty International Society | Amnesty International's Instant Karma