Darfur Diaries

By Tian Huang
This review was printed in Abroad View Magazine spring 2006

Darfur Diaries: Message from Home, a documentary made by three independent filmmakers in 2004, begins with images of Darfur that have become familiar to Western viewers: bombed houses, empty villages, rail-thin children. The film then moves into a realm unexplored by mainstream media—the personal experiences and hopes of the Darfurians.

Shot without any commentary from the filmmakers, the documentary nonetheless manages to give audiences a better understanding of the current situation in the region. You see and hear from Darfurians from all walks of life—humanitarian workers, resistance commanders, teachers, students, elders, and infants—whether they are building new lives at refugee camps or trying to get their old ones back through military actions.

What is perhaps most remarkable about this film is that it dissolves the exoticism surrounding this conflict in the eyes of Westerners. Certainly, people all over the world can relate to one refugee’s proclamation that all he really needs is freedom.

But seeing children forced to attend school outside, where desert winds blow sand into their eyes, is harder to relate to. Same for the recounted nightmares of breaking limbs while running away from the Janjaweed militia. The filmmakers don’t use any special effects to show the refugees’ dire living conditions; the record alone suffices.

Nevertheless, the movie is not all horrific and depressing scenes. “Darfur Diaries” also shows the optimism and humor of the Darfurians, whether they are singing a Bob Marley song, dancing at a wedding, or laughing about damaged family heirlooms.

The filmmakers paint a complete and moving picture of Darfurians, shifting from the surface of the conflict to the voices of its victims.