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  Home Page » A&E » Powerful Film On Darfur To Show At DAC

Powerful film on Darfur to show at DAC

by Judith Reynolds
Special to the Herald The genocide in Darfur continues to be a mystery to most Americans. "The Devil Came on Horseback" will clarify the history, the issues, and the seemingly never-ending brutality of this modern tragedy.

The official selection of the 2007 Sundance Festival, the film is part of the African Art Market project at the Durango Arts Center. It will be screened at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the DAC.

The documentary centers on a heroic and horrific story told by former U.S. Marine Capt. Brian Steidle. After combat in Iraq, Steidle opted for a civilian assignment overseas. Little did he know what he was getting into.

The African Union hired him to witness and photograph what was happening in Darfur, the westernmost region of Sudan. In 2004, after a 20-year civil war, a cease-fire had been called, and Steidle took on the role of observer to see if the hostilities had ended.

Rumors of village burnings and mass killings persisted. Was the government in Khartoum conducting genocide on the black citizens of Darfur, traditionally looked down upon by the Arab ruling class as the lowest of the low?

"I was totally unprepared for what I'd see," Steidle says in an early voice-over.

The film opens in what appears to be a calm African village. A circle of colorfully dressed villagers watch as men perform a jumping ritual. Children laugh and push their faces close to the camera. It's one of the few times you'll see any ordinary life, let alone joy. Yet filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern ("The Trials of Darryl Hunt") bring the children and villagers back later in a much-needed gesture of hope.

At the end of World War II, when the Nazi death camps were liberated, the shout went out: "Never Again!" Well, we've witnessed the massacres in Rwanda and now the ongoing tragedy in Darfur. How did it happen, and what will it take to stop? Those two questions are organizing principles for the documentary.

If you don't know much about Darfur - or if you do - see this film. It's thorough, it's tough, and it's about ethnic cleansing that is going on right now.

"The Devil Came on Horseback" is not only the name of the film, it's the translation of Janjaweed, the tribal Arab militia backed by the Sudanese government to wipe out the men, women and children of Darfur.

"Kill the slaves" is one of the militia slogans shouted when mounted horsemen sweep into a village, hack people to death and set fire to every thatched hut in sight.

Steidle filmed mostly the aftermath of these massacres, and after half a year, he gave copies to his employers as proof and also returned to the United States to tell the story. The observer had high hopes he would activate a sleeping world to the atrocities he witnessed.

That's the rough outline of the film, and it's told in 13 sections beginning with what it's like to be an unarmed observer when, as a Marine, he was trained to take action, protect people and salvage a situation from deteriorating further.

Steidle's tremendous inner conflict is brought to light, giving the film an under layer of anxiety. His conflict also explains his tireless efforts to make the case for Darfur and to face both dismissal and denial.

Steidle talks to powerful individuals, government groups, every reporter who will listen and, eventually, thousands of American citizens assembled for a rally in Washington. Throughout, Steidle's persistence is apparent; so is his despair.

Thankfully, we see pockets of hope. But the epilogue is chilling: 17 resolutions have been passed by the United Nations, but little has been done. The African Union continues to lack authority. The government in Khartoum continues its policy of ethnic cleansing.

"I've tried to wake up the conscience of a bunch of people," Steidle says at the end, and he adds that there is "no chance" he'll give up.

Judith Reynolds is a Durango writer, artist and critic. Reach her at Jud_reyn@yahoo.com.