Interview with Jim Dunlap

Section II

On Voices for Africa, and other matters: An Interview with JIM DUNLAP

Voices for Africa

Jim Dunlap is Editor of Voices for Africa

PLT:	The first thing that struck us at PLT was the occasion of this introduction on VFA, when at last the world seems to be acknowledging genocide in Dafur, since the inception of VFA, way back in the time of Kosovo.
J. D.:	Actually, Robin, I did conceive of the site back then, but did not have a computer to put it on the web. I actually just posted the site to the internet a month of so before the horrific genocidal mania swept across Darfur. I was greatly incensed over Rwanda, and I had been thinking about such a website for some time, having gotten pledges from a number of good friends to donate a poem for the website, including Val Magnuson, an old friend from Showemall Writer's Block, who contributed the only image on the site, a purse of her own design, Michael Burch (Editor of The Hyptexts.com), Sara Russell (then Editor of Poetry Life & Times), Mary Louise Hopson (The Pinder Poet), a member of my local poetry group, Virginia Westbrook, a member of my local poetry group, Debashish Haar (Editor of Achemy Cove), yourself of course, Robin, and Debbie Dembinski, a member of my local poetry group, Bhuwan Thapaliya from Nepal, Dennis Greene (accomplished poet from Australia), Sondra Ball (Editor of Autumn Leaves), Emmanuel Seafont (New Zealand), and a number of other people who agreed with the purpose of the website, and were not close friends, such as Lyn Lifshin, Michael Bugeja, Director and Professor, Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, Iowa State University and longtime Poetry Editor for Writer's Digest, John Horvath, Editor of Poetry Repair Shop, Stazja McFayden, Editor Publisher of Map of Austin Poetry e-newsletter, Conrad Gellar (Professor at Harvard), and many others, to all of whom I am eternally grateful. It is not possible to name everyone, and I have not intended to hurt the feelings of anyone I've left out. Also,I have been surprised to find that many so-called big shots in the poetry world are not willing to help in any way, and that makes the contributions of those who are helping all the more striking.
PLT:	Certainly an impressive list and one the big shots would do well to bear in mind, however, I imagine the overall theme of VFA, as well as pointing out that the history of genocide runs in parallels, is also a deeply personal one.
J. D.:	The color of one's skin, the language one speaks, one's religion, and so on, are not valid reasons for prejudice in my opinion. I am prejudiced, however, against bigots, hate-mongers, so-called religious people who use religion as an excuse to rape and kill, and so on. I know what prejudice is like, of course, as does anyone who's ever been conceived of as different in one way or another from the so-called societal norm, but I do not believe that disliking someone for such a reason is a good excuse for killing them. I disapprove of people who are rude to telemarketers, but would never dream of hunting them down with an AK-47. Let us not forget that Tutsis and Hutus are both Negro races, but that didn't even slow them down in their mad rush to murder each other. The members of the opposing tribes had no sympathy for each other, none at all. In Kosovo and in Bosnia, in the 90's, Christian Serbs were massacring Moslems, killing the men and raping the women. In Darfur today, white Moslem extremist fringe groups are doing the same thing to the Christian Negro population. In Nigeria, Christians and Moslems take turns killing each other. The poor people of West Paupa are being decimated, and no one helps. Genocide is senseless and vicious, but the main thing it does, and does well, is that it creates more hatreds and more viciousness.
PLT:	One of the contributors Regis Auffrey offers I believe a very unique view, which for me conveys a lot the import of VFA, where he compares himself as a black man in the First World smitten by the horrors he sees his fellow human creature suffering in the Second and Third worlds.
J. D.:	There is a book, written by a white man who colored himself black and traveled throughout the Southern United States called "Black Like Me". It tells the same story as the poem, only in far more detail. Anyone who hasn't read it might want to check it out. I think Regis has made a particularly astute comparison, but I do want to point out that anyone who is thrust into a situation where he or she is vastly outnumbered by another group of whatever sort can become a victim of genocide. On Aug. 25, 1993, a young white lady from the United States, Amy Biehl, a Fulbright Scholar, in South Africa attempting to help the black population of the country, was attacked and murdered because she was white. Nelson Mandela's government tried and convicted the murderers. It's rare in Western societies for people to attack someone of a particular minority and murder them, but we know it can happen. We know that Germany was at least one of the most civilized countries on Earth in the '30's, and we know what happened there. The horrors of the Nazi crematoriums will haunt us for Eternity. The striking thing about the incident in South Africa was that they didn't care, or stop to find out that she was on their side. They just killed her. All such hatreds are crap. They need to be removed from the human psyche so that the human race can finally achieve peace and happiness throughout all of its manifold manifestations.
PLT:	You defined genocide in your article What is Genocide in VFA as based on human bigotry and prejudice. Nowadays, we see none of the powers, nor any modern world religion's hands are clean and genocide has escalated more than ever before, do you foresee any cure?
J. D.:	I would hope that mankind will eventually eradicate all of these sick psychoses, and that genocide will cease to exist even as a possibility in human societies. The biggest problem is that when there are no real differences among people (such as those of a similar color, religion, or speaking a similiar language), they manufacture differences so that they can say "we" and "they" about people who look, act, or speak in the same manner as they do themselves. A notable example is homosexuality, which is a genetic variable on the human norm, but is widely persecuted by people who are (normally) the same color, speak the same language, and are not (normally) distinguishable from the people who choose to persecute them. The operable word is CHOOSE. Bigots choose their targets, not just happen upon them. Those black people in South Africa who killed the white woman only because she was white were acting out of a deeply rooted bigotry that fastens upon a whole race, and pretends that all members of that race are the same (and bad). What is really bad is when people make these generalized stereotypical judgements. People who are lonely, or very poor, and particularly those who are uneducated, often are prejudiced, because they feel inferior for one reason or another, and looking down on and hating someone else helps them to feel that they are superior to those they are persecuting.
PLT:	What do you think is the strongest voice, if I can put it that way,ie., hope, regret, confusion, despair, reflected in the poems in VFA.
J. D.:	There are numerous voices on the pages, and many extremely strong voices. A few of my favorites are: A Century of Sacrifices by Helene Donovan Los Angeles, CA , USA nine million for their faith nine hundred thousand for their culture ninety thousand for their imagination nine thousand for their humility nine hundred for their courage ninety for their opinions nine for their truths Even one person killed for who they are can not be ignored or forgotten. Doesn't everyone know this? Or do we prefer our fear? "A Century of Sacrifice" was inspired in part by the Holocaust of Jews, gypsies and others during WWII as well as current atrocities in Africa and elsewhere." http://www.armenian-genocide.org/index.htm Copyright 2005, LHelene Donovan CNN by Mitchell Geller Boston, MA, USA Chile, Cambodia, Rwanda, Sudan. The long sadistic totentanz of man. Sudan, Rwanda, Cambodia, Chile. Emotionless newscasts blandly relay blasted bloody limbs and severed sinews. The carnival of carnage continues. One must have sympathy for the Devil, his workload mounting - it's never level. Cambodia, Chile, Sudan, Rwanda. It strangles us - a giant anaconda. Soon Earth's only life will br plasmodia. Rwanda, Sudan, Chile, Cambodia. There will never be a paucity of atrocity. Copyright, 2004, Mitchell Geller & A Poet's Wish by H Stanbrough, Editor The Raintown Review Pittsboro, Indiana USA A poet's wish is not to be thought right, nor is it to condemn or prove a wrong, but to provide a constant, haunting light. When millions starve to death without a fight while governments grow fatter, waxing strong, a poet's wish is not to be thought right, and coming to the aid of wisdom's sight, his end is not to write iambic song, but to provide a constant, haunting light. When misery, a homeless child's birthright, is granted normalcy by moneyed strong, a poet's wish is not to be thought right, nor is his wish to overcome by might, or to incite the teeming, homeless throng, but to provide a constant, haunting light. When children wander streets alone at night in desperation, begging to belong, a poet's wish is not to be thought right, but to provide a constant, haunting light. Copyright, 2006, Harvey Stanbrough and particularly this one: Sheltered Life by Michael Bugeja, Director and Professor Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication IA State University Ames, IA , USA I cannot ponder genocide. I am Witness only to the word that cannot Clothe or soothe or shelter the afflicted-- My feeble privileged life, which would comfort If it could, but failing that, is testament Silent as a prayer to some unseen power. Copyright, 2005, by Michael Bugeja The poem just above by Michael Bugeja points up the helplessness that many people feel when thinking about atrocities far away. Does this describe you? If it does, remember that one person might not be able to accomplish much, but many people together can do a great deal. .
PLT:	Well, I always vote for the Greens Jim, in my view we live in sick, decadent pampered societies in the First World, which creates a hegemony over the Second and Third Worlds, where I´ve travelled a lot. Some of the links in VFA are excellent, it does well to remind people what is really going on, when our own national medias dont have the honesty or interest to tell us, don't you think?
J. D.:	Yes, but sometimes I wonder how many people really follow links. Then again, one wonders how many people actually bother to click on the poetry pages and really read what is written there? In any case, I appreciate your efforts to combat the many evils of the world, and your help in spreading the word about this site. Your past support has been invaluable, and I know that you will always be a crusader for justice and for peace. We can hope that genocide will soon be weeded out forever from the many ills of a long-suffering humanity. Submissions can be made to my e-mail addy, pasted into the body of the message only. No attachments will be opened. webmaker02@gmail.com Thank you very much.
PLT:	Jim it's been great to have you on PLT, the message of VFA is already reaching from the past into this present but it can still be made more effective with new submissions now, lets hope they keep coming.
J. D.:	Again, thank you very much.

© Poetry Life and Times 2006