Reflections Week III

Thinking back on this week, I realized one common theme that has been repeating itself throughout the presentations I have seen this week. After watching Blood Diamonds, it became very real to me that currently people like Maddy do travel to impoverished countries to document the tragedy that occur there, in an attempt to bring about the necessary changes and reforms in wealthier nations. Hundreds of refugees in desperate need, separated from their families might make three seconds on the news, “somewhere between sports and entertainment” (Blood Diamonds). The world may have some notion of the circumstances in a particular area, yet the general population of affluent countries often relies on the truthful and persuasive reporting of journalists who have to put the desperate situation of an impoverished, war-stricken, corrupt, area into a perspective that the rest of the world can understand and thus bring about the needed action for immediate change.

Similarly, in the movie The Last King of Scotland, Dr. Garrigan, after witnessing the terror of Uganda’s then leader, Idi Amin, is asked by his colleague to go tell the world his story. Once in safety, Johnny must be the one to speak out against the brutality of daily life and the crimes against humanity committed by Uganda’s leader. Even though these films might not entirely be based on truth, the fictional characters of Maddy and Johnny show that it takes but one person to uncover the necessary evidence and have the courage to blow the whistle on a large, widely publicized scale. As never before in history, the modern media provide the best vehicle for those with the ability and means to convey the details to the general public of wealthy nations, who in turn can act to advocate change. Even though the idea might be dramatized in the movies, I believe that in present day reality one person can indeed bring about significant changes in our world.