Lesson Plan: Key stage three (Ages 11 - 14)
Key question: How can life go on? This lesson has been designed to provide teachers with a flexible framework. It could be taught in one lesson, roughly following the time guidance suggested, or could be expanded into two lessons, using the different activities and the extension to allow for greater exploration of these vital issues.
Please be aware that this lesson plan asks students to consider traumatic events and the lasting effects of trauma on those who have experienced these events. Some students may find the subject matter difficult, especially if they themselves have experienced their own traumatic events.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: • All students will give examples of problems and difficulties facing a refugee from Darfur. • Most students will classify problems facing a Darfuri YOU WILL NEED: refugee into difficulties faced during and after the Paper, pens / colouring pencils, genocide. handouts of Darfuri refugee drawings, • Most students will identify some responsibilities Abdul Aziz Mustafa easy to read life we face today in helping people move on from the story, accompanying PowerPoint genocide in Darfur. (optional), the background information to the Darfuri children’s pictures and • Some students will consider the difficulties that the background information on Darfur survivors face in rebuilding their lives. for teachers (included here).
1. Starter (10 minutes)
(Slide 1 of the presentation) Ask the students to think about If you have more time their strongest memory. Give the class five minutes to draw you could allow the a quick sketch of that memory or perhaps as an alternative students to take much to write a few lines about that memory. The memory could be longer to draw their anything; they do not need to draw anything very detailed, picture and after the just a very quick sketch. lesson you could make a display of them next Ask a few students to volunteer to share with the class what to the pictures drawn by they have drawn. Darfuri children.
Page 1 of 14 2. Darfur (5 minutes)
(Slide 2) Show the map of Africa and invite members of the class to identify which country Sudan is. Please see the (Slide 3 and 4) Explain that for the past 13 years there has been a Background genocide taking place in Darfur an area in the west of Sudan which information on has seen hundreds of thousands of people killed and millions of Darfur for teachers people forced from their homes. sheet to understand more about the Genocide is when a group of people are targeted for destruction just Genocide in Darfur. because of who they are, such as their race or their religion. Explain the key terms on Slide 5.
3. Drawings of Darfur activity (10 minutes)
Explain to the class that they are going to look at some pictures drawn by children from Darfur who were living in refugee camps after losing or fleeing their homes.
These children were asked to do exactly the same as the class were asked to do at the start of the lesson – to draw their strongest memory.
(Slide 6) Put the students into small groups. Give each group a sheet with a picture on. Fold the page so that the students can only see the picture and the text is folded under. Ask students to jot down answers to the following question:
What do you think is happening in the picture?
(Slide 7) Then ask them to unfold the page to look at the text underneath and read the information about the picture. Ask the students to consider the following questions:
What does the picture tell us about what happened – and is still happening – in Darfur?
The responses to draw out may include:
• The government and the Janjaweed have been attacking civilians in Sudan, including women and children • Villages have been burned down • People have been forced to flee
What does the picture tell us about the life and the memories of the child that drew it?
The responses to draw out may include:
• The lives of the children who drew the pictures have been turned upside-down • Such memories could be extremely difficult to live with • The children who drew the pictures have gone through extremely traumatic experiences
Page 2 of 14 Differentiation
Higher ability
• Ask students to consider what further questions and thoughts these pictures flag up for them (for example: why did the government feel justified to carry out these attacks against innocent civilians?/ What happened to the survivors? etc) • You could add in further pictures used in the Key Stage 4 lesson plan • For further stretch and challenge you could give some students the extra information sheet titled: ‘Background information to the pictures.’ Ask them to read this and make some bullet points to answer the question: Why are these pictures such an important source of historical evidence?
Lower ability
• For a lower ability class, you could use just one picture rather than all six. Build up an understanding of it together – starting with them looking at it individually, then sharing ideas in pairs, then discussing it as a class. • You might ask lower ability students to look at two or three of the pictures at the same time and ask them to answer: what is similar about the pictures? Once students have identified the similarities between the pictures discuss the question: what do the pictures tell us about the lives of the children that drew them?
4. How can life go on? (5 minutes)
(Slide 8) Explain to the class that Holocaust Memorial Day is the day that we remember those murdered in the Holocaust, and the millions of people killed during Nazi Persecution and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2017 is How can life go on?
(Slide 9) Ask the class to consider the difficulties faced by the young people who drew the pictures. What might make it difficult for them to rebuild their lives? You could put the class in to pairs or groups to discuss this and then share ideas together as a class.
The responses to draw out may include:
• They may have lost family members, perhaps they no longer have parents, siblings or friends and other people to support them • Their homes have been destroyed • Their farmland has been destroyed so it is hard for them to grow food • It is still unsafe for them to return to their villages – so they are stuck in refugee camps • Their education has been disrupted • They may face trauma or mental health issues – many genocide survivors struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Page 3 of 14 5. Abdul Aziz life story (15 minutes)
(Slide 10) Set up the activity – that the students are now going to read the story of a young man who is from Darfur.
Give students a copy of the ‘easy to read’ life story of Abdul Aziz Mustafa.
Ask them to read the story and look for information on the problems he faced. Once they have read the story, ask the students to make a list of all the problems and difficulties Abdul faced in his life. Share these ideas as a class. The responses to draw out may include:
• His father was murdered • Soldiers attacked towns and burned villages • The soldiers stole their animals • The soldiers took women and children away • He had to leave his home and live in a refugee camp • In the refugee camp there was very little food • He travelled to Britain in a lorry – it was dark and scary and dangerous • He had to leave all his family behind • He wasn’t able to get in touch with his mum and the rest of his family for many years
Either individually, or as a class, split this list of difficulties into two categories:
a) things that happened to him before his family left their town and b) things that happened after the family left their town.
Explain that the two lists demonstrate that Abdul has faced a huge number of problems since leaving the immediate danger of his town. Escaping the attackers was not the end of his difficulties.
Differentiation
Higher ability
• Ask more able students to make links between Abdul’s story and the picture evidence from the children of Darfur in the previous activity. • As an extension, students could be asked to consider what his story tells us about the difficulties in moving on from the violence in Darfur (eg people who escape have to do it at their own personal risk, the problems still continue).
Lower ability
• For lower ability students, rather than giving them the life story to read, you could read the story to them asking them to put their hand up / interrupt every-time they hear something that might be difficult or hard for Abdul Aziz. Each time a student identifies a difficulty, write it down before continuing the story.
Page 4 of 14 6. Plenary What can you do to help life go on? (5 minutes)
Explain to the class that Abdul is now a refugee living in Britain. He is safe and has a chance to begin to re-build his life. Yet just because he is now out of immediate danger it does not mean that everything is OK – the repercussions of genocide continue for a long time afterwards. He has been through a huge amount and the effects of what he has seen and been through will be with him for the rest of his life.
Remind the class that the genocide in Darfur is still ongoing and there are many refugees from Darfur, like Abdul, all around the world.
What can you do to help life go on?
(Slide 11) Ask the students to think on their own or in groups and write down one or more ways that we can help the survivors of genocide to re-build their lives and ensure that life can go on.
They can then share their ideas in pairs and finally you could invite a few students to share their ideas with the class.
The responses to draw out may include:
• Share stories of survivors so everyone knows what terrible things happened • Raise awareness of the problems in Darfur • Be welcoming and supportive to refugees like Abdul Aziz who need a safe home • Be patient when refugees like Abdul Aziz don’t speak English well or don’t know or understand cultural things that many of us take for granted • Raise funds for charities who work to support the people of Darfur • Contact organisations in the UK who campaign to end the violence in Darfur, such as Waging Peace, the organisation who collected the drawings
WHAT NEXT?
Holocaust Memorial Day Trust has produced assemblies, lesson plans and activities that are suitable for all ages and abilities. These can all be found here: hmd.org.uk/educators
If your students are now inspired to take action, or you want to encourage them to do something to mark Holocaust Memorial Day, request a free HMD 2017 Activity Pack here: hmd.org.uk/activitypack
Encourage your students to join the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust Youth Champion Programme, learn more here: hmd.org.uk/youthchampions
To find out more about Darfuri refugee drawings or about Waging Peace and their work in Sudan, visit their website here: wagingpeace.info
Page 5 of 14 BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON DARFUR FOR TEACHERS:
Darfur is a region in the west of Sudan, home to a population of around six million people, from nearly 100 different tribes. Some tribes are nomadic or semi-nomadic, meaning they move around the land with their livestock. Others are farmers who remain settled on their own land. Most nomadic or semi-nomadic tribes consider themselves to be of Arab descent whereas most farming tribes consider themselves to be of black African descent. Nearly all are Muslims. Geographically Darfur is a very large region, about the size of France. Originally it was an independent state before it became part of Sudan when Britain took control of the country in 1916.
Historically there had been many tensions between nomadic and farming tribes over water and grazing land but disputes were usually resolved using the local justice system. However in 1989, Sudan came under the control of General Omar Al-Bashir, who seized control of the country in a military coup. Bashir’s government promoted the growth of Arab nationalism and adopted a policy of Arabisation in Darfur – favouring Arabs over black Africans particularly in land disputes. Tensions grew and the government in Khartoum fuelled conflict by pouring many weapons into the region. There were attacks on local sedentary African farming communities by nomadic Arab tribes. The government was complicit in ‘ethnic cleansing’.
Prompted by all these grievances, in 2003 two rebel movements – the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) began to attack the Sudanese government – hitting military targets such as airbases. In response the government launched Arab militias called the Janjaweed (which translates as ‘devils on horseback’). The Janjaweed were sent to attack black Africans in Darfur, as the rebel movements consisted of people from this ethnic group. Sudanese forces and the Janjaweed attacked hundreds of farming villages across Darfur, killing thousands. Over 400 villages have been completely destroyed and the violence has resulted in millions of homeless civilians. They have used the slash and burn method – destroying villages first by military air support, then using the Janjaweed to launch ground attacks, killing and raping as they move around. The villages and fields are burnt down and then re-burnt later in the season to prevent the land from being farmed and the village from being repopulated.
Sponsored by the government, the Janjaweed have continued to target black Africans in Darfur for the last 12 years. The United Nations has described the situation as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Over 2.7 million people have been displaced and are living in camps across Darfur. About 300,000 Darfuri refuges are now living in neighbouring Chad. The UN estimates that around 4.7 million people are still affected by the situation; denied basic human rights and relying on humanitarian aid.
In 2010 the President of Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir, became the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide. The arrest warrant against him has yet to be executed. As the genocide continues in Darfur Omar Al-Bashir remains president in Sudan, and justice of all kinds eludes Darfuris.
For more information on the historical and current situation in Darfur, please see our information and education guide Darfur: Genocide Today - hmd.org.uk/darfur
Page 6 of 13 BACKGROUND INFORMATION TO THE DARFURI CHILDREN’S PICTURES:
In June and July 2007, a researcher from a UK organisation called Waging Peace conducted a three week fact-finding mission to eastern Chad. The aim of the mission was to assess the humanitarian, human rights and security situation in the region and to collect testimonies from Darfuri refugees.
While collecting testimonies from adults, women told the researcher how their children had witnessed horrendous events when their villages were being attacked. This prompted the researcher to talk to the children. She gave the children aged six to 18 paper and pencils and asked them what their strongest memory was.
When the children handed the researcher their drawings, she was shocked to see the details of their memories of the attacks. While a handful of children had submitted drawings of daily life in the village or in the refugee camp, the majority of the drawings described the attacks on their village by Sudanese Government forces and their allied Janjaweed militia. Many of the drawings depict men being killed, women being shot, beaten and taken prisoner; babies being thrown on fires and Sudanese Government helicopters and planes bombing civilians.
The 500 drawings collected by Waging Peace amount to a form of criminal evidence from silent witnesses. The killings, bombing and looting shown in the drawings directly contradict the Government of Sudan’s version of events over the years of bloodshed
In November 2007, the drawings were accepted by the International Criminal Court as contextual evidence of the crimes committed in Darfur. They are also being exhibited throughout the world to raise awareness about the crisis in Darfur.
Page 7 of 13 DARFURI CHILDREN’S PICTURES 1
This boy was nine when his village in Darfur was attacked in 2003 by government forces and the Janjaweed.
In the drawing, two women and a boy are shown fleeing an attack by Janjaweed in two machine gun-mounted pick-up trucks and government forces in a tank.
Houses in the village are set ablaze. The Janjaweed and government forces are shooting at the three civilians and the boy is hit in the leg.
The fact that these are women and children who are being shot at clearly shows that the attackers are targeting civilians.
The use of a tank in the attack is interesting as the Government of Sudan has consistently denied using such heavy weaponry in Darfur.
Page 8 of 13 DARFURI CHILDREN’S PICTURES 2
This young girl depicts an attack on her village in Darfur.
In this drawing the attackers (Sudanese army and Janjaweed militia) are drawn with a blue top and orange trousers, while the targeted civilians are dressed in green and purple. A Sudanese helicopter drops bombs on the village while armed men on horses, camels and by foot are shown shooting civilians, stabbing them and setting fire to their homes. Next to each dead person is a cross.
Page 9 of 13 DARFURI CHILDREN’S PICTURES 3
This boy was 15 when his village in Darfur was attacked by Janjaweed and Sudanese armed forces in 2004.
It shows houses being set on fire and civilians being shot dead and thrown into the river.
Behind the drawing, he has written ‘Look at these pictures carefully, and you will see what happened in Darfur. Thank you’.
Page 10 of 13 DARFURI CHILDREN’S PICTURES 4
This young boy describes the attack by government forces and the Janjaweed on his village in Darfur.
In the top of the drawing, a Sudanese Government helicopter is shown bombing the village, setting houses on fire and killing civilians and a donkey.
Under the houses, the boy wrote ‘village on fire’. A Sudanese soldier and Janjaweed forces are shooting and killing civilians who are trying to run away. Under the drawing of armed men on horseback is written ‘Janjaweed’.
Page 11 of 13 DARFURI CHILDREN’S PICTURES 5
The young boy was ten when his village in Darfur was attacked in 2003.
Sudanese Government forces in pick-up trucks, helicopters and aeroplanes and Janjaweed on horseback are seen attacking a village.
In the left of the drawing an Antonov (a type of plane) is bombing the village, setting fire to the huts.
Sudanese forces on the ground and perched in trees are targeting young women, men and children. Three women are tied up and taken away by a Sudanese soldier while men are killed and thrown into the valley.
Page 12 of 13 DARFURI CHILDREN’S PICTURES 6
This young boy was eight when his village in Darfur was attacked in 2004.
His drawing depicts this attack, where Janjaweed forces (drawn on horseback) and government forces (in vehicles and tanks) worked together to burn his village, kill many civilians (shown lying on the ground) and leave survivors with no home.
Page 13 of 13 ABDUL AZIZ MUSTAFA - EASY TO READ LIFE STORY
Key terms:
Darfur: A large region of the African country of Sudan. It covers an area roughly the size of France. People from this region are from nearly 100 different tribes.
Government: A group of people who run a country making laws and rules.
Refugee camp: Somewhere for lots of people to live when they have been forced to leave their homes because they are not safe.
People smuggler: Criminals who charge large amounts of money to secretly get desperate people out of their home country and into somewhere new to live. It is dangerous and against the law.
Abdul Aziz is from Darfur and is a member of the Zaghawa people. This tribe mostly move around the land, herding their animals such as cattle and sheep. When Abdul was 13 years old fighting started in Darfur between the government and groups who were against them. Abdul’s tribe, with others, were attacked by government soldiers, who burned many villages and killed thousands of people. The government said the Zaghawa people didn’t belong in Darfur.
One day Abdul Aziz came home from school to discover that his father had been killed, because he was part of the Zaghawa tribe. He had done nothing wrong and was just working in the shop he owned when it happened. The soldiers also stole animals and took women and children away. The attacks carried on for months so Abdul Aziz’s family decided to leave and go to a refugee camp.
There was no school for Abdul Aziz to go to in the camp and very little food for all the people there. The government soldiers still attacked them and killed people. When he was 15 years old, Abdul Aziz decided he wanted to escape the dangerous life in the camp. He went to a city for the first time in his life and found a people smuggler. He paid him to take him out of Darfur and to a new country to live.
He was taken to the sea and put into a large crate with four other people. It was loaded onto a ship. It was really hot and completely dark, but they had to stay in there, in silence, for 11 days as they travelled across the sea. They had no idea which country they were going to. Abdul Aziz was very scared. Abdul Aziz then spent 10 days in the dark in the back of a lorry, until it reached England. When he got out he was lost and very confused. In London, a stranger who spoke his language gave him some food and water and told him what to do. He was very grateful for this kindness.
Because he was so young Abdul Aziz had to live with a new family, who helped him to learn English and about life in Britain. He had no idea if his mother was OK and he missed her very much.
He found everything in this new country strange and different and it was difficult for him to settle in. He started drinking a lot of alcohol with friends which has had a bad effect on his health.
When he was 18 Abdul Aziz heard from his brother, who also escaped Darfur and went to different country. His brother helped Abdul Aziz to contact their mother and he was so pleased to speak to her.
He still lives in Britain now and is glad to be safe. But it is hard living away from everyone he knew and having to start his life again all by himself.
Abdul Aziz says:
‘Britain is now my second home. It is good to have a new life, but it was really tough to have no contact with my family for so long.’
Genocide in Darfur: hmd.org.uk/darfur Find out more... Other resources for educators: hmd.org.uk/educators
hmd.org.uk @hmd_uk [email protected] hmd.uk 020 7785 7029 @holocaustmemorialdaytrust Learning lessons from the past to create a safer, better future