darfur
September 2008 
DISCUSSIONS WITH MOHAMMED
Posted on Sep 10th, 2007
by 
Gien
Gien
me: Hi Mohammed!:)
10:09 PM This is Gien here!
10:10 PM Is everything OK in Darfur? Haven't heard from you for a long time....
hope things are going OK...
10:11 PM I am here at 10pm in the evening at my friend Alpha's house
10:12 PM My friend from West Africa...
10:13 PM Mohammed: hi Gien
how are you doing
10:14 PM am quite ok
me: ah! hello my friend! so good to see you are alive!
...never know because communication so poor!
Mohammed: but I have been travelling
me: ah!...
where did you go?
Mohammed: so am keen to know how do you do
10:15 PM me: I am fine...writing music, rehearsing...
I wrote a song for Darfur...
Mohammed: wooowo
me: and may get it produced with my friend from west africa..musician...
10:16 PM Mohammed: you know all the time am hearing call for peace
me: i went to visit some sudanese refugees to find out more
in sudan?
Mohammed: can you travel to yourope
Euroupe
me: I may be coming to Africa...
10:17 PM Mohammed: because I will be attending ameeting in finland
me: not soon but maybe within 6 month to 9 month
really!
when?
Mohammed: this week
yeap
me: oh...to soon for me unfortunately!
too soon unfortunately..
how long will you be out of sudan?
10:18 PM Mohammed: one week
me: did you get my lyrics for CALL FOR PEACE?
Mohammed: yes
me: do you think we can do anything with them?..
Mohammed: amazing song\
10:19 PM me: thank you Mohammed!..
I would love for your singers to sing it..
I can remove my vocals...
Mohammed: yeap if we succeed to mix them with different language
me: and put the singers you've found..
put there vocals in their...
there
and you can use all the money raised...
for a good cause...
I will donate all the money...
10:20 PM Mohammed: it wouldnt be aproblem, but there is logestical problems
me: to whatever cause you think is meaningful..
Mohammed: like where to make it
me: all you need mohammed...
is someone who can record their vocals in a good microphone...
while they listen to the song in headphones...
10:21 PM is there anyone you know in sudan...
who has a good portable recorder..
it could even be a laptop computer with an inexpensive audio interface...
10:22 PM Mohammed: ya I know many but may be am not too involved in this
but let me try as it looks so easy
me: you know what mohammed..
Mohammed: ya
me: there are field recorders....
Mohammed: I know many Mucian
me: that are like $400 which can record exception vocals...
are those musicians in sudan?
10:23 PM or europe?
Mohammed: yes they are
me: are you going back to sudan in a week?
Mohammed: 2 of them in USA
me: ah!
could I work with them here?
Mohammed: Yousif almusali
me: if you give me there contact info..
10:24 PM I can work with them here...
Mohammed: this his name and I can give you later the contact info
me: that would be great!...
Mohammed: ok fine
me: so I could talk to them and they could possibly sing the lyrics in their language?
10:25 PM Mohammed: yes sure
me: mohammed, in the conflict, how many different languages are there for the different combating groups?
3 ?
10:26 PM what are the languages of the people who are fighting each other?
we need to educate all the people who are fighting each other...
I think it would be great to do this with every conflict in Africa!
...and around the world too!
Mohammed: the dominant one is arabic one with Darfurian accent, some tribal languages
10:27 PM and every tribe has its own
me: so singing in pure arabic would not be understood?
Mohammed: war has one language
wish is killing
it would be understood
10:28 PM me: are there indiginous languages involved as well?
where are you now Mohammed?
10:29 PM Mohammed: you see , if you try to go to this languages youm will end up to no where
me: where are you now mohammed?
10:30 PM Mohammed: and tribe will ask why this language but not the other
me: I'm so glad I could talk to you now!...it's been so difficult to get a hold of you!:)
Mohammed: me too am very happy to meet you
me: I see....better to use a language that doesn't cause more conflict!
a common language!
10:31 PM Mohammed: you see I have been many time traced by security
me: wow!
Mohammed: so some times I cant use the net cafe
and lots of problems
me: so they could be watching right now?
you mean they monitor the internet traffic?
Mohammed: but am quite fine
10:32 PM now am out side sudan
me: internet problems!
Mohammed: so I have been to finland yesterday
me: normal I guess...
ah! so are you in finland right now?
Mohammed: not that too much
yeap
10:33 PM me: great!
Mohammed: you wanna come and see me
do you have some friends here ?
me: I would LOVE to but unfortunately can't right now...too short notice for my employer..
10:34 PM I know someone who is working at Nokia but I don't think that is in Finland..
Mohammed, how is the situation in Darfur right now?
Mohammed: can you tell Jeannine to see if she wanna see me
me: has it gotten better?
10:35 PM Mohammed: ya.. improving and not improving
are you here
me: yes!
did you get my last message Mohammed?
10:36 PM I was asking if the situation in Darfur has gotten better or is it still quite bad?
Mohammed: well in certain things there is improvement
10:37 PM but still division of the movements is going on
and fighting is going on
me: fighting still going on?
Mohammed: especially the region where Wahid
me: Wahid?
that is bad there?
10:38 PM Mohammed: one of JEM main leaders
me: JEM is one of the groups fighting?
Mohammed: Justice and equality
me: ah yes..
Mohammed: movement
10:39 PM me: is there any real hope for peace right now?
Mohammed: well if its abscent then that is bad
yeap its but it will take long time
10:40 PM me: how are you feeling? Do you have hope or are you stressed when you go there?
10:41 PM Mohammed: welll stress is there...but am quite tolerant to do something you sould tolerate
me: i have never been in that kind of situaition...
I may be going to africa though...
to west africa
and south africa
10:42 PM is it safe to go to visit you?
Mohammed: by the way you can come to khartoum
me: must be a little dangerous?
khartoum is in egypt?
Mohammed: not that too much
me: are you safe where you work?
Mohammed: within the city it ok
10:43 PM me: is there an air force that drops bombs?
Mohammed: safe in the city, and when trvelling to the camps
just coordination is needed
me: does your work take you to dangerous places?
10:44 PM they say there are many bandits there who pose danger to aid workers like yourself...
Mohammed: yes it take me long distances in risky places
10:45 PM yes but when ever they think thgat you are doing good for the people then they will release you
me: mohammed...I have a friend who is a producer in atlanta...i can put your friends in the U.S. in contact with him and we could get him to coordinate the recording..
10:46 PM I can send my tracks to Yoel in Atlanta..and the singers can go to Atlanta to record the vocals...where do they live?
Mohammed: that is Quite ok I promise to send telephones or emails of those guys
10:47 PM then you can contact them
me: If I write the song about Darfur...they can also sing on it...
I will send you a very rough demo of it so you can hear...
Mohammed: yes and it could be long term coopration
me: yes!
10:48 PM I want to make a systematic attempt it producing music for all the conflicts in africa...
people need awareness to stop fighting each other...
Mohammed: so big project
10:49 PM me: I am not afraid...I don't look at it that way...
just always hope...postive attitude..
Mohammed: for success you need many efforts
me: we need to bring positive attitude to counter the negative..
my last 7 years has been effort...not afraid...
10:50 PM what purpose for life if not to help others?
you know this too...
Mohammed: great yes but still attitude changing is not easy
me: we do it in different ways..
you...doctor...
me ...artist musician..
...it requires skill....
10:51 PM you must be a real teacher to do this...
the words must be simple and powerful and reach into the heart...
Mohammed: dealing with spirit level is difficult than dealing with wounds
me: my spiritual training and my grandmother taught me this very deeply...
Mohammed: yeap
10:52 PM me: ah mohammed, the challenge makes my efforts stronger!...
if not for people with positive attitudes no positive things would ever happen...
we have to try...and be creative...
Mohammed: I agreee
me: and sometimes something will happen!...
10:53 PM Mohammed: there should be
me: I want to make people think...REALLY think...about what they are doing...
Mohammed: they must rethink how its
10:54 PM me: mohammed...make sure you send me the contact info before you go back to sudan because the communications is so poor there..
Mohammed: I like that messege from one zaadsters
me: Mohammed...what would YOU want to say in a message to people? I will write a song with your message....
10:55 PM Mohammed: saying (you could have walkes away
me: What would YOU say to the leaders in the conflict?
Mohammed: walked away
me: that the leaders should walk away from the conflict?
what reason would you give them to walk awayh?
10:56 PM Mohammed: dont think in that rigid way, you come and sit and sort it out
the same simple way we use to sort
10:57 PM me: many people have tried to get the warring tribes to talk..why has it failed? why do you think they are not able to cooperate to stop the killing?
Mohammed: think while shooting that is your youngsister
brother, father and family
me: yes, we are all brothers and sisters
10:58 PM I think my song about Gandhi would be good for this...
Mohammed: well most of them they are getting credit by Media...
me: It was inspired by a friend who was a soldier in the lebanese war..
Mohammed: so if the end up they will never be hero any more
10:59 PM me: he was about to kill an enemy soldier but when the soldier turned around and looked into his eyes...but he looked lik his brother and he couldn't shoot him
that song is powerful message...
Mohammed: well that is the soul talk
11:00 PM me: about the fact that we are all brothers and sisters...
its powerful because it was inspired by a soldier...
who couldn't kill
Mohammed: I wish we can have acup of coffee together
me: another soldier...
when he saw that he was human..
Mohammed: ya
me: human being
11:02 PM I think some of your messages are not coming mohammed...
sometimes connection dies then comes back..
11:03 PM mohammed, are you there?
11:04 PM hello, mohammed?
11:05 PM are you still there Mohammed?
Access: Public