Animated cartoon mocks China's role in Darfur

Mark Fiore, one of the only syndicated editorial cartoonists exclusively producing animated online cartoons, has put together a new cartoon in aid of Mia Farrow's Dream for Darfur organization using an Olympic "mascot" named Gengen Genocide.

"My goal was to make a hard-hitting animation that explains China's role in the Darfur genocide and why we just can't sit back in silence," Fiore told Editor & Publisher. "The Olympic Games should be about the athletes and international cooperation, not about China's government grandstanding and trying to show that everything is just fine."

"China has not changed its human rights policies as a result of the Olympics.  The situation in Darfur is worse today than a year ago.  China, it seems, has been unwilling to use its influence to help stop a genocide – a genocide it is paying for,” said Jill Savitt, Executive Director of Dream for Darfur.  “This 90 second cartoon says it all – and shows why the Beijing Games will be remembered as the Genocide Olympics.”

The “Gengen Genocide” video is part of the “Switch Over to Darfur” campaign launched by Dream for Darfur. Over the past year, Dream for Darfur asked Olympic Corporate sponsors to take a series of action in response to the Darfur crisis – for example, writing the president of China, contacting the United Nations Security Council, or making a public statement. Most sponsors failed two “report cards” by taking no action, even a modest one.  Dream for Darfur has asked viewers to ignore the commercials of these sponsors during the Games and instead watch alternative programming about Darfur.  

Here is the cartoon: