Amnesty accuses Sudan's RSF of 'war crimes' in Darfur

Edition by Mark Nichol

In a society where the majority of people are too busy to care about such things as political protest art, there exists that small percentage who consider it important enough to act on.

In this blog post, we'll explore three strategies employed in Amnesty International's Unbashed Excellence campaign, one which protests alleged genocide in Darfur.

Strategy 1 Employ a Strong Visual Image

The visual image Amnesty chose for its protest artwork is of a girl, presumably Sudanese, with her arms tied behind her back. Her face expresses terror and pleading, while above her head the artist has placed a tag on which he has written Sudan and then crossed it out with black marker.

The impact of this visual image lies in part in how unrepresentative of Africa it is The stereotype of African women as strong and physically robust is shattered by this image. Instead, we are confronted with the terrorized visage of a child who could just as well be European or Asian; that such an individual is Sudanese is secondary.

Strategy 2 Create a Compelling Catchphrase

In order to give voice to its artwork, Amnesty employs the phrase Unabashed Excellence. This statement, though simple, packs a wallop. The word unabashed tells us that those responsible for these heinous crimes against humanity are shameless and unashamed; their actions are done out in the open without compunction or remorse.

The term excellence, as it's used here, is anything but These atrocities are not excusable due to the perpetrators' excellence. Rather, it's a statement of fact — genocide was committed, and the rest of humanity must demand that such things not be allowed to happen again. And we must also acknowledge that these crimes were done with excellence (a word I would prefer not have Amnesty use) because they were executed so well.

Strategy 3 Be Bold

The artist for this project took a bold step in crossing out the words Sudan and replacing it with his own message STOP GENOCIDE. That such a statement was necessary speaks to the timidity of others who are afraid to offend. The artist's choice to be bold, then, was not only necessary but imperative.

The Amnesty International campaign titled Unabashed Excellence is a masterful protest artwork whose elements — visual image, catchphrase, and boldness — combine in such a way as to create an atmosphere of shock and awe. We are stunned into recognition that these atrocities have been committed against human beings, and we are awed by the courage of those who speak out.

We are forced to confront our own apathy; it's no longer enough to merely be aware of genocide in Darfur or anywhere else — we must act.

In a society where the majority of people are too busy to care about such things as political protest art, there exists that small percentage who consider it important enough to act on. In this blog post, we'll explore three strategies employed in Amnesty International's Unbashed Excellence campaign, one which protests alleged genocide in Darfur.

Employ a Strong Visual Image

The visual image Amnesty chose for its protest artwork is of a girl, presumably Sudanese, with her arms tied behind her back. Her face expresses terror and pleading, while above her head the artist has placed a tag on which he has written Sudan and then crossed it out with black marker.

The impact of this visual image lies in part in how unrepresentative of Africa it is The stereotype of African women as strong and physically robust is shattered by this image. Instead, we are confronted with the terrorized visage of a child who could just as well be European or Asian; that such an individual is Sudanese is secondary.

Create a Compelling Catchphrase

In order to give voice to its artwork, Amnesty employs the phrase Unabashed Excellence. This statement, though simple, packs a wallop. The word unabashed tells us that those responsible for these heinous crimes against humanity are shameless and unashamed; their actions are done out in the open without compunction or remorse.

The term excellence, as it's used here, is anything but These atrocities are not excusable due to the perpetrators' excellence. Rather, it's a statement of fact — genocide was committed, and the rest of humanity must demand that such things not be allowed to happen again. And we must also acknowledge that these crimes were done with excellence (a word I would prefer not have Amnesty use) because they were executed so well.

Be Bold

The artist for this project took a bold step in crossing out the words Sudan and replacing it with his own message STOP GENOCIDE. That such a statement was necessary speaks to the timidity of others who are afraid to offend. The artist's choice to be bold, then, was not only necessary but imperative.

The Amnesty International campaign titled Unabashed Excellence is a masterful protest artwork whose elements — visual image, catchphrase, and boldness — combine in such a way as to create an atmosphere of shock and awe. We are stunned into recognition that these atrocities have been committed against human beings, and we are awed by the courage of those who speak out.

We are forced to confront our own apathy; it's no longer enough to merely be aware of genocide in Darfur or anywhere else — we must act.

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.