The English language had no way to articulate the kind of immeasurable human suffering of WWII that can dismantle an entire people. We said “never again.” But in fact, it is happening again -Africa, and again the United States is unable and unwilling to act; unable to prevent genocide.

Maybe it’s because the American public cannot face a crisis in which men are being slaughtered while their families look on, while their wives are being raped by man after man after man. Maybe it’s too unimaginable for us to do anything more than shake our heads while reading the World section of the newspaper just before flipping to the funnies.

On Friday, January 27, the Guthrie presented an innovative play that merged Arts and Political Sciences. Playwright Winter Miller’s In Darfur attracted a diverse crowd of anti-genocide junkies, many of whom stuck around for the post-play discussion. The new Guthrie was packed with everyone from young refugee students to the well-to-do retirees of Minneapolis. By the end of the evening, we were all driven to tell someone, anyone about what we had just experienced. In Darfur is not just a play. It’s a call to action.

Waiting for the play to start, I was unsure of what to expect. In Darfur was to be a reading of a fictional play about the humanitarian crisis in the Western part of Sudan, known as Darfur. The actors sat in a row across the black stage, reading their scripts off of music stands. Before I knew it, I was completely engaged in the story of Hawa, an English teacher and representative of the at least 2 million displaced people in Darfur, and Maryka, a New York Times journalist in search of a first page top fold story and Carlos, a doctor who abruptly left his fiancé to become an aid worker. Facing the constant threat of the relentless violence of the Janjaweed (devils on horseback) and the responsibility of saving a life, the three struggle to survive while uncovering the horrors of genocide in Darfur to the audience.

The discussion following the performance boasted a panel of humanitarians who had all given much of themselves to help both in Darfur and at home in their government offices, classrooms, and stages across America. Panelists included: Mark Brecke, an independent filmmaker and documentary photographer; Jerry Farrell, director for the American Refugee Committee in Sudan; Therese M. Gales, also of the ARC; Mark Hanis, founder of the Genocide Intervention Network; Moderator Ellen J. Kennedy; Jane E. Kirtley, Professor at the Journalism School at the University of Minnesota; Betty McCollum, Minnesota’s Fourth District Congresswoman; and Winter Miller, author of In Darfur.

One of the first points asserted by Miller during the discussion panel was that although this play is fictional, it is remarkably realistic and does well to reflect the true goings on of the conflict in Darfur. The play is a continuum, in that from show to show it is never quite the same, with new pages being added, (2 new pages added that day), new facts, new numbers of deaths and of displaced people.

Day by day the genocide is worsening. Despite humanitarian groups’ brave work in the region, their presence in Darfur is becoming known as a real threat to the Janjaweed. Aid workers are being targeted and murdered. The panel, all of whom have been to Darfur, articulated that the efforts of NGO’s and advocates are not enough and that these organizations can no longer handle the crisis alone. The region is simply too dangerous.

When the audience was asked whether they felt informed about Darfur before they came to the show, almost every hand went up. In Darfur was designed for the few in the audience who felt uninformed. Miller wanted to create something that was “as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.”

Slouching in her chair among the panelists; arms folded, wearing a brown sweater, black pants, and brown shoes, Miller looked like a complete humanitarian badass. When asked what she wanted her audience to do, Miller immediately sat up and said, “Make some noise!”

Panelist Mark Hanis was particularly impressive as well, not only because he is a young, good looking human rights advocate, but because he actually has actually developed a process. You may be wondering, dear Waker, “What can I do?”

If Hanis were here right now, he’d say “If not now, when? If not you, who?”

Before we can act globally, we must act locally. Find your voice. Wakers, I implore you, contact your local Congressperson. Demand that the Sudanese government not lead the African Union. Demand money appropriation to support African Union soldiers. Encourage your parents to divest. Many of us are unwittingly investing in industries that support genocide. Demand nothing less than an A+ from Congress.

Genocide ends with you. In Darfur is a new tool for activists; it’s a political message communicated through art.