Sudan is a country of juxtaposition.

Sudan is a country with beautiful natural scenery, high-rise buildings, weddings, universities, commerce, poverty, and of unrest. There are injustices between the working poor and those of the upper-class, a situation not unlike what we've become used to here in the United States. There are brilliant artisans, writers, strife, bloodshed and sound families. At the crux of this juxtaposition is oil and the polarizing nature that a country replete with generous resources and a weak concept of how to manage said resources can be taken advantage of. The proxy war between the West and Chinese/Russo interests in Sudanese oil is as easy to understand as a listing of the country's weapons suppliers which include Britain, former Soviet republics, and China. Both factions want their oil and they want to control who has access to it. Ancient blood fuels are played up as they have been in other emerging countries. Sides are taken, lives are lost. The premeditated mayhem and it's politics are complexed, certainly. But we can make a difference in the war-torn region of Darfur, at least. ATL-based artists like Dj Drama, Anthony David, Spree Wilson, Janelle Monae and Novel will be holding a concert at Emory University to help us do just that, and to do it locally next Friday. Be there.