Peace Propaganda & The Promised Land

This documentary should be more popular than it is. Such blatant proof of the ineffectiveness of the American media should be common knowledge, yet very few people have seen this video (only 100,000 or less hits on youtube). An average American will never wonder why there is never a story portraying the suffering of the Palestinians, as he or she is bombarded with the same message: Israelis simply matter more. The fact that the strong historical ties between the USA and Israel, along with the American media’s cozy relationship with the political elite, are carefully concealed or downplayed saddens me deeply because this means the truth will always come too late.

When one looks at history, or just at this century, wherever there has been an injustice, such as the continuous marginalization of a people, or even genocide, the world has stood by, only acting once too many lives were lost. How many Palestinian and Israeli lives have to be lost for the issues they are facing to be correctly addressed? Most importantly, when will murderers have to face their actions, and their aides stopped from enabling them? Unfortunately for Palestinians, Israel and the US, are major players in the world’s economy and their influence has silenced many consciences. The United Nations has no muscle, and therefore, without the support of the major economies of the world, no concrete measure can be taken. I simply hope that more people will wake up and smell the coffee, and realize that there is no such thing as objectivity, and that ignorance is not an excuse for being a bystander. Then perhaps, more than a few will stand up for justice.

Introduction

My name, is Isabelle Umugwaneza, legally known in the US as Nyombayire I Umugwaneza. Long story short, my real first name, Isabelle, was taken as my middle and vice versa, and for immigration purposes, I had to keep it that way. Now everytime professors have to roll call on the first day, I cannot help but be entertained by the confused look on their face when they come across a first and last name that are equally hard to pronounce. Aside from that, I am from Rwanda, the last of six children, all girls. I had the opportunity to study from the US since 9th grade, and found my way to Manhattanville from a small boarding school in Massachusetts. I hope to go back to Rwanda, with a broader perspective of the world, so that I can make a positive contribution to its development That is in part, the reason I chose to take this class, as I feel one can always gain from learning another ¨side of the story¨.