Upon reading Tuesday's Daily Cardinal, I was disappointed to find the headline Remembering genocide"" above the front-page photo of former child soldier Ishmael Beah, who spoke at the Union Monday night.
In fact, Beah did not mention the word 'genocide' once during his speech, and the incorrect headline makes it seem as though the Daily Cardinal staff is apathetic toward an African conflict that is actually a complex civil war.
Had a Cardinal writer or editor attended the event, they would have heard Beah speak at length about the importance of word choice within the oral traditions and culture of his hometown in Sierra Leone. As a child, Beah was required to listen to stories told by elders and later recite them from memory. If he added something that was not part of the original story, he would receive six lashes.
- Jacob Kushner
Junior majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication
Member of Action in Sudan
