Jeff’s Words

The soundslide on the conflict in Darfur, Conflict in Crayon, is an interesting and effective way of telling the story of human suffering in the war ravaged region of Sudan. The multimedia combines audio, pictures and drawings to engage the viewer and offer a more personal telling of the story.

The narration by Dr Annie Sparrow describes her interactions with local kids stands out as the most affective and memorable part of the presentation. The presentation shows drawings in which the children have done of their experiences. One included a drawing of a young girl’s hut being bombed and a woman shot in the face, bleeding from the head. Dr Sparrow talks you through the presentation as you see the pictures, as drawn through the children’s’ eyes.

The multimedia presentation is an effective way to tell the story that may otherwise go unnoticed. Unlike print, by engaging the user through sound and vision the story gets noticed and has a deeper impact.

The “Darfur at a glance” section features text providing background information. Instead of the lengthy format which it is presented, a visual display could have been more effective, and in sync with the rest of the presentation.