Rukmini Callimachi’s taunting dream of splayed legs, an empty wheelchair and a dead body not too far away bring new meaning to the violence on the Ivory Coast and many of the war conflicted inhabitants that practice the Islamic faith.
The two-time Pulitzer finalist, Rukmini Callimachi, gave a riveting speech about the Islamic State’s use of sexual violence against women Tuesday night, March 8, 2016 at Stony Brook University. Along with chilling details of how the words, “raped and killed” were brought to life. Inspired by the late great international reporter Marie Colvin, who worked for the British Sunday Times, Callimachi said she was bearing witness as Colvin did.
Marie Colvin was an International Correspondent from Long Island, NY, who worked at the Sunday Times from 1985 till her unfortunate death in 2012 covering the Siege of Homs in Syria. Colvin set a high standard for foreign correspondents and journalists around the world. She set herself apart from many by being someone to always dig deeper and go the extra mile to obtain the truth.
Around 7:30 p.m., students, faculty and curious spectators started lining up around the entrance, diligently waiting to hear some of the horrendous details Callimachi witnessed firsthand.
Before Callimachi took the stage, the School of Journalism’s Dean Schneider and her editor gave the crowd a warm welcome and both spoke on how great of a reporter and person Callimachi is. After, the crowd gave Callimachi a roaring applause as she walked on stage. Dead silence quickly followed after as she took a deep breath and lead the crowd on her journey.
Callimachi started telling the crowd of how she was born in Romania but had to leave her homeland a few years after with her family due to issues and difficulties happening within Romania. She had to carry out her life as an immigrant in Europe and later became an American citizen pursuing her passion, journalism. Callimachi said lucky enough her family was able to gain safe passage to another country in her early years, opening many more doors for her; unlike other immigrants who are not as fortunate and have much more difficulty.
Callimachi continued her story slow and with precise detail of how she covered over 20 countries as a New York Times Correspondent, but how nothing brings her nightmares quite like her time at the Ivory Coast in Africa in 2011. A working correspondent for the Associated Press at the time, she recalls one distinct memory while reporting the nation’s civil war, a memory that she says still “haunts me in my dreams.”
Callimachi face grew more and more grave as her soft spoken words recall her first steps into an African war zone between Liberia and the Ivory Coast. Within miles of a recent massacre a man comes up to her informing her of what happened the night before, where destruction and dead bodies laid. He said the scary and “inaccessible war zone” had the slaughtered bodies of women, children and men. Wanting to see the evidence for herself she and her coworkers followed the man to go see for themselves.
Riding three hours by motorcycle, Callimachi describes finally arriving and walking by foot to the site where she smelt the awful stench of burnt dead bodies. As she trailed along quietly she recalls one horrific scene after another and eventually vomited from the traumatizing graphics. She then tells the crowd how the words “Raped and killed” gave her a whole new perspective, describing women who were naked from the waist down and severely mutilated. She also found scattered bras, and baby bottles, which helped paint the picture of the village that was burnt to ashes.
When reports of what happened were brought to the government of what their soldiers have done, denial was presumed and made the villagers out as violent rebels even though the evidence said otherwise.
Callimachi then makes an eerie comparison of how the soldiers and government in Africa would deny peoples accusations while people within the Islamic State did not. What made this news even more disturbing is the fact that they don’t only proudly rape young girls and women who are non-believers, they also state that by doing so they’re worshiping and “getting closer to God.”
Joining the New York Times in later years, Rukmini was given the job of interviewing little girls and women who were freed from ISIS. These victims eventually opened up to Callimachi by her being blunt and “by not guaranteeing anything,” but “at least trying,” to get their stories told. The victims revealed how when accosted the men were killed and the women were put on buses that lead them to “holding pens.” The women who were unmarried virgins were given priority over those who weren’t at being sold off first into slavery. Some of the little girls recall before and after being raped, the men praying and stating how he has the right to do what he’s doing due to his faith.
Making an impactful end by stating “I pray by bearing witness to their suffering, their suffering may one day end.” The audience clapped loudly as the details of what she said stayed conscious within their heads, some faculty like Nick Ciuffo say he was “interested because I already knew about ISIS but wasn’t aware of how they were glorifying their sexual violence and using it as a weapon of war.” Also saying how found Callimachi “very noble and brave.”
One student, Jeremy Weintraub, states how he “didn’t expect to hear of how organized they were and how they operated like a corporation.” Finding what she said “Awakening.”
Professor Sullivan called Callimachi “brave, dedicated and humble.” Finding that it’s important to “be a human first, and a reporter second.” “With so many evils in the world, all you can do is bear witness.”
