In protest against Chinas indifference towards the Darfour conflict and its relations with Sudan, Steven Spielberg announced his withdrawal as an artistic adviser for the Beijing 2008 Olympic games. The US film director, who had been chosen as an artistic director for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the olympics, said in a press release that he finds his conscience will not allow him to continue business as usual. At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all i can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur He said that the Sudanese government was responsible for the continued crimes, but the international community, particularly China, should be doing more. It is estimated that over 200,000 people have lost their lives and about 2.5 million have been displaced in the Darfur conflict.
