12 Stories of Gender Justice in Bangladesh

March 28, 2011

brac.net

THERE IS THE “BAREFOOT LAWYER” WHO FIGHTS INJUSTICE DOOR-TO-DOOR, and the wife—and husband—teams who turned around opinions about what equality means for women and men.

These and other gender justice pioneers are profiled in “Courage in the Heart,” a series of short films about young women in Bangladesh who are demanding greater rights for themselves.

The young women in these films all started out as survivors of human rights abuses, but today are educators, activists, and agents of change in their community. The “Courage in the Heart” project directly addresses the gender inequality of Bangladesh’s patriarchal social system, in which women have inferior status, and shows how empowered communities can improve women’s lives.

The stories you’ll hear demonstrate how far gender equality still has to go in places like Bangladesh.

Yet you’ll also see how education and community organizing can make a difference, especially in the poorest communities in the developing world.

The films were produced by BRAC, a development organization created and lead by Bangladeshis. BRAC works to alleviate poverty and promote gender justice and human rights in Asia, Africa, and Haiti.

Watch all the films and learn more at the project’s official site. More here about women fighting against gender violence.

Filed under Activists, film, Human Rights, Poverty, women's rights Tagged with , , ,

How Censorship Threatens Musicians

March 18, 2011

A ”SMASH” IS NATURALLY WHAT MOST MUSICIANS WANT, for their music to be heard, shared and enjoyed. Smashes equal popularity, and these days mainstream music, at least in the U.S., is concerned mostly with profits (and lack thereof), piracy, and the use of four-letter words in lyrics.

It’s a different picture in other parts of the world, of course, where music is also a product, but where it’s sometimes still an art, and a means of expression.

And when said expression is a political or social commentary, that’s when musicians find themselves censored, threatened, or imprisoned for their work and views. “Smashed Hits 2.0” examines how governments and other institutions censor and persecute far too many of the world’s musicians today.

The magazine features interviews and articles about those parts of the world where musical free expression is threatened—places like Iran, Turkey, and Tibet.

The publication is a collaboration with advocacy organization Freemuse.

Get your copy from Amazon or subscribe from the Index for Censorship.

Filed under Activists, Human Rights, music

New Artwork Challenges Immigration Policies

March 17, 2011

© SceneFour/Ravi Gosaj

WHEN IT WAS FIRST RECORDED IN THE 90′S, Public Enemy’s “By The Time I Get To Arizona” was a protest against Sen. John McCain and the state’s refusal to acknowledge the Martin Luther King holiday.

Today, the song is once again relevant as a way to speak out against the immigration policy in the state.

And there’s a visual element to it as well: Chuck D is collaborating with art collective SceneFour on a limited edition poster.

© SceneFour Ravi Gosaj

The canvas poses a future of state-mandated racial profiling at the moment of judgement: a hand holds up a color palette of the kind you get at a paint store, each stripe of color labeled “Suspect” or “Deport.”

The outdoor scene is a mashup of images related to Arizona, Guantanamo, and Mexico. The artist makes pointed historical references, too, adding a sign to the upper right reading, “Achtung: Show Us Your Papers.”

Find out more at Chuck D’s website, including how to get a copy of the piece.

Filed under Activists, Art, music, Politics Tagged with ,

Using Grassroots Comics for Social Change

March 14, 2011

Girls' education, by Haki Elimu

GRASSROOTS COMICS ARE A LOW-TECH BUT EFFECTIVE MEDIUM for social change communication. They’re inexpensive, easy to distribute, and can be a powerful way for a communities without access to media to get “news.”

World Comics, an all-volunteer NGO based in Finland, trains communities to create their comics, which are used to highlight social issues like women’s rights, education, and health.

The group leads workshops and holds exhibitions and offers free downloads of its guides and manuals for running your own workshop.

Read some sample grassroots comics from countries like Burundi, Pakistan, and Lebanon.

Filed under Activists, Art Tagged with ,

Can A Photo Change the World?

March 11, 2011

© JR

JR IS A STREET ARTIST who works in large format, mounting portraits on outdoor walls around the world. His work has a social angle: in one project, he placed photos of Israelis and Palestinians alongside each other, and his film “Women Are Heroes” portrayed the lives of oppressed women worldwide.

In 2010 he was awarded the TED2011 Prize, granting him a “wish” to change the world. Last week he revealed that wish: a global participatory art project called Inside Out.

It works like this: you take a B&W portrait, upload it to Inside Out’s website, and JR will send it back to you in poster form. Then it’s up to you to find the “right” wall.

The project encourages individual or group action. (You can even “donate a wall” to display art if photography’s not your thing).

JR believes a photo can change perceptions and turn around prejudices—he aims to change minds and “make the invisible visible.”

Inside Out is certainly the kind of project that gets people off their couches and engaging with the world. And in this current narcissistic culture it’s good to take the focus off ourselves.

And, by working on a scale usually reserved for advertising and billboards, JR’s project brings a little social action to photography.

But politically-minded art begs an outcome. Will Inside Out inspire people to follow-through and take real action, or is this another cool, “hip” exercise? Is the world ready for street art with a conscience?

Learn more at Inside Out Project.

Filed under Activists, Art, Photojournalism Tagged with , ,

Tibet’s Unfinished Revolution

March 10, 2011

Image © The Sun Behind the Clouds

MARCH 10 MARKS THE FIFTY-SECOND ANNIVERSARY of the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising, when thousands of Tibetans gathered at the Norbulingka Palace, the Dalai Lama’s summer residence, to demand that Chinese troops leave Tibet. Over the next few days, the Chinese violently cracked down on protestors. At the end of that week, the Dalai Lama made his escape to Dharamsala, India, where he established the Tibetan government in exile.

Sixty years of occupation did not dull the spirit of resistance. Three years ago in March, Tibet once again rose up in protest.

Since 1959, the Tibetan people have struggled to keep their cultural and religious identity intact, and fought simply to stay alive.

Today, a fearful China acts preemptively to stop any possibility of protests inspired by the events in the Middle East. China is harassing journalists and this week closed Tibet to foreign tourists.

The popular uprisings in the Middle East inspired all of us who still believe in freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. Many of us rallied behind the citizens of Egypt, Tunisia, and Bahrain as they called for democratic freedom. The Tibetan people deserve that same kind of support.

Here is a short video about the uprising. More about Tibet here and here.

Filed under Activists, Human Rights, Tibet Tagged with , , ,

3 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day

March 8, 2011

SMALL, MEDIUM, LARGE: for the most part, that’s how we’ve set up the world (let’s ignore XL, XXL, etc., for the moment). What, you ask, does S, M, L have to do with International Women’s Day?

You can approach International Women’s Day by taking a small, medium, or large step for women’s empowerment. You decide—in fact no positive action is too small or too large—the key is to take some action, because everyday is “woman’s day.”

Here are three ways you can celebrate International Women’s Day:

1. Volunteer your time and skills to help women. In two clicks you can find a volunteer opportunity by going to VolunteerMatch. Enter your zip code and choose “Women” as your category. Examples of volunteering opportunities available today are business mentoring or joining in a Run/Walk for cancer research—you can even volunteer “virtually” for many, many organizations that need you today.

2. Use your voice to be an advocate for women’s rights. We’ve all seen the power of social networking. You can use Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking tools to raise awareness for gender equality, women’s health, or whichever cause you’re passionate about.

Alternatively, you can also join with others in member organizations like the Association for Women’s Rights in Development.

3. Invest in women’s futures worldwide. Women need resources to ensure their security and help build equality. To get you started, here’s just three organizations supporting community- and women-led groups worldwide:

Global Fund For Women

Women for Women International

MADRE

How will you celebrate International Women’s Day?

Filed under Activists, Human Rights, News Tagged with , , ,

Music Inspired by the Wisconsin Protests

March 7, 2011 2 Comments

http://www.zazzle.com/weaverphoto

WISCONSIN’S LONG TRADITION OF PROTEST AND PROGRESSIVE ACTION is once again producing loud and outspoken art, especially music.

Here are three of the many videos produced during the protests—the art of the protest song is alive and well in Wisconsin:

1. Imperial Walker by IfIHadAHiFi: The Wisconsin rock group goes right to the heart of the issue, in a full-on rock song about Governor Walker and his class war against the “Wisconsin rebels.” (And kudos, Wisconsin, for the Star Wars reference).

Listen to “Imperial Walker at the band’s site.

Here’s a making-of video:

2. Wisconsin “Budget Repair Bill” Protest by Matt Wisniewski: While not an original composition, this already-viral video is an inspiring look at the protestors in the Capitol Building set to the aptly-chosen “Rebellion (LIES)” by Arcade Fire:

3. Sam Frederick, “Scott Walker Protest Song” Thirteen-year old public school student Sam Frederick performed his song (which he wrote for his teachers) at the second rally held at the state capitol in February.

The song features the lyric, “We can’t let Scott Walker walk all over our land”:

Filed under Activists, Art, music, News, Politics Tagged with , ,

Because I Love Tibet

March 4, 2011 2 Comments

http://blog.studentsforafreetibet.org/

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS—we all make them, hoping that this year things not accomplished will (finally) get done.

Luckily we live on a planet where there’s ample opportunities to resolve to bring about change, and not just on January 1. One of those opportunities is now, with the start of Losar, or Tibetan New Year, 2138, the year of the Iron Hare.

Each year Tibetans pledge to take action for a free Tibet once a week (or once a day). You can see examples of pledges at Students for A Free Tibet‘s Losar page. Pledges are as simple as spreading awareness to financially supporting children and families.

We can all participate, too.

Readers of this blog know about my engagement with Tibet and her people’s struggle for independence. It’s one of the main reasons I started blogging. So I’m adding my pledge to the campaign:

My Losar pledge is to continue to raise awareness for the cause of Tibetan freedom and ask for people’s support of Tibet.

Will you support Tibetan freedom by making a pledge?


I’m gonna Free Tibet!– Dan Haig

Filed under Activists, China, Human Rights, Tibet Tagged with ,

Empowering Women With Disabilities

March 3, 2011

MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH in the U.S., a reflection on the pioneers and leaders who paved the way for social change.

But how about celebrating women’s achievements everywhere, and how their efforts are changing the world today?

An international group of 54 disabled women activists appear in “Loud, Proud, & Passionate!”, a video created by Mobility International USA to raise awareness for women with disabilities worldwide.

The women—CEOs, teachers, engineers, political candidates, and writers—sign and sing in English, Arabic, and Spanish (video is captioned):

More on empowering women with disabilities. Here’s a list of global perspectives on women with disabilities.

Filed under Activists, Art, Human Rights, Women's History, women's rights Tagged with , , , , ,

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