How Much Internet Freedom Do You Have?

April 26, 2011 Leave a Comment

A NEW REPORT ON GLOBAL INTERNET FREEDOM names the most—and least—free countries for internet and new media freedom.

Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net 2011 measured each country’s level of internet freedom and characterized each nation by “free,” “partly free,” and “not free,” which you can see on this graph:

You can also get an at-a-glance global map of the results. Interestingly, there are many countries not characterized by Freedom House; most of South America and Africa, for example, are “not available.”

Despite some of the report’s shortcomings, you can still get a valuable look at which countries block political content and lack transparency. Download and read the entire report here.

Filed under civil rights, Politics

Did This Artist Go Too Far?

April 20, 2011 3 Comments

HOW MUCH RIGHT DOES AN ARTIST HAVE TO QUESTION the meaning of historical monuments and symbols, such as “eternal flames”? Anna Sin’kova is a Ukrainian artist who fried eggs and sausages over the eternal flame monument in Kiev. She was arrested and faces up to five years in prison.

Sin’kova is charged with desecrating a grave, but she says, “The eternal flame is not a grave, it’s a propaganda memorial for a totalitarian communist regime.” [Source].

Artists do and say a lot of things to make their political points. A good piece of political art must be clear and bring a forceful message, and one that’s clearly understood by those viewing it. First, as a piece of art, does Sin’kova’s form and action get her point across? What meaning does cooking over this flame bring?

Critics of Sin’kova’s actions cried “blasphemy,” and “disrespect,” for the World War II soldiers who are honored by the monument. The artist defends her actions by saying the monument is a propaganda tool invented by the Kremlin. One could argue that all such monuments are propaganda created by governments.

Most importantly, however, did Sin’kova break any laws? And does she deserve to be arrested, and have her free speech curtailed, for a piece of [possibly] bad art?

Here’s a video of Sin’kova’s performance art piece:

Filed under Art, Politics Tagged with , , ,

Syria’s Voice and Conscience: Omar Amiralay

April 13, 2011 Leave a Comment

reelfestivals.org

HE NEVER SHIED AWAY from confronting and exposing the social and economic injustices of his home. Syrian filmmaker Omar Amiralay was Syria’s voice and conscience.

Amiralay was a longtime pro-democracy supporter; in 2000, he was a signatory of the Damascus Declaration, which led to the “Damascus Spring.” When he died this past February, he left a legacy of documentary films that exposed and confronted poverty and oppression.

Amiralay’s career in documentary filmmaking spanned the five decades of the ruling Ba’ath Party. As the protests of the last month show no signs of abating, we can look to Amiralay’s films as a guide to what has shaped Syria and how her people have arrived at this point in their history.

This clip from Amiralay’s third film, “The Chickens,” documents how peasants suffered after the government’s failed farming ventures:

Amiralay did not only focus on his home country. His later films addressed social movements and activism in Yemen, Lebanon, and Egypt. This essay is a good overview of his groundbreaking and far-reaching work.

Watch more clips of Omar Amiralay’s on this YouTube channel. For more on Omar Amiralay, including interviews with the filmmaker, visit ArteEast.

Filed under Activists, film, Politics, Poverty Tagged with ,

How Artists Find Peace In War

March 29, 2011 Leave a Comment

© Julie Frankel, The Peace Library

CAN YOU FIND PEACE IN WAR? The San Luis-Obispo, CA based Peace Library is more art gallery than circulating book den, but the community behind it uses art and books to express their thoughts on peace, war, and politics.

Some of the book-based art featured in the Peace Library are drawn, like co-founder Julie Frankel’s “Forgiveness” (above, left), while other pieces are photographic or collage. Some are decidedly non-traditional form, like the matchbox with old-style movie tickets as the book’s “pages.” Each piece makes a deeply personal statement on war.

The Peace Library’s website currently features five galleries of work. See them at the Library’s official site.

Filed under Art, Human Rights, Politics

Helping the Roma Community

March 23, 2011 Leave a Comment

THE ROMA COMMUNITY IN EUROPE TODAY face discrimination and inadequate living conditions, lacking even the most basic needs like water, shelter, and electricity. Romani children are illegally segregated and denied their right to education.

Many EU governments take an anti-Romani stance; last year, France expelled Romani in widely reported incidents. Meanwhile, since 2008, violence against the Roma have increased.

The Roma live throughout Europe and have a population of 8 million. A new documentary, “Valea Corlatului” (The Corlat Valley), directed by Stephane Lucon, examines one community of 700 who have settled in a valley between the Brasov and Covasna counties in Romania. The film has just premiered as part of One World Romania, an international film festival on human rights.

Here is the trailer for the film. You can also watch more clips at the film’s official site. More here about Roma civil and human rights.

Filed under film, Human Rights, Politics Tagged with , , ,

New Artwork Challenges Immigration Policies

March 17, 2011 Leave a Comment

© 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 ,

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 , ,

How Your Breakfast Can Feed A Dozen Children

February 25, 2011 1 Comment

WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST this morning? Eggs, toast, cereal, coffee? A new online calculator from the World Food Programme lets you enter what you ate, its estimated cost, and find out how many hungry children will it feed:

For example, a cheeseburger is equal to feeding 40 kids.

The online tool is called Wefeedback (a nice turn of phrase there) and instantly gives you an idea how all of us doing just a little can make a difference.

Find out more about how you can feed hungry schoolchildren.

Filed under Activists, Human Rights, Politics, Poverty Tagged with , ,

The Dangers of Inequality in the U.S.

February 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

© University of California-Berkeley

ONE OF THE REASONS FOR THE UNREST IN THE MIDDLE EAST is high unemployment and its cousin, income inequality—the very things that are prevalant in the United States today.

Americans suffer from some of the same economic ills that drove hundreds of thousands into the streets to demand change this year. But Americans don’t like to confront inequality in their daily lives, even though it affects each of their lives (unless you’re in that magic top one-hundredth of one percent).

We all feel it. We know what’s going on. Will it finally drive us into the streets, as it has in Wisconsin?

Here are some facts about inequality in the U.S. today:

    Difference in the hourly earnings of high-paid and low-paid employees: 364% (Source).

    CEOs during the 1960s earned on average $42 for every $1 earned by wage workers. Today, that ratio is $344:1. (Source).

    “It’s the Inequality, Stupid” explains everything that’s wrong with America in eight charts: for example, Wall Street profits up 702 percent, while unemployment is up 102 percent. (Source).

    Learn more: 20 facts about inequality from the Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality.

Filed under Politics, Poverty Tagged with , , , ,

Why You Can’t See This Headline

February 18, 2011 1 Comment

U.S. Constitution © Pamela Vander Zwan 2009

DO YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE application open right now? Is your phone buzzing on your desk and your email dinging? There’s been a lot of discussion about how electronic media is rewiring our brains, and how this affects our ability to thick critically and creatively.

What does this splintered state of mind mean for us when we need to tackle the “big issues,” like poverty, jobs, democracy, and human rights?

© Pamela Vander Zwan 2009

Artist Pamela Vander Zwan‘s “Shedding Light” explores how we consume and understand the words and texts that define our political structure. In Zwan’s photos, everyone is blindfolded. Were the blindfolds put there by themselves, or by someone else?

There’s no evidence in the pictures that anyone is held against her will or “oppressed.” Presumably you could just reach around and remove the blindfold.

So will we remove our blindfolds? How does sight equal awareness, and how does awareness lead to social change?

Filed under Art, Politics Tagged with ,

← Older posts

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 105 other followers