 Iran could execute Sakineh Ashtiani tomorrow. We saved her from stoning, now we have 24 hours to get key powers to take emergency action to stop this shameful killing.  |
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Our moderator Jess Reynolds with the panelists
A captivated audience - The Echo EffectThe Council for Zimbabwe is a politically neutral organization formed to coordinate Zimbabweans abroad and global citizens to mobilize financial, human, and material resources to respond to the humanitarian and development needs in Zimbabwe. The organization plans to further this mission by creating an information portal and secure skills database directory to swiftly mobilize and match professionals abroad to institutions in need of expertise in Zimbabwe; establishing a Zimbabwe Development Fund to provide financial support to talented but economically disadvantaged students; convening conference calls, conferences and meetings between the Diaspora, development agencies and Zimbabwean policy makers, to encourage dialogue aimed at addressing systemic challenges and improving development policies; and advocating for the reconstruction of a peaceful, prosperous, and progressive Zimbabwe.
Dominic Muntanga shares his stories and work with us
The fantastic panelists with moderator Mahdis Keshawarz
Information about the Cine Institute in Jacmel, Haiti. All proceeds went to this amazing group
We made T-shirts!
To tackle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict takes cojones, whether you're a politician, a diplomat, a journalist, an activist, a filmmaker, or a regular citizen on either side of the debate. The conversations surrounding this topic, even with the dearest of friends, can be heated, uncomfortable, and emotional rather than calm, objective, and rational. But that was never going to stop award-winning Brazilian filmmaker Julia Bacha (above) from creating the amazing (and I don't use that word lightly) documentary, Budrus. Financed by the Sundance Institute and named after a village in the West Bank that came together in 2003 to protest the building of the separation barrier which the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) sees as vital to the preservation and protection of its people, Budrus took home the silver Panorama Audience Award at this month’s 60th Berlin International Film Festival.
That Israel feels the need to defend itself wasn't the main issue for the people of Budrus; although the IDF’s military tactics have certainly drawn criticism from the international community, to put it mildly (there are those actively seeking to prosecute Israel for war crimes tied to last year’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza). All that aside, the main problem with Israel’s Separation Barrier at the time was that it went well past the Green Line, which meant taking over hundreds of acres belonging to the Palestinians, specifically Budrus, a land rich with olive trees, which are essential to the local economy. As one woman put it, to uproot the trees is to uproot her.
As with every great resistance movement, at its core there is a leader. In this case, it’s community organizer Ayed Morrar, who has been imprisoned several times during his extraordinary life, sometimes for years at a time. Throughout the well-balanced pic, we also hear from members of the Israeli border patrol and army (at one point, a captain is quoted as saying: “it’s unfortunate for the people of Budrus, but less unfortunate than the death of an Israeli citizen”). Still, Ayed stresses that there needs to be a new, unified and nonviolent form of resistance from the people in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Nothing poses a bigger threat to the IDF, he argues. In the end, Ayed manages to do something extraordinary: bring together the people of Budrus with traditionally divided Palestinian political factions (Fatah, Hamas) and left-wing Israeli activists in peaceful resistance (55 demonstrations total), after which the IDF reformed plans for the barrier, scaling them back to Israeli borders.
I was moved to the point of tears during several points of the film, watching people like Ayed’s teen daughter Iltezam— who rallied the women of Budrus— standing in front of bulldozers and chanting songs that honor their faith and land. But the most powerful thing was to see the people of Budrus standing side by side with left-wing Israeli activists who reject the IDF’s fear-based ideology. It should be noted that some of those brave Israeli citizens were arrested and attacked by soldiers of their own army. (A couple of them actually flew to Berlin and participated in the Q&A portions immediately following the screenings). Dodging the bullets and bulldozers in Budrus were also journalists and citizens from around the world, including a (white) South African woman who said she joined the protest because she experienced firsthand the damage apartheid did to her country.
At one point during the Q&A following the last screening, a Colombian man raised his hand and said: "Coming from a war-torn country, I want to say thank you for making a film like this." I join that man in thanking Julia and the non-profit she works for, Just Vision, for providing a medium through which global audiences can build the cojones to have a real dialogue about the issue—and act.
Here, Julia talks about what drives her, how a brasileira became so focused on the Middle East, and how she feels about the future of the region.
(click the above link to read the rest of this article or copy and paste the URL below into your Web browser)
http://www.latina.com/blogs/get-cultured/berlin-film-festival-spotlight-julia-bachas-budrus
EchoChamber is selling these limited-edition 'Help Haiti' t-shirts to benefit the Cine Institute in Jacmel Haiti. 100% of the proceeds ($10 per shirt) go directly towards rebuilding these film schools which were all but destroyed.
One of our favorite soul singers, Maxwell, who is himself part Haitian, sent out this message on behalf of our brothers and sisters coping with disaster on the island:
Dear Friends and Members of Artists for Peace and Justice--
As you undoubtedly already know, a devastating 7.0 earthquake has struck Haiti. Its epicenter was just 10 miles outside Port-au-Prince, where our friend, doctor and community organizer Father Rick Frechette runs two pediatric hospitals, street schools in the slums, an abandoned children's home and so much more. We've spoken to him and the news is terrible. Walls have tumbled like cards at his beautiful new children's hospital. Their old hospital, still functioning, has collapsed completely. The orphanage has also sustained considerable damage, but no lives were lost there. We don't know about any of the street schools we sponsor. It is even causing an old atheist like myself to pray. There is chaos everywhere. The sky has been described as filled with dust from the thousands of collapsed homes. Preliminary estimates are already placing the death toll at well over 100,000.
If you are asking yourself what you can do, they desperately need emergency cash - any amount. Get it to us, and we will get a hundred percent of it into the hands of Father Rick and his team, to help dig people out of the collapsed hospital and schools, to buy emergency medicine, to supply badly needed water and food, to help fly in doctors for the wounded children, and so much more.
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