This week, it is time for young artists of Goma to EXPRESS themselves. They are drawers, painters, musicians, dancers, and they have decided, through their art, to spread the word about the war that is ravaging their country.
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Voices of the youth from Eastern Congo: “EXPRESS” — Condition: Critical
This is a very well-done video about the role music and the arts plays as a form of expression in eastern DRC.
It’s a bit dramatic, but still well-done.
It’s also quite relevant to the Jazz for Justice Project.
I know I’ve mentioned Educate! a few times, and there’s good reason. Educate! is an awesome organization using culturally relevant social enterprise projects to empower students in Uganda to be leaders for their community. You can check out what I’ve said about them before, here.
Well, I’m mentioning them again because, now, Eric, the founder, is up for a $100,000 reward from DoSomething.org to go towards Educate!’s goal empowering a new generation of social leaders.
All I’m asking is that you check out more of what Educate! is all about. If you feel like they’re doing good work, vote for them. If not, don’t.
I mean, it should count for something that I’m so behind them as an organization. I think I’ve made it pretty clear how vocally critical I can be of many members of civil society. I’m looking at you, IC.
Go here. Click the vote tab. Find Eric’s video. Click the thumbs up.
Wow.
What has advocacy come to?
All I can muster is “NO!”
(via uncivilsociety.org)
H/T: @bloodandmilk
Despite the narrator’s ignorant surprise throughout the whole video, this is quite interesting — in a very sad way.
Al-Qaeda is intelligent. They see an opening and they’re going to try to fill it.
Somalia might not be such a hotbed for recruitment, though, if the West weren’t so set on supporting Ethiopian troops, propping up anti-Muslim warlords for the artist formerly known as “War on Terror” and doing all in our power to neglect the region and then scratch our heads and wonder “why” when pirates take an American hostage.
Of course the diaspora is fed up. And it is through this that al-Qaeda is capitalizing on a recruitment opportunity.
But maybe we can continue being surprised when things like this happen and conveniently forget that violence breeds violence. Torture breeds torture. Hate breeds hate.
Very good conversation on micro-finance (i.e. Grameen and its ilk).
Yunus makes a wonderful point in his reference to Grameen not being affected by the international economic crisis. They’re not tied into the world economy and the money (over $1 billion lent per year) comes from the locality. It’s a wonderful real world example of how developing countries suffer from the economic actions of the rest of the world when a culture of government to government aid dependency is nurtured. Conversely, micro-financing institutions, like Grameen, aren’t affected because they get the money to lend from the local communities to which they lend.
I really like the point made by Yunus concerning how everyone is currently worried about getting back to a financial system like we had before the meltdown. Why not take this situation as a chance to grow? As Yunus says, why go back to a system that ignores two-thirds of the world.
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BBC Newsnight - Dambisa Moyo discusses microcredit with Muhammad Yunus (viadambisamoyo)
“Saving the world”… One baby at a time.
Even parodies of these two make me wretch.
Exponential Empowerment (via EducateAfrica)
Adam & Jamie draw a MONA LISA in 80 milliseconds! at NVIDIA’s Show (via artmaze1974)
If only it weren’t Mia Farrow.
Welcome to the Darfur Olympics – a week-long protest to keep the spotlight on the people of Darfur during the Beijing Games.
If you do not want to watch China glorify itself during the Games, we have created an alternative opening ceremony – a one-minute celebration of Darfurian children.
And, every day for the first week of the Games (August 8 to 15) we will show a new webcast report by Mia Farrow from a Darfurian refugee camp.
Watch our online concert, too. Artists who donated videos: R.E.M., Talib Kweli, 420 Funk Mob with guest George Clinton, The Jones Street Boys, and Stephanie McKay..
Coming tomorrow: China is underwriting the Darfur genocide, and allowing it to continue. Mia Farrow talks about Sudan’s relationship with China.
