tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27345290310705886582024-03-21T09:06:24.055-07:00Yu, u Nobuntu"Yu, u Nobuntu" is an African Philosophy ~ it is "I am because you are".Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-84547785444640843902009-10-25T04:15:00.000-07:002009-11-25T06:05:11.360-08:00Guinea Worm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdrki8uaddOK2BdVIzOKnDbGYFL6B06P81-v6P4cQiqUY27O2AnUKLLfooIXnjzwEN6C87mfFB62jkoZz7i9emqZ-BK93W-yCiwXPu5MIji6Iva-W-s8RxqnQDcU0Urukbx8WRaJwsP8/s1600/6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdrki8uaddOK2BdVIzOKnDbGYFL6B06P81-v6P4cQiqUY27O2AnUKLLfooIXnjzwEN6C87mfFB62jkoZz7i9emqZ-BK93W-yCiwXPu5MIji6Iva-W-s8RxqnQDcU0Urukbx8WRaJwsP8/s320/6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408042028082414114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJ9XcfrSIQ0hyphenhyphenYW4v4cmWIQ5w-wdh5NCh4suFzhlQed1XrhdiH6p1z7_W8CGOh_y-UyiU5InnaIpKMSuNzDMzUZ9zUJ1Ki_Jl85HqdmFXoBuWrvtqArPM1kw8m6kTQfEA69xSSBWSicw/s1600/9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJ9XcfrSIQ0hyphenhyphenYW4v4cmWIQ5w-wdh5NCh4suFzhlQed1XrhdiH6p1z7_W8CGOh_y-UyiU5InnaIpKMSuNzDMzUZ9zUJ1Ki_Jl85HqdmFXoBuWrvtqArPM1kw8m6kTQfEA69xSSBWSicw/s320/9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408042019730833202" border="0" /></a><br />This week was really affected by photogrpahs from <a href="http://www.brentstirton.com/project_guinea-worm.php">Ben Stirton</a> depicting the ravishes of Guinea worm.Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-41609332724953130722009-10-15T06:39:00.001-07:002009-10-15T10:01:36.952-07:00Naked for Climate Change in Copenhagen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZCZviMrRn5PnP1yZnYQN6Jd1hlNRoSANaxVqytIjIcycsSpj6_eYmbhMN0RlZa1nGcng1Pm3Zrev-QJv_2_bphx4jo701HqhiBjqfvTSBEQv3aSVf_0eJiD3kbmCjtkrs4vWzF9S3TU/s1600-h/8117_133446863251_103027988251_2357472_5141566_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXZCZviMrRn5PnP1yZnYQN6Jd1hlNRoSANaxVqytIjIcycsSpj6_eYmbhMN0RlZa1nGcng1Pm3Zrev-QJv_2_bphx4jo701HqhiBjqfvTSBEQv3aSVf_0eJiD3kbmCjtkrs4vWzF9S3TU/s320/8117_133446863251_103027988251_2357472_5141566_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392872607173777058" border="0" /></a><br />Sunbathers took to the Streets of Copenhagen this week for<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> Climate Change</span> and for project<br />"<a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-style: italic;" href="http://hopenhagen.org/">HOPE IN HAGEN</a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-style: italic;">"</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">When the whistle blew, the green and white towels were spread out and the clothes were dropped! The sudden happening came as some surprise to the many bystanders who stared in amazement as the 50-something people between 11 and 71 years of age who apparently enjoyed lying on the square, naked in 9 degrees celsius.</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"</span><br /></div><br />Filmed beautifullly by <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Soren</span> of @<a href="http://kadaverofftherecord.wordpress.com/">KADAVER</a><br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CMpqRCHr5s0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CMpqRCHr5s0&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span>The world’s climate issues need to be approached with creative thinking and alternative means. According to the city and the people of Copenhagen that also applies to the way we communicate the message.</span></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span>~ Soren<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I have been really inspired by the energy of this team. <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=23267312&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro" target="_blank">Søren Bo Steendahl</a> and crew, recently drove an ambulance from <span style="font-weight: bold;">Copenhagen</span> to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sierra Leone </span>to raise awareness for the needs of the <a href="http://masanga.dk/">Masanga hospital</a> there. Their projects to bring about social awareness and highlight injustice are original and sustainable. People who <span style="font-style: italic;">TRULY</span> affect change...<br /><br /><br /></div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-78006175847756190582009-10-14T04:44:00.001-07:002009-10-14T04:57:51.120-07:00Best Inovation I've seen in Years.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.samasource.org/iphone/images/About.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 461px;" src="http://www.samasource.org/iphone/images/About.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Support the poor and Marginalised via the Iphone<br />~from <a href="http://www.samasource.org/">Samasource</a>/GIVEWORK<br /><br />"Samasource and Crowdflower present <i>Give Work</i>, their new iPhone application. <i>Give Work</i> lets you support refugees in Dadaab, Kenya—the world’s largest refugee site—in minutes by completing short, on-screen tasks. The refugees are training to complete these same tasks and, by volunteering to tag a video or trace a road, you will generate money to support their training as well as valuable data to help focus future training programs."<br /><br /><br />Samasource derives its name from the Sanskrit word sama, which means equal. Their mission is to reduce poverty by connecting people to dignified, computer-based work.<br /><br />View a video of their project work <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96bSBNRCSoQ&feature=player_embedded">here</a>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-27676391694143971692009-10-07T13:49:00.000-07:002009-10-08T09:00:21.906-07:00Help Needed<strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tdDXJk5TLio/RlxVKQLt3vI/AAAAAAAAAKw/fI9Yv8PqG0U/s1600-h/11_07_3.JPEG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070020915143499506" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tdDXJk5TLio/RlxVKQLt3vI/AAAAAAAAAKw/fI9Yv8PqG0U/s320/11_07_3.JPEG" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);"></span><br /></strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Lesego Semenya</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">is 21 years old, from Johannesburg, South Africa</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Grew up in Soweto, South Africa, through the peak of the freedom struggle. Lived through the defeat of Apartheid and has been writing since 12 years of age. </span></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></span></strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong></strong></div><div style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><strong><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Help needed</strong></span> </strong></div><div style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); text-align: center;"><strong><br />I heard her cry last night</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Her tears drowned by drumbeats</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">She doesn't even fight</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Her body used to atrocities</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">What is one more wound?</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">She's had millions before</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">What can some more pain do?</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Murderers have run through her door</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">I saw her dying last night</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">It was clear in the moon light</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Her chest taking its last breath</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Her body depleted of all strength</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">She saw me watching from behind the tree</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Her forlorn stare reaching out for me</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Like a tired lion she rested her soul</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Even eternal lives have their time to go</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">I saw her dead last night</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Murdered by neglect</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Over her wealth others would fight</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Her lands a cause of conflicts</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">But she just lay, stripped of all pride</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Her welcoming ways forgotten</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Even when abused, she still smiled</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">But now her body lay rottenI saw a light last night I</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">t blinked at me through the nights' clouds</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">It showed me something I'd never seen</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Her heart still beat inside</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">I ran miles last night</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Fetched water to revive her</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">To bring her back to her lost mightS</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">he breathed again but to awake her will take time</strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"></strong><br /><strong style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">©2007, Poets against war</strong></div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-67442696085866605312009-10-07T13:46:00.000-07:002009-10-08T09:10:13.032-07:00The Dangers of a Single Story<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.l3.ulg.ac.be/adichie/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</span></a> of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Nigeria, </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;">author of </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"> </span>H</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;" >alf of a Yellow Sun</span>, makes reference to the need for a TV channel for diverse stories of the people of Africa to enhance dignity and bring social awareness ~ the need for "a balance" of stories from Africa...<br />Stories to empower, heal and humanise.<br /></div><br />This is why the project at <a style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.hillsidedigital.com/">"hillsidedigital"</a> is so important.<br /><br /><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ChimamandaAdichie_2009G-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ChimamandaAdichie-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=652&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story;year=2009;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=master_storytellers;theme=speaking_at_tedglobal2009;theme=words_about_words;event=TEDGlobal+2009;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/ChimamandaAdichie_2009G-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/ChimamandaAdichie-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=652&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story;year=2009;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=master_storytellers;theme=speaking_at_tedglobal2009;theme=words_about_words;event=TEDGlobal+2009;" width="446" height="326"></embed></object><br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold;">There is </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">never</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> a single story about any place....when we get that, we gain a kind of paradise"</span>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-69913335885991298282009-10-03T01:19:00.000-07:002009-10-03T01:21:30.874-07:00The Story of Charity : Water<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rphhfy4qCfc&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rphhfy4qCfc&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 51); font-style: italic;">Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, commited citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.<br /></div><br />– Margaret MeadEvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-42290117161698773072009-10-01T01:24:00.000-07:002009-10-01T01:29:30.445-07:00Just A Band<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/43XrFVp-fXY&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_profilepage&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/43XrFVp-fXY&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_profilepage&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Love this new single & video from Kenyan group <a href="http://www.just-a-band.com/">JUST A BAND. </a><br />Thier second album "<span style="font-weight: bold;">82</span>" releases this week.<br /><br />Prelaunch<br /><table id="Time and Place" class="profileTable info_table" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="data"><div class="datawrap">Friday, October 2, 2009 at 10:00pm</div></td></tr> <tr><td class="label">End Time:</td> <td class="data"><div class="datawrap">Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 3:00am</div></td></tr> <tr><td class="label">Location:</td> <td class="data"><div class="datawrap">The Blue Times Lounge, Museum Hill</div></td></tr> <tr><td class="label">Street:</td> <td class="data"><div class="datawrap">Junction of Museum Hill Road and Westlands Road</div></td></tr> <tr><td class="label">City/Town:</td> <td class="data"><div class="datawrap">Nairobi, Kenya</div></td></tr></tbody></table>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-670472519269133172009-09-30T05:32:00.000-07:002009-10-04T10:45:29.801-07:00Dear Mandela<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6139454&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6139454&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/6139454">Dear Mandela (5 min cut)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/sleepinggiant">Sleeping Giant</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Dear Mandela</strong> is an upcoming documentary film due for completion in June 2010. It describes South Africa's "new apartheid", where forced evictions and extreme poverty are an ongoing way of life, where no longer the country is divided into black and white but rather the increasing margins between rich and poor. At present about one million people live in shack developments in Durban, South africa. In time for the World Cup 2010, the city has been aiming to "erradicate the slums". Sadly much of this has been happening at gun point and people are being fined up to 20 000 rand if they don't evict their properties.<br /></div>Often shackdwellers are left homless and in fear of their life.<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.abahlali.org/">Abahlali baseMjondolo</a>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Shack Dwellers Movement</span>, has been facing considerable opression in trying to affect such change. In recent weeks some members have have had to go into hiding for fear of their lives.<br /><br /></div>Last weekend, residents of <span style="font-weight: bold;">Kennedy Road settlement</span>, in Durban, were attacked by a 40 strong crowd of men, with knifes and guns. The target was a meeting of the Kennedy Road Development Committee (KRDC).<br />Shots were fired and several were killed. Over thirty shacks were rampaged and destroyed.<br /><br />Calls to the police were ignored. Thousands fled the community overnight.<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8gQv19cD4Y&feature=player_embedded"><br />See witness reports... </a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">The Shackdwellers are upset at the thought that the World Cup simply symbolises a demolition of their own homes.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> This event at Kennedy Road marks a turning point. It signals that the concept of a 'rainbow nation' is now ending and, sadly political unrest due to this opression of the poor may become a defining fracture in the country. </span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The film, </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Dear Mandela</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> follows the life of three young shackdwellers who have joined The Shackdwellers Movement to try to bring about a grassroots change in the Constitution in how shackdwellers are being treated.</span><br /><br />International crew in the making of the film <a href="http://www.dearmandela.com/">"Dear Mandela"</a> are believed to have witnessed the attack.<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-45241867291866192432009-09-27T07:56:00.000-07:002009-09-27T07:59:16.162-07:00A voice for the voicelessI have been really impressed by a project taken on by <a href="http://www.hillsidedigital.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1"><strong>Hillside Digital</strong></a> in <strong>South Africa </strong>which enables and trains impoverished, marginalised communities to use new media and basic journalism skills to access funding and communicate at a grassroots level with local business as well as the international community.<br /><br /><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-82" title="5491_138923698972_124345813972_3361978_6971284_n" src="http://giraubuntumedia.wordpress.com/files/2009/09/5491_138923698972_124345813972_3361978_6971284_n1.jpg" alt="5491_138923698972_124345813972_3361978_6971284_n" width="270" height="360" /><br /><br />Kids playing with Danny's Camera in Alexandra TownShip, South Africa<br /><br />See <strong>Danny Lurie</strong>, founder of the project explain how this works in practice.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J6w6phM_7A">Voice of the people</a><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I am hoping at some point soon to link in person with the project at Hillside Digital, to support the people in training there on the ground & also to unite them with local community networks I link to here in Northern Ireland, who are willing to support both online and financially.</p><br />You can follow the project also on twitter<a href="http://www.twitter.com/hillsidedigital"> www.twitter.com/hillsidedigital</a><br /><br />Please take a look at this project ~ I have been so inspired and know for sure that giving people a voice empowers many and will be paramount in enabling change.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(56, 16, 75); font-style: italic;"><strong>The flutter of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane on the otherside of the world. </strong></span><br /></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(56, 16, 75);"><strong><br /></strong></span>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-59791477237177055542009-09-26T03:29:00.000-07:002009-09-26T03:34:51.758-07:00A new journeyJust a little note to those of you who follow me here.<br />I have embarked recently on a new journey... that of documentary making!<br /><br />You may wish to follow some of my progress here<br /><br /><a href="http://giraubuntumedia.wordpress.com/">Journey into Film</a><br /><br /><br />The last number of weeks have been hectic. But I do wish to thank so much those of you who have believed, supported and inspired me to this point. You have made such things possible...things that three months ago were not even a dream.<br /><br />I will be writing shortly about how this journey started ~<br /><br />And will continue to write here too about causes and people who inspire me.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Eva XEvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-30823534893623555842009-09-24T04:26:00.000-07:002009-09-24T04:27:34.740-07:00Women who Live Their Dream<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_NU-dQ0PjwY&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_NU-dQ0PjwY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span>A film by Gemma Cubero and Celeste Carrasco</span>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-56198925510082786102009-09-20T10:49:00.000-07:002009-09-20T10:54:51.082-07:00There is no greater joy....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsKBFyrjv_eQx_Q7Dkaq8HM4y1CTb5jdlr-FGlPRRzqbtwfrZfdYXTZGmfm1-Y1Nwkd4IGC8KzAatFg1SfJ7IR_u0TUsQrEiQSgF6M3a2GCsmhkj89RemgV6dfLoTK7aX38yUCw2NEy8/s1600-h/3799121864_284232df23_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxsKBFyrjv_eQx_Q7Dkaq8HM4y1CTb5jdlr-FGlPRRzqbtwfrZfdYXTZGmfm1-Y1Nwkd4IGC8KzAatFg1SfJ7IR_u0TUsQrEiQSgF6M3a2GCsmhkj89RemgV6dfLoTK7aX38yUCw2NEy8/s320/3799121864_284232df23_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383609553020116066" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."<br /></div><br />— Chris McCandlessEvahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-17015257909536496012009-09-20T10:45:00.001-07:002009-09-20T10:45:42.846-07:00Traffickers Exploit Global Downturn<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_PQdSXKfWSU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_PQdSXKfWSU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-71038998931878217802009-08-24T13:54:00.000-07:002009-08-24T15:18:43.499-07:00The Peace of Wild things<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-TE9J-cQN3HsbLDxQW_nM6icW8a0wjlLg47MIjqUvPymsZjKCSpvXO0D45UTItUC1MaQzG6AMTFajbkcqZ0qf52oSsgtVVxPShlR8gvj1rlaegv1QBhvgVt4Wzk7gKZtDpUiZEsM308/s1600-h/20090120110822.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz-TE9J-cQN3HsbLDxQW_nM6icW8a0wjlLg47MIjqUvPymsZjKCSpvXO0D45UTItUC1MaQzG6AMTFajbkcqZ0qf52oSsgtVVxPShlR8gvj1rlaegv1QBhvgVt4Wzk7gKZtDpUiZEsM308/s320/20090120110822.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373637907910347602" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >The Peace of Wild Things</span><br /><br />When despair for the world grows in me<br />and I wake in the night at the least sound<br />in fear of what my life<br />and my childrens lives may be,<br />I go and lie down where the wood drake<br />rests in his beauty on the water,<br />and the great heron feeds.<br />I come into the peace of wild things<br />who do not tax their lives with forethought<br />of grief.<br />I come into the presence of still water.<br />And I feel above me the day-blind stars<br />waiting with their light. For a time<br />I rest in the grace of the world,<br />and am free.<br /><br />— Wendell Berry</div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-38395364372214247742009-08-24T13:29:00.000-07:002009-08-24T13:52:35.737-07:00Thina Simunye ~ We are Together<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OZBnc_jH-CadV-syKCtPmVHX77hwC_yfCeXM5OunTm7tZ0oDlnX3tXAWwbSqkt-OEjnIc2EbMQ2X0XMDXD-h0iJvM5Gyp4mtxE2JGS6j8u9TnB7LY9gtxM__IFHv4O_fzksCC5xSL9k/s1600-h/n526966292_349742_1814.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9OZBnc_jH-CadV-syKCtPmVHX77hwC_yfCeXM5OunTm7tZ0oDlnX3tXAWwbSqkt-OEjnIc2EbMQ2X0XMDXD-h0iJvM5Gyp4mtxE2JGS6j8u9TnB7LY9gtxM__IFHv4O_fzksCC5xSL9k/s320/n526966292_349742_1814.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373633702259657282" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Afew months ago I met this young man called Paul in a small one shop village called <span style="font-size:100%;">Gortahork<b> </b></span> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaeltacht" title="Gaeltacht">Gaeltacht</a>, the South of Ireland. Little did I know that his film was having such an impact throughout the world. I believe he was still at college when he volunteered to help at the Agape orphanage South Africa. ... this movie is the butterfly effect of what he saw there & filmed.<br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Thina Simunye</span></span> ~<a href="http://us.wearetogether.org/"> We are together</a><br /><br />And as for Slindile ~ well.... one only has too look at her smile to see the beauty that transcends and will continue to affect peoples lives for many years to come....<br /><br />Orphaned by AIDS ~ her story & that of her family, told here very simply but beautifully through the songs of the children of the Agape Orphanage, in KwaZulu Natal, reached the streets of New York and all around the world.<br /><br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YaqFqtuBoB4&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YaqFqtuBoB4&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-23078609167361823222009-08-15T06:38:00.000-07:002009-08-15T08:03:56.134-07:00District 9<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BsYNhWI4kAdRskdVm1SU7xkFUXWywPxwCZGxDNeOHZXtjhL45BSKLPKDZYGNBR3qUE_oYav5_SMQf9lkbX5UbHAnmriyl2yzeJpw7L4pjjVGrKq5ebB5frOfPRq2LagIGwFm2uERkFo/s1600-h/district9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BsYNhWI4kAdRskdVm1SU7xkFUXWywPxwCZGxDNeOHZXtjhL45BSKLPKDZYGNBR3qUE_oYav5_SMQf9lkbX5UbHAnmriyl2yzeJpw7L4pjjVGrKq5ebB5frOfPRq2LagIGwFm2uERkFo/s320/district9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370187942271830610" border="0" /></a><br />Released this week internationally is a science fiction film, written by <span>Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell</span>, located in Johannesburg, South Africa.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Cobject%20width=%22425%22%20height=%22344%22%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22movie%22%20value=%22http://www.youtube.com/v/iNReejO7Zu8&hl=en&fs=1&%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22allowFullScreen%22%20value=%22true%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cparam%20name=%22allowscriptaccess%22%20value=%22always%22%3E%3C/param%3E%3Cembed%20src=%22http://www.youtube.com/v/iNReejO7Zu8&hl=en&fs=1&%22%20type=%22application/x-shockwave-flash%22%20allowscriptaccess=%22always%22%20allowfullscreen=%22true%22%20width=%22425%22%20height=%22344%22%3E%3C/embed%3E%3C/object%3E"><span style="font-weight: bold;">District 9</span></a> is based on <span style="font-weight: bold;">Alive in Joburg</span>, a short film also directed by Neill Blomkamp.<br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iNReejO7Zu8&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iNReejO7Zu8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Official Page for<a href="http://district9movie.com/"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">District 9<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></a>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-5871017895604737432009-08-15T06:05:00.001-07:002009-08-15T06:05:50.002-07:00what's Important<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HlOulreR_Eqe58KBVzINi6fM3UOdgvf0wt60X898JxKAqK4eJQNzUP_JmjBrQY77Y3mwx8oyVWiO6_OwoxvZoskYs0vk85bieh359OadaproHzvVajJanMeMlerXS_KrpQ3jzbWYqKWF/s1600-h/f37VfjNohpa52etbtHblCiVBo1_500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HlOulreR_Eqe58KBVzINi6fM3UOdgvf0wt60X898JxKAqK4eJQNzUP_JmjBrQY77Y3mwx8oyVWiO6_OwoxvZoskYs0vk85bieh359OadaproHzvVajJanMeMlerXS_KrpQ3jzbWYqKWF/s320/f37VfjNohpa52etbtHblCiVBo1_500.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370173586413884514" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">It's not about having everything go right;<br />~ its facing whatever goes wrong.<br /><br />It's not about living without fear;<br />~it's about having the determination to go on in spite of it.<br /><br />It's not about where you stand,<br />but the direction you're going in.<br /><br />Remember to live just this one day<br />and not add tomorrow's troubles to today's load.<br /><br />Remember that everyday ends and will bring a new tomorrow<br />full of exciting new things.<br /><br />Love what you do,<br /><br />do the best you can<br /><br />and always remember<br /><br /> how much you are loved.<br />~ <span style="font-size:78%;">Vickie M. Worsham</span><br /><br />Eva Cassidy ~ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SIX-Qp6v4k">true colours</a><br /><br /></div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-91595034942835716462009-08-09T05:10:00.000-07:002009-08-09T05:17:21.790-07:00Lantern's Of Memories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhU7wt37Frqu0sNT6YPsQOPM_34wFHwidjpGpac3r1mPW6IdRSxKDOkfnVCKUWV_ExGTEPBzsm8RgGf0I-tmduYp38cniRCvE7v0T6Q2yIfRnRhW8s3ZG-2ZNVss73Gpq_fUUWAcG3RA/s1600-h/AtomicBombPhotosFromGround1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXhU7wt37Frqu0sNT6YPsQOPM_34wFHwidjpGpac3r1mPW6IdRSxKDOkfnVCKUWV_ExGTEPBzsm8RgGf0I-tmduYp38cniRCvE7v0T6Q2yIfRnRhW8s3ZG-2ZNVss73Gpq_fUUWAcG3RA/s320/AtomicBombPhotosFromGround1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367936867232969282" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> “Kae Goh Ogura was just a little girl playing in the streets of Hiroshima, when she heard an ominous sound coming from the sky. She looked up to see a tiny airplane, an American B-29. She watched as a small black spot dropped out of the airplane. All of a sudden, the black spot exploded in the air.<br /><br />I also was also moved this week by watching this video <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"</span><a style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny9Qbsde5N4">Lantern's of Memory</a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"</span>, taken in Hiroshima by my friend Velcrow Ripper, a filmmaker from Toronto.<br /><br />“<span style="font-style: italic;">People need to tell their stories. They need to be heard. It’s a critical phase of the healing process. For the Hibakusha, like so many survivors I have met, their greatest hope is that what has happened to them, not happen to anyone else. They told me, “We know the pain we have been through, and we would not even want our enemies to suffer that way.” The act of speaking out is a way to transform tragedy, into a force of change. Today, Kae Goh Ogura travels constantly, telling her story around the world. She has made an inspiring leap, allowing the pain she has experienced to open her heart</span>”</span> ~ Velcrow Ripper<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why should we love our enemies?</span> ~ Martin Luther King<br /></div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-10933325605919230732009-08-09T04:51:00.000-07:002009-08-09T05:10:36.952-07:00“I shall write peace on your wings and you shall fly "<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoAMqHfTconPGw6qkin00NO4njnVc20k-4Vu8tHXPaunO4PkY2WcgY2EnO1K4eIdrcbvszBvldrv6tSuPfDUhTqgDybATWwj74BGS_ELn9bV3lcfHhXt9tRGCMVB_WRHLQT1xAxHXliU/s1600-h/cranes+colour.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoAMqHfTconPGw6qkin00NO4njnVc20k-4Vu8tHXPaunO4PkY2WcgY2EnO1K4eIdrcbvszBvldrv6tSuPfDUhTqgDybATWwj74BGS_ELn9bV3lcfHhXt9tRGCMVB_WRHLQT1xAxHXliU/s320/cranes+colour.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367933722887853842" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This week was the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. I visited the place with my friend from there some 11 years ago. I saw the palm of a child embedded into stone. Silently we hung origami cranes on the shrines.<br /><br /></div><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><span class="Apple-style-span"><div>A Japanese legend teaches that anyone folding 1,000 paper cranes (a bird believed to live 1,000 years) is granted a wish.</div> <div> </div> <div>In 1955 a 12-year-old Japanese girl named Sadako Sasaki developed leukemia 10 years after the bombing of Hiroshima. She began folding 1,000 cranes so she could make a wish to get well. She also wrote the Haiku – “I shall write peace on your wings and you shall fly around the world.” ~ Sadako died October 25, 1955.</div> <div> </div> <div>But, Sadako’s story<span style="font-style: italic;"> did</span> “fly around the world”. Her friends came together and raised funds to build a memorial to her and to all the children who died from the effects of the atomic bomb. In 1958, her statue was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Park with this plaque:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">“This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world.”</span><br /></div><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJ05T8mvNtKZrwWqzgQ4rrYIFmSq08ZKSXb3L40Lpwv5vTEGPv79VNCCVGZkw0h-RMjxheMPYrJ6C8t2Fgmqf1qKQqzmMSgoZsuE-wM_1vYfNU5T2q01rAYMLGRreCE9yJeV_GVSPlfs/s1600-h/3355581565_190a1b7858.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJ05T8mvNtKZrwWqzgQ4rrYIFmSq08ZKSXb3L40Lpwv5vTEGPv79VNCCVGZkw0h-RMjxheMPYrJ6C8t2Fgmqf1qKQqzmMSgoZsuE-wM_1vYfNU5T2q01rAYMLGRreCE9yJeV_GVSPlfs/s320/3355581565_190a1b7858.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367934639894621762" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> Cranes adorning the peace memorial Hirsohima Peace Park, Japan</span><br /></div></div></span></span>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-34998081397135541632009-08-09T04:43:00.000-07:002009-08-09T04:49:45.670-07:00Emmanuel Jal<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsPIoGE2-4zwD_uHz_xUuBR95XqtFEe0shmthPlF8XO7gxq-xvXkZYWHnlesS50zihMEIYEYExkHQxxpJUapGC6bX1-_SjzBjuA8xQcuZry08w1FKJhgwqxx9ZjcxXIF5Duu2Ljdj7-k/s1600-h/n6737598565_394010_678.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsPIoGE2-4zwD_uHz_xUuBR95XqtFEe0shmthPlF8XO7gxq-xvXkZYWHnlesS50zihMEIYEYExkHQxxpJUapGC6bX1-_SjzBjuA8xQcuZry08w1FKJhgwqxx9ZjcxXIF5Duu2Ljdj7-k/s320/n6737598565_394010_678.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367928888865100770" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">"sometimes you gotta lose to win, Neve give up, never give in" </span><br /><br />Offical page <a href="http://www.emmanueljal.com/archives/217">war child</a><br /><br /><br />film trailer ~ <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0402tJk3g5U&feature=player_embedded">I put my fight into the music<br /></a><br /></div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-40618230107230609922009-08-09T03:40:00.000-07:002009-08-09T03:57:07.252-07:00But Jesus heard my cry...<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"My dreams are like torment,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> My every moment.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Voices of my brain</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Of friends that were slain,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Friends who died by my side of starvation</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> In the burning jungle and the desert plain.</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> But Jesus heard my cry</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> I was tempted to eat the rotten flesh of my comrade."</span><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"> Jal was bornin Sudan, "1980" he thinks. His father a rebel. His Mum killed by rebels. Soldiers raped his sister three times. He watched his aunt raped before his eyes and his entire village burned to the ground. At the age of seven he slept with an Ak47. One of the "lost boys of Sudan"~ a child soldier. Anger was white rage. Everything lost~ only thing to gain was revenge.<!--startclickprintexclude--></p><p style="text-align: justify;">"<span style="font-style: italic;">I wanted revenge because I've witnessed my mom beaten in my face. I've witnessed my auntie getting raped. I've seen my village burned down. And that's so much bitterness, wanting to know who's this person doing all these things.</span>"</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Very few people let go of this anger to turn it around. Most become so embittered and recycle the rage back into ruining more and more lives. Instead Jal has been restored. He was found in a refugee camp, adopted by aid worker Emma McCune and sent to England.<br />~ he now works to raise funds through his story and music for children in Africa.</p><br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">"Jal's narrative flows between darkness and light, the terror that befell his family and kinsmen, the horrors he went on to inflict upon others, and a deep-seated desire to set things right." ~ <cite>Washington Post</cite></blockquote> <cite></cite><img style="visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNDk4MTUyNDc*MjEmcHQ9MTI*OTgxNTI1MzQwNiZwPTEyMDc*MSZkPTdRRGlZZndHRWFzV2o2dGomZz*yJm89NTQ5NmE1NGEyMDY3NDY4ZWE2ODgzOTAwYmJmOTcxYjAmb2Y9MA==.gif" border="0" height="0" width="0" /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="playerLoader" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab" height="286" width="434"><param name="movie" value="http://farm.sproutbuilder.com/load/7QDiYfwGEasWj6tj.swf"><param name="quality" value="best"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://farm.sproutbuilder.com/load/7QDiYfwGEasWj6tj.swf" name="playerLoader" wmode="transparent" play="true" loop="false" quality="best" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" height="286" width="434"></embed></object>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-75813639196864821122009-08-09T03:39:00.001-07:002009-08-09T03:39:46.338-07:00<object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/EmmanuelJal_2009G-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/EmmanuelJal-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=615"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/EmmanuelJal_2009G-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/EmmanuelJal-2009G.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=615"></embed></object>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-11586247638652815712009-07-14T06:42:00.000-07:002009-07-14T14:50:49.431-07:00Ireland saves Cuban Pianos ~ Una Corda<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0bImERT5VVYMlwSBxbUV13Jh9wuJGhWwp9YHc_I0A1KPLihdQU-DgIuOhjY7NWBR-QyqNB5vo0msT1R9hiZUO6LDZndsBIj3o5OKaB7cu-RjSH9u7GZDVc8wX1Oodc2A58bQn3ECy00/s1600-h/ChuchoValdez01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0bImERT5VVYMlwSBxbUV13Jh9wuJGhWwp9YHc_I0A1KPLihdQU-DgIuOhjY7NWBR-QyqNB5vo0msT1R9hiZUO6LDZndsBIj3o5OKaB7cu-RjSH9u7GZDVc8wX1Oodc2A58bQn3ECy00/s320/ChuchoValdez01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358333828270281890" border="0" /></a><br /><br />~ <span style="font-style: italic;">Chucho Valdes</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Watched the fabulous and uplifting documentary <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">88 STRINGS ATTACHED</span>, at the Galway Film Fleadh, yesterday!! ~ breathtaking ~ it describes the project <a style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.unacorda.org/">Una Corda</a>, a project where teams of Irish musicians & piano tuners travel from Ireland to Cuba to restore old pianos.<br /><br />The reason for these unique travels is due to the desire to keep the art of music making in Cuba alive. For so long the country has had so little and due to US Sanctions piano tuners have been unable to find the tools and equipment to fix the pianos. Many old piano tuners from the <span>National Workshop of Instrument Repair </span>workshop set up by the Russians in the 70's have retired, are too old or have passed away.<br /><br />In 2006, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Ciaran Ryan</span> began the Una Corda to create a movement to restore & retune old forsaken pianos of Havanna. The film describes the journey from its first fundraising efforts in Galway, to the music schools and concert halls of Havana, and back. <span>Ciaran is filmed,</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>along with fellow tuners from Ireland</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">,</span> meeting young piano tuners and teaching them how to repair pianos. He visits the key musicians and composers of the land, fine tuning their disbabled and broken piano keys, eventually interviewing the legendary five time Grammy Award winner<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span><span>Cuban pianist</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">, Chucho Valdes</span>.<br /><br />Today <span> tourists continue travelling back and forth from Ireland contribute to the project by becoming Una Corda's mules, carrying a packages of piano parts with them in their luggage when they go. So far over three hundred kilos of parts have been carried in luggage. One such mule is <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Catherine Bruton</span> of Galway who travelled there last month taking </span>a bag of felt and nails. It was her fourth trip ~<br /></div><br /><br />"I don’t think you can separate Cuba from music. Music is central to the lives of Cubans,the people there don’t have many material things, so everything is celebrated through music. People don’t go out and buy a new car to celebrate, for instance, since there aren’t new cars to buy.” ~ says Catherine, via <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2009/0708/1224250226081.html">To Havana on a string</a>, in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Irish Times</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">“One of the reasons I keep going back to Cuba is because of the music,” she explains. “It’s unique. A lot of the music is untouched and pure, because it hasn’t had the same levels of influence. I get the impression it’s very authentic to the roots of what it’s always been.”<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">"The piano players of Cuba face challenges that musicians in Ireland can scarcely imagine. It’s an island famed around the world for its music, but in a climate that is particularly hard on strings and wood, Cuba’s pianos need plenty of tender loving care. But pianos are not always a priority on an island raked by hurricanes and struggling to overcome the effects of years of the US trade embargo." ~<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Una Corda</span><br /></div><br /><a href="http://www.unacorda.org/"></a><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /></div><a href="http://www.davidcreedon.com/una%20corda/index.html"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">David Creedon</span></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"> </span>of Cork, Ireland, has taken an ethereal series of photographs of the <span>National Workshop of Instrument Repair warehouse. David is an </span>internationally acclaimed conceptual documentary photographer<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/M2glctqgIJM&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M2glctqgIJM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Next week, <a style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" href="http://www.valdeschucho.com/"> Chucho Valdés</a> will play a solo concert at the Cork School of Music on July 20th, and with a full band, at Vicar Street on July 21st.<br /><br />Una Corda hope set up a training school for Cuban Piano tuners in Galway, where they will have intensive training and return to Cuba to carry on the skills that were once fading and restore music back to the communities. The term Una Corda means "one string" its amazing how out of one persons passion for music a whole participation across countries can begin...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">It only takes one string ~<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPANS2IZ7OH6fWfL9jA34yH-7oPUD2O3Y0f-gfV2e-wNfJmcI3bXGwJWlpL24pSidmoCv8LIqzB9JkNvSE5pU4HxxPEIehZJu4ddVcmeteiF_nmnc7cjKeGkPkLf7JhE-Iq5B5GzyZbU/s1600-h/chucho_flyer_web.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVPANS2IZ7OH6fWfL9jA34yH-7oPUD2O3Y0f-gfV2e-wNfJmcI3bXGwJWlpL24pSidmoCv8LIqzB9JkNvSE5pU4HxxPEIehZJu4ddVcmeteiF_nmnc7cjKeGkPkLf7JhE-Iq5B5GzyZbU/s320/chucho_flyer_web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358332593303428402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span class="body"><b>Elizabeth C. Jones directed 88 strings attached ~<i></i></b><br /><br />Elizabeth, started her career as a reporter for Newsweek magazine. In 1992 she bought a small video camera and a Land Rover and travelled across Africa to start making television news features. Aside from covering many of Africa's wars, she has also worked in Afghanistan, Iraq and the West Bank. She has played a part on a number of award-winning series and programmes, including directing BBC's Holidays in the Axis of Evil, which won a Foreign Press Association Award and was shortlisted for a Grierson Award. She has been a finalist for the Rory Peck Award five times since the award was founded nine years ago, and for her work in Jenin in 2002, she was shortlisted </span></span></div><br /><br /></div>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-36595246413319141052009-07-14T01:48:00.000-07:002009-07-14T03:20:55.381-07:00Clown Around Lesotho<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gEC4mkf4o5MlWYJDeqh8JOV8yXDzla8gQQAlaoZK9kAVU5iBsaofnC3MQalq7ZyEu-Nj2LzEv-Gg-nuon0uXCl4_p8z-Nz4YkG7JWtYc3N8l2aHtwIvwTz_ZbB3lLPXuATDqG_MMDW0/s1600-h/6249_1195070359846_1321050414_533787_1769838_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gEC4mkf4o5MlWYJDeqh8JOV8yXDzla8gQQAlaoZK9kAVU5iBsaofnC3MQalq7ZyEu-Nj2LzEv-Gg-nuon0uXCl4_p8z-Nz4YkG7JWtYc3N8l2aHtwIvwTz_ZbB3lLPXuATDqG_MMDW0/s320/6249_1195070359846_1321050414_533787_1769838_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358239694037949586" border="0" /></a><br />Last weekend I attended the Galway film Festival ~ had a wonderful time & will be mentioning afew of the films that inspired me here.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Clown around Lesotho"</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">is a heartwarming & extremely funny doc by director Mike Casey ~ who in a state of drunkenness gave me this dvd at 4am @ the infamous "<span style="font-style: italic;">Rowing Club</span>" on 12th/7/09 ~ such a sweetie ; ) </div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The film describes the journey of a group of clowns ~ led by Galway actor Jonathan Gunning & Bryan Quinn of Dublin, who travel around the schools and communities of Africa with the voluntary organisation <a href="http://clownswithoutborders.org/">"Clowns Without Borders"</a> entertaining and bringing smiles.<br /></div><br />Here they are pre trip ~ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3k3qGDQZ8w">Why we do it....</a><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Mike followed the clowns to film in Lesotho, which is one of the smallest countries in Africa, adjacent to South Africa. It's one-third the size of Ireland, a population of two million, with 40 per cent below the poverty line. Over 8,000 Lesthoto kids are infected with the HIV and there are 180,000 orphaned.<br /></div><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ex1CXY4POu0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ex1CXY4POu0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Clown around Lesotho"</span> premiered at the festival and had the audience in stitches the entire time. Absolutely inspiring ~ a slice of JOY.Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2734529031070588658.post-49056129511954244272009-07-05T10:56:00.001-07:002009-07-14T03:19:55.242-07:00How long must we sing this song?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTPT3-iTXx3f1j4FuTwnD1bKggc4YjtgjEMMHp87Is14gtnIKli82ihZOoC0SK2-0MbO2hLnuoWD2H3JnFfDytpty_CN0e1iX19YNQP5dpmFOoH5JvNYVxn0tWiidoKjExUKOGxFbdLE/s1600-h/belfast+iran.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 312px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTPT3-iTXx3f1j4FuTwnD1bKggc4YjtgjEMMHp87Is14gtnIKli82ihZOoC0SK2-0MbO2hLnuoWD2H3JnFfDytpty_CN0e1iX19YNQP5dpmFOoH5JvNYVxn0tWiidoKjExUKOGxFbdLE/s320/belfast+iran.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355036541869314306" border="0" /></a>Evahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18101771107678146684noreply@blogger.com0