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AFGHAN WOMEN’S WRITING PROJECT LOOSENS THE GAG

2010-09-21 05:09:00

In the United States, most women are free to write just about whatever we want. In fact, we’re constantly telling our stories, be it a 350-page tell-all memoir or a status update detailing some quotidian task in 140 characters or less. But in other parts of the world, simply accessing a computer is unthinkable. If Masha Hamilton has anything to say about it, that’s going to change.

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On a Kabul football field marked with white chalk as though ready for sport, a woman in a burqa kneels, her shadow yawning long before her. A man approaches almost casually, his Kalashnikov pointed skyward. She half-turns toward him, her left arm raised slightly, then seems to glimpse the weapon out of her peripheral vision and turns away. He lowers the muzzle to her head. The rifle kicks as he fires once, then twice more. She surrenders to the ground, a discarded blue handkerchief.

 

Journalist and author Masha Hamilton wrote this narrative describing a smuggled video she watched on the Internet in 1999. The shocking spectacle drew her in to the country that is Afghanistan, eventually leading her, a decade later, to create the Afghan Women’s Writing Project (AWWP), a portal in cyberspace allowing for the stifled voices of Afghan women to be heard. “We believe the right to tell one’s story aloud is a human right,” reads the website.

“I knew far too little about this woman to be party to such a stark and intimate moment. Zarmeena: her name. Seven: the number of children she had. And her alleged crime: beating her husband to death with a hammer as he slept. It all amounted to a scattered detail or two, not a life story. This absence of narrative, in fact, was true for virtually all women in Taliban-held Afghanistan. They were gagged as well as hidden, I understood then,” says Hamilton. The AWWP is her way of loosening that gag.



A Place to Tell Her Story

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On one side of the AWWP program there are dozens of American authors, journalists, poets, essayists and screenwriters who volunteer their time to mentor Afghan women. Mentors give the women writing assignments in secure online classes, writing on themes central to their lives. Their work is then posted for us to read on the organization’s website. Author, Stacey Parker explains the experience of working with these women, “Magical. How else to describe sitting at my computer in Harlem, USA, and connecting with young women in Afghanistan, women who want to better themselves as communicators so that they can be heard at home and all over the world? I cannot thank Masha Hamilton and her partners enough for creating this cyberspace classroom. At times, it feels like we’re meeting in our dreams.”

Thousands of miles away, the other side of the program is composed of Afghan women — those educated enough to be able to write, and courageous enough to tell their stories despite a deteriorating security situation in their country. The 60 participating women from Kabul and the surrounding areas range in age from 16 to 50 years. The number of participants continues to expand, mostly through word of mouth.

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The AWWP platform provides a rare glimpse into the reality Afghan women face every day, a view not seen in mainstream media. While the country’s laws (post- Taliban rule), in theory support the right of Afghan women to receive an education, many Afghan men still do not. Through poetry, short stories and essays, these women express lives lived under extreme oppression, where they fight for the future of their children while their own dreams have been cut off at the knees.

Reading their words, it becomes apparent that the program itself empowers these women to write what they previously would have been too afraid to. Additionally, the knowledge that their stories are read by others is a crucial aspect, and comments left by readers are particularly encouraged. For security reasons however, all writers use only their first names and on occasion a story will be published anonymously.

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In a Media Global report, former AWWP Director Christina Asquith explains the protective measures the program takes, “We never share the real names of the women in the program because we are always incredibly concerned for their safety. Many of these women have male relatives who don’t know they even take part, so we are always going through and editing pieces, taking out specific details or descriptions that may expose them.”

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The dangers associated with women’s education also make access to computers that much harder for the participants who often take great risk getting to a computer in order to submit their writings. To complicate matters, they must be accompanied by a man to internet cafes, some even travelling for hours to get there.

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Hoping Someone Will Listen

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One of the Afghan women writes about a story her mother conveyed to her, ending with these words: “I salute such a patient and strong mother. With this story, I realized that life shouts its lessons for us to learn. Where is the fairness? Who will listen and act with justice? The story that my mother told me awakened me to some sad realities of how many Afghan women have spent their lives in the kind of suffering that would make them wish to die.”

 

We’ve all seen the images, not only of Shareena’s execution but others, like the Sudanese child, meters from a feeding center, too weak to stand — a vulture, as if in wait, positioned behind her. A newspaper or the internet offers up intimate moments belonging to strangers far away and we’re given permission to spy. Until we seek to delve more deeply, as Masha Hamilton did, beyond one shocking and horribly vulnerable moment, we will continue to squirm, as we should. Yet with the AWWP we are provided a platform that nurtures, from a distance, a certain intimacy, one that is just. With hearts and minds, the women of Afghanistan speak and it’s our duty to pay attention.

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“These are women have lived through unspeakable trauma yet they — in ways great and small, in moments hidden and revealed—insist on soaring. Read their words and you will spy, as I do, a beautiful thing: ascension amid the rubble.” — AWWP mentor, Connie May Fowler. AWWP is currently seeking funding that would allow the organization to keep the voices of Afghan women alive as the situation in the country becomes increasingly insecure. Their next goal is to establish office space in Afghanistan. Internet access in the country costs $300 a month. That’s more than it will cost them to rent an office in Kabul— an office that not only gives them valuable administration space, but also provides an environment for writers to work in safety and security. You can donate here. If you read their stories, please don’t forget to post a comment to let them know their words are getting out.

Photo 1 courtesy of RAWA; Photo 2 by Kathleen Rafiq; Photo 3 by Seeta.

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THE WOMAN BEHIND THE ALEX FUND. (PSST...IT'S ETHAN HAWKE'S MOM)

Tonic 2008-06-30 22:06:00

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When A Lie Of The Mind is performed next month at The New Group in New York City, proceeds from the show will benefit an organization called The Alex Fund, which is dedicated to helping children and their mothers in Romania.

It’s the first time the play has been revived in Manhattan since the original production, directed by Sam Shepard in 1985 — when it won the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and New York Drama Critic’s Circle awards for Best New Play. This time around it’s being directed by Actor Ethan Hawke.

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So, what’s the connection between the play and The Alex Fund, you ask? The actor-director’s mother, Leslie Hawke, is Fund’s founder. When I interviewed Leslie Hawke, she was the second woman I’d spoken to in two weeks who had altered her life in a single moment. The decision of both women was spontaneous, for the most part, yet not without intellect. Nor, of course, without the wisdom of a life lived (so far). Both were, at the time, at about mid-life. And both, when posed a question, gave answers that changed the direction of their lives. One was asked to teach English to a Tibetan in India (see Finding the Rhythm Of Family); the other, who was staying in Romania, was asked what was going to happen to her development programs when she left?

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Hawke’s answer to that question took her by surprise: “I’m not leaving.” At the age of 48, Leslie Hawke left her career behind, joined the Peace Corp, and was sent to Romania. During her stint with the corp, she was pitching a proposal to a USAID official — a program to make it possible for children to spend their days in school instead of on the street begging. “She thought my plan was impractical and naïve and she made a remark that rankled me,” Hawke says, recalling the official’s words. “‘Un-huh,’ she said, ‘and then what happens to the program when you leave?’”

It was December 2000 and Hawke had been in Romania for 11 months. “My response, partly involuntary and partly contrarian, was ‘I’m not going to leave,’” Hawke recalls. “I remember being surprised at my own audacity. It wasn’t something I had given much thought until she challenged me, but it was the only answer that made any sense”.

‘If you died tomorrow…’

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For years Hawke had worked as an executive for an Internet start-up company in New York City. During the height of the IT craze it sold to a publishing conglomerate and her interest began to fizzle. It wasn’t until 1999 however, with news of the death of JFK Jr., that she seriously began to question the direction her life was taking. (That and a going-nowhere relationship). On her foundation’s website she explains, “I said to myself, ‘If you died tomorrow, wouldn’t you be embarrassed that this is what you were doing with your life?’ JFK Jr.’s death made me think of JFK — and the Peace Corps. So, when I got to work that morning, I actually contacted the Peace Corps.”

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With her son’s encouragement, she was soon on her way to volunteer in Bacau, Romania.

The program Hawke pitched to the USAID official was inspired by one boy whom she had  come across early on in her volunteer service. “It all started with Alex. In the first weeks I was at my Peace Corps assignment I had a lot of time on my hands to look around at the workings of a society that was different from mine, but not that different. It was obviously a broken and largely dysfunctional society – but it was not a third world country. Except for this one thing: there were lots of small children sitting alone or in pairs on the sidewalk, begging to the passers-by in front of modern banks and beautiful churches.”

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Alexandru was a young boy Hawke rescued from the streets soon after starting work in Romania. There is a law that if children don’t go to school for two years, they become ineligible to attend school at all; most kids she saw begging on the street, including Alex, were not allowed in school. However, it’s a complicated situation, and Hawke came to realize the importance of helping the mothers of these children too, if they were to have any chance at all for a better life.

And so, The Alex Fund was born. Its primary beneficiary is the Fiecare Copil in Scoala or “Every Child in School Program.” It’s managed by an umbrella organization called Ovidiu Rom Asociatia created by both Hawke and a teacher by the name of Maria Gheorghiu, and is based on the Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing and Able program in New York City. Its mission is to promote self-sufficiency among marginalized people through education, job training and community development. To date, the organization has directly reached over 5,000 disadvantaged children with its services.

A Mother by Example

 

“Somebody once told me my resume looked like a Jackson Pollack painting,” Hawke tells Tonic. “My application to the Peace Corps was the first time it all made sense! And, indeed, it all has served me well: the years in sales, the years spent in Editorial Acquisitions, the one year I was a 6th grade teacher in Trenton, the church youth group I led, the 3 years in non-profit development — everything was useful in starting up an NGO in Eastern European.”

Naturally, her famous son has also benefited from his mother’s capricious choices in life, and he speaks admirably of her. “One way to raise your children is to try to do things by the book, something my mother never seemed too concerned about,” he tells Tonic. “Another way is to lead by example. My mother is a terrific example for my kids, especially my daughters, by being utterly independent and working very hard for something she deeply cares about.”

“It makes me feel good to help people,” his mother says. “For many years I worked in business because it afforded me a nice lifestyle and allowed me to send my son to good schools, but I always felt ambivalent about spending my life that way. Lucky for me, Ethan became self-sufficient at a relatively early age (18) and that gave me the financial freedom to consider doing something different with my life. I am very fortunate to have found work that makes me feel useful and productive.”

Ethan supports his mother by being on the board of her foundation. A Lie of The Mind should help bring attention to the cause in a big way. You can help the children of Romania by coming out for the event on February 19th. The performance is at 8pm, followed by a reception at the theater with the actors and director.
Tickets are $150.00. For reservations contact Wendy Kahn at alex@alexfund.org or 212.865.7611. Tickets can also be purchased on the website at alexfund.org.
Photos courtesy Shea Roggio

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NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST IN GQ CONTEST

2010-09-09 18:09:00

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This summer, GQ called for nominations for its Better Men, Better World search. The criteria was based on people who strive daily for the betterment of society through charitable work, volunteerism and community involvement. More than 100 men rose to the top, but they’ve been whittled down to five finalists. From now until Sept. 30, you can vote for your favorite. The winner will be announced at GQ’s Gentlemen’s Ball in New York City on Oct. 27, 2010. He’ll receive a GQ advertisement, a $2,000 cash prize, a Movado watch and $10,000 donated by Movado to the accredited charity of his choice.

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Tad Skylar Agoglia, founder and CEO, The First Response Team of America: “I recognized a crisis of need in this country, and I couldn’t ignore it,” Tad Skylar Agoglia said. His nonprofit consists of a nomadic crew of workers, who are well equipped with tools, supplies and emergency vehicles for disaster relief. Since 2007, they have helped tens of thousands of victims at 30 disaster sites across the US and Haiti. Agoglia feels that Americans have abundant resources and know-how, so why not reach out to neighbors in their greatest hour of need? Even now, he’s driving to Cape Cod in response to Hurricane Earl.

Jimmie Briggs, co-founder and executive director, Man Up Campaign: After leaving a successful career in journalism where he witnessed atrocities perpetrated against women in war-ravaged countries, Jimmie Briggs decided to launch this initiative to end violence against women and girls. “Most men don’t rape women, they don’t hurt women or even use misogynistic language, but they do stand by,” he said. “They don’t see this issue as their issue. They see it as a women’s issue, but it is all our issue.” His vision is to gather young people from 25 countries to begin a youth-led global movement against violence against women and girls with the aim of changing the mindsets of young people. “Our call-to-action challenges each of us to ‘man up’ and declare that violence against women and girls must end,” Briggs said.

 

Ken Frantz, founder/volunteer, Bridges to Prosperity: A National Geographic photo of people risking their lives to cross a broken bridge on the Nile River in Ethiopia changed Ken Frantz’s life. Frantz, along with Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, started a charity building bridges and teaching locals how to build their own. About 500 million people in the world lack access to schools, clinics, jobs and markets because they lack a simple bridge. Thousands die (mostly children), every year trying to cross dangerous rivers. Frantz’s organization is a world leader in solving this tragic problem. To date, Bridges to Prosperity has constructed more than 60 bridges in the poorest countries in Africa, Asia and South America.


When Barack Obama campaigned for president, Kiff Gallagher served as an adviser for national arts policy. After Obama was elected, Gallagher successfully lobbied for the inclusion of a “musician and artists corps” in the recently passed Kennedy Serve America Act. Part of MNS, Musician Corps (MC) trains musicians to serve full time in schools, youth centers, hospitals and other high-need community settings. Fellows have empowered more than 3,200 under-served youth in New Orleans, Seattle, Chicago, Oakland and San Francisco with music education, leadership and innovation skills. Musician Corps has also reached more than 7,000 community members through youth performances, outreach events and the creation of recording projects, bands and ensembles.

 

John Prendergast, co-founder, Enough Project and former director of African affairs, National Security Council (NSCA): Prendergast, the author of eight books (most recently, The Enough Moment with Don Cheadle), has been a tireless human rights activist for more than 25 years. He’s worked to bring an end to genocide and crimes against humanity, not only in Africa, but throughout the world. He also helped create the Raise Hope for Congo campaign, highlighting the issue of conflict minerals that fuel the war in Congo.
Photo 1 by The First Response Team, photo 2 by herwick via Flickr, photo 3
by Milosz Reterski, photo 4 by Center for American Progress, photo 5 by Ralph Alswang.

 

 

HAITIAN GROUP GHESKIO WINS $1-MILLION GATES AWARD FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

Tonic 2010-05-17 13:05:00

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Many organizations have stepped up in the aftermath of Haiti’s devastating earthquake. But one group, which has been stepping up for the health of Haitians and others around the world for nearly 30 years, went above and beyond to help Haiti’s people in their greatest time of need.

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GHESKIO, a French acronym for “Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi’s Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections,” was honored with the prestigious Gates Award for Global Health at the Global Health Council symposium in Geneva today. The $1- million prize is not only to recognize the institution’s ground-breaking medical work — work that rivals that of the world’s wealthiest nations — but also the major role the group played in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake.

Led by Dr. Jean William (Bill) Pape, this consortium of Haitian health professionals was the first in the world to dedicate their efforts to the fight against HIV/AIDS, which at the time (1982) was a disease that had not yet been identified. These physicians, all with different specialties, began observing a rise in mortality rates from previously treatable diseases such as diarrhea and Kaposi’s sarcoma. In 1983, GHESKIO published the first description of HIV/AIDS in the developing world in The New England Journal of Medicine. Today, the group is dedicated to the treatment of HIV/AIDS through prevention and clinical care as well as through research and training. Their work, based on solid evidence and years of practical experience, has provided an important model to other groups in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean struggling with similar health care challenges.

 

Global Health Council President and CEO Jeffrey L. Sturchio said in an email to Tonic: “The jury couldn’t
imagine a more worthy recipient of the 2010 Gates Award for Global Health – especially in this year, when Haiti depended on GHESKIO so much.” In the council’s press release, Sturchio further contextualized their accomplishments stating: “They have built GHESKIO into a rare institution – one based in a developing country that has become a leader in the global research community.”

 

GHESKIO has thrived over the years despite political turmoil and a deteriorating economy in Haiti. Pape told Tonic that their resiliency is due to the fact that “obstacles met on the way have helped strengthen their determination to get the work done. It builds character and helps create role models for the next generation.” Their work has literally saved tens of thousands of lives and that was before the disaster struck this January.

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At no time was the group’s focus and strength better illustrated that in the aftermath of the earthquake when some 7,000 traumatized Haitians who had lost their homes were taken in by their Port-au-Prince staff. GHESKIO itself took a major hit during the quake losing several staff members as well as their own headquarters: reportedly suffering more than $10 million in damages to buildings and equipment. They had to construct a completely new site for those seeking shelter, providing irrigation, latrines, clean water, lighting and security as well as a school and a primary care medical clinic Their first-response trauma center helped care for the injured and was able to provide life-saving medication. Amazingly, care was resumed to most HIV and tuberculosis patients within a week of the quake. Prior to the quake, GHESKIO was providing free care to over 500,000 patients annually with HIV infection, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis.

 

In reference to the massive monetary prize his organization was granted today Pape explains: “We need to
make sure that every dollar counts, we are a very poor country.” Being chosen for the Gates Award however is very meaningful to the group, “we are very much honored to have been selected. It is like a Life Achievement Award that came after almost three decades of hard work under very difficult conditions. This award is important to boost the morale of our dedicated staff. They have all worked continuously before and especially after the earthquake to meet numerous new challenges.” Pape is grateful to the partnerships that have strengthened the group over the years, citing “collaborations with local and international institutions (the Ministry of Health, the Haitian Medical Association and other NGOs involved in the same fight against infectious diseases) as part of the reason they’ve been able to thrive under such difficult conditions. Since its inception, GHESKIO has also worked closely with New York’s Weill Cornell Medical College.

 

“We have all always agreed that no matter what, Haiti must come first.” The award, Pape says, “is also particularly great for my country. As you well know only bad things are usually reported out of Haiti. We know that our country is great and that our people are capable of doing what may appear impossible. The earthquake has revealed their resilience and their good nature. Our greatest strength is the wisdom, resiliency and artistic talent of our people.”
The prestigious Gates Award for Global Health was established in 2000 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to recognize organizations that have made outstanding contributions to improving health, especially in resource-poor settings. The winner this year was chosen by a jury of international health leaders from 179 nominations received from around the world. Last year’s award went to The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Photos courtesy of Loren Rogers and Joshua Lee Kelsey via Flickr. Here

 

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KENNEDY HONORED AS CHAMPION FOR REFUGEES

2009-10-28 11:10:00


The Nansen Refugee Medal is being awarded to the late Senator Edward Kennedy in Washington DC today.

 

The UNHCR reports on its Web site that it was grateful to have informed Kennedy of the award before his passing in August. The honor, which consists of a medal and a $100,000 US prize is given annually to an individual or organization for outstanding work on behalf of refugees. It’s funded by both Norway and Switzerland and recipients can donate to a cause of his or her choice. It was created in 1954 in honor of 1922 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Fridtjof Nansen, the legendary Norwegian polar explorer and scientist, and the first UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Senator Kennedy championed millions of refugees not only by raising awareness of the challenges they face but also because he was instrumental in sponsoring more than 70 supportive measures and codifying international refugee obligations into US law.

UN high commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said on the UN Web site, “Senator Kennedy stood out as a forceful advocate for those who suddenly found themselves with no voice and no rights. Year after year, conflict after conflict, he put the plight of refugees on the agenda to drive through policies that saved and shaped countless lives.”

Another massive part of a great legacy. If it inspires even a fraction of the service he gave to the world, we’re movin’ in the right direction.
Photo courtesy Muffet via Flickr.

 

LOCAL CONTACT WITH CHILDREN OF WAR

Tonic 2009-10-26 17:10:00

For American soldiers in Iraq, there was a time when contact with the local children was a boost to morale. Often an exchange of languages, a photo opportunity, even a chance to buy a kid an ice cream in an attempt to introduce normalcy to both their days. There was also a time, and it happened almost overnight, when this all changed.

The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) reports that as violence increased, kids were often coerced and even threatened into joining insurgent groups and used them against American soldiers. Consequently, all contact with children was ordered to stop.

This is when American soldier, Gunnar Swanson found himself staring down his M- 16 rifle at a young boy ordering him to stop. “Pointing a gun at a child, threatening to shoot him,” Swanson explains to the CSM. “I was 25 years old at the time and it has weighed pretty heavy on me since then.” This was six years ago.

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Fortunately, Swanson has found a constructive way to deal with his memories. After returning home and spending a short time as a dolphin trainer, he was still preoccupied with thoughts of the children in Iraq. A search led him to War Kids Relief, and in no time, he was working for the non-profit that works with kids in Iraq and Afghanistan traumatically affected by war.
Much of his work has been talking to school children and often the first topic of conversation is his first name. He tells them his first name has nothing to do with being in the military: He was named for his great-grandfather. (Gunnar is a Scandinavian name that means “brave soldier.”)

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Swanson has the students write letters to their peers in both countries. In all 27,000 have been collected and will be distributed next year. “A kid over in Iraq or Afghanistan who has received a letter from a kid in the United States will probably hold onto that letter for the rest of his life,” Swanson tells the CSM. Another project of Swansons was to hold a 1000 mile, ”Soldiers March For Peace” that started in Dallas on July 4 and ended in Northfield Minn. (where WKR is headquartered) to raise money for vocational centres in Mosul, Iraq and Khost Afganistan.
There’s little doubt he had some time to buy a few kids an ice cream along the way. Photo courtesy soldiersmediacenter via 

 

ROCK STARS AND GENERALS AGAINST GITMO

2009-10-22 19:10:00

Rock Bands and retired generals are joining forces to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison in support of President Barack Obama’s pledge to close it by January. The BBC reports that musicians such as REM and Pearl Jam, signed on to the national campaign last week, spearheaded by Rep. Tom Andrews from Maine as a protest because their music was used for interrogation purposes at the prison.

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A report by the Senate Armed Services Committee last year made several references to music being used to “stress” prisoners. A statement by REM reported by the BBC says: “We have spent the past 30 years supporting causes related to peace and justice. To now learn that some of our friends’ music may have been used as part of the torture tactics without their consent or knowledge, is horrific. It’s anti-American, period.”

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Other artists to sign on to the campaign include Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Roseanne Cash, Billy Bragg, Bonnie Raitt and Rage Against The Machine. The spokeswoman for the Joint Task Force says loud music hasn’t been used with detainees since 2003 and the CIA defended itself to the BBC saying loud music or white noise was needed for security rather than “punitive” purposes. No matter what it was used for, the playlist at Gitmo still seems rather suspect. According the the National Security Archive, tracks by ACDC, Britney Spears, the BeeGees and Marilyn Manson were used as well as the Meow Mix cat food jingle (“Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow … ), the Barney theme song and Sesame Street Tunes.

Anyone out there have all of that on their iPod?
Photo courtesy of takomabibelot via Flickr.

 

WHAT’S IN A GNOME?

Tonic 2009-10-21 15:10:00

 

Like some bizarre nightmare, a thousand little black gnomes confront you with faces turned in the air. They’re identical except for one, a golden one that’s embedded in the crowd. And as nightmares often do, it gets even weirder. All the surreal little gnomes have their arms extended in a Hitler salute. The scene is actually an art installation by Ottmar Hoerl called “The Poison Gnome” in a German town called Straubing, close to Munich. According to the Guardian newspaper, it originated as a single, golden, saluting gnome but officials tried to remove the figure because Nazi symbols are illegal in Germany. The case was dropped when it was recognized that the piece was satirical. It was then that the evolution of the project truly became art itself. From one, it grew to many — 1,500 gnomes inhabiting a square to remind us, says Hoerl on his Web site “that people can coalesce into large and dangerous groups if rituals and gestures are used that under certain conditions are more signs of contempt rather than being socially beneficial.”

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Why Gnomes? Apparently they have quite a tradition in Germany and are a real part of German culture. I guess depicting the “master race” as ubiquitous little garden decorations does make one pause over an Oktoberfest beer — at least long enough to question exactly what the heck you’re looking at. That alone can’t be bad.
Photo courtesy of artmakesmesmile via Flickr.

 

JUST F**K IT

Tonic 2009-06-24 04:06:00

I’ve lived in Switzerland as a “Hausfrau” for the last 10 years — somewhat stuck in a role by a culture where women don’t feel the need to apologize for being a “stay-at- home-mom;” where hot lunches are made every day and kids are home each and every Wednesday afternoon, off from school. With no family around to help – yes, I’ve been stuck and my husband has just left me.

 

No wonder the book “F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way” jumped out at me at the bookstore. I inhaled it one afternoon and upon turning to the final page came across a competition to “Write in 50 words or less why I deserve a “f**k it” week.” So, with a little brilliance and a dollop of self-pity, I realized I could be headed to a complimentary holistic retreat in the beautiful Marche countryside in Italy.

Pulling out the stops I vented shamelessly onto the pages of my notebook. I then distilled my tirade into 50 beggarly yet scintillating words and emailed them off. I waited for about a week before saying, “f**k it, I’m going anyway, contest or no contest!” For someone who felt like she’d been holding her breath for the last 10 years, The Hill That Breathes beckoned. I’d held my breath through childbirth, business dinners and exhausting days. I’d held my breath through my husband’s confession, his moving out and meetings with lawyers. I want to breathe – I want to breathe deeply.

 

So, I contacted John C. Parkin, the author of “f**k it” and co-owner of “the hill” with his wife Gaia Pollini. The workshop on offer was “The Enlightened bitch/bastard week” The promotional blurb said, “So when you go home, feeling free to be yourself, to do and say what you want, you may well be seen occasionally as a bit of a bitch but at least you’ll know you are an enlightened one.“  Sign me up!

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This place is not for the spiritually correct. No positive affirmations will be repeated until any semblance of critical thinking is pounded out of my head. Critical thinking, I gathered from the title of the workshop, is encouraged. Whatever pops into my head or flows forth from my lips is just fine because it came out of bright, beautiful me. Just what a recently separated woman needs.

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I’m soon lying in a teepee receiving a Reiki treatment while the energies course through my body; mine, the Reiki practitioner’s and that of a 900-year-old tree. I’d spent over an hour in meditation that morning, followed by a fabulous vegetarian meal which led to a tea ceremony. The oolong tea was grown on a tree that has been living a very oolong time in China and was apparently imparting its wisdom of the ages to my recently coffee deprived brain. I was promised transformation – this was a damn good start.

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John and Gaia both worked as creatives for an advertising firm in London. They shared a fascination for “therapeutic or alternative stuff” and eventually decided to move to Italy where Gaia is originally from to set up a centre “of some sort.” With a feng shui book as their guide, they searched for the following: lots of woods; mainly pines (for the chi); to be on a hill — not too high (bad chi); to be surrounded by water on three sides and to find land that is a horseshoe shape. For less than the price of their one-bedroom apartment in England this is exactly what they found — 100 beautiful pine-coated acres where they now run “f**k it” weeks as well as yoga and Tai Chi workshops.

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Sessions run twice a day in a geodesic dome (shipped from Oregon). In between you can book yourself into a tepee or cabin in the woods for a Reiki, Shiatsu or Ayurvedic massage or swim in the panoramic saltwater pool. Depending on the weather you can either cosy up to a fire or hang in one of the ubiquitous hammocks dotting the property, with a good read. Gaia will sometimes invite you to a tea ceremony or you can take a cooking lesson with Giusy the vegetarian chef. Accommodation is simple and comfortable. It’s an eco-friendly, (“We take our heat from the sun and water from the hill”), honey stone Italian farmhouse and is utterly charming.

As the week came to a close, while hugging John and Gaia good-bye, I confessed: “I hope the changes last.” “They will,” says Gaia. “We make sure they do.” It’s hard to put my finger on what went on at the hill. There was no prescribed agenda; no hand-outs. Yet there was a certain accessibility to their spirituality. Meditation, dancing; dancing, meditation… were interchangeable in the realm of the enlightened bitch/bastard, because it was about doing what felt natural. Music was a complimentary element and a passion of John’s. I’d been cajoled by The Killers, softened by Mozart and mystified by Gorillaz, among others, in a single afternoon. As we moved our hands slowly in front of our faces then out to the side, we were informed that what we were doing was actually Qigong – we were taught a handful of moves and told by John, “That’s my Chinese take-away” (Brit talk for take-out). Thrown into the bag of the enlightened bitch/bastard are strength exercises that teach the importance of timing and being prepared; lessons in using intention rather than force in our lives; losing judgement and clear communication to achieve desires. It wasn’t an overload of information – and in fact was plain and purely simple.

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They cater to those who’ve been working too hard; caring too much and are in search of something that is simply going to improve the quality of their lives. Participants were a sampling of corporate culture, mostly seeking to improve their own effectiveness or just give themselves a good break. For the purist it may seem too quick and easy – but we weren’t being tuned to become masters of anything but self-acceptance.

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If you find yourself atop the hill that breathes, have John autograph his book for you. He’ll send you scurrying away for a second while he randomly opens the book to a page – the one the universe has intended just for you.

“I turned randomly to page 82 – it could be for you, enjoy, John,” was inscribed in my copy.

I savour it, especially on the days when I’m, hmm, caring about something just a bit too much. Turning to the designated page, I read the title: “Say f**k it to being a peaceful person.” Instantly, I let go; I’m back at “The Hill”, and I’m back to me.

 

LITTLE WOMAN, BIG HEARTTonic 2009-06-14 22:06:00

 

Jamie Podmorow had a pretty wonderful idea. She decided to take her daughter to a lecture about Afghanistan by Canadian journalist and human rights activist Sally Armstrong. Podmorow also had a plan B for the night, to leave if the material got way too heavy. Her daughter, Alaina, was all of 9 years old. The first sign that all was OK was when little Alaina put up her hand and asked Armstrong if there was “any peace in Afghanistan?”

By the end of the lecture, Alaina had taken much of Armstrong’s words to heart especially when she said, “The worst thing we can do is nothing.” Alaina left the auditorium prepared to do something. “I was really moved by Sally’s speech.” Alaina (now 12) explains. Sally told stories of the terrible human rights violations that little girls like me were faced with everyday and I just couldn’t believe it! Girls just like me were being treated so unfairly. I knew I had to do something, and even if it was small it would still make a difference.”

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Alaina organized a potluck dinner and auction in her hometown of Winfield, British Columbia, that raised enough money to pay the salaries of four teachers. Since then, she hasn’t looked back. The result is Little Women for Little Women in Afghanistan (LW4LW). She started her first chapter in the spring of 2007 with 18 of her friends. To date there are 10 chapters across Canada — some have as few as one person, some are big chapters with 30 or more girls. They are extremely proud to say they’ve raised over (CAN) $100,000 — a figure you can double as any funds raised by the Little Women will be matched by the Canadian government. The grand total is helping over 260 teachers to educate little girls in the war-torn country.

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“Pretty good huh?” said Podmorow, adding that the various chapters have loads of ideas to raise more money.

She continued, “We have bottle drives, gumball guesses, bakes sales, car washes, breaking cakes, which is when we choose not to receive presents at out birthday but rather take donations. We even had a group of (synchronized) swimmers in Ottawa hold a swim-a-thon and they raised $1000.00!” Asked about her concern for people living so far away when most kids her age are grabbing the remote as soon as the news comes on, she acknowledged, “I know it sounds weird but I watch the news every day. Before I started LW4LW I didn’t even know anything about Afghanistan except there was war there. I think it’s important as kids to listen to what is going on in the world and then make change. We are the generation of doers and it is our job to make a difference.” Jamie Podmorow added that it’s not enough to simply watch the news but to ask your child how they feel about what they saw or heard.

“I am extremely happy when my kids answer the “how do you feel about that?” question with feelings of profound sadness or infuriation,” she said. “That tells us they got it. The final and most important part of nurturing social activism she feels is to then “give them permission to make change. That means when they say, “I want to make a difference” It is our job as parents to say, ‘Excellent! What would you like to do? I absolutely know you can do this and I will help you where you need it.’”

Alaina is always alert to ideas that she can apply to her interest in helping young girls in Afghanistan. In September of last year, she was inspired by a poetry class she took with her mother.

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“We took a class that taught us about how poetry can tell the story of art. By the end of the class I knew art and poetry could tell a story about the connection I felt with the Afghan girls,” said Alaina. Before long she’d pulled together the idea to collect photographs of the girls she was helping in Afghanistan; combine them with photos of other Little Women in Canada and accompany them with poetry written by Little Women. Currently, there are three exhibits traveling Canada.

Alaina said, “I have always felt that the girls in Afghanistan are the same as us here in Canada. We share the same hopes and dreams and they absolutely need the chance to reach those hopes and dreams.”

Alaina would one day love to visit the girls she is helping and to see the projects and progress they’ve made.

“Sadly,” she said, “it is too dangerous for me to go right now. Not only would I be in danger but also the girls we have been trying to help would also be at risk.”

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Jamie says she can’t take credit for Alaina’s motivation in her work with LW4LW. “That was definitely the work of Sally Armstrong who can paint a picture in your mind’s eye that is not easily erased. She made Alaina believe that she could make change. We, as her parents gave her permission to make change. She did.” Here

 

THE POWER OF SONG

Tonic 2009-01-13 18:01:00

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A documentary about the Afghan version of “American Idol” has been named as the UK’s submission for next year’s foreign
language film for the Oscars. The documentary, “Afghan Star,” explores the power of pop culture to change a country — particularly poignant considering it’s only been eight years since public singing has even been legal in Afghanistan.

There’s already a lot of buzz around the film. It was a double-winner at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, winning the World Cinema audience award for a documentary film as well as the World Cinema directing award for a documentary film.

London-based Director Havana Marking had been judged by some colleagues for her decision to make a film about “a trashy TV show.” In an interview on the Sundance Film Festival site, she challenges the critics, “They told me that pop shows are rubbish, but shows like this are one of the fastest ways to reach people. What it’s achieving in terms of change is more than any NGO could do in a year.”

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This change however hasn’t come without drama — serious life-threatening drama. One sequence in the documentary follows Setara, a female contestant (one of 2000 who auditioned for the show, only three of which were women) who starts a controversy after letting her headscarf slip while dancing on stage. She’s forced to go into hiding after she and the series producers’ lives are threatened following the incident. Talk about much ado over a wardrobe malfunction.

Yet week after week what viewers are seeing are representatives from different ethnic groups sharing the stage peacefully, something that would have been unthinkable less than 10 years ago. Marking sums it up: “Compared to the depressing news coming out of the country, we thought that this was a powerful story with hope.”

I guess one country’s trash can be another’s glimmer of hope – or in the very least a diversion from the fatigue of a grinding 30 year-war.
Photo courtesy of Roastbeef TV.

 

A WOMAN HAS GOT HER EYE ON YOU

Tonic 2008-06-30 22:06:00

 

For the French photographer known only as JR, all the world’s an art gallery. He hangs his photos outdoors (and often illegally) in cities and conflict-ridden areas around the world. For his Face2Face project, JR posted huge portraits of Israelis and Palestinians face-to-face in eight Palestinian and Israeli cities, on both sides of the security fence. It was the biggest illegal photo exhibit ever. His latest however, is legit and one he’s brought back to grace the shores of the Seine in his native Paris. “Women Are Heroes” is a collection of the eyes of women JR has met in some of the most troubled spots on the globe: Kenya, India and Brazil. He believes the images put a spotlight on the dignity of women whom he feels are often the targets of conflict. The artist has aimed his camera at these women and posted the larger- than-life images where they can stare back at society.

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As visitors approach the Ile Saint-Louis they’re observed by giant eyes JR says are “powerful because the women are powerful, you can see the energy and the strength in those eyes.” One pair of eyes belong to a woman in her 40s from a shanty town in Rio. Her name is Rosiete. JR told the BBC: “Right in front of her door you have kids with big weapons waiting and selling drugs all day and she is there cooking.” He adds that when he mounted his photos in Brazil last year the drug dealers lay down their weapons for the day. “You can’t say that art has changed the lives of that community or their people forever, but it did change something in their hearts.”

Even with no admission charge to JR’s open-air museum he has met almost all of the exhibit costs himself and also opened a cultural centre in Brazil. Barring vandalism or inclement weather the images of these heroic women will continue to cast their gaze from October 3 to November 2.
Photos courtesy of Elyotone via Flickr.

 

MEET THE KING OF TIBET

Tonic 2008-06-30 22:06:00

 

The same night His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived at Radio City Music Hall last month, another Tibetan of extraordinary lineage —17-year-old Namgyal Wangchuck (or Trichen) was being introduced to an audience of only a few. They were gathered for the world premiere of his film, My Country is Tibet, and to meet in person the refugee with royal blood.

The event, held at a private home in Manhattan, was coordinated by Holly Carter (bottom right), the film’s producer and the founder of BYkids, an organization that uses the voices of youth to bring attention to global issues through documentary filmmaking. In partnership with UNICEF, and in collaboration with some of the world’s best filmmakers, journalists and diplomats, BYkids shines the light on otherwise unassuming characters around the world. Carter, who is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist, said in an email: “Because his story is so little known even to Tibetans, it is a treat to share it with the world.”

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Guest-hosted by ABC news anchor Dan Harris, the intimate affair was also a benefit screening for BYkids with a live auction. “This film does what so much great journalism does: it takes you somewhere and teaches you something,” Harris commented. He continued: “It would have been easy, given the seriousness of his situation, for Trichen to make an overly-dramatic film. Instead, he and his mentor use humor and basic humanity to bring you into the life of a teenager who happens to be a king. And in the process, they shed much-needed light on an oft-forgotten geopolitical issue.”

Under the mentorship of filmmaker Dirk Simon, Trichen introduces viewers of My Country Is Tibet to his life in exile. We watch his family and friends and listen to his narrative — one of an ambiguous existence where he is determined to one day perform the duties of king yet prepares with neither the authority nor lavish lifestyle known to royalty.

 

Trichen has never set foot in his homeland of Tibet. His forefathers, the three great Dharma Kings, formed the Tibetan nation, its language and one of the most popular religions of modern times, Tibetan Buddhism. This was centuries before Tibetans had found their first Dalai Lama. His father was incarcerated by the Chinese authorities for 20 years after they invaded Tibet and destroyed their residence, the Lhagyari Palace. After his release, Trichen’s father fled to India under the suggestion of the Dalai Lama, where he was chosen as a member of parliament for three consecutive years.

A year after his father’s death, Trichen was coronated by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. He was all of 12 years of age. His childhood effectively ended as he felt the responsibility to protect the history and culture of his people that had only been conveyed to him in books and through his family. “After I got this name [of a great Tibetan king] I realized myself that I’ve got to do better, even though we are in exile, even though we are refugees and all. I’ve still got the name and the name is still big, even though I don’t have anything to show.”

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Trichen explains to Tonic: “My father’s life serves as a guide for me to follow — his attitude and will to survive, his exuberance, his loyalty towards H.H. the Dalai Lama and his country, his determination to protect his people, follow truth and to be a good person. His life teaches me never give up and follow my dreams even if somebody tries to shatter it.”

In the film, we witness the discipline and surprising modesty of the young king. He awakens early each morning for a run and to say his prayers but still makes time to relax with a movie or a game of Wii in the afternoon. He scrubs his own clothes and sweeps the floor of his family home. A student committed to his studies, Trichen focuses on his upcoming exams yet underlying it all, he is preparing for something far greater. After graduation, he will discuss with His Holiness his next step. Well aware of the changing role of the monarchy, he informs Tonic: “It is my responsibility to serve my fellow Tibetans and the world at large. I dream of serving my people any way I can, whether I get more than just the title of King in this new Democracy [in the government in exile] or whether I can return.”

 

Dirk Simon (at right) first met Trichen at the time of his coronation. The filmmaker had been looking for a Tibetan story since graduating from the Academy where he studied in East Germany. A few years before, he had proposed the idea of doing a film about the unbroken lineage of the Great Religious Kings of Tibet until Trichen’s father. Simon explains to Tonic, “I presented him with a concept that used his biography as a metaphor of the fate of Tibet and its people. He really liked it.” Unfortunately, he passed before they had the opportunity to work on the film. Carter and Simon then joined forces and it was time for the next generation to tell their story.

 

On the BYkids website, Simon describes the young king as “carrying the vision of two worlds: the one-thousand-year-old heritage of Tibet’s Dharma Kings and the current struggle of a people striving to survive under repression, abuse and ethnic genocide. With his devotion to the principles of Tibetan Buddhism, his kindness and modesty, he touches the heart of everyone who meets him.

Trichen explains to Tonic: “In exile, I live a very simple life like other Tibetan refugees. I felt very lucky and surprised to get this wonderful opportunity to film my life.” Of Simon he says: “He is a wonderful person and very good filmmaker. We both consider each other as brothers. And I learned so many things from him, especially how to make a film. He is the one who guided me from every side to make this film.”

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Simon is also the director of When the Dragon Swallowed The Sun. The documentary, which took seven years to make, was released in February of this year. It explores the current social, political and spiritual situation in Tibet and also features Trichen and his story. There will be further screenings of My Country Is Tibet at the UN Association (June 7) and The Core Club (June 9) in New York as well as at schools in the city. It will then be represented at the AFl/SilverDocs Film Festival in Washington D.C. starting June 21. Anticipating the screenings at American schools, I asked Trichen what he would most want North American teens his age to learn from a 17-year-old boy who happens also to be a king and he replied, “Please consider yourself lucky to have all the facilities and freedom in your country. Remember to use these for the best of your ability to help others as much as you can. Learn to love who loves you and forgive those who harm you.”

It was this rather larger than life character disguised as a boy who managed to completely entrance an audience of a few in Manhattan.
Photos courtesy of Dirk Simon and Patrick McMullan.

 

MARATHONS, TRIATHLONS AND WHATEVER IT TAKES TO HELP THE CONGO

 

Status: “Four marathons down and I’ve lost another toenail. I’ve already lost this one once (actually 6 in total). Oh well, Edinburgh Marathon in just under 2 weeks.” Accompanying these rather disturbing words on Chris Jackson’s Facebook page following the London marathon is a photo of the aforementioned deformity next to another toenail seemingly destined for an equally distressing fate.

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Things haven’t let up for Chris Jackson on his quest to run 12 marathons in 12 months. His motivation behind the 12X12 Challenge is to raise money for Amnesty International and specifically to raise awareness of the ongoing atrocities in the Congo. His energy is mind-boggling and still, every time I check in with him, he’s added more to his agenda — it stretches far beyond a few measly marathons. “Basically, people say ‘Chris, do you fancy doing this?’ And I say, ‘yes’!”

Apart from the twelve scheduled marathons, he’s throwing in triathlons, ultra- marathons, adventure runs, a run spanning the distance of Hadrian’s wall in 24 hours (the Roman fortification that stretches across 73.5 miles in Northern England), cycling the battlefields of WWI and the pièce de résistance: one marathon will be run through the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the most dangerous places in the world.

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He ran the Edinburgh marathon on May 23, a week after placing 11th out of 1000 in an extreme off-trail adventure run, and days after the passing of his grandfather. “Going into the race I had barely slept or eaten but I was determined to make him proud.” The day he died, Jackson asked his grandfather how quickly he wanted him to run and he told him under 3 hours 23 minutes. He must have been trying to keep the pressure off his grandson who’s been running under two hour marathons for months now; getting faster with each race. “I didn’t care as long as I beat that time for him. As hard as it was, I didn’t want to stop or slow down.” Chris revealed that he rehearsed his grandfather’s eulogy as he ran and came in at 2 hours 56 minutes. Not a personal best but considering what he’s packed into the last few months, it’s quite remarkable.

 

Jackson’s extensive plans stem from his belief that “people are always raising money for charity and to make this different, I had to do something that would make people take note of the crisis in the DRC.” After he entered the London marathon, he thought “this isn’t tough enough, I need to do more.” So, he decided to do a marathon a month — at least.

This just in. Chris has entered a competition to win a spot in the Eurostar Tri-City-Athlon. The first ever triathlon event
across three cities in one day. It begins with a swim in Paris, bike in Brussels and run in London. Merely entering however doesn’t secure a spot in the race — he’s going to need your help. Chris has posted his entry on the website stating why he “deserves” to participate and now it’s up to you, the general public to vote for him (before June 9) and subsequently make a vote for the people of the Congo. The 50 most popular entries will go to round two where judges will then pick the final 20 winners on June 23. The race itself takes place September 14, 2010 (a month after his jogging tour of the Congo).Chris has made a point of always setting a challenge for himself every year so that he can look back and feel like he’s really achieved something. “I think there is a danger of letting the years role by without anything to show for it,” he says. “I intend to build on it year after year.”

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A lobbyist in London, with Cicero Consulting, Chris spent his formative years studying and working in Africa. His interest in the DRC stems from his academic studies where he spent time researching the impact of sexual violence on development. “The research I conducted for this paper brought to light the day-to-day horrors that men, women and children faced in that region,” he tells Tonic. “I wanted to be able to see for myself what it was like over there. I was tired of reading second-hand accounts, I think part of me didn’t actually believe such a place could exist — it needed to be seen to be believed for me.” “The way I see it, is if people can live through the crisis in the DRC then why can’t I run 26.2 miles every month? I’m not going to give up, I can’t give up,” he says.

 

Chris had previously worked in Uganda, organizing development programs, and Peru, where he thought he had seen the extremes of poverty. But nothing could prepare him for what he saw in the DRC. Poignantly, he recalls the street signs unique to the DRC yet ubiquitous in the country. “I’m used to signs saying ‘old people crossing the road,’” he says, “not ‘rape is bad and should not be condoned.’”

 

In terms of promoting his fundraising efforts, Chris is using social media, word of mouth and basically telling as many people as possible about what he’s doing. He sends an email round after every race to say thanks for people’s support and informs them about how he did and what’s in store next. Before the London marathon, Chris had invited supporters to join him post-race at a London pub to celebrate, announcing that his credit card would be “behind the bar.” “As much as I tried to buy drinks for everyone, no one would let me!” he says with a laugh. “I was supported the whole way around by the people of London and that was a great feeling.”

Chris just happened to post a personal best in London. He’s also been speaking with Women for Women International and Congo Now to find ways to support their efforts to inform the government in the UK about what they should do in the DRC. He will be supporting the first UK Run for Congo Women race on the July 3. Chris’s plans include making a short documentary about his run in the Congo, visiting projects and speaking to people so that when he gets back to the UK he can create a small series of YouTube videos he hopes will clearly explain to people his devotion to the Congo cause.

Chris admits he was never “the fittest person” when he was younger. “Over time, I’ve found running to be a great release and it’s given me the chance to think about problems that I’m faced with,” he says. “Some of my best ideas come when I’m running, so I suppose it is important that I keep it up.” So far, the ideas have been pretty astounding. Who knows what he’ll come up with after another few hundred miles? This weekend, Chris will be squeezing in another triathlon (in Blenheim, England) a week before his sixth marathon in South Downs, England.

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In a blog Chris writes, “From my darkest moments in DRC to my decision to run 12 marathons in 12 months, something has snapped in me which now fuels my energy and sense of adventure. It is as if a mental block has been removed; nothing is too far, too hard or even impossible. That is my cocky side coming through again but I feel invincible and free. When you can feel your body screaming at you to stop running, see blood oozing through your trainers and you can ignore that and carry on running, then you can draw on untold reserves of strength and confidence. When you feel that anything is achievable then you are no longer shackled by the constraints of day-to-day life.”

For the unstoppable Chris Jackson, it truly seems there is no finish line.