Tuesday, August 31, 2010

filmin' it up, part deux

i continued to feed my dorky hobby this weekend, by seeing more documentaries. i must admit tho, my goal of seeing one everyday until it ended on sunday didnt quite happen; i missed out on friday and saturday, but made up for it by watching 2 extremely thrilling documentaries back to back on sunday! these 2 films were excellent and both educational and hilarious (in one case). so i continue with my reviews...

RFK in the land of Apartheid - A Ripple of Hope
this film moved me. as many that know me know that i deeply followed the obama campaign and was inspired by the man's life and his ideas, even some of his shortcomings. throughout the campaign i heard about how reminiscent he was of JFK's brother and how his speeches and inspirational nature reminded so many of the sentiment they felt when they listened to robert kennedy. Watching this film made me really understand what people meant by that.

the film recounted RFK's visit, at the invite of NUSAS (National Union of South African Students), to south africa during the dark days of apartheid in 1966. During his time in south africa, he spoke about the similarities between the 2 countries (US and SA) and spoke freely against the regime and for the liberation of the oppressed. this was crucial at the time, as the US govt was at worst friendly to the apartheid regime and doubted the ANC due to its ties with the communist movement (even tho several members of the US congress were speaking out against apartheid). here was RFK, running for president, yet speaking out against the current US and apartheid government policy, meeting those who would be classified today as terrorists, shaking hand with the likes of the banished Chief Albert Luthuli, and marching with ordinary black south africans in soweto and all over the country. His most famous "ripple of hope" speech was delivered in south africa and is still enshrined on his tombstone where he was laid almost exactly 2 yrs after his sa visit. RFK inspired generations:

"the essential humanity of man can be protected and preserved only where the government must answer - not just to the wealthy; not just to those of a particular religion, not just to those of a particular race; but to all of the people"

"Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and 32 year old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal. "Give me a place to stand," said Archimedes, "and I will move the world." These men moved the world, and so can we all. Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of the events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this generation. Thousands of Peace Corps volunteers are making a difference in the isolated villages and the city slums of dozens of countries. Thousands of unknown men and women in Europe resisted the occupation of the Nazis and many died, but all added to the ultimate strength and freedom of their countries. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage such as these that the belief that human history is thus shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance"

The power of One...

The Yes Men Fix the World
The film was on a lighter note, tho no less meaningful. these 2 american pranksters travel the globe impersonating executives from top companies (exxon mobil, dow chemicals, etc) in hopes to expose some of the real issues and attrocities that these companies (and other free market enthusiasts) have been perpetrating over the years. they managed to set up fake websites and pretty much wait for people to contact them to speak at events or conferences. for example, they appeared on bbc, impersonating a spokesman from dow chemicals to announce that the company would be compensating the victims of the 1984 Bhopal toxic gas explosion to the tune of several billion. the stock for dow fell some $2 billion in 20 minutes! and they were accused of raising false hopes of the bhopal people (ill come back to this just now). interestingly enough, they were never jailed for these hoxes; i think their trick was to ensure that it was done publicly, so that if the company tried to sue them, it would only serve as continued PR backlash.

back to the raising false hopes. give me a flippin' break. exxon blows us a community, never takes responsbility for its actions, sees the still very real effects of the explosion in bhopal today and does NOTHING and has the balls to accuse someone of pretending that the company would actually do what is right?? the different scale in the value of human life continues to baffle me. a few months ago, bp let out its oil on the gulf of mexico, a few sea turtles, seagulls, and maybe one dolphin died and bp was hit with a bill of $34billion with lots more billions coming in the form or civil lawsuits. yet nothing is done in the case of something like the bhopal explosion or closer to home shell draining its oil excretions on the rivers of the niger delta and poisoning most wildlife and most of the hundreds of thousands of inhabitants who's sole diet is fish and now survive by eating fish with insides full of black petroleum. this is the same shell that was complicit in the government hanging of 9 civil rights activists, including ken saro-wiwa and decided after decades of fighting to settle the lawsuits with a mere couple hundred dollars per family affected. the value placed on human life by other human beings and by legal and governmental systems sickens me.

anyway, back to the (truly hilarious) story, these guys conclude that in the end, they didn't really change the world as they set out to. As the film ends, they realise that they have not been successful in changing the hearts and minds of big business and encouraging/ forcing them to do what is right with regard to the communities in which they operate. they are encouraged, however by the fact that their efforts, at least, has alerted these companies to the fact that people are watching them and that more people (thanks to the documentary) are aware of what these companies are doing today. The power of one (+one)...

so therein lies the conclusion of my week of documentary watching. truly an educational and entertaining experience. it was not always easy to convince people to join me in my adventure (in fact one day i had to watch a film alone; i hate/dread/despise watching films by myself!), but mostly i think those i dragged along enjoyed it. edu-ma-cate yo-sef!

Friday, August 27, 2010

filmin' it up

After i handed in an assignment literally 4 minutes before it was due on monday night, i decided that for the rest of the week, i would find a way to treat myself. and i think i have, even tho i can't seem to get other excited about it...so since tuesday, i've been enjoying the 12th annual south african internation documentary film festival (encounters.co.za). yes, call me a geek or dork or lame (i can take it), but i tend to enjoy docu's. they are not only entertaining at times, but they teach you a lot about different things and different perspectives. so, i've seen one every night since tuesday (i saw 2 on tuesday night actually) and im planning on continuing this trend until sunday. nevermind that i don't have the money or the time for this kind of venture, i'm treating myself to a well deserved interim break! here are some thoughts on some of the films i've seen so far:

Here Be Dragons
this docu is about a white civil rights attorney, George Bizos; an icon in the struggle against apartheid. George is greek by birth and has represented countless ANC-ers as well as those crucial struggle icons, including the family of steve bantu biko (at the TRC), winnie mandela (multiple times), nelson mandela and others at the rivonia trials, and plenty others who fought for freedom and justice, of all different races. His story is truly inspirational and emotional and he does little to hide his emotions during the film and in his work. His decision to pull out of the truth and reconciliation commission (as the appointed counsel opposing amnesty grants for perpetuators of the previous regime) truly highlights the issues i hear every now and then about the shortcomings of the TRC. he recalls that he was simply sick to his stomach watching people conjure up excuses, blamiing indefensible dead people, and faking half-assed apologies and getting off scot-free from crimes they'd committed. Is this justice?

One of the other bright spots in the film was archbishop desmond tutu (among other dignitaries filmed celebrating birthdays with George). tutu was his usual bright, jovial, and child-like self when describing the truly transformational and inspiration figure of George. he says, watching him during th erivonia trials, you felt like you could give him an oscar for his performance.

On a slightly negative note, the film was a bit confusing at times and could've used a narrator. It also had superfluous information and clips were shown that didn't seem to fit the film. however, the film ended beautifully taping george as he was recognised for his latest book. in his speech, george says (not verbatim):
...people often thank me for the work that i've done over the years, but it is i who need to thank south africa for allowing me to understand that we are not intrinsically different peoples depending on our race, but that we are all part of one race - the human race. Thank you, south africa for allowing me to reach my fulfillment.

Forgotten Gold
This one is about Mulamba Ndaye. Have you heard of him?? No, you probably haven't. And its a shame. Mulamba is from DRC (Zaire) and holds the record for most goals scored (ever) at the African Nations Cup (9) in 1974, when Zaire went on to win the tourney. Till this day that record has not been broken. A few years later, he got caught up in some politics and had to flee the country. He's been living since in exile in south africa, mostly as a car guard (the guy that stands next to your car when you're eating dinner and "watches" it in hopes of a R5 tip at the end of the night). The story was very inspirational and at the end i got to meet and shake hands with the old man himself.

However, the film, i don't think, was very well made. It was also a bit confusing as it kept moving from past to present with little cohesion. and the storyline was lost on me several times. overall tho, the film must be praised, like the others, for highlighting human lives and experiences that we should know about, but don't.

Thembi
this is one about a vocal south african girl who died of aids in 2009. she is one of a very few south africans who was bold enough to talk openly about her HIV status and try to de-mystify it(actually one of the pioneers). great story, but in the end, she dies as a result of her not continuing with her medication. the film doesnt really go too much into this, but i suspect she was overwhelmed with the sudden "stardom" and also the constant realisation that she would have to take these mountains of drugs for the rest of her life.

the bad part: brilliant film, but again the point of it was lost on me. yes, people should be able to talk more openly about these issues and not risks being teased or ostracised or beaten, but i dont think that goes far enough. i kept asking myself, so what? thembi went all over south africa and to the US in her campaign, but what exactly was she campaigning for. I'm still not sure. was it for the use of condoms? or for abstinence? or for women's rights to be empowered to ask their man to use a condom? the film doesnt really help in this regard. and then she died. whats her legacy and why was her campaign important. what lives on? the audience is left with too many questions.

The gardner and his 21 flowers
this film is about a zambian man who essentially runs an orphanage from his small home/farm. only thing is that the orphans are the children of his dead relatives (mostly sisters) from AIDS. William, the gardner, barely has anything, only his garden where he grows fruits and vegies and tries to keep out monkeys who often come to destroy his crops. from this (and the small rats the children catch) he must feed feed the 21 and hope to have some left over so he can sell to the locals and buy some meat every once in a while, or pay for schooling, or school clothes, etc. the family is obviously poor and receives no grants or assistance from the government but the film shows a family clearly rich in love for each other. my question: what is the role of government if it is not to provide for those like william and his family, who cannot provide for themselves. in the course of the film we witness some deaths in the family, due to curable illness like malaria and severe malnutrition in most of the children (from the protruding bellies). one girls says she sometimes wishes she was dead, so that she wouldnt be so hungry. my guess is that its not only sometimes.

this story is not unique to william, but rampant all over the world, particularly in africa. first instinct is to be sad, next is to be angry at government's inaction and corrupt ways, but i think finally we realise that the idea here is to do what we can with what we have. "to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded."

Saturday, August 14, 2010

the good side of humanity

if there's one thing i'm learning this year, it's definitely the art of procrastination. but, i am a consultant, so perhaps i should come up with a better phrase for it. in fact, what i am doing is "embarking on a brief, but critical mental holiday, with the purpose of re-energising my mind for the rigours of immediate future." [currently patting myself on the back for coming up with that one on the fly]. hence, while i should be freaking out about the 30 page research proposal that's due on monday (of which i've already written close to 0 pages), i am embarking on this necessary journey to post another blog entry.

interestingly, this post is quite the opposite of the previous one. While I lamented the derth of human intelligence, decency, and progression in my last post, this one seeks to celebrate humanity and those who have made it possible. Credit for this inspiration must go to a friend for sending me the video. The video below is of a nigerian/brit named Chris Abani. Chris was born in nigeria, emigrated to the UK, and now lives and teaches in the US. He was jailed and put on death row 3 times, starting from age 16, by the then military regime in nigeria, for supposedly inciting a coup. no comment. so, one would expect that after his adventurous life in the dungeon of nigeria's prisons, he would come out speaking passionately about the dangers of authoritative regimes and the loss of hope in people. quite the contrary. time and again, when i hear similar stories of men and women being jailed or tortured unnecessarily or for doing good (people like mandela, chris abani, countless freedom fighters...), i always expect them to think the least of humanity and am ultimately surprised and inspired by their incredible hope for humanity and continued trust in the goodness of people.

i leave with some touching quotes from chris as well as a challenge.

the challenge: to seek out moments and people that, as chris says, "offer all of us a mirror to our own humanity". that is, people who despite hardships, see the good in others and strive to leave the world a better place through singular, non-recorded acts of kindness and dignity. my mother comes to mind with her strength, courage, deep concern and love for others, incessantly placing others' well-being before her own. i'm reminded of grace nyanga of uganda. of cody dye. of matt and melanie chandler. i think these everyday people should be those from which we get our inspiration. the challenge is to seek these people and these moments out. and to record them. tell their stories.




amazing quotes:

"The world is never saved in grand messianic gestures, but in the simple accumulation of gentle, soft, almost invisible acts of compassion - everyday acts of compassion."

"You can steel your heart against any king of trouble or horror, but the single act of kindness from a complete stranger will un-stitch you."

"Before the genocide in Rwanda, the word for 'rape' and the word for 'marriage' was the same word; today women are re-building Rwanda."

"If you cry like this every time, you'll get a heartbreak; just know that it is enough sometimes to know that it is difficult."

The world, our lives, are filled with "amazing people who offer all of us a mirror to our own humanity".