I’m off to Cambodia on Wednesday for two weeks as part of a group of volunteers reporting for Ctrl.Alt.Shift on some of the work being done by development organisations there.
We’re going to be writing a blog called Dust From A Distant Sun which you can check out here at the Ctrl.Alt.Shift site here.
First appeared on Ctrl.Alt.Shift on November 29 2010
Cambodia is a beautiful country with a rich culture and history blighted by genocide and violence. An incredible 80% of the population is under 30 years old, as many lost parents, grandparents and older siblings when an estimated 1.7 million died under the violent rule of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s.
20 volunteers will be travelling to Cambodia for two weeks to do on-the-ground reporting for Ctrl.Alt.Shift; visiting various local development organisations, finding out about the work they do and the issues they face. The organisations we will be visiting work in a variety of areas, including HIV/AIDS, women and children’s rights, community organising and violence against women.
We will be visiting the capital Phnom Penh and travelling to Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Siem Reap, Kampot Cham and the awe inspiring temple Angkor Wat, which has been described as the 9th wonder of the world.
Cambodia descended into violent chaos during the Vietnam War after bombing by the US and a military coup which overthrew the monarch King Norodom Sihanouk. The radical Communist group the Khmer Rouge eventually gained control of the country, led by the notorious Pol Pott. During this time the name of the country was changed to Democratic Kampuchea.
The middle classes, people not of pure Khmer ethnicity, the educated, the disabled, workers for the government and city dwellers were particularly persecuted by the regime, and essentially an entire class was wiped out by this extreme brand of militant communism. Money was abolished and people were forced to live in villages and work in agriculture. Much of the population died of starvation and exhaustion.
Although this tragic history has inevitably had a great effect on the current situation in Cambodia and has shaped the present circumstance of its people, there are still a lot of inspirational stories to be told.
Throughout our trip we will be writing a blog where you can find out more about the kinds of issues we’ll encounter, the people we’ll meet and the things we’ll learn along the way.
First published on Ctrl.Alt.Shift on October 27 2010
Indonesia has suffered three disasters in a week after an earthquake caused a tsunami killing 343 people on the remote Mentawai islands as well as a volcano eruption on the island of Java which killed at least 30 people.
The tsunami, which is thought to have affected 7,000 people, was caused after an under water earthquake of 7.7 magnitude. Nearly 400 are missing and many villages have been flattened beyond recognition.
The earthquake struck on Monday (October 25) along the same tectonic plate which caused the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami which left over nearly 250, 000 people dead around the Indian Ocean.An early warning system that had been in place since 2004’s tsunami had stopped working due to lack of maintenance so local people received no warning. However, even if this had been working it is thought that the speed of the tsunami may have meant that people still would have had little chance to escape.
Some much needed supplies are starting to reach people but there have problems caused by poor weather conditions and choppy water making remote places hard to reach. This means that the scale of damage in some places is still unclear.
Tuesday (October 26) also saw the eruption of Mount Merapi (Fire Mountain) on the island of Java killing at least 30 people and leaving 17 hospitalised.
The dead included Mbah Maridjan, an elder seen to local people as the guardian of the mountain who refused attempts to evacuate him. He survived an eruption from the Mount in 2006 and in fact went even closer to the mountain in order to meditate.
According to the Indonesian Red Cross, more than 36, 000 people have been evacuated from their homes but there are fears for safety if there are further eruptions as some are starting to return to their homes to survey the damage. There are also concerns as the eruption this week relieved pressure behind a dome of lava but there are now concerns this could collapse leading to landslides.
With all this havoc, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono returned home early from a trip to Vietnam to deal with the rescue effort after the events…
Note: Experts say there is no connection between the volcano eruption and earthquake which caused the tsunami.
First published on Ctrl.Alt. Shift on October 15 2010
This month Sean Penn is awarded the Hollywood Humanitarian Award for his work in Haiti… but exactly how much good can celebrities feasibly do in helping resolve desperate situations around the globe? More importantly, do they do it for the right reasons? Ctrl.Alt.Shift’s Amy Hall explores the impact of the humanitarian celebrity…
Despite getting a lot of criticism for their flashy lifestyles, many celebrities do take an active interest in charitable work. While the more cynical among us may accuse the rich and famous of using charity work as an effective (but immoral) means of gaining popularity, there are evidently some big names out there who genuinely care about the bigger picture. Ctrl.Alt.Shift ambassadors like Riz Ahmed are entirely dedicated to using their popularity for a good cause, proving that fame can be utilised to put across a positive message to an already captive audience.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are the latest Queen and King of the celebrity humanitarian world, but almost every celebrity has some kind of charity or campaign work they’re involved with. Whether it is George Clooney’s efforts to stop genocide in Sudan or Rhianna’s ‘Believe’ foundation which helps terminally ill children, celebrities the world over are doing their bit to prove that compassion is cool.
Of course, the actions of celebrity humanitarians like Penn to raise the profile of worthy causes are extremely commendable. The worrying thing is that it can take the glitzy power of celebrity to inspire us to sit up, take notice and act’
These caring celebrities are, unsurprisingly, always looking for ways to publicise their cause, and maybe it’s time we gave them a pat on the back for their efforts. This is where humanitarian awards ceremonies come in handy – all the glitz and glamour of a typical award ceremony, but with no need to feel guilty at the extravagance entailed. It’s for the good of humanity after all. Hmmm…
Awards ceremonies that acknowledge the charitable work of celebrities are becoming increasingly common, though perhaps one of the most glamorous among them is coming up on October 25. The Hollywood Humanitarian Awards are part of the Hollywood Gala Awards Ceremony at the Hollywood Film Festival in Beverly Hills, an important date in the diary for any self respecting celebrity do-gooder.
This year’s Hollywood Humanitarian has recently been announced: none other than two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn. Penn already seems to have proved himself as an all round good egg; acting as a roving reporter from troubled regions like Iraq, and even covering the election protests in Iran. His CV also boasts interviews with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuba’s head of state, Raul Castro.
This latest accolade Penn received is for his work in Haiti, following the earthquake which devastated the island at the beginning of 2010. Penn founded the J/P Haitian Relief Organization which focuses on providing medical aid, protection and relocation to Haitians affected by the quake. Penn seems to have been developing a special relationship with the country, and has even been knighted by Haiti’s President Rene Preval.
Of course, the actions of celebrity humanitarians like Penn to raise the profile of worthy causes are extremely commendable. The worrying thing is that it can take the glitzy power of celebrity to inspire us to sit up, take notice and act.
The sad fact is, the technicolor mages of suffering in developing countries that the media beams into our living rooms on a regular basis can often feel profoundly detached from our own lives. Perhaps it can take a celebrity to bridge this gap, to utilise their charisma and familiarity to show us the inherant similarities between ‘us’ and ‘them’. Videos of celebrities visiting places like Africa form an integral part of high profile charity appeals like Comic Relief, and compel people to pick up the phone and give money to people half way across the world.
However, a celebrity endorsement does not solve everything. It seems that issues of international development are as vulnerable to the fickle, fast paced nature of the global media as the celebrities themselves. When a story becomes less newsworthy, many desperate situations and worthy causes are dropped from the agenda and the urgency seems to dim; there is a new disaster to respond to, a new crisis somewhere else.
It seems that issues of international development are as vulnerable to the fickle, fast-paced nature of the global media as the celebrities themselves’
Once the initial media flurry around a disaster, a crisis, or a desperate situation has died down, money, support and a constructive and sustainable action plan for the future are still required. In Haiti, the pieces still need to be picked up, and a plethora of organizations are still working on this, including Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief. It seems that issues of international development are as vulnerable to the fickle, fast-paced nature of the global media as the celebrities themselves.
The cold hard truth remains – it’s going to take more than monetary hand outs to solve global poverty.
Poverty is the result of human structures and systems. It is the product of marginalisation. It is what happens when people are excluded from decision-making processes. Celebrity endorsements can bring a rush of money to a specific community or location, but if the way in which this aid is delivered isn’t well considered, the charitable act can be more detriment than development.
Celebrities are pretty stuck. If they don’t give money to good causes they are accused of not helping and greedily hoarding the millions to themselves. When they do act charitably, they’re accused of glory hunting, trivialising the cause, or even causing more harm than good.
In today’s media saturated, glamour obsessed culture, maybe it’s inevitable that celebrity culture seeps into every part of our lives. If these Hollywood do-gooders actually manage to do some good then why should we complain? And who knows? Maybe in the not so distant future we’ll see Hollywood stars battling it out to become the Most Humanitarian instead of the Best Director. Regardless of the image the red carpet snaps or award show reviews portray, it is the international charitable organisations, and the vulnerable communities in developing countries themselves, who truly have the power to christen ‘the celebrity humanitarian’ a help or a hindrance.
First published in the June 2010 issue of Buzz Magazine
“Dark, foreboding and full of menace” is how Jay Thomas describes Neath Ales Black, his favourite of the ales his one man brewery business produces. 34 year old Jay operates out of a secret Neath location and set up the business after being made redundant from his job as a sociology lecturer. The brewery is the first in the area since the Vale of Neath Brewery closed in 1972.
Jay runs the business on his own managing everything from marketing the brand, brewing the beer and bottling up the product, but he says other members of the family still manage to get involved. “My poor retired father can’t keep away and I only have to pay my four and two year olds a couple of jelly beans to clean for me. Don’t tell social services!”
Like many students looking to save a few bob and try some experimentation, Jay started brewing beer while at university as he was fed up with mass marketed, bland lagers and fancied trying something different – and a little stronger.
Premium bottled beers have increased in popularity over the last few years with drinks companies seeing increased profits in this area of the market. Jay puts this down to people becoming savvier about big businesses telling them what to consume. “You wouldn’t go into a restaurant and ask for the most insipid, lowest quality thing on the menu, so why do that when you go to a bar?” he says.
Neath Ales are made lovingly with no additives and are all vegan friendly. Just Welsh water, malted barley, whole hops and yeast are included. The beers are matured for many weeks until they have reached Jay’s high standard and can be found in many shops in Neath, Swansea and the surrounding areas.
Although running a business single-handedly is a challenge, Jay says he is in it for the long haul. “It is an awesome vocation and one into which the true heroes will venture. As for taking on big big biz with their hundreds of millions of pounds advertisings might, bring it on.”
First appeared inthe June 2010 issue of Buzz Magazine
Beyond The Border International Storytelling Festival, St Donats Castle, South Wales
Fri 2-Sun 4 July 2010
Back in the days before the internet, mobile phones and even books, people used to actually talk to each other. When they ran out of gossip about whose sword was bigger than whose, they would recount tales of generations gone by.
The tradition of storytelling still thrives around the world, including a vibrant scene here in Wales. Old myths and legends are retold again and again, sometimes with modern adaptions. Many of these storytellers from across the globe will be gathering in Wales at the UK’s leading storytelling festival Beyond The Border in July. The festival has been running since 1993 and attracts thousands of visitors a year, as well as running a programme taking storytellers into schools and workplaces all over the country.
This year’s festival features over 20 storytellers from as far afield as Canada and Egypt. There is also a strong Welsh connection, including Celtic mythology from the {Mabinogion} which will be retold in words, music and song. Welshman Osian George will be performing with trio Bro Ar Men (Land Of Stone) led by Brittany’s Pol Huellou with Armenian Vasken Solakian. Wales loves nothing more than a good male voice choir, and Beyond The Border is being treated to the Republic of Gerogia’s Mtiebi performing on the Friday of the festival.
The storytelling takes a saucy twist with late night adult-only performances, including stories from Boccaccio’s naughty Decameron and some erotic late night stories about ancient love goddesses Aphrodite and Innana told by Xanthe Graham.
The festival features music from exiles Kotchnak Ensemble, a family of singers from Armenia, now living in Paris who first began making music in 1976. Also performing is Ahmed Muhktar from Iraq who is renowned for his playing of the oud, an instrument similar to the lute. He will perform as part of the Nights In Baghdad programme which includes Egyptian Chirine El Ansary telling the stories from the author of 1001 Arabian Nights, Robert Irwin.
Beyond The Border provides a window on the world past and present and with every yarn festival goers will be transported somewhere different.
Amy Hall 