30 June 2009
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Charcoal Traffic
Buy DVD from Amazon.com at this link http://tinyurl.com/kt9yqp [DVD for home use; after using this link you can also search on Amazon for versions for institutional use and by streaming video]
"Charcoal Traffic" is the story of two brothers trapped in a murderous cycle of environmental and cultural devastation in Somalia. Olaad is a charcoal trader, living well by destroying trees to make charcoal. Olaad uses the power of the gun to get what he wants.
Olaad's work crew are young men, whose only skills are using guns and chewing the narcotic leaf known as khat. In their goal to make money, the charcoal producers lost their connections with their traditional pastoralist culture and the natural environment.
Olaad's brother Gelle lives in the traditional Somali way - as a nomadic pastoralist herding goats. When Gelle tries to stop charcoal producers from cutting trees, needed to preserve the fragile environment and ensure vegetation for his goats, Olaad cannot protect him.
The brothers' story illustrates the other war in Somalia - pitting the fragile environment and the pastoral way of life against charcoal producers - out to make money whatever it takes.
The first fictional film shot in Somalia in over 20 years, "Charcoal Traffic" was filmed entirely on location in northern Somalia featuring a local cast with no previous acting experience.
Through the dramatic story of "Charcoal Traffic", Hot Sun Films and Sun Fire Cooking's goal is to promote community discussion among Somalis about charcoal production, environmental destruction and solar cooker alternatives to charcoal for everyday cooking.
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Kibera Kid
Buy DVD from Amazon.com at this link http://tinyurl.com/nlj4pz [DVD for home use; after using this link you can also search on Amazon for versions for institutional use and by streaming video] You can also order DVDs and instructional material from http://www.kiberakid.com
"Kibera Kid" is the story of Otieno, a twelve-year-old orphan living in Kibera, one of the worlds' largest slums. Otieno lives with the Razors, a gang of petty thieves. After a theft gone bad, Otieno is forced to choose between saving an innocent man's life and the Razors - the only family he knows.
"Kibera Kid" is a unique film, a global first - a short story based on the lives of people in Kibera, Africa's largest slum, located in Nairobi, Kenya.
"Kibera Kid" offers a window into a life that is shared by millions of people living in urban slums throughout the world.
"Kibera Kid" is suitable for all ages, from 10 through adult.
"Kibera Kid" has screened at over 40 film festivals worldwide and won numerous awards including:
* Student Emmy 2007 for best Children's Program category (Hollywood, USA)
* Best Short Film, Kenya International Film Festival, (Nairobi, Kenya)
* Best Kenyan Children's Film, Lola Film Festival (Nairobi, Kenya),
* Best Director, Angelus Film Festival, (Los Angeles USA),
* Graduate Student Director Award, Hampton's International Film Festival (New York, USA),
* Most Innovative Short Film, Real to Reel (Vancouver, Canada)
* Best Film for Teenagers, Danville International Children's Film Festival (California, USA)
The Oath
Buy DVD from Amazon.com at this link http://tinyurl.com/mzv7wx [DVD for home use; after using this link you can also search on Amazon for versions for institutional use and by streaming video]
"The Oath" is a story of the Mau Mau rebellion. Were the Mau Mau freedom fighters or terrorists? For African Kenyans, the Mau Mau cry for Land and Freedom in the 1950's expressed their deepest desires. For the British colonialists, the Mau Mau were terrorists.
"The Oath" is the story of two brothers, Mwangi and Joseph, during the time of the Mau Mau. Mwangi is a laborer on a white settler's farm. Joseph is a priest. Mwangi joins the Mau Mau, taking an oath to fight the white settlers. Joseph insists violence is never justified.
"The Oath" is in two parts: a short story about two brothers during the Mau Mau rebellion (20 minutes) and a documentary explaining how the movie was made (10 minutes). Kenyans volunteered their time and energy as a labor of love to bring the history of the Mau Mau to people around the world.
AfricaFocus FYI
Visit http://www.africafocus.org/fyi/recent.php regularly for these and other notes on recent stories you shouldn't miss.
Jun 29, 2009 - William Minter and Daniel Volman, "Somalia Crossroads: Piracy, insurgency tempt Washington to get it wrongagain.", In These Times (Published Jun 29, 2009)
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4520/the_somalia_crossroads/
For Somalis, the crisis continues. So does the danger that Washington may be tempted into military intervention that would be damaging for Somalis, for U.S. relations with Africa and for U.S.
security. That risk exists, despite commendable caution thus far by Obama administration policymakers, who are aware of the potential for military actions to backfire.
Scenarios projected for the next few months range from complete collapse of the internationally backed government, on the one extreme, to significant weakening of the insurgent forces through defections, on the other. What is certain is that outside forces, including the United States, will need flexibility and patience as well as good intentions to avoid mistakes that could make the situation much worse. Unfortunately, there is no sure formula for getting it right.
Jun 30, 2009 - Kevin Kelley, "Is Obama Following in the Disliked Footsteps of Bush in East Africa?", East African via allafrica.com (Published Jun 29, 2009)
http://allafrica.com/stories/200906290075.html
The Obama administration is seeking substantial increases in military aid to East African countries, leading some analysts to argue that the new president's handling of perceived threats to US interests closely resembles that of his predecessor, George W Bush.
... it seems clear that the Obama administration intends to further develop the Africa Military Command (Africom) established during Bush's tenure. Johnnie Carson, the new assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told a Washington forum last week that "Africom isn't going away." Indeed, President Obama is asking Congress to approve more than $500 million for Africom's operations as well as for communications and airlift capabilities in the coming fiscal year.
Jun 24, 2009 - Michael Levin, "Bill to Protect Poor Countries from VULTURE Funds", Congresswoman Maxine Waters (Published Jun 18, 2009)
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/ca35_waters/PR090618_vulturefunds.html
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) today introduced the Stop Very Unscrupulous Loan Transfers from Underprivileged countries to Rich, Exploitive Funds or "Stop VULTURE Funds" Act (H.R. 2932), legislation designed to protect impoverished countries from lawsuits by so-called vulture funds.
Vulture funds are private investment funds that buy up the debts of poor countries at reduced prices, usually for pennies on the dollar. They then sue these countries to recover the original value of the debts plus interest. Several poor countries that have received debt cancellation from the United States, other participating donor countries, and multilateral financial institutions have subsequently been sued by vulture funds.
Several prominent Africa advocacy groups working on the Vulture Fund issue strongly called for support for the bill. These groups included Africa Action, TransAfrica Forum, and Jubilee USA Network
Jun 18, 2009 - Scott Gration (Special Envoy to Sudan), "Current Status of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and His Recent Travels", U.S State Department (Published Jun 17, 2007)
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