Ron Mwangaguhunga: July 2009 Archives

Sean Carasso founded Falling Whistles to bring attention to child soldiers in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These innocents have been forced to serve in the North Kivu province. If the children were too small to hold a gun in Africa's longest war, the rebel army made them stand at the front lines as human shields armed only with a whistle. In an interview with Intent, Carasso told of his encounter with this level of cruelty:

I'd heard that the biggest war in the world is in Congo. I really didn't know any details, and knew that if that was the case -- if the biggest war in the world is happening and I didn't know anything about it, that was a problem in and of itself. I needed to go learn. So the idea was to go in for a five-day exploratory trip to start learning, asking questions, get as good of an understanding as I could in a few days and make some contacts so I could stay in touch. And at the end of those five days, we ended up discovering this illegal prison for kids. It was basically a military prison .. That day, the "Falling Whistles day," was in a moment of total and complete vulnerability. One of those moments when everything stops and it's like, "OK, this we have to do something about." I haven't really gotten to a place to where I can explain it. My ambitions, my desires, my dreams -- all went away.

Sean took this trip to the Congo after visiting South Africa with his friend Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes, who was there to provide footwear for children in need. Sean exposed the military prison to the U.N. and it was subsequently shut down. Sean blogged about the event, forwarding it to family and friends and they in turn forwarded it as well. Several generations of forwarding later, tens of thousands of people had read the post and a movement was soon born.

When he returned home, Sean's friend Marcus, a street artist, gave him a whistle as a symbolic gesture to keep the story alive. "So we started selling whistles and generating funds to eventually send to our friends in Congo who are doing really great work, locals, whose goal is to create whistleblowers out of their generation as well in Congo."

You can purchase a whistle necklace to help child soldiers in the Congo here. And learn more about the cause here.

[Image: Odi.org]

Human rights advocate and Russian journalist Natalia Estemirova was murdered almost two weeks ago under mysterious circumstances. Her fearless criticism of the prosecution of the Chechnyan wars is believed to have something to do with her disappearance and tragic death. Fellow human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov and journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who had spent the last days of their respective earthly existences critically examining the the Kremlin and its policy toward Chechnya, both died under similarly mysterious circumstances. Coincidence? From The Economist:

It was the kind of scene she had described many times. On July 15th at 8.30am, as she left her flat in Grozny, Natalia Estemirova was forced into a white Lada. She shouted that she was being kidnapped, but those who heard were too scared to report it. By the time her colleagues had found out, she was dead, murdered by three bullets in her chest and a control shot in the head.

There was a mark from a man's hand on her shoulder, where she was grabbed, and a bruise on her face, where she had been hit. Her wrists bore the marks of bindings. Ramzan Kadyrov, the authoritarian Chechen president, considered her an enemy. And she died as one. She documented hundreds of similar cases in Chechnya, supplying witness statements and photographs, forcing prosecutors to investigate and the media to write about kidnappings, torture and killings, often conducted by people in official uniforms. Much of what the world knew about Chechnya came from her and her colleagues at Memorial, a heroic group which started by documenting Stalinist crimes but continued to trace their modern-day consequences, especially in the Caucasus.

Her murder made few headlines in Russia, which has long been deaf to her findings or deaths such as hers.

We will not be silent. It seems sadly inevitable in retrospect that against the repugnant thuggishness of the Chechnyan wars the earnest call for humanitarianism by Ms. Estemirova and people like her would be met, continually, with gunfire, then -- even more resoundingly -- with silence. Has the West lost its will to stand up to Russia on a non-essential issue like a breakaway republic in the face of nuclear proliferation? Chechnya is clearly not as sexy as "Jon & Kate Plus 8." But it is by the courage of her convictions and the purity of her ideals, however, that we remember Natalia Estemirova as a committed journalist and advocate for human rights. Estemirova was 51 and leaves behind a 15-year-old daughter. May she rest in peace.

This year's Emmy race for lead actress in a drama is particularly rich and the nominees will be revealed (finally) on Thursday, July 16. Women, IMHO, are better actors than men. The Best Actress Oscar is, for me, always more competitive than Best Actor. Television more often than not offers meatier roles for women, particularly women over the age of 40 (who experience ageism, unfortunately, in the movie business. This year there are plenty of seasoned women, young women and women of color in the running. My choices for the best actresses on television this year are: Glenn Close, Sally Field, Anna Paquin, Regina King, Jill Scott and Elizabeth Moss. Who should win the Emmy for lead actress In Drama? If I forgot anyone, please feel free to place your choice in the comments section so we can discuss.

CNN's "Inside Africa" is one of the best shows on television for getting a peek into the inner lives of sub-Saharan Africans who often live in repressive, closed regimes. Recently, the program has focused on Morocco and the effects of the 2004 Moroccan Family Law (Moudawana). After a 20-year battle women's groups in Morocco brilliantly persuaded King Mohammed VI to enact some of the most progressive family legislation in the Arab world. Although the law is not perfect, and there are reports of men circumventing it, the effects on the lives of Moroccan women have been incredible. For example: the minimum age for marriage is now 18 (up from 15). Also: Marriage now has to be certified by a judge, making it more difficult for men to simply abandon their wives. Could this be the model for the empowerment of women throughout the Muslim world?

I was born in Uganda years ago (I won't say how many). The country has been through a lot. My family emigrated to the United States as Idi Amin's bloodthirsty regime imploded in the late '70s. There was civil war afterwards. Hundreds of thousands of Ugandans died as a result. Since 1986, however, President Museveni has brought peace and stability as well as relatively democratic multiparty elections. The press is free. And during the 1990s, per capita income growth averaged 3.2 for the decade (6.9% per annum). Good times.

Although I am not a superstitious person by nature, I take it as a good omen that the first rhino calf was born in Uganda in two decades. The value of rhinoceros horns caused poachers -- unchecked during the civil wars -- to run wild, decimating, in the process, the native population of that majestic animal. The present Ugandan rhino population -- six -- is a sign that things are looking perhaps up for "the pearl of Africa." They have not been able to determine the sex of the calf as of yet. "The calf is three days old, but the mother is too protective. So, it is difficult to get close to them to establish its gender," Angie Genade, the executive director of Rhino Fund Uganda told NewVision.co.uk. Word is that it will be named Barack if it is a male and Michelle if it is a female. How's that for good old American soft power?

According to the latest figures, unemployment is at 9.5%. 614,000 more people applied for unemployment insurance benefits just last week. And India just joined Russia and China in questioning the dollar as the major reserve currency. How about that economy, Jon Stewart? Make us laugh. We dare you.

No one said this was going to be easy, but we must keep our eyes on the prize. The gay marriage issue, which seemed so close only a month ago, is now caught up in the maelstrom that is Albany politics. "I had hoped today's march would have been a bit of a wedding march. It's not," Christine Quinn, the gay speaker of the New York City Council, told Reuters at Sunday's Gay Pride parade in Manhattan.

Some are saying that in the thick of Albany's meltdown, gay marriage in New York might have to wait. Although 42 U.S. states explicitly prohibit gay marriage, Congressman Barney Frank recently predicted that within five years thirty states will have legal civil ceremonies. Frank included New York in his prediction. Gay couples presently can marry in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa and they can marry in New Hampshire in January and in Vermont starting in September, just in time for lovely foliage season. In the last week pressure has been exerted against the President from his progressive base regarding the languid pace of his campaign promises to the gay community. And Obama's listening.

There is reason to be optimistic on gay marriage, even as the New York State Senate dithers. May's Quinnipiac poll showed that the demographics are on the side of gay marriage activists. Survey participants aged 18-34 backed same-sex marriage by a 61-33 margin. Participants 35-54 support it by a 48-44 margin. It was voters 55 and older that oppose gay marriage, 55-37. What does this tell us? "Young people are for this," Quinnipiac University Polling Director Mickey Carroll said. "If the gay advocacy groups are patient, they're going to win." No one said it was going to be easy.

[Image: Monkfish-Abbey.org]