Day 4: Cloud up violence | The power of words

In Day 4, explore the power of words and cloud tags...and here's one for pagol nari blog done with a different tag cloud tool...ironically many of these words-tags attract male readers around the world who are looking for "girls, mobile numbers, sex, hotels" etc in Bangladesh (that's another post!).


also be sure to check out the ongoing posts on narijibon.blogspot.com, or individual blogs such as Ahona's and her graphics!

Day 2: in memory of Rahela-- Change what is heard, and learned

On Day 2, a hat tip to the Nari Jibon bloggers! You can read four excellent posts from Day 1 and the next generation of Bangladeshi shakti nari bloggers starting with computer teacher Taslima's post (also cross posted in Techna Tara) and three students' posts: Zannat, Tondra, and Nipa.

Today I want to give some links on Rahela--tortured, brave garment worker who died a month later from her injuries-assault in late summer 2004, but not before she named her abusers and spoke up from her gurney. Yet, Bangladeshi legal authorities did not pursue her case, allowed one main suspect to disappear into India, and "lost" evidence. Yet last fall 2007, Bangladeshi bloggers posted on her case, got another hearing in January 2008, and through demonstrations and continued coverage in newspapers (Bangla and English--New Age, Independent among others), got the authorities to pursue her case and get it rapid trial status...where it seems to be languishing in the run-up to the 28 December election (also delayed for two years).

You can read more in my friend Nadine Murshid's summary article on Rahela article in Samar May 2008 and view assorted video clips from Channel i on Rahela speaking and later Bangladesh activism:

original Youtube and see Rahela speaking from her hospital gurney: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoXNL-xijeg

March 2008 Updates

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idkc12a6AuI
Manobbondhon-1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCeV84Imu7E

31st March report with Manobbondhon 2 in Srimangal/Sylhet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEEkRCOogcY

update in Bangla blog somewherein

Aparna Ray gives September 2008 update in Global Voices, Bangla Blogs are Keeping Rahela Alive (in English and multiple languages) [maf korben Aparna for missing this].

and join-see also Justice for Rahela cause-page in Facebook.

Hopefully 2008 will end with justice for Rahela or in 2009!

along with all the other garment worker Rahelas in the world, in Ciudad Juarez, Honduras, EPZs, among others...who are keeping their economies afloat while being disrespected, eve-teased, assaulted, raped, murdered and/or disappeared on their way to and from their factory work.

Las Panchas

Last Friday, I went up to Los Laureles,a colonia on the mountain outside of El Progreso with several others (OYE's director y translator, Sandra Erika Gómez Osorio, two facilitators, and Mr. Nando--skilled driver) via rutted roads as we searched for las baleadas- a typical Honduran snack--but settled for soda and crackers, only. As we climbed up the mountain road, we passed many concrete block houses--finished and unfinished--and many neighborhood pulperias--small grocery stores-markets.

We arrived at an open air after school program of Las Panchas--a group of young women who are using video as a tool to raise social consciousness among themselves, families, and communities on subjects such as environment, drug abuse, and life. The members gradually drifted in, picked up name tags, signed in, and we started the meeting. The oldest Las Panchas--Leticia--videotaped the meeting and proceedings.

I shared photos of the Nari Jibon Project videobloggers and talked a bit about the Nari Jibon programme in Bangladesh. Las Panchas asked many questions about Bangladesh including questions about the bloggers clothes, burkhas, teen age pregnancy, dowry among other things. Although the weather and temperatures are nearly the same between Bangladesh and Honduras in December, the differences in clothing were quite apparent especially given the three piece salwar kameez and burkha of the Nari Jibon bloggers in contrast to the tight capri, jeans, and t-shirts of Las Panchas and in religion--Muslim and Catholic. At the same time, I recognized the same sly glances, whispers, and behaviours that I have seen at Nari Jibon project when young women must sit and listen to an older foreigner-gringa talk. I explained that we were very interested in sharing pictures with one another over time.




The two psychology and sociology students --Yalena and Jorge-- who facilitated the meeting, talked about developing trust with one another and group dynamics for Las Panchas. The members talked earnestly and at times with tears as they sorted through their conflicts. This session ended with two songs by Jorge, soda, and crackers.


I shared some pens from my Carbondale bank--First Southern Bank-- and some small toiletries from my travels--a form of socio-emotional cleansing as conveyed by apt translator, Sandra and I provided translation of the contents on request.

As the meeting ended, a group of Las Panchas took me to the back of the building where one tried out her 'Asalaam Malikum' and then posed for a photo.

I also took a picture of video operator, Leticia and her two daughters.

We headed back down the mountain around 5pm--very slowly over rutted roads--and sped back into El Progreso...for me to contemplate what I had seen and heard...and resolve to work more on my Spanish before my next trip to Honduras....

Post Cyclone Sidr coverage by/of Nari Jibon Bloggers

Bhalo korechen (well-done) to Nari Jibon students and staff bloggers and their English & Bangla blog & photo coverage of the Cyclone Sidr and relief efforts. For an overview of their blogging, personal stories, and links, see Rezwan's In the eye of the storm: Bangladeshi bloggers speak

As you can imagine, I am very proud of them, especially when they came to the Nari Jibon office in Dhaka on Saturday, 17 Nov, not quite 48 hours after the Cyclone Sidr stormed across Bangladesh and left the office-classes without electricity or internet connections. And they came for English and other classes and started handwriting their stories in English and Bangla, went out and talked with people and took photos, uploaded their stories and photos when the power & internet came on a few days later, and now they are accessible via the Internet to you.

Consider making a Sidr donation. Rumi tells of the sad story of Eachi’r Ma and her late daughter, and also encourages you to donate to the Sidr compensation fund to be set up via United Bangladesh Appeal, to provide funds to survivors. If you prefer another venue, check out the links in previous posts and making a donation for relief efforts, which will be going on for a long time.

If you are interested in knowing more about Nari Jibon Project, you can click on the links on the lower right side-blue box of your screen and/also the important link--donation--these young women and staff with support for their computer, language, tailoring, and training activities. They take classes in English, Computers, Bangla and Tailoring--all for nominal fees--and have access to the secure Nari-only cyber cafe (along with other women customers). Consider giving a donation-gift in your own or someone's name so that a meritorious but poor female can take a class, have safe transportation, and class supplies (a list of needs-donations-gifts is available on request, but uploaded soon at www.narijibonusa.org).

Day 5-Women Bloggers Make and Broadcast the Message Against VAW

The digital divide and VAW has often meant that women did not have access to the internet, video, and related media much less the tools to make and upload these media. When they did have access, they were often confronted with less than positive images. Now more women and male allies are making their own videos and media clips and posting on popular sites.

For example, in the Justice for Rahela campaign & other cross- posts this fall, a Youtube video on Rahela made available many video and visual images of Rahela as she struggled to live and name her assailants in the month before she died in September 2004. Many of us had never seen her before except in maybe a newspaper clip.

Thanks to a blogging grant from Global Voices-Rising Voices, computer and english students & staff at Nari Jibon Project (and four other locations) have had the opportunity to and learn how to write blog posts and also to use digital and video cameras. To date, they have posted video on the Bangladesh floods, & a homeless woman who gave birth in a garage and pictures of street girls, beggars, slum women rebuilding after Cyclone Sidr, including a mother nursing her child born during Cyclone Sidr, among other images. This past week, Computer Teacher Taslima (brown burkha) gave a digital camera and video training workshop for blogging students and staff (see stories and photos).

As their skills grow, I hope to see more blogs and video blogs on their perspectives as young women growing up and finding their way through the streets, schools, and lives amidst eve-teasing and VAW prevalent in Bangladesh (and elsewhere, too). Meanwhile I will scramble to keep up with their advances in technology and blogging.

Finally, I will leave you with a very haunting video with some [warning graphic-disturbing] photos of violence from the 1971 liberation war and the song, Bangladesh, as sung by Joan Baez. These words-song always move me (to tears) and to step up my efforts to end suffering where ever it may occur. Please see also the Drishtipat on Women of 1971, their campaign for restitution from Pakistan, and their varied experiences and stories as freedom fighters, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, students and children, including the thousands of Bangladeshi women raped by Pakistani soldiers and collaborators).