Fighting Absurdity with Absurdity, Lebanese protesters descended to the streets today for the fourth week in a row demanding an end to the sectarian regime which has been in place in Lebanon since 1943.

While protesters throughout the Arab World have in recent months taken to the streets to demand an end to dictatorial regimes, Lebanon is unique because it’s system is, in fact, a type of democracy wherein power is allotted along religious lines so as to give certain religious groups a higher representation than they otherwise have. This all sounds okay in theory, but unfortunately the system was set up (by the French colonizers) to give Maronite Christians a monopoly over power in Lebanon, and the result has been decades of recurring civil strife as Lebanon’s 17 other groups have sought to gain power in accordance with their population.

In recent months, a secularist movement demanding an end to the entire system of classification and giving power along religious lines has sprung up, and so far many tens of thousands of Lebanese have taken part. And many have decided that in order to fight the system of clowns and militia bosses that rules the country, it is necessary to dress as a in a circus!

IMC-Africa Convergence at the opening day demonstrations of the World Social Forum. Feb 6, 2011.

Over 50 people participated in this Indymedia Africa Convergence (which was the 4th Convergence to take place on the continent – 2004-Dakar, 2006-Nairobi, 2007-Bamako), and participants came from 11 different countries in Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Senegal, Guinea), 1 person from Germany and several others from the US.

My experience at the convergence definitely intensified my excitement about radio – and highlighted the importance of recognizing the local relevance of a particular information medium, and adapting to this reality. This past year, I have become really interested in both the technical and production sides of radio. As some of you might know (or listen!!) I began hosting a radio show with my friend Juell, as part of Radiohive Collective in New York. I worked with Clara from Democracy Now! and Newsic (on Radiohive) at the WGXC Prometheus Barnraising to build a 10Watt transmitter which we will soon be pirate broadcasting with. And I have filed several stories with Free Speech Radio News, which broadcasts on over 100 stations across the US. Working with DeeDee Halleck on the Waves of Change project has broadened my understanding of community media globally, and what functions on a local level (In fact, Waves of Change and Deep Dish collaborated with Indymedia to fundraise a good chunk of the budget that allowed more to participate in the convergence – including me!).

But to be able to get to know some of the people that I worked with at the Indymedia Convergence in Dakar, and learn about their local realities, brought my understanding of the importance of radio to another level. I met community radio organizers from Nairobi, Kenya (KOCH FM) and Soweto, South Africa (in particular Molefi Ndlovu from the Center for Civil Society, RASA FM) who work with youth from the slums to expose and discuss issues faced by their communities that are not covered by mainstream media. Molly Stentz from WORT community radio (Madison, WI – !!!) helped organize live radio streaming so that these radio activists from Indymedia chapters in South Africa, Kenya, and others, could connect and discuss their experiences with like-minded Indymedia folk in Madison.

Radio Live Stream with WORT in Madison Wisconsin.

Others that participated in this radio broadcast, and who I spoke with extensively throughout the convergence, included Jean-Baptiste from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who works to end violence against women and youth, in a country where sexual violence is chronic; Charles, a music producer from Zimbabwe who works with hip-hop artists to produce CDs with political messages (Soundz of the South), which are distributed to taxi and bus drivers since government censorship prevents any other form of distribution (stay tuned for Radiohive show next week 3/22, featuring his music and an interview I did with him!). I also had ongoing conversations with Jules, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide about French complicity in the genocide, as well as other ways that France continues to impose its neo-colonial policies throughout francophone Africa.

Alongside Mali Indymedia, and with the guidance of Norm Stockwell (also from WORT community radio in Madison, WI), we also had a workshop in which we built a radio antenna ourselves from materials bought in Dakar (I was one of the people that spearheaded this mission – definitely a challenge to find “SO239 connector” and “step-down transformers” and “coaxial cables” in a french-speaking country, when I know only roughly how to explain those parts and what they do in English).

I also got to meet Stella Chuku, from the Niger Delta in Nigera, who organizes radio shows with women from rural communities that are affected by oil extraction. Stella was also in charge of the cooking crew, which made food for 50 people every day!!! A big topic of conversation was the “peppe” (“pepper”) – Nigerian food was too spicy for many of the delegates, particularly those from Mali…

Stella Chuku and Russell Shoatz from Philly cooking. (photo by Amy Dalton)

Kebetkache Niger Delta Women’s Organization leads a march from the Convergence Center to the World Social Forum. Emem Okun (founder and Executive Director), is on the right.

Dorothy Ejuwa from Ugborodo Women’s Forum in Nigeria, who participated in the take over of the Chevron Oil Tank Farm in 2002.

Windy Grace Mamman and Dorothy Ejuwa opening their first email accounts…! (you can hear Grace in this radio piece!)

All in all, 15 women came from the Niger delta to participate in the IMC Convergence and World Social Forum. I spent a lot of time with them, teaching basic computer literacy, and helping them to open their first email accounts. This is a radio piece I developed based on my interviews with Stella, Grace, and Emem, which aired on Free Speech Radio News across the country for International Women’s Day Centennial (March 8th).

Nigerian women lead the struggle against environmental and social problems caused by oil companies The West-African nation of Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest oil producers, and while the industry has created billions of dollars in revenue it also has led to corruption, repression and devastated the health and environment of many communities. But in the Niger Delta, women are fighting back. FSRN’S Nicole Hummel files this report.

After the convergence, I got to travel with Sphinx and the Mali Indymedi group back to Bamako (capital of Mali) on a 48-hour bus journey across the Sahel to help with setting up a community radio station, which will be managed collectively by several different organizations (including: L’Association Malienne des Expulsés (Association of Malian Deportees), Coalition des Alternatives Africaines Dette et Developpement (Coalition of African Alternatives, Debt and Development), le Mouvement des Sans Voix (Movement of the Voiceless), and others..). The bus journey of over 1,300 km took two full days – we had to spend the night at the Senegal/Mali border because they don’t let people cross past 10pm, and customs forced us to get off the bus and search our bags at each city once we crossed the border. Everyone explained that this is due to AQMI (Al Qaeda branch that is in Northern Mali), which operates a large drug trade throughout the region, but a big part of it also seems to be corruption within the customs enforcement officers.

Mali delegation + Sphinx and Nicole traveling back to Bamako

Baobab Tree!

bags being searched… again.

Once in Bamako, I co-facilitated a workshop with Sphinx called “Demystifying Radio” about the technical explanation of how radio works, and helped interpret from English to French – the workshop was also explained in Bambara, a local language in Mali. I also helped to demonstrate the equipment set-up, and visited some potential sites for the radio with the local groups heading up the project. This week they are beginning pirate broadcasts in Bamako, feeling a sense of urgency to mobilize their constituencies through the radio.

Sphinx and Nicole facilitate “Demystifying Radio” workshop. Mamadou Coulibaly.

When Sphinx and I came back to Senegal before returning home to the US, we met with a bunch of people interested in forming a chapter of Indymedia in Senegal. Among the people involved, is a group of conscious hip-hop artists, Keur Gui, which is mobilizing many Senegalese people demanding the end of corruption in the government, under the head of Abdoulaye Wade. You can hear some of their music in West Africa Simmering . They are planning a huge demonstration on March 19, and see themselves as part of the same popular movements mobilizing for change across the Middle East and North Africa!

Keur Gui street art in Dakar.

Sphinx and I spent a lot of time together as a result of all of this work and travel – and he is a really amazing person! He was a core organizer of the convergence and a long-time Indymedia activist in exile from Cameroon, where he participated in the anti-government students movements of the 1990s. Here is an interview I did with him on Best of Both Worlds:

West Africa Simmering – Best of Both Worlds (Radiohive) From the Indymedia Africa Convergence, to a recent crackdown on hip-hop activists in Senegal, to women fighting back in the Niger Delta, to a new community radio in Mali… Tonight Best of Both Worlds explores the uprising that is simmering West Africa. Tune in for stories from women’s movements in the Niger Delta, music and updates from the musicians/activists of Keur Gui, and an interview with Indymedia’s Sphinx. Featuring music from the Lijadu Sisters (Nigeria) and Keur Gui (Kaolack, Senegal).

Soooo…!!! I’m still processing a lot of this experience, but it has already impacted my work. First of all, I feel a renewed sense of drive in the organizing and reporting work that I do. I also gained a lot of clarity into my identity as a white person from a wealthy country, and the role I can play in fostering solidarity as opposed to doing charity work. This focus on solidarity v. charity is based on an intentional critique of the NGO model that is rampant in Africa, which tends to be imposed in a top-down and controlled by the north. The solidarity model comes from a focus on supporting and collaborating with community-based groups and social movements that are community-driven.

LOVE + SOLIDARITY,

Nicole

Some other links:

http://imc-africa.mayfirst.org – the website built for the convergence that continues to be updated by all participants, includes audio, video, photos, and written reflections…

http://houston.indymedia.org/news/2011/03/72485.php – Nick from IMC Houston interviews me about the Indymedia Convergence in Dakar, especially looking at the radio in Africa, programming/logistics of the convergence, and workshops we had.

“But with your help, I finally figure out the interesting map of the sound of “the bird” (ger), it seems to me that from Egypt it is a hard “GA“, then it gets softer as it goes north and east. In Yemen, in the south the also say “Ga” (already softer).  In Greece, it is “Ge“………  Then in the middle of Yemen from a region called Ibb/Taiz (where most of the emigrant from Yemen are originated because lack of enough farm land for the population, many of them emigrated to other countries), this people actually have a very interesting sound of “gi-ch” (a mixed of the two sound, you have to hear it), then in classic Yemen Arabic, it is of course the “ج” (gim/jim = jer) then we learned in ”fusha”, then as you told me, in Persian you have this “ﭺ” (che) sound……….. and then as you go east further into China, it became “jerk” again in the north China, and when it goes to S. China, my region, then it became “tje” for bird and “Gai” for chicken, sort of similar to Egypt again.  Very interesting!

So how on earth I can write this down?  But you can see a map here, a big circle when the sound made a full return to its origin……  or if the sound came in the middle (around Sumeria), it spread east (to China) and west (to Egypt) and ended up the same way????  I do not want to say who is first or last (human ego is very delicate), but the thing is that it seemed like a record of how human beings learning how to make sounds!!!  How to control our muscles like a child learning how to talk!!!!

“Dj” (in heiroglyph) and “GA” (colloquial Egyptian) –> “Ga” –> “Ge” –> “gi-ch” –> “jer” –> “che” –> “jerk” –> (Chin) “tje” (bird) / “Gai” (chicken) as in “dijeje/digaga” (Chicken in different accents of Arabic)

This is the same form between ancient Chinese drawing of exactly a bird, which ended up now like this “隹” (short tail bird – see its wing?)  or “鳥“ (long tailed bird – see the long tail) and another simplified form of the bird shape “乙” and Arabic “ج” (the dot was added much later) the form of a bird.   The island (al-jezeera) is the long tailed bird on a hill/rock “ger” (bird on) “sahra” (rock) = 島

And as I said in Chinese all words of “ga”thering carries a “bird” as 雥 / 雦 / 集 (3 birds or 1 bird on tree top) (sound “jaap” = gather, collect, jam together) and of course all Arabic words as well like in “جمع“  “مسجد” “جامع” “جامعة“ (jamah, jama’, masjid, jama’) from gather to University to mosque, all are places of “congregation”, like the gregarious birds, congruent!!!  When we write, we put the “bird” inside as a sound, and symbol and to imitate reality as a picture!!

Conjugal is marriage by joining the two, in Chinese it was expressed as 雔 (2 birds together = jugal/jam) and it carried in Chinese the sound of “zau (jau)” like Arabic “زوج” (zawag), see the bird is also there!!!  And the Egyptians said “جوز” (gawz), the bird also there, but did you notice it is a reverse of the arabic alphabets?  And in Chinese in another love bird, we also have the same sound!!  In Greek, since the Arabic “Jim” was the “Gamma” (harder J), the marriage is “Gamos”.  Same system!!

And the Egyptian ”جوز” (gawz) marriage, is the word the Arabs used for passport “جوز” (jauwaz – same spelling, different pronunciation) has the bird because it was link to the pilgrims, it was understood as a flock of birds like the peregrine (a falcon like bird) flying every year to its sacred destination!!

See how important the observation of birds in forming languages and writings?  That is why the ancient Egyptian god of writing was Thoth, a bird, and as I told you the ancient Chinese book also talked about our legendary inventor of writing did so by the observation of the foot prints of the animals and birds!!!  Pedigree!!

“Grue” in Latin is the crane, the “Gerano” in Greek.  And Pedigree is the feet (ped) of the “grue” (crane), the 3 toes which we used to draw a family tree……. we followed the feet of our ancestor, represented by this “auspicious bird” which later linked with a “stork” (looks similar) which brings the baby every years (as legend goes every where, including China).   The family line also has the other image of a 3-ply thread, like the 3 toes of the bird……….

Every alphabet had been a picture, then it became stylised as a symbol, then it became a phoneme (a sound sign), then we use it blindly as “alphabets”!!  So when we “spell” a word, we are still drawing all the elements as pictures inside a word!!  So to say!

It is fascinating how close the way we think in ancient times and how similar the sounds were, so was there really ONE language?  I guess (this is my guess) human as an ape, started as sign and body language, then we actually learn to speak bit by bit like a child………… language history is how human learnt to control the muscles of our mouths, tongues, lips, teeth…….. bit by bit.  And as times goes by we speak with more skill and more speed!!   We distinguished many sounds are we are proud of it, it became a competition, see how Arabs are proud of their confusing 4 “h”s?????  I found out every single “H” in Chinese we have exactly the same sound in one word meaning exactly the same thing!!!  But since we are not based on consonants and alphabets, we just don’t care if you do not speak it so “rightly” as long as we understand what you say!

In the Bible, there were story that when a group tried to identified their enemy, they forced every passers-by to pronounce a certain consonant, because at that time certain group could not dominate a sound………. those who could not pronounced that sound revealed that he was not a member of a group, they might be killed because of that………….  (like many Chinese until now cannot say “R”, they will only say “L”, unless they were trained as a child in another language).

Language and writing became a tool of “separation” instead of “communication”, because that was a weapon we used to distinguish people, that was a weapon we used to “spy” and convey secret messages……….   The Tower of Babel is in a true sense, because of economic and political benefit, different groups of people started to use symbols and language as a tool to exclude those who they didn’t want to include in their plan.  Interestingly, I started to research in a tool of communication and I found out that people actually use a lot of effort to hide things inside their writings so the other could not understand………….  very interesting!!

tracking the "g" sound across continents

Virginia Woolf, Three Guineas, 1938.

“Mini-Mubarak” is the latest label being thrown at Walker, who has infuriated labor unions with a proposal to end collective bargaining for state employees. Protesters in the state capitol are vehemently opposing Walker’s effort. Walker has said that he will not negotiate with unions because the state is “broke” and has nothing to offer.

Walker told the Associated Press last week that state National Guard “is prepared to respond if there is any unrest among state employees.” The statement has caused an outcry by union supporters, who claim it as a threat of physical violence to stop protests.

Michael Moore writes, via his website, “Justice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere” and quotes a Wisconsin protester’s sign proclaiming, “Down with dictators!”

Nothing is the same!

We are witnessing a new reality!

The martyrs are being avenged!

How small are our lives in the face of history…

And yet how much power we hold in our hands.

“

Fuck Israel. Fuck Hamas. Fuck Fatah. Fuck UN. Fuck UNWRA. Fuck USA! We, the youth in Gaza, are so fed up with Israel, Hamas, the occupation, the violations of human rights and the indifference of the international community! We want to scream and break this wall of silence, injustice and indifference like the Israeli F16’s breaking the wall of sound; scream with all the power in our souls in order to release this immense frustration that consumes us because of this fucking situation we live in; we are like lice between two nails living a nightmare inside a nightmare, no room for hope, no space for freedom.

We are sick of being caught in this political struggle; sick of coal dark nights with airplanes circling above our homes; sick of innocent farmers getting shot in the buffer zone because they are taking care of their lands; sick of bearded guys walking around with their guns abusing their power, beating up or incarcerating young people demonstrating for what they believe in; sick of the wall of shame that separates us from the rest of our country and keeps us imprisoned in a stamp-sized piece of land; sick of being portrayed as terrorists, homemade fanatics with explosives in our pockets and evil in our eyes; sick of the indifference we meet from the international community, the so-called experts in expressing concerns and drafting resolutions but cowards in enforcing anything they agree on; we are sick and tired of living a shitty life, being kept in jail by Israel, beaten up by Hamas and completely ignored by the rest of the world.

…

We are youth with heavy hearts. We carry in ourselves a heaviness so immense that it makes it difficult to us to enjoy the sunset. How to enjoy it when dark clouds paint the horizon and bleak memories run past our eyes every time we close them? We smile in order to hide the pain. We laugh in order to forget the war. We hope in order not to commit suicide here and now. During the war we got the unmistakable feeling that Israel wanted to erase us from the face of the earth. During the last years Hamas has been doing all they can to control our thoughts, behaviour and aspirations. We are a generation of young people used to face missiles, carrying what seems to be a impossible mission of living a normal and healthy life, and only barely tolerated by a massive organization that has spread in our society as a malicious cancer disease, causing mayhem and effectively killing all living cells, thoughts and dreams on its way as well as paralyzing people with its terror regime. Not to mention the prison we live in, a prison sustained by a so-called democratic country.”

More here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gaza-Youth-Breaks-Out-GYBO/118914244840679?v=info