Mar 26, 2009

"Race Culture and Society" A public talk marking Black History Month at McMaster University organized by the African Caribbean Students Association and the African Students Association.
Watch video of the talks

Race Culture and Society

3/26/2009 08:26:00 PM , , ,

Mar 25, 2009

Should an institution dedicated to the study of peace be providing a forum for a “man of war” to express his views on war? This is a question that I have been confronted with in recent weeks following my decision in my capacity as Director of the Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University to invite Brigadier-General Thompson of the Canadian Armed Forces to our campus for a talk on the Afghanistan war.

I don’t really think that a University as an academic institution should be justifying its invitation to an individual to debate topical issues. This is exactly what universities are for. Even where we do not agree with the views expressed by others, we have a responsibility to provide an intellectual space to engage and interrogate their ideas.

As an academic discipline dedicated to the study of conflict and conflict transformation, Peace Studies should be engaged with all perspectives on the subject of war and peace. An increasing number of students in Peace Studies programs in many universities including ours are active-duty military personnel who have come to Peace Studies with the hope that it can have some relevance to their chosen careers.

Besides, Brigadier-General Thompson is eminently qualified to speak not only on the subject of war but also on the subject of Peace. Apart from his recent posting as commander of Canadian and NATO Forces in Afghanistan, h hase served in the Canadian Foreign Affairs ministry as Director of Peacekeeping Policy. His insights on Canada’s role in international peace building will be particularly relevant to our students. As several scholars have pointed out, security is integral to sustainable Peace building in post-conflict societies.

Our commitment to peace should include a willingness to be open to ideas and providing an intellectual space to debate them even when we do not agree with them.

Of Peace Studies and “Men of War”

3/25/2009 09:21:00 PM , , ,

Mar 21, 2009

Obama’s message to the Iranian people marks a refreshing break from the adversarial and belligerent rhetoric that has characterized US-Iranian relations for over three decades. Hopefully this marks a small but significant first step in breaking the cycle of distrust and cynicism that has undermined peaceful and cordial relations between these to countries for so long.

President Obama Message to the Iranian People

3/21/2009 07:28:00 PM , ,

Mar 20, 2009

Eliminating Racial Discrimination: The Need for Vigilance
Bonny Ibhawoh

Remarks at the Forum Marking the United Nations Designated “International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination” Organized by the Hamilton Police Services, Hamilton Spectator Auditorium, Hamilton, 19 March 2009

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws".

On March 21, 1960 the Sharpeville massacre occurred when the PAC (Pan Africanist Congress) organized a peaceful protest in which black Africans burnt the pass books which restricted them from going in certain areas. What had started as a peaceful protest soon became violent when the South African police opened fire on the black civilians. 69 people were killed and 178 wounded by police during the violence. Remembering this troubled origin of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is important because it underscores the devastating implications of racist policies and the need for concerted global action to eliminate them.

Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the United Nations General Assembly called on states and the international community to re-commit themselves to the efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.

The Declaration “affirms the necessity of speedily eliminating racial discrimination throughout the world in all its forms and manifestations and of securing understanding of and respect for the dignity of the human person.”

It asserts that “any doctrine of superiority based on racial differentiation is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous, and that there is no justification for racial discrimination, in theory or in practice, anywhere.” It states that “the existence of racial barriers is repugnant to the ideals of any human society.”

The efforts to eliminate racism cannot be left to states alone. There is urgent and continued need for some form of international Monitoring and Enforcement, not only of racism and discrimination in dictatorships and authoritarian regimes but also of Western democratic societies. Even democratic societies need to be reminded of their international human rights obligation to work towards eliminating racism.

The UN has taken some important initiatives against racism and xenophobia.

1. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) is the body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by its State parties. All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented. Although like most UN bodies, it has no enforcement powers wars the committee can make its “concerns and recommendations” about racial discrimination known to the State parties. The committee also has performs its monitoring functions by examining individual and inter-state complaints about racial discrimination.

2. Another commendable initiative is the creation of the position of Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

3. The World Conference against Racism (WCAR) which are international events organized by the UNESCO to highlight, confront and eliminate racist ideologies, policies and behaviors. Three conferences have been held so far, in 1978, 1983 and 2001. The next conference is planned for 2009 in Durban, South Africa. Canada, Israel, the United States of America, Italy and Australia have announced they will not participate in the conference on the basis of difference in views regarding outcome documents of the conference.

Need for continued Vigilance and Advocacy
In January 2008 Canada announced that it has withdrawn its support for the 2009 UN anti-racism conference in South Africa. According to secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity. Jason Kenney, the Durban II conference “has gone completely off the rails” and Canada wants no part of it, said Jason Kenney, secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity. “Canada is interested in combatting racism, not promoting it,” Mr. Kenney said. “We'll attend any conference that is opposed to racism and intolerance, not those that actually promote racism and intolerance.”

True, at the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban there was some concern that Arab and Muslim countries ganged up in their criticisms of Israel. Israel and the United States walked out in protest; the Liberal government of the day remained in an effort to decry the attacks. This to me is what Canada role should be playing in these circumstances. Rather than blindly taking a rejectionist position as the Americans are wont to do, Canada's unique place should to engage and highlight the problems with the conference with a view to making it more constructive. Simply walking away should not be the first or only option. It marginalizes Canada and compromises its long tradition of engaged diplomacy shaped by diplomats like Lester Pearson and the country's role as a mediator and bridge builder even in the most contentious international issues and conflict.

As Canadians, it is our responsibility to insist that our elected leaders continue to pursue the middle road of constructive engagement particularly on an issue as important as racism and xenophobia. As Thomas Jefferson stated, "eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." The struggles against racism and xenophobia on both the domestic and international fronts are linked to our collective liberty and only our eternal vigilance protects that liberty.

Thank you

Eliminating Racial Discrimination: The Need for Vigilance

3/20/2009 11:55:00 PM , , ,

Mar 16, 2009



This is a video I use often in my undergraduate class on “African Diaspora” to mixed reviews. Some students like it because it captures the pain and injustice of African American experience in the Jim Crow era. Others think the imagery of lynching is too strong and find it disturbing. I think it has a place in the classroom.

Legend has it that Billy Holiday who had a troubled life as an artiste and ultimately died of a drug overdose in 1959 often found it difficult to sing this song and resorted to taking hard drugs before performing the song. (Don’t quote me on this….just urban legend). It is also ironic that “Strange Fruit” was penned not by an African American but began as a poem written by a Jewish high-school teacher from the Bronx, New York about the lynching of two black men. This is a testament to the historic solidarity between Jewish Americans and African-Americans born out of a common experience of persecution and alienation (You can quote me on that).

Billy Holiday “Strange Fruit”

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

Billy Holiday "Strange Fruit"

3/16/2009 12:01:00 AM , , , ,

Mar 15, 2009



I consider Thelonious Monk one of the most important jazz musicians and composers of all time. Yet, I am often surprised that many jazz enthusiasts know little about him. Born at the turn of the last century, his unique improvisational style brought new vigor to jazz piano in the 50s and 60s. His improvisation was not limited to his music. Even his style of playing the piano was unique. In this video, his piano playing defies everything I learned in my rudimentary piano class – hands and fingers crisscross awkwardly to hit keys. Note too that he sitting on a chair rather than the traditional pianist bench. The quintessential iconoclast! Yet, the music that emerges is timeless and one for the ages. It radiates peace and tranquility. This composition is called “Blue Monk.” Enjoy!

THELONIOUS MONK - Blue Monk

3/15/2009 11:35:00 PM

Mar 11, 2009

Sudan's president Omar al-Bashir on has become the first sitting head of state to be charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrant for Sudan's Bashir for a range of crimes, including the deliberate attempt to destroy ethnic groups deemed to be supporting rebel factions in Sudan's troubled Darfur region.

"He is suspected of being criminally responsible ... for intentionally directing attacks against an important part of the civilian population of Darfur, Sudan; murdering, exterminating, raping, torturing, and forcibly transferring large numbers of civilians, and pillaging their property.”

Although most observers have welcomed this decision, some have questioned whether this was the right decision to take under the circumstance and whether this was the right time to do so. A few have even raised the familiar and time worn concerns about neo-colonialism and cultural imperialism. Those concerns have their place and it is not here!

There can be no doubt that the indictment of President Bashir is a welcome development for the cause of human rights and social justice. True, the immediate consequence of the ICC’s indictment has been the expulsion of hundreds of NGO workers who provide important services to the people of Darfur blighted by years of war and government persecution. The impact will clearly be more hardship for these people. But even as we survey the immediate drawbacks, we must take a long term perspective.

The indictment of Sudan’s Bashir and the recent conviction of Sierra Leonean rebels for war crimes sends a clear and important message to dictators and warlords around the world. It marks a significant step in challenging authoritarian impunity and the wanton disregard for international human laws by political leaders. I agree with my friend Dr Paul Zelaza when he states:

“The indictment of President Omar al-Bashir and the issuance of a warrant of arrest by the ICC today marks an important milestone in the quest for justice for the people of Sudan as a whole, and not only the immediate victims of the violations in Darfur.”

In the days ahead, it will be interesting to see how the ICC and the international community follow up on this indictment. Will the international community bow to President Basirs’s show of bravado and or will they resolute and insistent on the cause of justice and human rights?
Read more….

World court issues arrest warrant for Sudan's Bashir
http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0305/p90s01-woaf.html

Dr. Paul Zeleza, “The Indictment of the Sudanese President: Justice or Neo-colonialism?”
http://zeleza.com/blogging/u-s-affairs/indictment-sudanese-president-justice-or-neo-colonialism

Darfur, ICC And The New Humanitarian Order By Mahmood Mamdani
http://zeleza.com/blogging/african-affairs/darfur-icc-and-new-humanitarian-order-mahmood-mamdani

Darfur: On the ICC’s indictment of Sudan's Bashir

3/11/2009 08:47:00 PM ,

Feb 25, 2009

Like the proverbial gold fish, war criminals who engage in gross human rights violations with impunity will soon find there are no more hiding places for them on God’s earth. These are welcome development and one can only hope that the momentum is sustained.
Sierra Leone rebel leaders guilty of war crimes

By CLARENCE ROY-MACAULAY
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) - Feb 25, 2009
The rebels were known for asking their victims if they preferred "long sleeves" or "short sleeves." They then cut off the hands of those who chose the first option and the full arm of those that picked the second. On Wednesday, an international court modeled after the Nuremberg tribunal convicted three top Sierra Leone rebel leaders of crimes against humanity — the closest thing to justice in this West African nation of amputees, orphans and widows.

Revolutionary United Front leader Issa Sesay and one of his battlefield commanders Morris Kallon were found guilty on 16 of 18 counts, including mutilation, terrorism, rape, forced marriage, sexual slavery and the enlistment of child soldiers. Another commander, Augustine Gbao, was found guilty on 14 of the 18 counts.

All three had pleaded not guilty and shook their heads as the verdict was read. About a half-million people were victims of killings, systematic mutilation and other atrocities during Sierra Leone' 11-year civil war, which ended in 2002. Illicit diamond sales fueled the conflict, dramatized by the 2006 film "Blood Diamond," starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Rebels controlled the diamond fields and used the sale of the gem to buy guns. The rebels were allegedly trained and backed by Charles Taylor, the warlord of neighboring Liberia. For over a decade, the rebels roamed Sierra Leone's jungles, raiding villages, vying for control of the nation's diamond fields.....

Read more here....

Day of Reckoning for Sierra Leone War Criminals

2/25/2009 10:52:00 PM , , ,

Feb 17, 2009

After so many false starts, it is gratifying to see that those responsible for the Cambodian genocide (the forgotten genocide) are finally facing justice. Justice may have been unduly delayed but hopefully, in this case it will be not denied entirely. It serves as a reminder to those rulers and warlords who kill, main and torture with impunity that in the new international human rights order, there will be no hiding place

"Killing Fields" torturer on trial in Cambodia
Reuters; February 17, 2009
By Darren Schuettler

The chief Khmer Rouge torturer went on trial for crimes against humanity on Tuesday, the first case involving a senior Pol Pot cadre three decades after the end of a regime blamed for 1.7 million deaths in Cambodia. Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch and ex-commandant of the notorious S-21 prison, sat impassively in a blue shirt as a judge read the opening statements in court.

Hundreds of victims of Khmer Rouge atrocities lined up to get into court, but the proceedings are mostly procedural, with the main trial starting in March and a verdict due by September. Vann Nath, an artist, managed to get a seat near Duch. He was one of only a handful of people to survive S-21, saved because he was chosen to paint portraits of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. "This is the day we have waited for 30 years. But I don't know if it will end my suffering," he told reporters during a break in the hearing.

Duch, now a born-again Christian, expressed remorse on the eve of his trial by the "Killing Fields" court set up to prosecute "those most responsible" for the 1975-79 reign of terror, one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. "He said to the victims, 'I ask your forgiveness, I ask your forgiveness'," French lawyer Francois Roux told Reuters Television after visiting his client at a detention centre near the specially built court outside the Cambodian capital. The trial marks a turning point for the strife-torn country where nearly every family lost someone under the Khmer Rouge.

Read more here….

http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2009/02/17/asia/OUKWD-UK-CAMBODIA-ROUGE.php

"Killing Fields" torturer on trial in Cambodia

2/17/2009 12:22:00 AM , ,

Feb 16, 2009

This is something that many human rights scholars and observers have suspected all along – that the US "war on terror" has served to weaken and erode the global human rights advances that have been achieved in the past five decades since WW II. By my own estimation the so-called “war on terror” has taken global the human rights back at least 3 decades. It will be a hard and challenging task to undo all the damage that has been done.

I personally think that the human rights community could have done a lot more to counter the fear-mongering and warped logic advanced by the Bush team to justify their war on terror in the court of public opinion. “Eternal vigilance”, they say, “is the price of liberty.” We should be ready and willing to pay that price to protect the gains in human rights that many have worked so hard and sacrificed so much to achieve

US 'war on terror' eroded rights worldwide - experts
16 Feb 2009; Source: Reuters
By Laura MacInnis GENEVA, Feb 16 (Reuters)

Washington's "war on terror" after the Sept. 11 attacks has eroded human rights worldwide, creating lingering cynicism that the United Nations must now combat, international law experts said on Monday.

Mary Robinson, who was the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights when al Qaeda militants flew hijacked planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001, said the United States caused harm with some of the ways it responded. "Seven years after 9/11 it is time to take stock and repeal abusive laws and policies," the former Irish president said, warning that harsh U.S. detentions and interrogations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba gave a dangerous signal to other countries that could easily follow suit.

While new U.S. President Barack Obama has announced he will close Guantanamo to break from the practices of his predecessor George W. Bush, Robinson said sweeping changes needed to take place to ensure Washington abandons its "war paradigm". "There has been severe damage and it needs to be addressed," she told a news conference in Geneva. "We are not more secure. We are more divided, and people are more cynical about the operation of laws."

Read more here…..
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LG633039.htm

US 'war on terror' eroded rights worldwide - experts

2/16/2009 11:44:00 PM , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

 
GIAZILO © 2015 Templateism.com