PUBLICATIONS
Occupied with Nonviolence: A Palestinian Woman Speaks, Jean Zaru, Augsburg Press, 2008
Jean Zaru, the long-time activist and Quaker leader from Ramallah, here brings home the pain and central convictions that animate Christian non-violence and activity today.
Zaru vividly paints the complex realities faced by all parties in Palestine – Jews and Muslims and Christians, Israelis and Palestinians, women and men. Yet even as Zaru eloquently names the common misunderstandings of the history, present situation, and current policies of the parties there, she vividly articulates an alternative: a religiously motivated nonviolent path to peace and justice in the world's most troubled region. (Taken from the Augsburg Press website)
www.augsburgfortress.org/store/item.jsp
A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation, Naim Stifan Ateek, Orbis Books, 2008
An analysis of the conflict over land between Palestine and Israel by a Palestinian Christian Arab who is also a citizen of Israel.
From the text: 'The background is clear … [Jerusalem] has been conquered and re-conquered more than 37 times. The latest conquest in 1967 was by the Israeli army. After the war Israel 'took in' not only the 5 square kilometers of Arab East Jerusalem – but also 65 square kilometres of surrounding open country and villages, most of which never had any municipal link to Jerusalem. Overnight they became part of Israel's 'eternal and indivisible capital'. The history of Jerusalem has been written with blood.'
The first part of this sequel to 'Justice and Only Justice' (Orbis) focuses on events since the Intifada of 1987, including the violence that has come from Israel's aggression and from the use of suicide bombers by Palestinians. The second part of the book draws on scripture, lifting up biblical figures such as Samson, Jonah, Daniel and Jesus as it examines issues of ownership of the land. In the final section, Ateek presents a strategy to achieve peace and justice nonviolently that will promote justice for the Palestinians and security for both Israel and Palestine.
Rev. Dr Naim Stifan is the founder of Sabeel, an ecumenical centre in Jerusalem that uses a theological approach to work for liberation for Palestinians. (Taken from the Orbis Books website)
www.maryknollsocietymall.org/description.cfm
50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade, Miles Litvinoff and John Madeley, Pluto Press, 2007
Reviewed by Associate Helen Boothroyd:
Before I moved to Darlington in 2008, I was heavily involved in the Fair Trade movement in Cumbria, serving on the steering groups of Cumbria Fair Trade Network and Brampton Fair Trade Town. I was often called upon to give talks to a wide variety of groups about what Fair Trade is and the reasons for supporting it. This is the book I wish that I had read then, the perfect resource for developing a talk on Fair Trade; but alas I have only recently done so!
This excellent book is both the best explanation I have encountered of what Fair Trade means, and the most compelling and convincing argument I have ever come across as to why we should all be buying Fair Trade products more and more across the whole range of our shopping choices.
The book does what it says on the cover. In fifty short chapters it provides the reader with example after example, story after story as to how and why buying Fair Trade products makes an enormous difference to the lives of millions of people in South World countries. It tells the stories of individuals and communities in their own words, providing first-hand testimony of the way that Fair Trade has provided adequate food, access to healthcare and the chance of education to families that had previously lacked these basic human rights as a direct result of the injustices of global trade. The authors also provide clear explanations and statistics to back up all their examples, and compellingly make the case that Fair Trade is a matter of justice and solidarity rather than charity.
The book explicitly and effectively counters all the widely publicised arguments of right-wing think tanks, such as the Adam Smith Institute, against Fair Trade, and sets Fair Trade clearly in the wider context of the Trade Justice Movement. It is one of the most encouraging books that I have read in a very long time; thoroughly realistic yet relentlessly positive. It reaffirmed my faith in the power of individual and collective action to bring about real transformation.
Although I believed that I knew a lot about Fair Trade before reading this book, I still learnt a number of new and empowering facts; for example, I was not previously aware that a variety of distinctive Fair Trade furniture ranges are now available in the UK; from coffee tables to dining room suites to garden furniture. The appendices provide a particularly helpful reference guide to Fair Trade shops and suppliers in the UK; Fairtrade towns, cities, countries and zones; and Fair Trade organisations around the world.
If you are involved in any way in Fair Trade campaigning, or if you want to be able to explain the reasons why you buy Fair Trade clearly to family and friends or a wider audience, I recommend this book most highly.
Helen Boothroyd
MUSIC
The soundtrack of the Western world (these days) is a pallid popular music rooted in the shallow soil of celebrity culture. Instead, sample some deeply-rooted music from Pakistan and Nigeria:
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who died in 1997, was a Pakistani musician and singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis. To listen to a clip of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan singing Qawwali – a music that ranges from the quietly philosphical to the dizzyingly ecstatic – go to You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8JuNTLBEeo
To order Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's music, go to Peter Gabriel's New World Records:
www.realworldrecords.com
For a still deeply soulful, but funkier, more political music, check out Fela Kuti.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti ('Fela'), who also died in 1997, was a musician, composer, human rights activist and politician. Fela and his music challenged the Powers in Nigeria and beyond. 'Music is the weapon of the future,' he said. Listen to his song 'Army Arrangement' on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URRtk4OQCY4
To purchase Fela's collection 'The Best of The Black President':
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002ZZ2P/ref=olp_product_details
There's a whole world of sounds, colours, smells, tastes and experience out there, though corporations and governments would like to keep us diverted, drugged and eating their ready meals. As writer Octavio Paz, winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature, once said: 'Life is plurality, death is uniformity.' (ed.)
FILM
The World According to Monsanto, Marie-Monique Robin,
Mongrel Media, 2008, DVD
Monsanto is the world leader in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), as well as one of the most controversial corporations in industrial history. This century-old empire has created some of the most toxic products ever sold, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and the herbicide Agent Orange. Based on a painstaking investigation, 'The World According to Monsanto' puts together the pieces of the company's history, calling on hitherto unpublished documents and numerous first-hand accounts.
Misleading reports, collusion, pressure tactics and attempts at corruption: the history of Monsanto is filled with disturbing episodes. Behind its clean, green image, Monsanto is tightening its grasp on the world seed market, striving for market supremacy to the detriment of food security and the global environment. (Taken from the Mongrel Media website)
To view a clip from The World According to Monsanto:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/monsanto_movie080307
To purchase the DVD:
www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001BBQCMC/interactiveda-can801-20
WEBSITES
Amber Links
www.amberlinks.org
Every week brings new stories about the impact of climate change somewhere in the world. God’s precious and fragile creation is suffering, and the impact of climate change on poor people is growing and likely to become worse as sea levels rise, weather patterns become more unpredictable and floods, droughts and cyclones become more severe. As Christians we have a moral duty to lead the way in changing our carbon-heavy lifestyles.
Amber Links is a new faith-based website set up to provide a doorway to allow people to find the information they need and to share tips with others. Use it to share your own experiences, recommendations and Christian resources. (From the Amber Links website)
This website address was sent to the e-bulletin by Community Member Chris Polhill. Thanks, Chris.
Photo, from the Amber Links website
