Working for Peace through the Arts…Grass roots, non-profit…
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“The inspiration of my life, my dreams, has always been made up of peace, socialism, of solidarity, of liberation, of loving and caring.”
Graham F Smith 1924 -1989 |
May 26th, 2006
Posts filed under 'Uncategorized'
2008 Projects
The Peace Trust is very pleased to support three projects in 2008.
ActNow Theatre for Social Change, an emerging young people’s political theatre company, based in Adelaide. ActNow aims to empower young people to use theatre as a tool for social change. Peace Trust funding will support the development of two street theatre performances.
The Academy of DYI - a weekend festival of accessible arts, activism, education and collaboration. It is designed to facilitate skill-sharing and the development of strong networks amongst artists and activists. The festival will be part of the Adelaide Fringe in March 2009 and include panels, workshops, film screenings and exhibitions.
Mallacoota Strum Inc are being supported to commission Padma Newsome to compose a piece for Making Music Together for Peace as part of the East Gippsland Community Peace Project. This weekend community music festival in Mallacoota, 26-28th September 2008 will include choral, improvisation, instrumental and songwriting workshops. Padma Newsome, an ex- Adelaide resident, is a current Commissioning and Residency award recipient from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University.
The Trust received applications from all over Australia this year. We were impressed by the breadth of ideas for arts projects and the diverse ways individuals and communities are Working for Peace through the Arts. We regret that we are unable to support more projects.
Funding for 2008 has now been allocated.
We will be calling for applications for 2009 early in the New Year, so stay tuned!
Add comment March 6th, 2008
Statement from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
The 25th of November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. For the last 15 years, from this day until UN Human Rights Day (10 December) 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence are observed, recognised by the UN since 1999.
Protecting women’s human rights and eliminating violence against women has advanced through the United Nations. Since 1995 substantial work has been done to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action arising from the 4th UN World Conference on Women; 185 countries - more than 90 percent of the UN member states - have now ratified the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); and, United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in 2000.
Despite this recognition, violence against women is a reality that cuts across borders, wealth, race, religion and culture. Every day women experience extensive violence, particularly in countries at war, in crisis or conflict where women’s rights deteriorate and are under pressure:
* One in three women has been beaten, raped, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime; 1
* Every fifth woman is subjected to rape or attempt to rape; 1
* 70 percent of the casualties in recent conflicts have been non-combatants. 80 percent of these are women and children; 1
* Systematic rape, sexual violence and abuse in Darfur, in Sudan, is used as a weapon in the war; 1
* During the conflict between 1991 and 2002, it is estimated that a third of all women and girls in Sierra Leone were subjected to sexual violence; 1
* Since the 1999 war Kosovo has become a major destination country for women and girls trafficked into forced prostitution. Around 15-20 percent of the women are allegedly under 14 years; 1
* In Colombia 3.5-4 million people are displaced. The majority of these are women with many children. There are reports of increased violence against the women; 2
* Every year 14,000 Russian women die as a result of violence in the home; 1
* Every fifth day a Spanish woman is killed by her partner; 1
* One in three Native American or Alaska Native women will be raped at some point in their lives; 1
* Every fourth minute a woman in the USA is raped; 1
* In fourteen countries a man can get mitigation of his sentence or impunity if he perpetrates violence or kills a woman in order to protect the so-called honour; 1
* According to law in nine countries a rapist gets impunity if he marries his victim. 1
Violence against women in war areas has, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), reached epidemic heights. The common denominator for the 1990’s conflicts and the conflicts in this millennium has been comprehensive sexual abuse, forced pregnancy as a tool in ethnic genocide, kidnapping, intentional infection with HIV/AIDS and trafficking in women and children for sexual purposes. 3
Changes in the pattern of gender roles are one of the consequences of conflict, war or occupation. Violence and aggression becomes integrated into everyday life. When killing becomes legitimate, it also becomes legitimate to rape or buy and sell human bodies; a systematic brutalisation of the whole society occurs resulting in numerous and grave assaults on women who are abused by family members as well as by unknown men, civilians as well as soldiers.
Every day and everywhere women are working for respect of their rights and for better conditions. the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom honours the courage and endurance of women and recommits itself to eliminating violence against women, achieving disarmament and an end to violent conflicts.
Since 1915 when it was founded, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom has worked to eliminating war and militarism as the best way to reduce and eliminate violence in our societies and in the world. Ensuring that women are active participants in the decisions that affect their lives before, during and after conflicts is the best way to ensure that women’s concerns and needs are on the agenda and get the priority they need.
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1) Amnesty International, international and Danish websites; 2) Women Building Peace Around The World: The Case of Colombia in a 1325 perspective, WILPF Delegation to Colombia, July 12 - 20, 2007; 3) UNDP, Newsletter from the Nordic Office, 23th April 2003
Add comment November 29th, 2007
Second to None: November 2007
The Peace Trust was very proud to be associated with Kurruru Indigenous Youth Performing Arts in Port Adelaide. Kurruru, meaning ‘circle’ in Kaurna language, is Australia’s only Indigenous Youth Performing arts company.
The Peace Trust funded Kurruru with a major grant in 2007, particularly to support the workshop program leading to the production Second to None, a co-production with Vitalstatistix Theatre Company which took place in November 2007.
Second to None was an outdoor, history-making performance and installation event. It included dance, installation, film and the recreation of important Kaurna ceremony. It is an outdoor, history-making performance and installation event. The audience took a bus journey through four significant sites celebrating the past, present and future of the Port.
Add comment November 18th, 2007