Human rights

It’s one of those incessant cycles. Throughout history, human rights have been won and lost. They have been pilloried, glorified, philosophised and politicised. Over time, my personal understanding of humanity, existentialism and human rights has developed, changed and been challenged. Primarily, much of which I took for granted, that which I thought simple, has proven to be complex. As such, I’ve sought to understand and champion social justice – even if in so small a way as to live my life by my beliefs – leading by example. Every day in the news come reports of how broken our world is. Certainly, somewhere, someone is building something. But to build is not enough. Human rights are an aspiration; not only must they be acquired, but tended to, nurtured and constantly reinforced. Human rights need be put to use, recognised and revered, even if this means acknowledging the importance that at this second, somewhere in my facebook feed is an update from Abdulla Haroon via the group 'Media of Truth, Bahrain', on the latest atrocities by the country’s dictatorial government. I met Abdulla teaching English at Swinburne. He, like many of my students, came from countries with a poor record on human rights. From them I learnt what it’s like to persevere in spite of this, and the importance of exercising your rights. Students conveyed their circumstances differently – one Chinese student, Chris, giving a hilarious presentation on his ‘good fortune’ of finding a wife. For in China, he pointed out, the ratio of men to women is around 120 to 100. He used his personal experience and joy to highlight and contrast the sad, underlying issues of gross injustice and gender discrimination brought about by a traditional patriarchy and agrarian society, and the pressures of the one child policy.I taught Indian women in their early 20s who would cite study as a means of avoiding marriage. It gave them an excuse they said, to at least delay it a few years. I’d think of my 20s in comparison. As I completed my Bachelor in Media and Communications I felt as if I’d only started my educational journey. I took off overseas and travelled extensively to learn what I couldn’t at uni. As an Australian, the freedom of movement I enjoy is a luxury. I didn’t quite appreciate the extent at the time, nor the breadth of the barriers that many face. Having said that, I’ve always been politically engaged, and never truly naïve; a little innocent maybe, but ready to entertain ideas and explore alternatives. As a creative person, I lent toward expressing myself through writing. I saw the arts as an important vehicle for gently pushing and promoting a cause. Stories can convey multiple messages and character can highlight how people, despite their flaws, are filled with humanity, struggling with issues of ethics, politics, love, family, connection. Stories can challenge common prejudices and entrenched biases by presenting characters first and foremost as desiring human beings, wanting and dreaming of things that transcend and cut across the usual ethnic and political divides. Arts, film and almost anything funny can have a huge impact on an audience and gently tease out themes, taking topical issues and injecting them into the cultural zeitgeist. The arts are key to celebrating and promoting human rights, and bring people together in order to motivate and inspire action. There are a number of people and projects that have inspired me, as well as stories that have irritated me into action.With the London Olympics looming, and as a soccer-playing, sport-loving woman – I’m reminded this arena is one where women become accustomed to second-rate profiles, playing fields and coverage, but it’s one which also has the capacity to broach broader issues. I had been following reports that Saudi Arabia would be the only country to field a male-only team with women actively disallowed to enter. However, the most recent update in this BBC article: ‘Saudis allow women to compete’ suggests something’s changed. On closer reading you’ll see that should say ‘a woman’ and not ‘women’, but it’s a small, small start and something the Saudi kingdom should be beholden to prove is not merely token. Mazen Kerbaj is a Lebanese artist and musician whose art addresses themes of human rights. His capacity to continue his practice is a statement in itself, as sometimes exercising the right to expression can be a danger in itself. Too many artists are either unable to, or are told outright not to, produce art. Creating works in Arabic, French and English, and often a mix of all three, Kerbaj conveys the daily reality and disparity between humans and their modes of existence. He is fantastically talented and his work can be seen via his Facebook page. Another marginalised artist who has overcome stereotypes of race and gender is Mary Silbande. She co-opts those stereotypes, blowing them to bits through satirical gesture in large scale works, examples of which were seen during the 2010, South African Soccer World Cup, bringing the message, via large billboards to a broad audience. Closer to home, it’s not unheard of for the UN to shine a light on our own problems. Big and broad, we often ignore problems in the outback, or in another state, fixing blinkers and saving judgement for foreign neighbours. But the fact remains: there is huge inequality between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. AIME Mentoring is one group that aims to address the imbalance through their education program. A recent episode of Australian Story profiled the founder of the initiative and its aim to increase the number of Indigenous students progressing to tertiary education. AIME targets a mainly urban community, but there are many interesting arts projects occurring further afield, for example the upcoming Yirrkala project, which will be filmed as it unfolds bringing insight to this little known community in Arnhem Land. Sierra Leone may have blood diamonds, but do we have a problem with pearls and prisons? As The Wire’s Lester Freamon would say: “Follow the money”, which is a good suggestion for any investigator because there might be something in this story that requires sniffing out. Consumer interest should at least be piqued, as somewhat grubby money and glossy pictures of model Carolyn Murphy draped in Paspaley pearls don’t match. Our detention of asylum seekers may contravene article 9 of the universal declaration of human rights charter: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.” The idea a family company is profiting from this activity with taxpayer funds is particularly unsavoury. Every Man in this Village is a Liar by Megan Stack is the best book I’ve read in the last few years covering the great pointlessness of the war on terror, the way it was/is being executed, and how it ingresses on civil liberties. She spoke at the Byron Bay writers’ festival about her experiences in the Middle East as a correspondent for the LA Times. After a year working in front-of-house at the Wheeler Centre, surrounded by ideas and authors, my reading list tripled. I was inspired on many levels, by so many people – presenters and audience members. The best presenter however was one who pointed to the role of education in increasing reason, and reason as crucial for reducing fanaticism. Israeli philosopher and writer, Amos Oz, gave a must-see talk touching on the fundamental human right of education. Narrative and documentary film has an incredible capacity to transmit ideas. Two films that have moved me greatly were the 2010 HRAFF opener – Pray the Devil Back to Hell, and a 2001 film Promises. I’m on the mailing list of Participant Media, a company which has married its core business of film production, with activism, creating works that are topical and motivational. Their website goes into issues with educational tools for teachers and students, encouraging them to practice what they learn on the big screen. Their next major release looks at the right to water with Last Call at the Oasis, which as opposed to the dystopian Waterworld, addresses the very present problem of providing the world’s booming population with potable drinking water. Sometimes I get down about the bits that are breaking, but there is no future in futility. It’s better to focus on the building that must be done, the improvements to be made, the rights to be sustained, and to promote without fear or favour that one is for a fair and just world. There are avenues open to everyone to pursue this in a way that has traction for them.