Monday 27 June 2011
Tuesday 21 June 2011
Young Palestinian refugee wins UN film competition
A short film based on the story of a Palestinian refugee family returning to their ruined home in a conflict-ravaged camp in Lebanon was today declared the winner of a film competition organized by the United Nations to mark World Refugee Day.
The film by 25-year-old Tahani Awad from Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon impressed the panel of judges with its powerful, yet understated portrayal of the experience of the family, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which organized the competition.
The theme of the contest, which was open to young Palestinian filmmakers across the Middle East, was ‘My World.’
“We invited young Palestinian refugees to show their talents, and to tell us about their world and their lives because the refugees, and in particular, our young students deserve a chance to speak to the world,” said Filippo Grandi, the UNRWA Commissioner-General, at a screening of the winning entries.
“What we received was an incredible glimpse into the reality, creativity and potential of people who have so often been marginalized and ignored but who are increasingly making their voices heard,” he said.
Over the next few weeks UNRWA will feature a selection of entries on its website and YouTube channel, starting with Ms. Tahani’s film.
UNRWA is mandated to provide services to 4.8 million Palestinian refugees living in Gaza, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the West Bank.
In his message to mark World Refugee Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world to consider the plight of the millions of people forced from their homes and who, in most cases, want to return to their places of origin to start lives afresh.
“Let us never lose sight of our shared humanity,” said Mr. Ban.
He noted that whereas traditionally the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) supported those fleeing conflict or persecution, people are increasingly forced to leave their homes as a result of extreme poverty, environmental degradation, climate change and the growing and complex interrelationship between those factors and conflict.
“The burden of helping the world’s forcibly displaced people is starkly uneven. Poor countries host vastly more displaced people than wealthier ones. Anti-refugee sentiment is heard loudest in industrialised countries. This situation demands an equitable solution,” said the Secretary-General.
The film by 25-year-old Tahani Awad from Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon impressed the panel of judges with its powerful, yet understated portrayal of the experience of the family, according to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which organized the competition.
The theme of the contest, which was open to young Palestinian filmmakers across the Middle East, was ‘My World.’
“We invited young Palestinian refugees to show their talents, and to tell us about their world and their lives because the refugees, and in particular, our young students deserve a chance to speak to the world,” said Filippo Grandi, the UNRWA Commissioner-General, at a screening of the winning entries.
“What we received was an incredible glimpse into the reality, creativity and potential of people who have so often been marginalized and ignored but who are increasingly making their voices heard,” he said.
Over the next few weeks UNRWA will feature a selection of entries on its website and YouTube channel, starting with Ms. Tahani’s film.
UNRWA is mandated to provide services to 4.8 million Palestinian refugees living in Gaza, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and the West Bank.
In his message to mark World Refugee Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the world to consider the plight of the millions of people forced from their homes and who, in most cases, want to return to their places of origin to start lives afresh.
“Let us never lose sight of our shared humanity,” said Mr. Ban.
He noted that whereas traditionally the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) supported those fleeing conflict or persecution, people are increasingly forced to leave their homes as a result of extreme poverty, environmental degradation, climate change and the growing and complex interrelationship between those factors and conflict.
“The burden of helping the world’s forcibly displaced people is starkly uneven. Poor countries host vastly more displaced people than wealthier ones. Anti-refugee sentiment is heard loudest in industrialised countries. This situation demands an equitable solution,” said the Secretary-General.
Friday 10 June 2011
Praxis activities for the Refugees Day
We, the Praxis volunteers are preparing two events for the Refugees Day on 20th of June.
First of these is a photo exhibition that will be displayed on Sunday 19th of June at Freedom Square in Serres. Send your 20x30 photos about Refugees Day until 16th of June to
PRAXIS
Selefkou, 8
62123, Serres
Add a title, short description of the photo and the author.
The second event is a film projection. We'll project Waltz with Bashir and Hotel Rwanda on Monday 20th of June at 21.00 at Freedom Square in Serres.
Thursday 9 June 2011
Activities in Serres
In the Stadium of Serres, on Monday 19 2 films will be projected related with the Refugee Day
1. WALTZ WITH BASHIR, 2008. ISRAEL
In June 1982, the Israeli army invaded South Lebanon after Israel’s northern towns had been bombarded for years from the Lebanese territory. The Israeli government’s original plan was to occupy a 40 km security zone in Lebanon in order to “cleanse” the missile range used by the Palestinians against Israel’s northern towns. In fact, the Israeli Minister of Defense at the time, Arik Sharon, developed a fantastical and ultra-imaginative plan: to occupy Lebanon as far as Beirut, including Beirut, and to appoint his Christian ally, Bashir Gemayel, President of Lebanon, thus eradicating the threat to the State of Israel from the north and expanding and increasing the front against Syria, a country that also borders on Lebanon and was always considered Israel’s cruelest and most tenacious enemy. Sharon and senior military leaders were actually the only ones who knew about the plan. While the Israeli government approved a 40 km range operation only, the IDF thrust full speed ahead all the way to Beirut.
In August, two months after war broke out and the IDF was still waiting on the outskirts of Beirut for the command to penetrate the city, a treaty was signed with the Palestinians according to which all Palestinian combat fighters would be evacuated from Beirut on ships to Tunisia. In return, the IDF would remove the threat of penetrating the city. While giving a speech at the Phalangist headquarters in East Beirut, Bashir Gemayel (The President) was killed by a massive explosive charge. To this day it is unknown who was responsible for the murder, but the assumption is that the assassination was orchestrated by Syrian or Palestinian factions or that they collaborated thereon.
That afternoon, Israeli troops penetrated a region in West Beirut that was mostly populated in those days by Palestinian refugees, and they surrounded the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. Towards evening, large Phalangist forces made their way to the area, driven by a profound sense of revenge after the killing of their revered leader. At nightfall, Phalangist forces entered the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps aided by the IDF’s illumination rounds. The declared objective of the Christian forces was to purge the camps of Palestinian combat fighters. However, there were virtually no Palestinian combat fighters left in the refugee camps since they had been evacuated on ships to Tunisia two weeks earlier. For two whole days the sound of gunfire and battles could be heard from the camps but it was only on the third day, September 16th, when panic-stricken women swarmed the Israeli troops outside the camps, that the picture became clear: For three days the Christian forces massacred all refugee camp occupants. Men, women, the elderly and children, were all killed with horrific cruelty. To this day the exact number of victims is unknown but they are estimated at 3000.
News of the massacre shocked the entire world and a spontaneous protest of hundreds of thousands Israelis forced the Israeli government to create an official inquiry committee to investigate the liability of Israeli political and military authorities. Minister of Defense Arik Sharon was found guilty by the committee for not having done enough to stop the horror once he became aware of the massacre. He was dismissed of his duties and prohibited from serving as Minister of Defense for another term. This did not stop him from being appointed Prime Minister of Israel twenty years later.
Wednesday 8 June 2011
International Refugee Day - Call For Action
International Refugee Day (20.06.2011.) is a European-wide campaign that highlights the issues facing refugees from a non-governmental perspective.
UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency and they work to protect refugees and solve their problems all over the world. In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 7,190 people in more than 120 countries continues to help some 36.4 million persons.
http://www.unhcr.org
UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency and they work to protect refugees and solve their problems all over the world. In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 7,190 people in more than 120 countries continues to help some 36.4 million persons.
Here s some links on the refugee issue:
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Friday 3 June 2011
Birds in India: Kingfisher
About the Kingfisher in india
appearance : Common Kingfisher is 17 cm in length and weigh around 30- 34 g. Their wingspan is 30 inches long. Their underparts are bright orange in colour with the white bib. Their wings are bluish green and the tail is bright blue in colour. They have blue head with the white mark on either side of it. They have short legs which are colored in orange. The wings and tails are short while the bill is long and pointed.
Presence in India : Common Kingfisher is mostly found in the state of Haryana in India Common Kingfisher can also be spotted in the Corbett National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park and National Park in India.
Habitat : Common Kingfisher prefers to live near streams, slow flowing rivers, ponds and lakes.
Diet : Common kingfisher feeds on aquatic insects, small fish and prawns. They mostly hunt during the morning or evening hours.
Reproduction : Common Kingfisher usually mate during the spring season. Males try to attract the females with the fish in their beaks. The females lay 6 – 7 eggs. Eggs are incubated for about 20 days. Fledging period rests from 23 -27 days. They do-not build nests, they place their eggs on a litter of fish bones and disgorged pellets. Both the males and females bring food for the young ones and take care of them. Young ones are somewhat blue to pale red in colour. Most of the Kingfishers are territorial.
Conservation status : Least concern. They are present in large numbers. They are usually found near the streams, lakes and pounds. Their population has seriously declined due to the cold weat
Wednesday 1 June 2011
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