Feile Bride 2006
national |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report 
Friday February 03, 2006 02:02
by Elaine
Shining Lights On Human Rights
This years Feile Bride Conference was held on Saturday 28th January, in Kildare town. Hosted by Afri in association with Cairde Bride and Frontline; this years focus was on Human Rights.
The conference started with a meeting in the Town Square (where we met up with protestors demanding the release of Percy Podger, a jailed Kildare Sheep farmer). The Brigid Flame was brought from the square to the meeting hall where it was given pride of place in the centre of the stage.
"This flame is a manifestation of the fire of justice, peace and human rights which continues to burn throughout the world today. Its light shines particularly through people such as our speakers who work to promote human dignity whether through their persistent opposition to war, their defence of human rights, or their opposition to multinationals who ruthlessly put profit before people. It shines in Rossport, Shannon, Iraq, Darfur, the Niger Delta and beyond." - Afri ( Action From Ireland )
Jimmy Massey And Ciaron O'Reilly
The Brigid Flame - Shining Lights On Human Rights
Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6The first speaker was Mary Lawlor, founder and Director of Frontline. Set up in 2001 to support and defend human rights defenders. She spoke of the difficulties human rights activists face in countries such as China, where even google and yahoo are assisting the Chinese government in denying it's citizens access to information.
"Front Line was founded in Dublin in 2001 with the specific aim of protecting Human Rights Defenders, people who work, non-violently, for any or all of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)."
Mary Lawlor - Director Of Frontline - Defending Human Rights
Next up was Sr. Majella McCarron who spoke eloquently (as always) on the situation in the Niger Delta region. Drawing parallels between the situation there and the situation in Rossport. She then introduced Austin Onuoha, Project Manager at the Centre for Social and Corporate Responsibility, focusing on oil exploitation in the Niger Delta. He gave us an 'on the ground' perspective of life in the region, including human rights abuses.
Maura Harrington brought us up to speed with regard to Rossport. Mentioning the Davitt League, and the Centre for Public Enquiry's report on the corrib gas field.
This particular presentation ended just before lunch and concluded with Maura's daughter Astrid delivering a haunting rendition of No TAB (Terminal At Bellanaboy)
"Local communities are organizing to protect their human and environmental rights in almost every single place where the fossil fuel industry sucks resources from the ground. Unfortunately, they are often met with government repression carried out in complicity with giant corporations like Shell or Chevron."
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=107
Sr. Majella McCarron Introducing Austin Onuoha And Maura Harrington
From Niger Delta To Erris Shore - Austin Onuoha
Maura Harrington
Maura's Daughter Astrid Belts Out A Rousing Version Of No TAB (Terminal At Bellanaboy)
After a wonderful lunch, provided by the I.C.A. if I'm not mistaken, we were back in the hall for the remaining presentations. Well nourished but still hungry for information.
Donal O'Kelly welcomed us back with a stirring recitation of the poetry of Ken Saro-Wiwa, accompanied by Gwen, with Brian on drums.
Ogoni! Ogoni!
Ogoni is the land
The people, Ogoni
The agony of trees dying
In ancestral farmlands
Streams polluted weeping
Filth into murky rivers
It is the poisoned air
Coursing the luckless lungs
Of dying children
Ogoni is the dream
Breaking the looping chain
Around the drooping neck
of a shell-shocked land.
http://www.remembersarowiwa.com/
"From today onwards, Shell is declared persona non grata in Ogoni" -Ken Saro Wiwa, (World Indigenous Peoples Day, January 4, 1993)
"This is the deal. This simple, single sentence declaration is what got Ken Saro Wiwa killed. And no Ogoni should pretend to forget this, so soon. That President of Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP, could not be bent so he was broken. This bend or break approach is the cardinal business principle of the corrupt slick allies, Shell and Nigerian ruling cabal. It is otherwise called carrot and stick approach. Carrot is first dangled and if it is resisted, the stick follows."
"As for the call on the Ogoni people to forget the past, we may forgive some aspects of the past that are forgivable , but it is dead wrong for anyone to tell the us to forget our past. Those who forget their past risk missing their history. "
http://nigeriaworld.com/feature/publication/ganago/0117....html
Donal O'Kelly Reads The Poetry Of Ken Saro-Wiwa, Accompanied By Gwen And Brian.
Maha Abdelrahman Alhaj Alsherief spoke of Gender, Violence and Peace-building in Darfur. She currently coordinates several internally displaced people's (IDP) camps and is a member of the Darfur Women's Solidarity Society. She told us of the difficulties faced by women in the Darfur region in their day to day lives. How they have to leave the camps to get firewood and risk attack when they do so.
"I'm still chilled by the matter-of-fact explanation I received as to why it is women who collect firewood, even though they're the ones who are raped. The reason is an indication of how utterly we are failing the people of Darfur, two years into the first genocide of the 21st century. "It's simple," one woman here explained. "When the men go out, they're killed. The women are only raped." -
http://www.wunrn.com/news/01_01_06/010106_sudan_darfur.htm
The Women's United Nations Report Program & Network (WUNRN)
http://www.wunrn.com/
Women's Human Rights Net http://www.whrnet.org/
Maha Abdelrahman Alhaj Alsherief From The Darfur Women's Solidarity Society
Finally Dr Iain Atack, Director of Peace Studies at Trinity College, introduced Ed Horgan and Jimmy Massey.
Their presentation was entitled 'The Flight From Rights: Iraq Via Shannon'
Ed spoke of Ireland's role in refueling war planes and allowing rendition planes to land on Irish soil.
Jimmy Massey spoke of his experiences in Iraq as a serving Marine and detailed his involvement in the killing of innocent civilians. Jimmy is a founder member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Iraq Veterans Against The War http://www.ivaw.net/
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74037
www.peaceontrial.com
Dr Iain Atack Introduces Jimmy Massey And Ed Horgan
Jimmy Massey, Founder Member Of Iraq Veterans Against The War
Ed Horgan Addressing The Crowd
Also some coverage from Daily Ireland
http://dailyireland.televisual.co.uk/home.tvt?_ticket=3...opp=1
http://dailyireland.televisual.co.uk/home.tvt?_ticket=3...opp=1
Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.