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Tag: civil war
Syria artists in a time of revolt (October 30 2012) Syria artists in a time of revolt (October 30 2012)

Jane Ferguson the British Freelance Journalist currently with Aljazeera has published an article titled ‘Portrait of Syria artists in a time of revolt’ discussing how artists who fled the country had experienced “torture” by security forces but are still intent on continuing their work. Ferguson states “Many of them [Artists] have been detained, beaten and disappeared by the government for focusing their talents on the ugliest of truths around them. In times of war, writers, painters, filmmakers and photographers often mirror its horror. We now look upon great works such as Pablo Picasso’s Guernica and Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, with nostalgia – neatly cleansed of the terror that inspired them. Fast forward a generation and works born from the Syrian revolution will likely be part of our contemporary art world. But first Syrian artists must survive, and to do that many have fled the country. Filmmaker Firas Fayyad tried to board a flight from Damascus Airport last November. … they put a bag over his head, threw him into a car, and drove him to the first of a series of underground detention centres where he said he was beaten and interrogated repeatedly for four months. …After his release in March, Fayyad knew he was being watched, and could be arrested again at any time. He left the country on foot. …He is now working to challenge the Assad government as an exiled activist, even though the once peaceful rebellion has transformed into an increasingly violent civil war.”

 

Inspired by Aljazeera ow.ly/eIYPC image source Linkedin ow.ly/eIYiU

Now my play yard to fight by words (September 27 2012) Now my play yard to fight by words (September 27 2012)

Yehia Jaber the Lebanese poet celebrated for the bitter comedic work he often performs like stand-up comedy has been profiled by filmmaker Roxana Vilk on Aljazeera. In the profile titled ‘Yehia Jaber: Laughter is My Exit’, takes us on a journey across Lebanon, and into his past, to explain why this former fighter of Lebanon’s long civil war now battles for change with nothing but words. Vilk states “There is something very enticing about filming poets. Here are these characters, reflective and questioning by nature, living through a truly historic time of change in the Middle East. …when I first met him, it was his laughter that immediately drew me in: it is warm, infectious, and cannot help but gather you up in its path. …he is everything you imagine a poet to be, questioning society and politics around him, and spot on with his sharp, funny observations of life. …Lebanon’s history is complicated. The country has been ravaged by so many wars, and Yehia with his own complex past seemed like the perfect quirky character to guide us. “In this comedy that is Lebanon,” as he sees it, “we are always re-building and re-war-ing.” …[he] become a communist fighter during the civil war and the consequent invasion by Israel. It was the horror and disillusionment of his fighting years that finally led him to pick up his pen. “Now this violence inside me, it will be by words, because there is no blood. Perhaps this is now my play yard to fight by words,” he says.”

 

Inspired by Roxana Vilk ow.ly/dPbDA image source Twitter ow.ly/dPbvX

Andrew Breitbart the 42 year old US publisher, conservative commentator and key note speaker for the Tea Party has told an audience in the event of a civil war with liberals, to fire the first shot stating that “We outnumber them in this country, and we have the guns.” Addressing a gathering of Tea Party followers who had paid $45 to attend the function in Lexington, Breitbart spoke to the current #occupywallstreet protest, stating “Bring ‘em on!”, then going onto the civil war analogy. “Because I know who’s on our side. They can only win a rhetorical and propaganda war. They cannot win. We outnumber them in this country, and we have the guns. I’m not kidding. They talk a mean game, but they will not cross that line because they know what they’re dealing with.”

 

Inspired by Tommy Christopher http://ow.ly/6DEeW image source Neon Tommy http://ow.ly/6DEry

Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi the 38 year old second son of the Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi Forget democracy, forget reform, it will be civil war (February 26 2011)

Saif al-Islam Muammar al-Gaddafi the 38 year old second son of the Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi, has made a speech on Libyan state TV blaming the political turmoil in Libya on drunken and drugged tribal factions and Islamist extremists acting on their own agendas. al-Gaddafi warned of civil war causing no trade, no oil money, and a country taken over by foreigners. He blamed the foment unrest and violence in Libya on  Arab and African expatriates, vowing to fight until the last man standing. While promising reforms he vowed he would not allow Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya or the BBC to trick the population with their aim at installing Islamist rule. al-Gaddafi in his finger-wagging speech blamed the foreign media for inflating the death toll.

 

Inspired by Amir Ahmed, Yousuf Basil, Greg Botelho, Salma Abdelaziz, Holly Yan and Mitra Mobasherat ow.ly/43gHq image source Wikipedia ow.ly/43guq

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