The Emigrant’s Adieu - The story of Irish and Scottish migrants told through their music

Richard Carver introduces his performance/lecture on Irish and Scottish migration for the Oxford Human Rights Festival.

There are obviously many downsides to retiring from CENDEP - but one of the positive things for me has been to free a lot of time to work on one of my passions: music. For more than 50 years I have been an amateur musician, with more enthusiasm than talent, if truth be told. In retirement, my focus has been much less on the classical music that I have played for most of my life than on the traditional music of the British and Irish Isles.

As I immersed myself in this music, I became interested, perhaps rather perversely, in one particular aspect: how tunes got their names. 

Refugee-ness - how refugees are portrayed in photographs

 

A discussion around the current exhibition at Tap Social Botley. Shafiur Rahman, documentary filmmaker and curator of the exhibition, discusses the case of Rohingya refugees. He examines the case of Rohingya refugees, how they are represented in photography and argues that the complexities of refugee lives are reduced for the sake of expediency.

There are two links for booking free tickets

Website: https://www.oxfordhumanrightsfestival.net/book-tickets.html

Eventbrite direct: https://refugeeness.eventbrite.co.uk

Voices from the Oxford Human Rights Festival: Little Amal visits

Photo: Cathrine Brun

Oxford Human Rights Planning Committee member and CENDEP postgraduate student Victoria Greenwood shares her reflections on the UK Nationality and Borders Bill and Little Amal’s visit to the ‘dreaming spires’ of Oxford.

Elizabeth Laskar, Festival Coordinator writes:

The reflection below has been written by MA student Victoria Greenwood after the visit of a giant puppet called ‘Amal’, who visited Oxford on Tuesday 26 October 2021. The historic city was packed with people from all generations and backgrounds, all following Amal from street to street - everyone wanted a glimpse of her. The spectacle was more than just a puppet show: it was powerful in that her presence and movements embodied not only her story but the story of all displaced children and the inequalities within the city of Oxford and the institutions it holds. It was moving and deeply thought provoking.

As we plan to celebrate our 20th festival in 2022 it’s a timely piece to help ‘kick off’ the discourse on the festival theme of ‘movement’ and human rights. 

Disruption: the 19th Oxford Human Rights Festival

 

For further details and to book to attend any of these events, please click here.

Climate and Ecology Emergency Bill

 EL Laskar writes:

On 11 December 2020 the 19th Oxford Human Rights Festival hosted an online discussion in collaboration with Climate and Ecology Emergency Bill Alliance Oxfordshire. With the support of over 26 local Oxfordshire organisations, the event celebrated our climate change achievements locally and in the UK and discussed how we could continue to have strong climate leadership into the future.

For Sama: discussion with Afraa Hashem

 

EL Laskar writes:

On 10 December the 19th Oxford Human Rights Festival in collaboration with the Oxford Brookes Documentary club screened the award winning documentary 'For Sama' which was followed by a Q & A with Afraa Hashem. FOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab's life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. FOR SAMA is the winner of many awards including the BAFTA for Best Documentary in 2020.

Recently settled in London with her family, Afraa Hashem is a teacher, human rights activist and is featured throughout the documentary.The Director of the Centre of Development and Emergency Practice (CENDEP), Professor Cathrine Brun talks to Afraa about her experiences as an educator, wife, mother and friend in a war zone. 

Find out more about the 19th Oxford Human Rights Festival 2021 here.

Oxford Human Rights Festival events this week

The 19th annual Oxford Human Rights festival is upon us, with the theme of Disruption. The main festival will be next March, but please check out these three important and interesting events happening this week.

Quiz & Discussion 
Tuesday 8 DEC 2020
5pm - 6.30pm 
Orange The World -  Elimination of Violence against Women

As part of the UN Women International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2020, Basma El Doukhi will lead an interactive session to challenge assumptions and raise awareness around the facts of gender based violence.Click here for more info and booking >>

ONLINE SCREENING + Q&A 
Thursday 10 DEC 2020
7PM - 10PM
​'FOR SAMA' & Q&A 
​with Afraa Hashem

FOR SAMA is the winner of many awards including the BAFTA for Best Documentary 2020. Q&A with Afraa Hashem. 18 cert. In collaboration with Oxford Brookes Documentary Club and OxHRF.  Click here for more info and booking>>

ONLINE DISCUSSION
Friday 11 DEC 2020
5.30PM - 6.30PM (UK)
'Can the UK lead on climate change?
The CEE Bill and our future'

Join the CEE Bill Alliance Oxfordshire as we celebrate our climate change achievements locally and in the UK and discuss how we can continue to have strong climate leadership into the future. In collaboration with CEE Bill Alliance Oxfordshire. Click here for more info and booking>>

Voices from the 18th OXHRF: Resilience through art - Sketch Club, Quetta, Pakistan

Syed Fazil Hussein

My students have the power and the ability to convert their feelings and emotions onto the canvas. The best option we have is to begin the process of catharsis within ourselves and the best way for catharsis is to paint, to do poetry, write essays, fictions and novels. This allows for the process of catharsis to continue, the work we do also becomes part of our history and we get to release the pain and suffering we are feeling. This is the best form of resilience.  (Syed Fazil Hussain, Founder Sketch Club)

EL Laskar writes: 

This year we had the opportunity to showcase the work of Syed Fazil Hussain alongside art work from his students. Fazil is the founder of Sketch Club and he has been running an art project in Quetta, Balochistan Province, in Pakistan since 2009. He has been teaching and nurturing art to the Hazara youth and wider community. Fatimia Hashmi, CENDEP PhD candidate, is currently focusing her research on the Hazara community and introduced the Sketch Club story on this blog early this year - you can link here to get a deeper insight into the initiative.

During my fieldwork conducted between January and April 2019, most of the young participants mentioned how the ‘Sketch Club’ had been their saviour when the conditions in Quetta were turbulent to such an extent that the targeted killings of the Hazara community were on a daily or weekly basis. Without a doubt, I was intrigued to find out more about ‘Sketch Club’ - I quickly discovered it was run by my primary and secondary school Art teacher, Syed Fazil Hussain. (Fatima Hashmi)

Voices from the 18th OXHRF: Global voices - what does resilience mean to you?

 EL Laskar writes: 

The Oxford Human Rights Festival held a global competition this year which was instigated by one of the planning committee, Geena Whiteman. 

Young people aged 11+ and adults of all ages were invited to submit a short essay on their personal experiences of resilience and human rights. 

The Junior (11 -17 years) entrants were asked “What does resilience mean to you in your local community?” And the Senior(18 years +) entrants were asked “Explore Human Rights and resilience as you understand the two. How do you think your view will differ from how someone from a country currently facing mass human rights violations? 

Geena Whiteman, who administered the competition, said “We were delighted to have entries from almost every single continent in the world (besides Antarctica!). This is the first year this competition has been run, with an overwhelmingly positive response and an abundance of incredible entries that took a long time to get through. Many people shared their stories, their opinions and their lives with us, telling us what resilience means to them and their community, and in the context of human rights.” 

The judges had a challenge to pick a winner in each category - each individual shared their experiences, challenges and aspirations. We were struck by the passion and storytelling of each entrant. All the essays were bound together and exhibited as part of the festival exhibition experience.

Reading the essays at the opening of the festival on 13 March

For us as humanitarians, academics, policy makers and students, individual stories matter  - they are lived experiences and they help guide us in how we can better support human rights violations. With over 50 entries from across the globe, we introduce the winning essays in both the senior and junior categories.

Voices from the 18th OXHRF: What is the role of tech in human rights?

El Laskar writes:

As part of the festival this year, committee member Geena Whiteman organised a Human Rights Lab challenge where participants were invited to place human rights at the forefront of technology, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. With a focus on resilience and through the support of a series of workshops, participants would have had one week to formulate, plan and pitch their ideas to a group of distinguished judges. Sadly COVID-19 took centre stage and the programme had to be cancelled. 

Geena’s Hackathon idea highlighted that technology has an enormous role to play in human rights and the humanitarian sector. Tech For Good Global says “Tech is neither good, nor bad and definitely not neutral. Which is why we need to be intentional about the use of tech in tackling the world's pressing social and environmental challenges.” A movement popularised in the 90s, when hack weekends were organised to bring web developers and the third sector together to create solutions, we have seen a swell of interest in #techforgood over recent years.

OXHRF Refugee week events

(c) UNHCR

Basma El Doukhi (DEP 2019-20) reports on World Refugee Day and Refugee Week:

UNHCR’s annual Global Trends report for 2020 showed that forced displacement is now affecting more than one per cent of humanity – 1 in every 97 people – and with fewer and fewer of those who flee being able to return home. The report, which was published two days ahead of 20 June World Refugee Day, shows that an unprecedented 79.5 million were displaced as of the end of 2019.

 

“We are witnessing a changed reality in that forced displacement nowadays is not only vastly more widespread but is simply no longer a short-term and temporary phenomenon,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “People cannot be expected to live in a state of upheaval for years on end, without a chance of going home, nor a hope of building a future where they are. We need a fundamentally new and more accepting attitude towards all who flee, coupled with a much more determined drive to unlock conflicts that go on for years and that are at the root of such immense suffering.”

Day of International Criminal Justice - watch now

Here is the complete video of the joint event by CENDEP, the Oxford Human Rights Festival and Oxford City of Sanctuary to mark the Day of International Criminal Justice on 17 July.

Whose voice counts? The fight for justice

Friday, 17 July is the Day of International Criminal Justice. It marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute on 17 July 1998, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court, which seeks to protect people from genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. 17 July unites all those who wish to support justice, promote victims' rights, and help prevent crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world.

To mark this day CENDEP, Oxford Human Rights Festival and Oxford City of Sanctuary have organised a panel discussion on the theme: Whose voice counts? The focus of the discussion will be the Rohingya people and their struggle for justice. 

Voices from OxHRF: ‘Bits of Borno’ - life in the midst of crisis

Celebrations - Party from Bits of Borno (Photo (c) Fati Abubakar)

Elizabeth Laskar writes: There has been a gruelling conflict between the military and non-state armed groups in the north eastern regions of Nigeria for over 10 years. It has resulted in serious human rights violations and the desperate need for humanitarian assistance for the populations trapped in the middle. In the states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe approximately 14,400 people have been killed, 53 percent of the total population of 13.4 million need humanitarian assistance, 1.3 million people have been internally displaced and 38% suffer daily from food insecurity. Terror, violence and conflict continue to plague these states. 

The terror group Boko Haram (meaning ‘western education is forbidden’) claims the state of Borno as their stronghold and continues to commit acts of terror in the region and neighbouring states of Chad and Niger who have been enveloped into the crisis. Between 2013 and 2015 the group killed more than 11,000 people and today the UN reports that 2.4 million people have been displaced in Nigeria and in the neighbouring countries. Unicef reports that over 1000 children have been abducted since 2013 by the group which includes the kidnapping of over 200 girls from a school in Chibok in 2014. 100 girls are still missing. A narrative of terror continues to be reported through news and media and stories of strength and resilience of the IDPs are often overlooked.

‘Bits of Borno’ is a project that chronicles the everyday lives of individuals and communities in the state of Borno. The project was instigated by Fati Abubakar, a celebrated Nigerian documentary photographer, photojournalist, and public health worker from the capital of Borno, Maiduguri. 

Through her photography, Fati wants people to bear witness to a different perspective of her hometown and she also aims to strengthen a narrative of hope within the IDP communities themselves. She feels her work counters the violent extremist message of Boko Haram - her passion is about creating counter-narratives for the underrepresented communities. 

‘Bits of Borno’ is a collection of unique stories that share the lives of the internally displaced through photographs of people living, working and thriving in the state of Borno. The pictures give a glimpse into the incredible ability for people to bounce back and over time begin to tell a new story.

A right to consume? Resilience and climate change as human rights issues

Displaced family from South Sudan unable to reclaim their plot: the right to property can "unlock poverty traps" (UN photo)

EL Laskar writes: This year we had an opportunity to share reflections from CENDEP alumni. The voices of our alumni are important to us, they were the founders of the Oxford Human Rights Festival and their voices are part of the ongoing legacy of the festival. Our alumni make a rich tapestry across the globe and we welcome the voices, experience and expertise. Josh Ayers (CENDEP 2014) shared his reflections and highlighted some of the gaps of Article 17 of the Declaration of Human Rights - ‘Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.’

The landmark Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) signed in Paris in 1948 began the work of codifying human dignity into a minimum set of rights that the majority of the world’s nations at the time could agree upon.  For decades, much of civil society has affirmed these by taking  “rights-based approaches” to works of justice and compassion, sustainable development and the alleviation of human suffering.  Faith-based actors have readily taken up this cause as well.  Our work at Food for the Hungry shares many of the hallmarks of a “rights-based approach," including a dogged commitment to the foundation of human rights - the dignity of the human person.  Based on this bedrock of human dignity, the preponderance of rights listed in the UDHR address issues of fairness, freedom, and equality, painting a picture of the ideal society that most today can agree on.  

So what does this mean for those of us engaged with issues of resilience and climate change?  Expressed as “rights” -  or moral or legal entitlements to possess something or act in a certain way - our rights-based approaches have a tendency to become individualistic, singularly and reflexively focused on the “I” and “you”.  I have a right to life, liberty, and the security of the human person (myself).[1]  I have a right to own property, therefore you cannot take it from me arbitrarily.[2]  De Soto’s influential work in The Mystery of Capital made the explicit link between ownership of property (and the legal recognition of that ownership) and the functioning of the capitalist economy.  It is the legal entitlement, or right, to own property that allows the owner of that property to do with it as he or she pleases.  It is indeed Article 17 of the UDHR – the right to own property – that unlocks poverty traps for many of today’s most vulnerable people.  

Celebrating ‘Positive Encounters’ - Oxford City of Sanctuary Refugee Week

Elizabeth Laskar writes: 

The UK will be marking Refugee Week from 15 - 22 June. Instigated in 1988 in support of World Refugee Day (which is marked on the 20 June) the aim of the week is to support ‘positive encounters’ between communities by providing opportunities to learn about the refugee experience through talks, workshops, film and the creative arts.

This year the Oxford Human Rights Festival has collaborated with Oxford City of Sanctuary to co-host two events to support CENDEP MA candidate Basma El Doukhi in her initiatives to share her story and host a panel discussion on refugees, hope, solidarity and resilience during COVID-19. You can link on the titles below to register for the events.

Refugee Week OxHRF events
16 June 5.30pm - 7pm (UK) / Online
The Personal Journey of a Young Female Stateless Refugee Basma El Doukhi

19 June 5.00pm - 7pm / Online
Panel Discussion: Narratives of Hope, Solidarity and Resilience  

Voices of the 18th OxHRF: The Power of Music - Championing Human Rights, Resilience and Aspirations.

“They can take our instruments and break them, but they cannot remove music from our hearts and minds”
EL Laskar writes: Our last two posts centred on the experiences of children and young people who get caught in the ravages of war. The emotional and physical toll on their development can be crippling. 1 in 4 of the world's children live in a disaster area or war zone and they are reported to be the first and most affected. The evidence points to the fact that despite all the work that individuals, agencies and governments are doing with children and young people, they are still the ‘invisible majority’. I invite you to take a moment away from reading and just think about the enormity of what has been shared.

It is not difficult to join the dots - children and youth are the future and therefore it is imperative that we listen to their voices, co-create spaces and support opportunities for healing, learning, aspiring and thriving.  As UNICEF points out, children and youth show remarkable resilience and they have power in their story telling. It is part of our responsibilities as a global community to stand in solidarity with them and help them to create a new narrative for themselves.

This year the festival exhibited a selection of photos from the Afghan Women’s Orchestra called ‘Zohra’ and invited Lauren Braithwaite, a DPhil student at the University of Oxford to speak at our opening event about the role of music in resilience. In 2017 Lauren became Artistic Director and co-conductor of the Zohra Women’s Orchestra and led the group on tours to India, Portugal, Sweden, and the UK. We introduce you to the stories of the brave young Afghan women musicians of Zohra.

Lauren Braithwaite writes: "The Zohra orchestra is a showcase of the resilience and determination of Afghan youth and women to continue fighting for their rights."