Eight countries, two continents. One poverty studies grant for research in Bosnia and a plane ticket for a conference in Paraguay.
If I had one mantra it would be quite simple.
WORK THE SYSTEM
With so many resources and funding available for students, it is like a game. Classes can be planned for years in advance, scholarships translate and therefore can be used for study abroad, speakers can be invited to campus, additional funding applied for. If you want to attend a conference, look for a call for papers and submit yours - it is normally the only requirement to secure your travel expenses be covered.
Quite often, your university will have an office responsible for student travel/grants etc (at Furman this is Susan Zeiger, director of internships). Summer internships offer even more options- Poverty studies and Furman Advantage both give out 2-4k dollar grants. In addition, your department has independent funds. Go for both.
This blog is a testament not only on how easy the game is, but how easy the game should be. Why shouldn't we have access and information to all opportunities of exposure?
The following article was written for the "O-Week" edition of the Paladin, which is typically read as an advice issue to incoming freshman.
The Paladin
I came to Furman to leave. What permanently recruited me were the study abroad programs Furman offers.
I wanted to use the opportunities presented to gain exposure to all that I could absorb; to study abroad as frequently and in as many countries that a four-year degree would allow. Eight countries and three years of an undergraduate degree later, I have yet to regret my decision to allow Furman to escort me through Latin America and Africa. Why would I stay stateside when I could take the exact same class abroad?
I have little interest in touring the western, industrialized world. In my opinion, Europe seems more appropriate to save for when you are an older person, someone with a Volvo, children and a mortgage. It represented the status quo, a simple mirrored reflection of a life I was already familiar with. I wanted an explicit break - an environment so challenging that the only option was the change and adapt. The curriculum for the Global South is sexy, the subject matter on fire: revolutions, "dirty wars," U.S. foreign policy, poverty, inequality and resistance. A reaction is demanded in response to the issues confronted; one is not allowed to remain neutral. You will never be bored, but always provoked.
The study abroad programs in the Global South, the developing world, are unique in the sheer intensity they offer. The programs are built on a foundation of autonomy and mobility allowed by a structure where professors travel with the students. Consequently, the students are not anchored to one university; yet experience a new country with each new class, often visiting four countries per term. Thus, pedagogy is given a pulse when the classroom becomes mobile.
Nicaragua, El Salvador, Botswana, South Africa - this is authentic engaged learning; experiential learning at its finest. The subjects are saturated with context. Often times, an average day abroad will consist of two rounds of meetings, a tour and a lecture during class. In addition, the home stay component allows pairs of students to briefly live with families to get a taste of authentic local life. The first week schedule of the southern Africa trip is the perfect example of the pace: day one in South Africa we heard from a former freedom fighter involved in the anti-apartheid struggle and visited Soweto, with the Hector Pieterson Museum and President Mandela's home. Careful not to waste precious night hours, we heard a lecture from Dale McKinley, a Furman alumnus. Finally, we found ourselves completing our assigned work in Soweto, the famous South African township. We were living in the same place we were reading about for our homework.
In short, Furman has an amazing amount of resources for students to utilize. Scholarships are not lost in translation- they often fund travel.
So sojourn as often as you can. This is our time to explore, to change and to be pushed. To those hesitant to leave behind the familiar, I promise the vacuum you fear will develop in your absence will be more than filled with what you bring home - new friends, new experiences and new ideas. Go abroad, and go South. Let Europe wait.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
¨Another World Is Possible¨
What is one to do when all political activity is prohibited while on a visa?
Attend an institutionalized protest. Better yet, find the largest gathering of social movements and activists on the continent, and ask your university to fund your flight.
Today was the final day of The Americas Social Forum, a five day event I legally and officially attended as a participant. The Americas Social Forum is a regional gathering that operates as part of the World Social Forum: ¨an open meeting place where social movements, networks, NGOs and other civil society organizations opposed to neoliberalism and a world dominated by capital or by any form of imperialism come together to pursue their thinking, to debate ideas democratically, for formulate proposals, share their experiences freely and network for effective action. Since the first world encounter in 2001, it has taken the form of a permanent world process seeking and building alternatives to neoliberal policies.¨
The forums attract thousands from all over the world, many of who were united after The Battle in Seattle. The Battle in Seattle witnessed a formal coalition of social movements, a green/red blend where activists representing campaigns from Labor, human rights, environmental campaigns, etc. all united to shut down the WTO Ministerial Meeting. This was not the first time activist opposed exploitation and injustice, yet this was the first time cohesion between the interest groups was visible. Building on this momentum, the World Social Forum was born in Porto Alegre Brazil, intentionally using a city that utilizes a framework of economic democracy to highlight a just economic system and a concrete alternative to blind neoliberal capitalism. Since 2001, this platform has been used to build concrete and explicit mechanisms to build Another World and strengthen the global justice movement.
My main objective was exposure. I was familiar with the themes and even some of the groups. I had even formally studied the WSF, between my ¨Social Movements & Collective Behavior¨ class and my Medical Sociology/Public Health class (where the project with Dustin started the crazy process to ask for funding) I was so impressed, it was surreal to be actually attending. To have a pass. To have an official bag. To have to choose what sessions and workshops I wanted to attend.
¨The World Social Forum is also characterized by plurality and diversity, is non-confessional, non-governmental and non-party. It proposes to facilitate decentralized coordination and networking among organizations engaged in concrete action towards building another world, at any level from the local to the international, but it does not intend to be a body representing world civil society. The World Social Forum is not a group nor an organization.¨ Over the course of five days, I went to mostly human rights/faith and politics events. My first session reminded me of why I was in Latin America, to act in solidarity with the people who do not have the luxury of forgetting. Of people who still remember Operation Condor, the role of the US government, and the thousands of disappeared.
My faith and politics session opened with a beautiful dedication to those who were assassinated while trying to bringing God´s Kingdom. The moderator asked for any names we wanted to acknowledge - just hearing Ignacio Ellacuria and Archbishop Romero profoundly moved me. The next activity had all the participants write a symbolic word and then place it on a map of Latin America - seeing the priest I just met that morning write ¨I will not be afraid¨ reminded me of the severity of this situation. This forum, this fight, is among people who have survived. If we chose to have met as activists, students, church leaders and lay people had in the 1970s and 80s, seeing justice, our fate would have been forced disappearances by the paramilitaries that terrorized Latin America.The same stories of those that were on display at The Museum of Memory.
One perk of attending a forum of this size as a student is the networking. I went alone but met up with a friend from Cochabamba. One morning I attended sessions with a German couple, one of which was press. Due the surprising lack of North Americans, we by default attracted attention: I as interviewed while waiting for the presidents to arrive, asked to pose for pictures with an Argentinian NGO group, and listened as a woman asked questions about our government. Ultimately, I was able to make friends and scout for future employers. This is the ultimate opportunity - everyone of interest is consolidated. One organization I am now considering is WITNESS, a human rights organization that uses video advocacy to fight back. The workshop showed us how to use Flip Videos to film human rights abuses, and as others around the world are doing, ¨see it. film it, change it.¨ I am particularly curious to know how the older gentleman in the class will use this new skill, I can only imagine him on the front lines of a riot doing interviews.
And, finally, I was able to see Evo, el Presidente. I missed him in La Paz, thinking he would be there for Independence Day and not realizing that he had gone to Santa Cruz to remind them they really can´t secede. I have never been more excited to see automatic machine guns - it meant that the rumor was true, and even though Evo didn´t join the President of Paraguay during a conference, he chose to speak at the closing ceremony (he was a social movements leader after all). I was one of those people who is clearly affected by celebrity - I like to think I am not, but in the middle of the Bolivian section, above the Wiphalals, I strongly reacted to the sight of Evo and Rigoberta Menchu.
This was the perfect way to conclude my time in Cochabamba. I was already fiercely loyal to a Latin America that people seem to pass for Africa, but now I am hopelessly in love and in awe with a people that ¨Say No.¨
Using to learn the Flip-Video in a workshop with WITNESS
Amnesty International, ¨Mas derechos humanos = Menos pobresa¨
Breaking for lunch
Opening ceremony and march, the Bolivians lead the way
Resources
Favorite Article on the ASF
Introductory article, Americas Social Forum Celebrates Changes in Paraguay
World Social Forum
Americas Social Forum
Upside Down World
WITNESS: see it. film it. change it -> video advocacy/human rights org
The Battle in Seattle
Eduardo Galeano, We Say No
"Disdain betrays History and mutilates the world. The powerful opinion-makers treat us as though we do not exist, or as though we are silly shadows. The colonial inheritance obliges the so called Third World - populated by third-class people - to accept as its own memory of the victors who conquered it and to take on the lies of others and use them as its own reality. They reward our obedience, punish our intelligence, and discourage our creative energy. We are opinionated, yet we cannot offer our opinions. We have a right to the echo, not to the voice, and those who rule praise our talent to repeat parrot fashion. We say no: we refuse to accept this mediocrity as our destiny.
And within this framework, we say no to the neutrality of the human world. We say no those who invite us to wash our hands of the crucifixions we witness daily. To the bored fascination of an art that is cold, indifferent, contemplative of its mirrored reflection, we prefer a warm art, one that celebrates the human adventure in the world and participates in this adventure, an art that is incurably enamored and pugnacious. Would beauty be so beautiful if it were not just? Would justice be just if it were not beautiful? We say no to the divorce of beauty and justice, because we say yes to the powerful and fertile embrace they share."
Monday, August 9, 2010
Traveling Mercies
I dedicate this to the Sucre posse-
May we never forget to leave home
I consider myself an experienced traveler, I dare say I am even good at it. I have my passport number memorized. I advocate to all who will listen to please sign up for sky miles. I dress nicely (either a skirt or a dress) refusing the safari vest/quick dry pants/hiking shoes tourist uniform. I try to stay off the Gringo trail and use any travel guide other than the Lonely Planet. And, most of all - I do my homework; I watch and read as much as I can before I arrive in a country so I am informed. So. Bolivia, what are you doing to me? I love you, but your system is absurd. These last three weeks have almost killed me.
Bolivia, this is what you have taught me:
Paying for a plane ticket does not guarantee your reservation, you must confirm it in the following two ways:
1. Bolivar allows you to call in, but you cannot call from just any call center. The telephone number must match the telephone service, ie - TIGO phone = TIGO line
Even having a native spanish speaker with you, albeit Catalan, does not ensure success
2. If you are flying TAM, you must physically go to their office. When I asked them why you can´t do it online, they just repeated that you must come to their office. Note that going to the airport is pointless, only the military desk is open, the internationl branch is located in Plaza Constitucion.
Never buy from a travel company in the US. If so, you risk owning a ticket that used a system to find the cheapest available tickets. While logical, they do not like this at TAM. If this happens to you, you will show up to confirm your flight only to be told you have to buy another ticket entirely because your first one is void. As of April 30, TAM does not work with AeroSur. You will recieve no prior notice to inform you of this (Practice your travel vocabulary, all the conversations will be held in Spanish)
Before buying a second ticket, go immediately to skype and call customer service for a refund. Do not get angry at the nice man in India, because of the distance, the echo allows you to hear how rude you are being. Although, continue to fight like its your money, even if your university is paying for the ticket and the new price works out to a better cost ($3 margin)
After all that, when the former-president sells off the airline to cut a World Bank deal, your best best option is still the military airline TAM.
Never take Dorado buses, they are infamous for drunk driving.
Furthermore, three days before a bus trip, don't read newspapers or glance at headlines - the automobile accident pictures are not censored
Try everything to reserve a ¨bus cama¨or ¨¨semicama¨ for long trips, when the Bolivar rep says they have none available, send your friend to another company to scout out the competition. When found, leave the counter and immediately book reservie it. If you don´t know the last names of your new-found traveling posse, make them up
Save money for the national tax, otherwise you can´t get out
If you hear fireworks during the day, it is a protest - find out who is striking and make alternative transportation plans
Maps are not that important, use graffiti as landmarks - its more interesting. If you are in Cochabamba, you will receive a political education - this is high class work, they use soundbites like neoliberalism
When in doubt, just use skype. It never gets old telling the customer service representative that you cannot give a number (in case you are disconnected) because you are calling from abroad
You must bring your own lock even if you pay $4 and your only option is to stay at the normally priced $2 local hostel. Yet, this won't ensure that there will the appropriate number of beds for 6 people (located in separate rooms)or that that a random Bolivian man will take the bed reserved for the driver.
Any tour company with the world "solidarity" in their logo can be trusted to guide you to Toro Toro, land of the dinosaurs
Do what you must to access the news, particularly if it is for the first time in 2 months. (Adding just the right amount of tension to the chord be stretching it across the room until taut is the trick)
Having an official despedida does not mean you won't be so determined to come back you will fly while sick (they can´t stop you from boarding if you just tell them No, you cannot go see the airport doctor who is working at gate one)
You need the month of June to get a 6 day tourist visa:
-Start by reserving a minimum of 6 days to accumulate all the paperwork, since every service is decentralized, it works out to be about a day for each task (printing forms, making copies, having color photos made)
-You will need the patience for one walking tour of Cochabamba to discover there is no longer a Paraguayan consolate in CBB and therefore the online information is wrong
- A fluent Spanish speaker is convenient for calling the Embassy to confirm credit card information is standard or with a 7 number saga to find the actual location of a Paraguayan State representative
- If you try to work on your visa during the morning in Cochabamba, walk to your destination - this will ensure you will miss the traffic caused by the standard protest, but allow you to still see the marcha.
- When the riot police pass you, don't stare!
- To be safe, change your ¨intention of travel¨ from the Americas Social Forum to generic tourism
- block off more than enough days in La Paz, you must arrive before Independence Day and any holiday
- Don´t finish the argument with the employees, let them tell you to re-do your paperwork by hand, even though everyone knows its more convenient to use the typed version
-Having a flexible schedule, such as no real job or kids, is more convenient when you are forced to take 2 mornings off to finalize the process
- Finally... never make a political statement or offer statistics when going through this process for the first time. They don't care that Arizona is being sued by the United States government or that between 1980-1986 (the height of the dirty wars in Latin America) only 341 people received legal entry into the US from the 30, 000 who applied
If it is your first trip, and you didn't know you would need a lock in the rainforest, strategically place items (books, bumper stickers, indigenous weaving) to show that your are on the side of the people
20 hours on a bus with 5 am arrivals is worth it if you see The White City and one white lamb
Finally, when your Bolivian dad literally blesses you with the Sign of the Cross in the airport, add your own prayer for Traveling Mercies-
May we never forget to leave home
I consider myself an experienced traveler, I dare say I am even good at it. I have my passport number memorized. I advocate to all who will listen to please sign up for sky miles. I dress nicely (either a skirt or a dress) refusing the safari vest/quick dry pants/hiking shoes tourist uniform. I try to stay off the Gringo trail and use any travel guide other than the Lonely Planet. And, most of all - I do my homework; I watch and read as much as I can before I arrive in a country so I am informed. So. Bolivia, what are you doing to me? I love you, but your system is absurd. These last three weeks have almost killed me.
Bolivia, this is what you have taught me:
Paying for a plane ticket does not guarantee your reservation, you must confirm it in the following two ways:
1. Bolivar allows you to call in, but you cannot call from just any call center. The telephone number must match the telephone service, ie - TIGO phone = TIGO line
Even having a native spanish speaker with you, albeit Catalan, does not ensure success
2. If you are flying TAM, you must physically go to their office. When I asked them why you can´t do it online, they just repeated that you must come to their office. Note that going to the airport is pointless, only the military desk is open, the internationl branch is located in Plaza Constitucion.
Never buy from a travel company in the US. If so, you risk owning a ticket that used a system to find the cheapest available tickets. While logical, they do not like this at TAM. If this happens to you, you will show up to confirm your flight only to be told you have to buy another ticket entirely because your first one is void. As of April 30, TAM does not work with AeroSur. You will recieve no prior notice to inform you of this (Practice your travel vocabulary, all the conversations will be held in Spanish)
Before buying a second ticket, go immediately to skype and call customer service for a refund. Do not get angry at the nice man in India, because of the distance, the echo allows you to hear how rude you are being. Although, continue to fight like its your money, even if your university is paying for the ticket and the new price works out to a better cost ($3 margin)
After all that, when the former-president sells off the airline to cut a World Bank deal, your best best option is still the military airline TAM.
Never take Dorado buses, they are infamous for drunk driving.
Furthermore, three days before a bus trip, don't read newspapers or glance at headlines - the automobile accident pictures are not censored
Try everything to reserve a ¨bus cama¨or ¨¨semicama¨ for long trips, when the Bolivar rep says they have none available, send your friend to another company to scout out the competition. When found, leave the counter and immediately book reservie it. If you don´t know the last names of your new-found traveling posse, make them up
Save money for the national tax, otherwise you can´t get out
If you hear fireworks during the day, it is a protest - find out who is striking and make alternative transportation plans
Maps are not that important, use graffiti as landmarks - its more interesting. If you are in Cochabamba, you will receive a political education - this is high class work, they use soundbites like neoliberalism
When in doubt, just use skype. It never gets old telling the customer service representative that you cannot give a number (in case you are disconnected) because you are calling from abroad
You must bring your own lock even if you pay $4 and your only option is to stay at the normally priced $2 local hostel. Yet, this won't ensure that there will the appropriate number of beds for 6 people (located in separate rooms)or that that a random Bolivian man will take the bed reserved for the driver.
Any tour company with the world "solidarity" in their logo can be trusted to guide you to Toro Toro, land of the dinosaurs
Do what you must to access the news, particularly if it is for the first time in 2 months. (Adding just the right amount of tension to the chord be stretching it across the room until taut is the trick)
Having an official despedida does not mean you won't be so determined to come back you will fly while sick (they can´t stop you from boarding if you just tell them No, you cannot go see the airport doctor who is working at gate one)
You need the month of June to get a 6 day tourist visa:
-Start by reserving a minimum of 6 days to accumulate all the paperwork, since every service is decentralized, it works out to be about a day for each task (printing forms, making copies, having color photos made)
-You will need the patience for one walking tour of Cochabamba to discover there is no longer a Paraguayan consolate in CBB and therefore the online information is wrong
- A fluent Spanish speaker is convenient for calling the Embassy to confirm credit card information is standard or with a 7 number saga to find the actual location of a Paraguayan State representative
- If you try to work on your visa during the morning in Cochabamba, walk to your destination - this will ensure you will miss the traffic caused by the standard protest, but allow you to still see the marcha.
- When the riot police pass you, don't stare!
- To be safe, change your ¨intention of travel¨ from the Americas Social Forum to generic tourism
- block off more than enough days in La Paz, you must arrive before Independence Day and any holiday
- Don´t finish the argument with the employees, let them tell you to re-do your paperwork by hand, even though everyone knows its more convenient to use the typed version
-Having a flexible schedule, such as no real job or kids, is more convenient when you are forced to take 2 mornings off to finalize the process
- Finally... never make a political statement or offer statistics when going through this process for the first time. They don't care that Arizona is being sued by the United States government or that between 1980-1986 (the height of the dirty wars in Latin America) only 341 people received legal entry into the US from the 30, 000 who applied
If it is your first trip, and you didn't know you would need a lock in the rainforest, strategically place items (books, bumper stickers, indigenous weaving) to show that your are on the side of the people
20 hours on a bus with 5 am arrivals is worth it if you see The White City and one white lamb
Finally, when your Bolivian dad literally blesses you with the Sign of the Cross in the airport, add your own prayer for Traveling Mercies-
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
La Paz vs. YGC
It is just too fun, I can´t give up posting personal emails. They just seem to be a more dynamic way to mirror life here.
Dear Michael,
I did not forget the 4.30 deadline. I am in La Paz to get my visa for
Paraguay so after I picked it up at 3.30 I immediately got a taxi back to
where I stored my bags. In an attempt to be as efficient as possible and
on time for our meeting, I asked the driver if he could wait and take me
to my hotel, he said no because there were marchas (a protest) and so the
streets were blocked. I tried again with another taxi only to arrive and discover that the ¨internet¨ advertised is one computer in the lobby. I would skype you
from here but I there computer is behind the desk, so there is no privacy. We could just IM, which would be quite humours because it looks like I work here. Ironic, considering while I type this email there ithe real employee is behind me using a typewriter.
Let me know if we can reschedule. I am heading out after this to look for an
internet cafe. I apologize for the delay.
Ali
Dear Michael,
I did not forget the 4.30 deadline. I am in La Paz to get my visa for
Paraguay so after I picked it up at 3.30 I immediately got a taxi back to
where I stored my bags. In an attempt to be as efficient as possible and
on time for our meeting, I asked the driver if he could wait and take me
to my hotel, he said no because there were marchas (a protest) and so the
streets were blocked. I tried again with another taxi only to arrive and discover that the ¨internet¨ advertised is one computer in the lobby. I would skype you
from here but I there computer is behind the desk, so there is no privacy. We could just IM, which would be quite humours because it looks like I work here. Ironic, considering while I type this email there ithe real employee is behind me using a typewriter.
Let me know if we can reschedule. I am heading out after this to look for an
internet cafe. I apologize for the delay.
Ali
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
We Would Have Met
Subject: We Would Have Met
From: Ali Boyd
Date: July 28, 2010 12:13:20 AM EDT
To: Dean Chahim
Dear Dean,
We would have met Sunday in a tiny pueblo with only one phone. I would have been standing next to the plaza, in between the tourist office and the replica of a dinosaur. We would have not even mentioned the dinosaur, because, it was of course normal. (This is Toro Toro, famous for its prolific dinosaur footprints). I would have seen you first because I was facing the exit from the main road as I waited. I met Claudia when she asked me, without an introduction, if I had been into the cave yet. I would have told you, as I told her, that yes we went the day before. After formal introductions, we would talk logistics - where we work, where we live, where we stayed in Toro Toro, what time we were leaving. I would have told the same antecodoate about waking up in a sketchy hostal, 5 of us sharing 3 beds, and finding another man in the bed reserved for our driver, Ricardo.
We could have laughed about the absurdity of a $5 room and the stranger we did not pay for, and then left to go talk Bolivian politics. I could ask you if you saw the abandoned houses flanking the Santa Cruz road. Our conversation could have played out effortlessly. "Did you read the El Diario article about the police forcefully evicting the squatters? The pictures were so intense! It looked like a war zone, with all the tear gas and riot gear! What do you think about squatters rights? The Landless Workers' Movement?"
But, we did not meet Sunday. In your place, I met your Engineers Without Borders posse and a friendly girl named Claudia. Maybe one day we can line up time zones and I won't have to explain that we have yet to meet, frente a frente, that we have only worked for Beyond Good Intentions. This "six degrees theory" is starting to seem like a joke -
Until then, we will continue sharing the Latin America we love so much,
Ali
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
God and Graffitti
If you ever come visit, I can give you directions. In other words, I just passed the halfway mark and feel that I can confidently say that I have settled into Cochabamba. I ran through all the basics - bought a cell phone, a Bolivian SIMM card and minutes, secured internet and a working computer charger. (This was done after Raffo, my Bolivian dad, pulled out the pesky third prong of my charger). I became the proud owner of a TIGO USB internet stick so I could go mobile and connect to a 3G network; imagine trying to browse the internet and run an inappropriate amount of tabs on Firefox using an iPhone. I just assumed I had the when-traveling-in-a-developing-country-do-the-following¨ formula down. Not in Cochabamba.
I intentionally arrived on a Friday to have the weekend to familiarize myself. I quickly realized I was limited effectively to the the suburbs for three days. I panicked because I am in a very nice apartment building, Cochabamba Proper, if you will. I had come to apply what I study at Furman - Political Science/poverty/Latin American studies - and found myself in a sanitized suburb. One can´t exactly feel the movement from 3b. Surely I was cheating on solidarity with my fancy address!
My home-stay is very "safe" meaning I live in a very modern apartment building kilometers away from the city center, and thus the Plaza Principal that hosts all the political activity. As I write this, the hunger strike just ended Sunday and there have already been two protests this week (it is Tuesday). Ironically, part of me is slightly relieved because I am more aware of my personal safety here then every before. Stories circulate about the friends of friends who have been mugged, hurt or scared. So for now 3b will work until my Spanish catches up with my political curiosity. I can't exactly ask the person with the knife to wait while I conjugate verbs.
The first day my orientation started when I was picked up and shown how to use public transportation. You might be thinking, shouldn’t you know how to use public transportation if your traveling this much? Maybe you should re-think your blog name... I know it seems basic, but it really is a game you have to learn. There are cultural cues, social norms and rules you have to be introduced to. I catch a trufi, a glorified minivan/microbus, five times a day. Line 260. You exit and leave at any time. I try my best not to be conscious of my Spanish and therefore rendered mute, but it is hard. Especially after I learned I was yelling the wrong phrase, instead of "voy a bajar," I was confidently parroting "voy a dejar." I now just stick with ¨la esquina por favor¨ or simply follow someone out. The other day when I asked to stop, a man in the front seat literally turned around to see who was speaking with the accent.
My research paid off because my school,Bolivia Sostinable is legit. It is exactly like the Vista House, an intentional community. It is a communal house hosting residents, the office, and classrooms. There is even an Art Resident (Vista house addition, no ve?).
My saving grace was catalyzed by an announcement my first day at Bolivia Sostinable for a politics lecture! I was able to get more of a grasp on the last 8 years, 5 presidents, the Water War, Gas War, and exactly why there is no longer a US Ambassador, DEA or Peace Corps presence. This was complimented by my city tour where I witnessed a military demonstration and my first Cochabamba protest. I don't exactly know what the issue was, but I think land rights. My protest vocabulary set was not exactly up to par yet, but I did recognize the word justicia.
In the absence of a map (naturally, the tourist office shut down for the week while the government changed over) I started using God and graffiti to orient myself. They are static and easy to remember. Street names are more challenging – they are mostly other inanimate objects such as countries (Espana, Ecuador, America) or dates (14 de septiembre, 9 de abril). I assume with 188 coups in 157 years, it is safer to name streets after famous dates than fleeting heads-of-state.
I know that I need to keep Jesus (that statue that is) on my left on the way to school and behind me to go home. If I take a taxi to the school, I follow the wall that begins with instructions to ¨resist the working class¨and concludes with the ominous "Assassinate Evo." To go to the Plaza Principal, I connect the dots of unimaginative communist graffiti all the way down calle Sucre. It is time to get off for Taraja when I am informed, in English, PUNK IS DEAD. I was terribly late on morning when I passed a huge mural depicting the Water Wars and their slogan ¨el agua es nuestro, carajo." (The fact I liked the mural and would have trouble relocating it meant I was kilometers away from my destination). I eventually was able to consecrate my fresh-from-the-US-it-took-2-weeks-thanks-mom and dad for all your help-debit card in the Anarchy ATM Machine, instructing us to "destroy and rebuild." Finally, I designated my favorite work of graffiti ¨libre palestina,¨ complete with a picture and a slogan. It is not Banksy, but I take it as a christening each time I pass under the bridge that welcomes me back to the suburbs. I am reminded why I am here. I am in Cochabamba, laying my pride on the line, to learn radical spanish, one saturated with politics. I am "arming my voice."
From 3b to Bolivia Sostinable:
Leave Edificio Altamira, calle America
Flag a truffie from line 260
Keep Jesus on your left as you head into the city
Arrive at Bolivia Sostinable
My teacher and I abandoned the charming 2 person classrooms to work outside
Important Landmarks:
"Resist the Working Class"
"Free Palestine"
"Destroy and Rebuild"
This is my "I-am-a-quasi-tourist-but-live-here, don't-rob-me-outfit"
No bag + pants = cell phone + cash --> I bought flowers for my home-stay family on my first visit to La Cancha, the largest market in South America
I intentionally arrived on a Friday to have the weekend to familiarize myself. I quickly realized I was limited effectively to the the suburbs for three days. I panicked because I am in a very nice apartment building, Cochabamba Proper, if you will. I had come to apply what I study at Furman - Political Science/poverty/Latin American studies - and found myself in a sanitized suburb. One can´t exactly feel the movement from 3b. Surely I was cheating on solidarity with my fancy address!
My home-stay is very "safe" meaning I live in a very modern apartment building kilometers away from the city center, and thus the Plaza Principal that hosts all the political activity. As I write this, the hunger strike just ended Sunday and there have already been two protests this week (it is Tuesday). Ironically, part of me is slightly relieved because I am more aware of my personal safety here then every before. Stories circulate about the friends of friends who have been mugged, hurt or scared. So for now 3b will work until my Spanish catches up with my political curiosity. I can't exactly ask the person with the knife to wait while I conjugate verbs.
The first day my orientation started when I was picked up and shown how to use public transportation. You might be thinking, shouldn’t you know how to use public transportation if your traveling this much? Maybe you should re-think your blog name... I know it seems basic, but it really is a game you have to learn. There are cultural cues, social norms and rules you have to be introduced to. I catch a trufi, a glorified minivan/microbus, five times a day. Line 260. You exit and leave at any time. I try my best not to be conscious of my Spanish and therefore rendered mute, but it is hard. Especially after I learned I was yelling the wrong phrase, instead of "voy a bajar," I was confidently parroting "voy a dejar." I now just stick with ¨la esquina por favor¨ or simply follow someone out. The other day when I asked to stop, a man in the front seat literally turned around to see who was speaking with the accent.
My research paid off because my school,Bolivia Sostinable is legit. It is exactly like the Vista House, an intentional community. It is a communal house hosting residents, the office, and classrooms. There is even an Art Resident (Vista house addition, no ve?).
My saving grace was catalyzed by an announcement my first day at Bolivia Sostinable for a politics lecture! I was able to get more of a grasp on the last 8 years, 5 presidents, the Water War, Gas War, and exactly why there is no longer a US Ambassador, DEA or Peace Corps presence. This was complimented by my city tour where I witnessed a military demonstration and my first Cochabamba protest. I don't exactly know what the issue was, but I think land rights. My protest vocabulary set was not exactly up to par yet, but I did recognize the word justicia.
In the absence of a map (naturally, the tourist office shut down for the week while the government changed over) I started using God and graffiti to orient myself. They are static and easy to remember. Street names are more challenging – they are mostly other inanimate objects such as countries (Espana, Ecuador, America) or dates (14 de septiembre, 9 de abril). I assume with 188 coups in 157 years, it is safer to name streets after famous dates than fleeting heads-of-state.
I know that I need to keep Jesus (that statue that is) on my left on the way to school and behind me to go home. If I take a taxi to the school, I follow the wall that begins with instructions to ¨resist the working class¨and concludes with the ominous "Assassinate Evo." To go to the Plaza Principal, I connect the dots of unimaginative communist graffiti all the way down calle Sucre. It is time to get off for Taraja when I am informed, in English, PUNK IS DEAD. I was terribly late on morning when I passed a huge mural depicting the Water Wars and their slogan ¨el agua es nuestro, carajo." (The fact I liked the mural and would have trouble relocating it meant I was kilometers away from my destination). I eventually was able to consecrate my fresh-from-the-US-it-took-2-weeks-thanks-mom and dad for all your help-debit card in the Anarchy ATM Machine, instructing us to "destroy and rebuild." Finally, I designated my favorite work of graffiti ¨libre palestina,¨ complete with a picture and a slogan. It is not Banksy, but I take it as a christening each time I pass under the bridge that welcomes me back to the suburbs. I am reminded why I am here. I am in Cochabamba, laying my pride on the line, to learn radical spanish, one saturated with politics. I am "arming my voice."
From 3b to Bolivia Sostinable:
Leave Edificio Altamira, calle America
Flag a truffie from line 260
Keep Jesus on your left as you head into the city
Arrive at Bolivia Sostinable
My teacher and I abandoned the charming 2 person classrooms to work outside
Important Landmarks:
"Resist the Working Class"
"Free Palestine"
"Destroy and Rebuild"
This is my "I-am-a-quasi-tourist-but-live-here, don't-rob-me-outfit"
No bag + pants = cell phone + cash --> I bought flowers for my home-stay family on my first visit to La Cancha, the largest market in South America
Saturday, July 17, 2010
To: dgourdin@uchicago.edu / Subject: Visas
Yet another email. They seem to be the most effective way to show the tension between real life and politics:
Subject: Visas
From: aliboyd@mac.com
Date: July 17, 2010 11:06:25 PM EDT
To: dgourdin@uchicago.edu
They are 135, approximately the same amount it is for Bolivians to enter the US. Though its a little different when you are the poorest country in South America and the American government is convinced your life goal is to fly legally into a country and then never return. From Rio, it is about a 5 day trip one way via bus and/or train.
Your only option would be to fly or meet me in Paraguay (Asuncion on the 11th) but I think would push your Chicago schedule too far. Also, that is another Visa. Maybe you should just change your citizenship ... The tickets are running at about $800. [Because] we have no infrastructure here thanks to extreme poverty and no real commercial airlines thanks to former President Goni who sold the airlines to cut a World Bank deal. Even though he fled after The Gas Wars for the sanctuary of the US, there are only 3 commercial airlines, one of which is military.
I would still say come. I am convinced if I could show you this version of the Global South you would be permanently recruited from Africa. Did I mention the Bolivian VP is a sociologist?"
Subject: Visas
From: aliboyd@mac.com
Date: July 17, 2010 11:06:25 PM EDT
To: dgourdin@uchicago.edu
They are 135, approximately the same amount it is for Bolivians to enter the US. Though its a little different when you are the poorest country in South America and the American government is convinced your life goal is to fly legally into a country and then never return. From Rio, it is about a 5 day trip one way via bus and/or train.
Your only option would be to fly or meet me in Paraguay (Asuncion on the 11th) but I think would push your Chicago schedule too far. Also, that is another Visa. Maybe you should just change your citizenship ... The tickets are running at about $800. [Because] we have no infrastructure here thanks to extreme poverty and no real commercial airlines thanks to former President Goni who sold the airlines to cut a World Bank deal. Even though he fled after The Gas Wars for the sanctuary of the US, there are only 3 commercial airlines, one of which is military.
I would still say come. I am convinced if I could show you this version of the Global South you would be permanently recruited from Africa. Did I mention the Bolivian VP is a sociologist?"
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
ATM vs. Anarchy
One of my favorite emails sent to my mother while trying to live in Bolivia:
Subject: ATM
Tried it again. I even went to my favorite ATM in the city - the machine conveniently next to la Universidad San Simón and placed above the anarchy graffiti, instructing us to "destroy and rebuild" ...
I thought since I was trying to fight The Man but still use The Man, it would show a little grace.
Alas, nada... hypocrisy is transparent.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
On the Edge of the Kingdom
The 15th anniversary of Srebrenica is today; these strong women buried 775 Muslim men and boys this year. See "Boxing a Youtube Genocide" for my post from the anniversary last year.
The following is a piece I wrote for Jottings, the literary publication of the Mere Christianity Forum. I reflect on my experiences in the wake of war. Where others seem to lose God, I found Him/Her in the Valley of the Shadow of Death.
- Though I walk through the valley
- of the shadow of death,
- I will fear no evil
- Psalm 23:4
My Jottings submission:
I was ready. I had no choice. I had to go in prepared, rehearsed and researched. Three visits to massacre sites in less than two years. Yet, this time I was alone to visit and conduct research in Srebrenica, the site of the worst European massacre since World War II.
The wake of war became shockingly casual - burned houses with naked skeletons of three story houses were familiar. I continued with my daily routine, trying to forget that the house in front of mine suffered the loss of three boys. I continued shopping for groceries even after realizing the man in the juice aisle has no left arm; then rationalizing that it was more important that was a man still alive.
I joined the 30, 000 people at the Memorial Ceremony of July 11, 2009. Fourteen years after the war ended, Srebrenica had only to bury 534 men and boys that year. They laid to rest 534 more from the over 8, 000 Muslims killed while seeking sanctuary in a UN Safe Zone. As I witnessed the line of coffins filing by me, I paid my respect with such meager offerings - my camera, my witness, this voice. I didn't break, didn't cry. I had no right to cry, I have lost nothing.
The funeral and memorial ceremony were an act of solidarity. This gave me hope because I was part of thousands who continue to remind the world that we pledged “never again” after the Holocaust. I felt the raw edges between the “Kingdom Come” and a world trying to bring the Kingdom now as we echo the mantra “never again” through Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and now Darfur.
Consequently, what scared me and moved me to tears was a video I saw on Youtube. It was recorded by a Serb soldier during the massacre; a father was yelling for his son to come down from hiding in the mountains while surrounded by soldiers that would eventually add him to a mass grave. Genocide had found Youtube, and I couldn't take it. If we can now watch people literally being marched to their grave and not react, what kind of sick game is this? When taught about the Holocaust, why are we not also taught about the concentration camps in Argentina or the 677 camps that filled Bosnia? I used to imagine my “Valley of the Shadow of Death" as natural worse case scenarios - cancer, death of a family member, or a serious accident. My Valley was quite small because I was raised in a world that gave me a perfect childhood sanitized of extreme pain. Yet, I had found a manufactured Valley of the Shadow of Death – one filled with structural violence – such war, poverty and inequality.
As a result, I almost drowned in the face of “daily crucifixions.” For a while, I merely treaded water among questions of solidarity, suffering and my personal anger. By day I would meet concentration camp survivors and by night I would read their stories. In Sarajevo I waited in the same line to buy lunch where 16 people died in during the war*. Walking home, I knew what areas to avoid because they had yet to be de-mined. As my Valley encountered and absorbed more violence, I became polarized. How could I not only remain neutral, but also forgive people for crimes I never witnessed?
The day after the Srebrenica funeral, I heard young Serb Nationalists came into Srebrenica and yell “we will rid the Balkans of all Muslims.” How could I love these kids, younger than me, who screamed death threats the day after the community buried 534 beloved ones? All I wanted to do was vomit; I needed a concrete physical release from the disgust I felt from inside a preventable Valley of Death.
I was no longer in the shadows, I was meeting people who had survived war and lost others from preventable murder. One of the people I would encounter was Miroslav Volf, torture survivor and theologian; his work offers a transparent theology that reminds us we are called to a relationship of love, reconciliation and forgiveness. I was shown a Valley so deep and wide that it both brings me to my knees and revives me. Where others seem to lose God, I found Him/Her. It was on the edge, that I could hear God whispering the same words an Iraqi father spoke to his child: “Come back my son, come to my lap. I am your father.” Both fathers have known intimate violence and the pain of losing their children to war.
I came to realize that the “Valley of the Shadow of Death” is supposed to be a magnificent Valley that testifies of the Kingdom. I used to consider the natural splendor a cruel exaggeration of the suffering, but now I know it is God challenging affliction. Killing fields such as Srebrenica and El Mozote are truly sacred because they are Holy Ground. It is here we feel the edges of the Kingdom; for it is in profound beauty and profound oppression that concrete theology manifests; it is an opportunity to bring the kingdom now, not just to come.
We must stop saying "Never Again” if we make this promise and then remain neutral. "Until Next Time" is more appropriate until justice has been served and violence prevented. If I wanted to consume information and remain neutral, I would have stayed home and googled Srebrenica. As the July 11 anniversary of Srebrenica approaches each year, I fight for “they kingdom come:” I educate myself on the current wars by complimenting mainstream media with independent sources such as Democracy Now! or Al Jazeera English (they are not embedded with American troops). I “speak truth to power” by signing petitions and notifying my representatives that there is accountability. I also offer my support to organizations such as Witness for Peace who refuse to leave the conflict zones the world seems to have abandoned.
Please start to bring the Kingdom now by signing the petition to say “Never Again” in the face of the current genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
May those who never forget remind us who try!
Resources
The Srebrenica Genocide Blog is constantly updating with new information.
General background information on the worst European massacre (in a UN Safe Zone) since WWII can be found here.
Monday, July 5, 2010
¡Bienvenidos a Cochabamba!
I promised myself I would never do an update email. I have a blog, after all. Except when your blogging as if you are still in Africa when you are very much in Bolivia. Besides, I am using a keyboard where 9 1/2 of the keys have labels taped to them. It is just too tempting...
I am in Cochabamba. Thanks to skype. Before you read any further, please go make a skype account. It is a life necessity. My flight left almost 2 hours late from Miami so in addition to listening to a two hiker´s litany of every outdoor vacation they have taken, their new gear, and the family that just ¨let them go¨I missed my flight to Cochabamba. I had to buy a visa upon arrival, 135 USD. My first taste of the progressive government of Evo Morales. He mirrored US immigration policy and consequently made American entry into the country just as expensive and complicated as we make our frontera. I was told I could fly standby at 7 pm that night, 12 hours from then. I called my school in Cochabamba and informed them I was not on the flight that should be arriving in a few minutes. The phone cut out just in time for me to hear them say go to another airline. Oh, ok. Not as an experienced traveler as I thought I was.
So, after buying 2 bottles of water to combat the altitude, (La Paz is the highest capital in the world) I went and stored my luggage. I learned that in SFO - I could lap that tiny airport free of my bag. Realizing I couldn't work the pay phone, I went to the internet cafe and called the school followed by a call to my mom. I booked a flight for 9.30 that morning and then went to get my bags back out of storage. Try conjugating verbs while clearly affected by the altitude. I could barely think in English. I called my mom back and asked her to please call Cochabamba, I couldn't miss my next flight and the cell phone number I was given wasn't working.
Round two. I go to the gate, confidant because I just bought a plane ticket in Bolivia. I was promptly told to turn around, I had to pay the national tax -paid it, went through. Not hard, I will just wait until they line up and fall in the back. So, I am sitting in my gate, just sitting there. My head hurts too much to read and then they announce my full name. I go the man and try to give him my plane ticket. No, we are not boarding, he needs me to follow him. I am led outside, onto The tarmac and into a back room. Surely, it cant be this sketchy hours into the country. My dad is going to be worried. So, what now? A bribe? Questioning? They searched my bag and saw the amount of political books I was importing? They ask if I have any gas in my bag? No, no gas. I am not a terrorist. I am coming to your country to learn extreme activism, remember? Aren't you the people who stage a coup every 8 months? I finally show them my shaving cream nicely tucked under and beside books, they are after all, books about Bolivia and public interest lawyers, not exactly threatening.
I am on the plane not worrying that I have no ride and no way of contacting the school once I arrive. I am traveling much looser than I would have liked. The 30 minute flight takes us over the Andes. I mark myself as the tourist when I get my camera out. I couldn't resist the cliche tourist photo. Then, I realize this flight is going to both Cochabamba and Sucre. 2nd touristy act. I get out my guide book and open the map to see which city is first. I get off in the right one. In Cochabamba I grab my bag from the 13 that are circling and sit down. Do I have enough nerve to roll with all my luggage, between the crowd of men blocking the telephones? No. I will just wait; they are all watching the world cup, these are serious fans. I spot gringos, stare them down, they keep going. Finally, the director arrives to take me to the school. My mom called from SC and left a message on their voice mail. She's legit; instead of panicking she uses Skype to set up a carpool for me.
I check in and leave to go meet my home stay family. They are a retired couple who live in a nice apartment building. They don't seem to reflect the same frequency in which I want to discuss politics, but love to talk about family, the medical alert dog my brother has for his diabetes and how much I like to read. They send me out the next night with their 23 year-old nephew and instructions to only speak in Spanish. He doesn't seem to have an affinity for politics either.
Just in case I get scared of a life with no politics, I know that Jesus is always watching. He stands outside my bedroom window. Personally, I think he wishes the Cochabambinos were a little more creative, though he is taller here, they still copied him from Brazil.
So, I am here. Cochabamba: home of the Water Wars and the first successful fight against a multinational corporation attempting to privatize a life necessity. I can attend language school anywhere, so I came for this city - for a politicized environment. I am here to learn Spanish and sophisticated social movements (after a strict warning from the school´s director not to become involved in politics. I can look, but not touch. No really, I can get deported -we learned that in South Africa.)
Moral of my narration - go abroad. Each and every time you have a chance, go south. Save the West for when you are old, with a Volvo and a mortgage. I promise, you will never be bored -
I suggest using this map from Information is Beautiful as a guide
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
"Captitalism, A Love Story?"
When I give food to the poor they call me a saint.
When I ask why the poor have no food they call me a communist.
- Dom. Hélder Camara
When I ask why the poor have no food they call me a communist.
- Dom. Hélder Camara
"Careless consumerist consumption
Dangerous dysfunction
Dangerous dysfunction
Disguised as expensive tastes”
I am called a communist on a fairly predictable basis. It is quite underwhelming considering the accusers are largely uninformed. I doubt few could differentiate between communism and socialism. If in fact someone was to directly ask my opinion regarding economics, they would understand that I not only can justify my views, but that I am indeed a proponent of capitalism. What I object to are hegemonic economic policies such as neoliberal, corporate globalization that is commodifying the very lives of people born in the Global South. They are drowning in the wake of increased inequality and unfair competition.
It seems quite axiomatic that I would question the Western economy once it was made transparent. Furman’s Latin American study abroad trip exposed us to the realities behind trade agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA: we walked the cornfields of farmers losing their literal history to subsidized agribusiness, heard the stories of men who risked everything for El Norte and were even allowed into a maquiladora (at best, a factory, at worse, a sweatshop). Only within the framework of naked economics, were we able to see and hear the people who supplied our excessive consumerism.
Aside from issues of excess materialism, I just want to lead an honest lifestyle. I can’t advocate for social change if I am not implementing those ideals at every level. How awkward would it be if you fill an “Operation Christmas Child Box” with toys made by the same 12 year old kids whose Christmas you are furnishing?
What I found when I returned and started to change my lifestyle was that there are great resources - Better World Shopper, The Good Guide and Better World Books - but if you don’t live in San Francisco, access is extremely limited. You are stuck with clothes that suggest you are an older soccer mom or yearn to return to the African community you lived with for 23 years as a volunteer. Let’s be honest, I don’t necessary want to wear ethnic patterns. What I want is an ethical version of Anthropologie in the deep South.
My much more hipster friend (the kind that bikes and blogs) convinced me to spend one of our three free days (on a 59 day trip) at the Design Indaba Conference. I caught a glimpse of what could be in Capetown; with the mantra “a better world through creativity” it is a “100% local-is-lekker celebration of South African’s ingrained creativity.” We were given a one day guest pass to Mecca; an entire conference center filled with sophisticated products. I have never enjoyed a shopping experience so much - pure competition between vendors to see who produced the best product. I took three laps around the center: one to soak it in, a second to scout out the products and a final trip to stop wasting time and starting building my resources and to buy samples/products. Shopping was refreshing, not stressful. Ultimately, we witnessed an underground economy - one of fair, ethical and direct trade; the same one Americans must supplement with the internet.
It seems quite axiomatic that I would question the Western economy once it was made transparent. Furman’s Latin American study abroad trip exposed us to the realities behind trade agreements such as NAFTA and CAFTA: we walked the cornfields of farmers losing their literal history to subsidized agribusiness, heard the stories of men who risked everything for El Norte and were even allowed into a maquiladora (at best, a factory, at worse, a sweatshop). Only within the framework of naked economics, were we able to see and hear the people who supplied our excessive consumerism.
$99 price tag
Pictures were taken in a maquiladora, on a visit to Free Trade Zone - 2008
Aside from issues of excess materialism, I just want to lead an honest lifestyle. I can’t advocate for social change if I am not implementing those ideals at every level. How awkward would it be if you fill an “Operation Christmas Child Box” with toys made by the same 12 year old kids whose Christmas you are furnishing?
What I found when I returned and started to change my lifestyle was that there are great resources - Better World Shopper, The Good Guide and Better World Books - but if you don’t live in San Francisco, access is extremely limited. You are stuck with clothes that suggest you are an older soccer mom or yearn to return to the African community you lived with for 23 years as a volunteer. Let’s be honest, I don’t necessary want to wear ethnic patterns. What I want is an ethical version of Anthropologie in the deep South.
My much more hipster friend (the kind that bikes and blogs) convinced me to spend one of our three free days (on a 59 day trip) at the Design Indaba Conference. I caught a glimpse of what could be in Capetown; with the mantra “a better world through creativity” it is a “100% local-is-lekker celebration of South African’s ingrained creativity.” We were given a one day guest pass to Mecca; an entire conference center filled with sophisticated products. I have never enjoyed a shopping experience so much - pure competition between vendors to see who produced the best product. I took three laps around the center: one to soak it in, a second to scout out the products and a final trip to stop wasting time and starting building my resources and to buy samples/products. Shopping was refreshing, not stressful. Ultimately, we witnessed an underground economy - one of fair, ethical and direct trade; the same one Americans must supplement with the internet.
Design Indaba Expo 2010 from Design Indaba on Vimeo.
"Since 1995, Design Indaba has been committed to a vision that is built on the belief that creativity will fuel an economic revolution in South Africa.
As such, Design Indaba is a celebration of design in a country iconic of the triumph of the human spirit. Proof that even the most intractable problem can be neutralised by the will of the people, resurgent South Africa is a beacon to the world. Design Indaba typifies this can-do spirit through its belief in design and how it can help solve the problems faced by an emerging economy. With the right support, a better future can be designed."
Design Indaba
_______________________
RESOURCES*
This is my favorite set - practical and easy to use. Start with Better World Books and Better World Shopper and incorporate fair trade coffee, t- shirts, etc. If you have other suggestions, please add them in the comments section of this post.
Better World Shopper
Five years of research compiled into a resource that rates products on an ethical scale. Available for download so it can be used while shopping.
Available as an iPhone application or $5 to download and import into iPhoto - take your iPod shopping with you. Once you use it a few times, you memorize what brands are best
Better World Books
Buy new and used books with free, carbon-neutral shipping while supporting literacy initiatives. BWB is a "self-sustaining, triple-bottom-line company that creates social, economic and environmental value for all our stakeholders."
The Good Guide
"Find safe, healthy and green products, then find better ones using expert ratings."
Availabe as an iPhone application
United Students Against Sweatshops
Interfaith Worker Justice
Hardcore Socially and Environmentally Responsible Gift Guide
B Corporation
"B Corporations are a new type of corporation that use the power of business to create public benefit"
TOMS Shoes
The People´s Shoe
¨Followers of the brand appreciate the brand’s commitment to the people, with a percentage of profits going to The Starfish Project, a humanitarian organization in Cambodia that provides medical aid and housing to the needy. The brand’s catchy aesthetic and faultless principles make it a fine addition to any wardrobe, as recent converts Santogold, Interpol, Vampire Weekend and Metric can all testify.¨
Books
Born to Buy
Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic
Film
--> Behind the Swoosh with Jim Keady & Educating for Justice
After raising issues over Nike's business practices, Jim Keady was forced to resign from his job as a soccer coach. He went to China and lived on the "living wage" of a factory employee for one month. Behind the Swoosh documents what life is really like surviving on factory wages. More information about the campaign to end sweatshop labor can be found at Educating for Justice.
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