Rohingya. When you hear this word, does it spark any thought in your mind? Does it spark any segment on the news you’ve seen recently? Anything you learned in class? Does it sound familiar… at all? When I asked some of my friends if they’ve heard the word “Rohingya”, the answer was “no”. And this…
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The irony of the West’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia would be laughable, if it weren’t so troubling. When King Abdullah, of the ruling al-Saud family, died in January 2015, tributes gushed forth from world leaders. Prince Charles, David Cameron and Barack Obama, among others, flew to Riyadh to pay their respects to a man…
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When politicians make fools of themselves on social media, it’s fair to say that it’s an almost pleasurable experience to survey the ensuing wrath from the comfort of our smartphones. It’s almost enough to make you feel sorry for our Aussie pollies. We are able to look back in a kind of awe at the…
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A Kuwaiti woman was arrested in Saudi Arabia earlier this week for driving her diabetic father to a hospital. The latest incident comes just days after more than 60 women filmed themselves driving and posted the videos online in protest against the country’s ban against women driving without being accompanied by a male companion. Although…
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Evelyn Tadros has achieved so much in such a short time. Just a few years ago in 2006, she founded the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival in Melbourne and since then it has expanded to include a national tour and more recently, a Schools and Community Program that provides events year round…
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Image via Takver, Flickr Amongst the rife and wrangle preceding the Federal election in less than two weeks, the topic of refugees, ‘boat people’ and even ‘plane people’ has never received so much public attention since the Tampa incident in the harrowing Howard era. Former arbitrary water-cooler conversations at the office are being transformed into…
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Two weeks ago we recognised International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which has come to be popularly known as White Ribbon Day. Now, as we recognise International Human Rights Day, it is appropriate to reflect on the status of women and men as equal human subjects. Australia’s White Ribbon Day campaign asks…
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The Human Rights Arts and Film Festival aims to use art to transcend cultural, ethnic and linguistic barriers, with the goal of inspiring and educating the Australian public, and connecting them with human rights organisations. The National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra screened three films from the festival’s touring program, and one of these films was Our…
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Earlier this year cinemagoers were treated to a look at life in Maggie’s farm in The Iron Lady. Now it is time for an intimate portrait of The Steel Orchid. The Lady tells the story of the Burmese-English political activist, human rights advocate and political prisoner, Aung San Suu Kyi. Known to her supporters as Daw or The Lady,…
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