June 12th is World Day Against Child Labour

Approximately 218 million children worldwide are involved in child labour. That is about 14% of 5 to 17 year olds globally, or roughly one in seven children. It is simply too many.

To raise awareness of the issue, and to promote schooling as the right alternative, Concern has launched www.tinypickers.com, the website of a fictional company which is being investigated due to their suspected use of child labour.

As Concern’s site explains:

‘Concern's Stop Child Labour campaign wants you to help give children back their childhood and give them the opportunity to go to school.

So next time you pick up a bar of chocolate, a pack of coffee, or a cotton t-shirt, ask your retailer if the product contains traces of child labour.

Because at the end of the day, any product made using child labour, no matter what it looks like or what price it is, will leave a bad taste in your mouth’


It is an innovative campaign, and certainly one very powerful message.

Africa Day, Sunday 25th May.

Come join the celebrations of all things African in music, song, dance, sport and film.

Over the next few days all across the country parks and cinemas, theatre and football pitches will be with brought to life with the sights and sounds of Africa, as Ireland plays host to Africa Day celebrations.

Dublin Castle is centre stage on Sun 25th with music and guest appearances by leading Irish and African acts including: Mundy, Kila, Sinead O Connor, the Republic of Loose, The Discovery Gospel Choir, Stone & Jezreel.. and many more. If that gets too much you have a wander around the bazaar comprising of stands from Egypt to South Africa. And if that gets to much you can always head over to the IFI (Irish Film institute) for free screenings of African films. But before you go, be sure to pop over to the cultural corner in Dublin Castle’s coach house, where I will be taking portraits along with fellow photographer Al Higgins, for the 2008 1000 Family Album, hosted by Suas and Concern. The photos comprise part of a larger project initiated by photographer Uwe Ommer, who spent 4 years traveling the world to record images of 1000 families, celebrating the diversity of the faces and places he encountered along the way

And it is all free of charge.

For more information on Africa Day of see:
http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/africaday2008/default.htm

And for more information in the 1000 families exhibit see:
www.buildingunity.eu

(Africa Day is supported by Irish Aid)

A poet of conscience

Cecil Rajendra was in Dublin town over the last few days, as part of series of events organised by Suas and Concern to promote cultural diversity (Building Unity through Diversity)

Who? Yes, Cecil Rajehndra. He is a Malaysian lawyer, human rights activist, political critic, environmentalist, founder of Malaysian’s Free Legal Aid, poet .., and has been nominated, twice, for the Nobel Prize for Literature. His poems have a cutting edge to them, prizing open minds and calling people to account for the world’s injustices. They happen to be very beautiful too. Below is a poem Cecil wrote specially for the event.

A DIFFERENT SAMENESS


Each one different
yet akin ….
under our tent
of skin
our bones are white
our blood is red
& when dead
all flesh, as a poet
once said,
is food for the maggot.


Race, opinion, religion ….
little
more than brushstrokes
on
a galactic canvas.
Yet
rather than celebrate
our
diverse variegations
(as one often rejoices
in the colours of Spring
Sunset, Flowers, the Rainbow)
We
choose to exterminate
blow
up each other over
less than
minor shades of difference.



Cecil Rajendra
July 2007