Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 13

Struggle continues

While Mehman Huseynov was released (though the hooliganism charges still stand until investigation is over), Azerbaijani government still remains a repressive regime charging innocent men with hooliganism and drug possession. The struggle must continue and further attempts of arrests on bogus charges must end.

The Eurovision might be over, the spotlight is gone, but the country remains known for its poor human rights record and free press. And while Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton gave a clear sign that democracy in Azerbaijan is not a priority for the US anymore and so have EU officials (well, some of them to say the least, in particular Council of Europe), I am hopeful that Azerbaijan has the potential to change and become the true democracy. Its human rights advocates deserve it. Its journalists deserve it. Its people deserve it.

So the struggle still continues...

Wednesday, June 6

Smart dictators in modern age

It was an article I was reading in Foreign Policy and titled "The Dictators are Smarter Than You Think" that got me to question the leadership of Azerbaijan, which too is often referred to as being a dictatorship. But where did that got us? I mean, where have all the criticisms, all the low rankings, or else got us? It certainly didn't change the leadership if not made it worse- harsher, blatant and more open in fact in what it does. In fact, it feels as if criticisms aimed at Azerbaijani leadership feed the roots of this regime making it far more dictatorial (with few exceptions here and there as release of journalists and activists).

Now the article bases itself on a book by Dobson, "The dictator's leaning curve: inside the global battle for democracy". "In many cases Dobson writes, modern dictators understand that its in their [dictators] interest to observe the appearance of democratic norms even while they're subverting them", which explains perfectly well some of the sudden improvement like instances (such as release of donkey bloggers, and other similar cases). The country's leadership understands that full isolation of the country and its people wont be the same as it would have been say several decades ago. The rules of politics have changed but so has the game. 

So instead of cutting ourselves completely from the world, we boast of our new successes and developments, modern streets and buildings while keeping a tight lid on media, human rights advocates and the rest of things that doesn't represent development and modernity for our government.

Whats left to do is to sit tight and wait for a day, minute, month or whatever that is and hope for the best or continue learning, reading, sharing and making sure that awareness is there, knowledge is there, lust for change is there and work on making our dictatorships transform to democracies (well in Azerbaijani case we already are a democracy, what I meant to say, a real democracy in this case). Good luck to us all!

Tuesday, March 20

"Baku- city of future"

Inspired by movies like Minority Report, Star Wars and if not more, this new ad about Baku is yet another insane investment project aimed at changing old Baku or at least what is left of it completely. Indeed a country once known as land of fires, will only remain in old photographs and documentaries just like in this video ad. I wonder, will the new technologies in City Administration make it work better or yet in fact, actually do work? Will computerized education make teachers stop taking bribes? 

When will we finally understand that it is not the technology or high rise glass buildings or fancy roller coaster rides that make one country the future. The change must come within, no matter how many buildings you construct or introduce online learning, the rotten system will remain rotten. 

If we are talking about a real change, then why not make a video about Azerbaijani regions having gas and electricity and sewage systems? Why not show better schools where students will actually have heating and proper bathrooms? Why not show corrupted leaders pay for everything they have stolen? Why not show a real city of the future? 

You be the judge... Is this the city of future you want? 

Tuesday, December 6

The School of Authentic Journalism 2012

I wrote about my experience at the J-School last year. You can too become a part of this unforgettable experience this coming year. So if you are interested, please follow the following link on more application related details. You can also e-mail the following address to request an application package: 2012applicaton@narconews.com

Deadline is December 28th, so don't miss out. The application is also available in Spanish which you can request from the same e-mail provided above. 

Good luck and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me.

Tuesday, August 30

'Cultures of Resistance'

'Cultures of Resustance' is a documentary that shows how creativity and innovation can be used in the struggle for peace and justice. Below is the official trailer of the documentary, but you can read more about the documentary itself, screening times, and the director here

Cultures of Resistance:  The Official Trailer from Cultures of Resistance on Vimeo.

Monday, August 29

'Egypt: how we did it, when media would not' (Part 2)

Back in May I shared with you a video prepared by NarcoNews' Al Giordano and Greg Berger on Egypt's revolution in the making. Today, I present you the second part of these series- "The Other Revolution in Egypt: an interview with Mohammed Abbas of the Muslim Brotherhood".
[...] The regime placed that [hatred] in us. It planted in us hatred of each other. It planted in us the idea that we don't like each other so that it could control us...

Saturday, March 26

'I am sorry but I don't want to be an emperor..."

When I first saw this video, I got chills. I thought of people around the world suffering from dictatorships, torture, inhumane treatment... I thought of my country where a lot of things have gone wrong and unfortunately its leader being nowhere close to saying that he doesn't want to be an emperor. Because he is one and he rules his country with no reservations to anyone including his very own people. 

We have known Charlie Chaplin for his impeccable humor but this speech is not such a script of a movie, its something much more powerful. I putting the text of this speech below the video. 


And I would like to thank Peop1e.org for mashing up this video.



I'm sorry but I don't want to be an Emperor - that's not my business - I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone if possible, Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another, human beings are like that.
We all want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone and the earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful.
But we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men's souls - has barricaded the world with hate; has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed.
We have developed speed but we have shut ourselves in: machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical, our cleverness hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little.
More than machinery we need humanity; more than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together. The very nature of these inventions cries out for the goodness in men, cries out for universal brotherhood for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is reaching millions throughout the world, millions of despairing men, women and little children, victims of a system that makes men torture and imprison innocent people. To those who can hear me I say "Do not despair".
The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed, the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress: the hate of men will pass and dictators die and the power they took from the people, will return to the people and so long as men die [now] liberty will never perish...
Soldiers - don't give yourselves to brutes, men who despise you and enslave you - who regiment your lives, tell you what to do, what to think and what to feel, who drill you, diet you, treat you as cattle, as cannon fodder.
Don't give yourselves to these unnatural men, machine men, with machine minds and machine hearts. You are not machines. You are not cattle. You are men. You have the love of humanity in your hearts. You don't hate - only the unloved hate. Only the unloved and the unnatural. Soldiers - don't fight for slavery, fight for liberty.
In the seventeenth chapter of Saint Luke it is written " the kingdom of God is within man " - not one man, nor a group of men - but in all men - in you, the people.
You the people have the power, the power to create machines, the power to create happiness. You the people have the power to make life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy let's use that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age and security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie. They do not fulfil their promise, they never will. Dictators free themselves but they enslave the people. 
Now let us fight to fulfil that promise. Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.
Soldiers - in the name of democracy, let us all unite!
Look up! Look up! The clouds are lifting - the sun is breaking through. We are coming out of the darkness into the light. We are coming into a new world. A kind new world where men will rise above their hate and brutality.
The soul of man has been given wings - and at last he is beginning to fly. He is flying into the rainbow - into the light of hope - into the future, that glorious future that belongs to you, to me and to all of us. Look up. Look up."