Bald, brave and beautiful: Those words can't begin to capture the remarkable Eve Ensler. She sat down with me last week, in the midst of her battle with uterine cancer, to talk about New Orleans and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Eve, the author of the hit play "The Vagina Monologues" and the creator of V-Day, a global activist movement to stop violence against women and girls, told me how "cancer has been a huge gift."
Democratic Republic of Congo
Video campaign against conflict metals reveals your gadgets' dirty secrets
Actor/activist Brooke Smith and cinematographer Steven Lubensky teamed up with actors Joshua Malina and John Lehr to create a viral video spoof of infamous Apple's "Get a Mac" ads that reveals Mac and PC share dirty secrets -- they contain metals helping to fuel the war in the Congo.
November 10, 2009 |
Thousands of people came under fire last month by the Congolese army at seven vaccination sites operated by international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières.
"Ruined": a play about sexual abuse in the Congo
This past June, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay attended "Ruined," a drama written by Lynn Nottage, a young playwright inspired by the gripping and tragic stories of sexually abused women in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The UN's attendance at the play helps to refocus our eyes on the destructive reality that is sexual violence in not only the DRC, but around the world, too.
Spring 2009's don't miss documentaries
The biggest documentary festival in North America continues to grow exponentially. In 2009 programmers at the annual Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto sifted through some 2,000 entries to come up with 171 films from 39 countries. Since its inception 16 years ago, Hot Docs remains relevant in the most exhilarating ways.
Here are some stimulating films to watch for on television and at local festivals in cities across Canada:
On the frontlines of inhumanity: Reporter documentary digs deep and wide
If you've ever doubted the merits of journalism or the need for investigative reporting, I encourage you to run to the screening of Reporter at this year's Hot Docs festival in Toronto.
This 90-minute film, by Eric Daniel Metzgar, follows two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof as he heads into The Democratic Republic of the Congo and attempts to uncover a story that will resonate with the American people.
Congo -- ravaged by civil war for more than a decade -- has lost 5.4 million souls to the crisis. Yet it continues and 45,000 people die every month from the effects of this war (starvation, disease, displacement etc...).
V-Day in the Capital Presents a Benefit Reading of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer
Apr 25 2009 - 7:00am
Apr 25 2009 - 10:00am
Location
Theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
100 Laurier St
Gatineau, QC K1A 0M8Canada
Phone:
(819) 776-7000
See map: Google Maps
A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer: Writings To Stop Violence Against Women and Girls, is a groundbreaking collection of monologues by world-renowned authors and playwrights,edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle.
Our Performers
Paul Dewar, Member of Parliament, Ottawa-Centre
Todd Duckworth, actor and director
Josie, Hot 89.9 Morning Hot Tub
The Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament,
Vancouver-Centre
Bill Welychka, 'A' Morning show
Kerry Pither, human rights activist and author of Dark Days: The Story of Four Canadians Tortured in the Name of Fighting Terror
Kathy Cook, award-winning writer and author of Stolen Angels
Frances Coates, Green Party
Contact name:
Laura Nicol
Contact email:
V-Day in the Capital Presents A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer
Apr 25 2009 - 7:00pm
Apr 25 2009 - 10:00pm
Location
Theatre of Canadian Museum of Civilization
100 Laurier St.
Gatineau, QC K1A 0M8Canada
Phone:
819 776-7000
See map: Google Maps
A MEMORY, A MONOLOGUE, A RANT AND A PRAYER:
Writings To Stop Violence Against Women and Girls
Silent Auction at 7:00 p.m.
Show at 8:00 p.m.
Benefit reading in support of
Family Services à la famille Ottawa and UNIFEM Canada
In the Theatre of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Starring:
Todd Duckworth, actor and director
The Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, Member of Parliament
Bill Welychka, A-Channel
Kerry Pither, human rights activist and author of Dark Days
Paul Dewar, Member of Parliament
And more!
Tickets - $40 - available at the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Contact email: