[divinedocs]

Cinema Politica St. John's screened GENTLY WHIPSERING THE CIRCLE BACK: "There are only a few people visible in this picture, but we've got a nice little crowd at tonight's screening!" ‪#‎spirituality‬ ‪#‎indigenous‬ ‪#‎Canada‬

[divinedocs]

GENTLY WHISPERING THE CIRCLE BACK AND THE CANADIAN TRC

Last month, we recommended seeking out #DivineDocs GENTLY WHISPERING THE CIRCLE BACK in preperation for The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada​. Several of our Cinema Politica Network​ locals will be screening the film this month, so please, those in  #Halifax and #StJohns, don't miss the opportunity to see this important documentary and engage in a discussion around the #TRC2015. #aboriginal #indigenous #cdnpoli 

[divinedocs]

Do you live in Canada?

Are you between the ages of 18 – 34? Do you self-identify as “spiritual but not religious”?

If you answered ‘YES’ to all of these questions, please consider taking part in The Spirituality and Social Justice Project, a research project being conducted within the Cultural Studies Graduate Program at Queen's University, which seeks to investigate the basic values, belief-systems, and practices that inform contemporary spirituality among the millennial generation (ages 18-34) in Canada.

There are several different ways you can participate...

1) Please consider taking 15-20 minutes out of your day in order to fill out this online questionnaire. With it, there are two key aims. To find out about:

a. How it is you conceptualize your sense of spirituality

b. How you see spirituality playing a role in your day-to-day life  

To complete the online questionnaire please click on the link below:

http://thespiritualityandsocialjusticeproject.weebly.com/survey.html

2) Please consider taking part in a semi-structured interview

Click the following link for more information on the interview process:

http://thespiritualityandsocialjusticeproject.weebly.com/interviews.html

If you would like more information on The Spirituality and Social Justice Project please visit the following website:

http://thespiritualityandsocialjusticeproject.weebly.com

Any questions about study participation may be directed to the primary researcher Galen Watts at [phone] or [email protected]. Any ethical concerns about the study may be directed to the Chair of the General Research Ethics Board at [email protected] or 613-533-6081.

This study has been granted clearance according to the recommended principles of Canadian ethics guidelines, and Queen's University policies.

[divinedocs]

I always find the integration of spirituality, destruction and resistance inspiring, especially with the personal testimonies and the stunning photography.

Audience member at Cinema Politica Tatamgouche at screening of HEART OF SKY, HEART OF EARTH #DivineDocs

[divinedocs]

So far we’ve screened LET THE FIRE BURN, HEART OF SKY HEART OF EARTH, and AYITI TOMA. And while the subjects range from police brutality in Philadelphia to mining exploitation of indigenous land in Central America, and continued colonization of Haiti, they are all connected by the spiritual need to live in connection with the earth and one's culture. Discussion after these films always seems a little more profound, focusing less on the outrage of what we've seen, and more on the fact that we, too, need to keep those connections… It seems that everyone understands on a deeper level that in order to change society, the first step comes from within.

Elise Hugus, Local organizer, Cinema Politica Cape Cod #DivineDocs

[oyelene]

Maize is the centre of everything for us. It is our culture.

Rigoberta Menchú (via oyelene)

[wag0s-deactivated20150614]

Hey Ottawa, I’ll be hosting a Two-Spirit story telling circle biweekly stating this Tuesday. Come on out if you’re interested. :)

[wag0s-deactivated20150614]

Justice for MMIW

[divinedocs]

GENTLY WHISPERING THE CIRCLE BACK SCREENING AT CLOSING EVENTS OF CANADIAN TRC

From May 31-June 3, 2015, the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission will be holding its closing events in Ottawa (see: www.trc.ca).  Indigenous people from across Canada will attend the event, along with many Non-Indigenous supporters.

There are many good resources available to prepare for this event: one among them is the doc GENTLY WHISPERING THE CIRCLE BACK (2013/50 minutes).

This powerful film was commissioned by Blue Quills First Nations College (Alberta, Canada) as a "Community Resource for Healing and Reconciliation." The documentary shares a journey of healing for all Canadians in a nation wounded by the Indian Residential School System. With dignity and deep sincerity, survivors and the children of survivors share their personal stories with us. We become part of a ‘circle of healing’ as participants confront the trauma of the IRS; come to understand the trauma; release their pain; and speak of transcending the trauma through the recovery of tradition, language, ceremony, and personal dignity. GENTLY WHISPERING THE CIRCLE BACK models and invites continuing conversation “in circle” and has been shared in small community gatherings across Canada.  The film comes with a facilitator’s guide to help communities use the resource for healing.

As part of the Cinema Politica Divine Interventions programme, the DVD and Facilitators Guide can be accessed through Cinema Politica.

See the trailer here. 

[divinedocs]

Q&A with HEART OF SKY, HEART OF EARTH filmmakers Frauke Sandig & Eric Black, Mayan activist Mateo Pablo and Cinema Politica Board Member Inês Lopez as translator at Cinema Politica Concordia’s event for Cinema Politica Network’s launch of the project Divine Interventions: Documentary, Spirituality and Social Justice.

[divinedocs]

Tonight, Cinema Politica Network's Divine Docs project comes to Eastern Canada!

Cinema Politica Tatamagouche screens Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth (Corazón del Cielo, Corazón de la Tierra) with BTS Guatemala-Maritimes Solidarity Network of the North Shore & Cinema Politica Fredericton presents They Were Promised The Sea with Fredericton Peace Coalition/ Fredericton Palestine Solidarity.

For event details, see CP Fredericton: http://bit.ly/1FrVu42 & CP Tatamagouche: http://bit.ly/18RKIWw

[climatemovement]

“This is sacred—this Indian land. And it is sacred not just for First Nations, it is sacred for everybody. We are all here, we all share this. We all share in the responsibility.

“Keep using your voices. Keep standing strong.”

Audrey Siegel, Musqueam leader

Hundreds of protestors are gathering to rally against Kinder Morgan’s controversial pipeline survey work on Burnaby Mountain, despite a court injunction and $5.5 million lawsuit. This isn’t just about land exploitation. It’s about intimidation tactics, oil money and undemocratic government. More than anything, it’s about the power of the people to defend our land and our future.

We will not be divided. We will not be defeated. #BurnabyMountain

Photos by Jackie Dives

[divinedocs]

Divine Interventions: Documentary, Spirituality and Social Justice

Happy Friday, everyone! For four of our spectacular Cinema Politica locals, this weekend means radical doc screenings & discussions on spirituality & social justice as part of our Divine Docs project! ‪#‎pluralism‬ ‪#‎documentary‬ ‪#‎activism‬ ‪#‎spirituality‬ Inspirit Foundation Documentary Organization of Canada Click the link to find a ‪#‎DivineDocs‬ screening near you!

[divinedocs]

Call Me Kuchu: Film Review

"Call Me Kuchu-- the title refers to the term LGBT activists in Uganda have adopted for themselves -- is alternately heartbreaking and inspirational [and] puts a human face on the fight for gay rights in Uganda." 

Montrealers can catch this Divine Docs film TONIGHT at Cinema Politica McGill! Event details: http://www.cinemapolitica.org/screening/mcgill/call-me-kuchu

[divinedocs]

Divine Interventions

Visual Identity and poster/brochure design for Cinema Politica's Divine Interventions screening series, showcasing documentaries that explore the interesection of spirituality and social justice.

http://www.lokidesign.net/divine-interventions/

[divinedocs]

Tonight! Cinema Politica Wien screens ‪#‎DivineDocs‬ CALL ME KUCHU in Vienna, Austria, followed by a Q&A with LGBTQ rights activist Eric Bwire from Uganda and Marco Schreuder from "Grünen Andersrum" ‪#‎LGBT‬ ‪#‎Kuchu‬ ‪#‎Uganda‬ ‪#‎Wien‬

https://www.facebook.com/events/1568592076733562/

[losdespojados]

Some highlights from a recent article published over at Upside Down World. We just want to highlight the importance of international solidarity work, such as accompaniment and media, in support of activists facing threats from both capital and the state in places like Honduras. 

Rio Blanco communities [work] their corn and bean harvest at the edge of the Gualcarque River, on fertile ancestral land that dam company DESA had tried to take over for construction. The community has recuperated this land and returned it to its function of growing the food the families of Rio Blanco depend on. […]  [Actvist and organiser] Berta Caceres has found herself mired in threats related to the Canjel Dam. She was told that a man had been hired by those associated with the Canjel Dam to kidnap her and that he and others would be waiting her when she went through Agua Caliente to get to/from Rio Blanco. Indeed, Agua Caliente was where the bus of COPINH members was detained, with the police searching for Berta. She was not there then, but the next day, Berta did leave Rio Blanco, together with a team of U.S. journalists who had been filming there. When they got to Agua Caliente, there was a large chain across the road with six police, two military soldiers, a representative of the General Directorate for Criminal Investigation, and numerous others. The police explained they were looking for Berta Caceres and the group was blocked from proceeding by the chain. The journalists called the U.S. Embassy and began filming everything, enabling the group to eventually pass. But Berta continued to receive information that she was wanted dead for her opposition to the Canjel dam. […]  With the Canjel Dam already under construction, one must wonder, why the threats against Berta Caceres and COPINH? The reality is that much more is at stake than just the small Canjel Dam. In fact, there are so many dam projects planned for the area it seems as if every river the Lenca people have carefully stewarded for generations will soon be dammed.

Read full article.