Hirondelle; Media for Peace and Human Dignity

Hirondelle is the word for a swallow in French.

It is also the name of a Swiss-based NGO that works with journalists and citizens to bring Independent media to post-conflict zones in various nations throughout Africa. Presently Foundation Hirondelle operates or supports six radio stations. The mission of Hirondelle is to provide credible media, through rigorous and factual reportage - to the people, for the people. Hirondelle supports the people's right to a credible news source in their National language.

Photo by Jean Claude Capt, for Hirondelle

In 2008 Hirondelle became a 501c(3) in the USA. Based in New York and with a growing board of directors, the USA looks to support the work of Hirondelle and to cultivate partnerships with media and human rights non-profits while participating in relevant policy conversations.

It is a critical time for Independent local media, especially in the face of supposed democratic change. In Sudan, for example, in the wake of the referendum and with the impending separation of the South from the North - the people must have access to a credible and just local news source. The six stations, which can be streamed online are in Tanzania, Liberia, Sudan, the Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone. You can go to their respective sites by clicking on the links below or by visiting the Hirondelle website, or Hirondelle USA. There are currently more than 30 million listeners who tune in each day. Access to independent news should be a right. I support the vision of Hirondelle wholeheartedly; to see that more people have access to the credible news they need, and the opportunity to engage in dialogue in order to build a more peaceful civil society.

The Gravitas of Independent Media

'We will not be silent' is a slogan that dates back to the 'White Rose Collective,' a nonviolent group of intellectuals who spoke out against the Nazi Regime. Their movement became characterized by leaflets which rendered the voice of the people, rather than of power. This mantra has been necessitated again and again, in every language, as people vie for their right to know in the face of dominant State propaganda and corporate media.

Last night I had the opportunity to see Amy Goodman, journalist extraordinaire and famed host of the Independent News program, Democracy Now!. She spoke at Calhoun, a progressive, Independent School on the Upper West Side. Goodman doesn't use detailed notes when she speaks, she is a vivid storyteller - linking true accounts from history with what's happening on the ground today. Her recent New York Times Best Seller, 'Breaking the Sound Barrier' is a collection of columns and stories that elucidate our deep-rooted need to hear the truth on the ground. Democracy Now! is one of these silence breakers, giving what they call the 'war and peace report.' Their aim is not to stand on the sidelines of news, but to really catch the voices and experiences of those in question.

"Where are the experts in their own communities?" she asked.

Let them be heard, she reiterated. In her talk Goodman gave voice to several different youth in brief anecdotes and quotations. These stories of inspired young people give us hope.

"Dissent must be encouraged."

Youth need to know that it's ok to speak out, and to question the status quo. We have essentially been fighting a war since the September 11th attacks in 2001. Yet, Goodman asked the audience quite seriously;

"Do kids get to talk about War?"

The answer is clear. Even some seniors, who are old enough to fight wars for their country, are forbidden to discuss war in their classrooms. Here in the United States we are carefully fed highly controlled information. Goodman knows this directly from experiences like the time when her and several colleagues were arrested during the Republican convention, despite their press credentials or another instance, being stopped and exhaustively interrogated at the Canadian border. Surveillance and patriotism in this country are more prevailing then ever. But these actions are a violation of 'Freedom of Press' as well as the 'Right to Know,' Goodman declared. The image at the top, 'We will not be silent' in English and Arabic was written on a T-shirt worn by an Raed Jamal, an Iraqi blogger and activist when he passed security at JFK. They forced him to turn the T-shirt inside out, saying that it was like going to a bank with a T-shirt that reads, 'I am a robber.'

'Independent media is dangerous because it challenges stereotypes,' Goodman said. Rather than depicting a recurrent, well-crafted image of the 'other' you are given the opportunity to find common ground.

"It is not about one person, it is about movements." Each person just becomes part of the momentum that is the wave, the change or awakening. You can become part of it by becoming involved, by supporting Independent Media and grassroots organizations. Amy Goodman conjured Woody Allen's famous remark that, " 90% of life is just showing up." It's true. That is what independent reporters are aiming to do; to show up at the front lines and offer a genuine account of the story unfolding there. Youth, with all their potential to bring about change and their need to be informed need to be given opportunities to see what's happening in the world firsthand. Goodman told a story of a high school girl who skipped school in order to attend Rosa Parks' funeral, despite the fact that she probably wouldn't be able to get in - 'the good stuff usually happens on the outside anyway,' Goodman winked. The girl called her school that day and left a message saying,

"I won't be in class today, I'm going to get an education."

We will not be silent. Thank you to Calhoun and to Amy Goodman of Democracy Now!

*You can access news and interesting programs from the field at democracynow.org

Or, if you are in NY you can listen to the radio at 8am, M-F on WBAI 99.5 FM