The Andalus Publishing House

Linked with our presentation of Yael Lerer – Israel.

And linked with our presentation on The Word in Times of Crisis.

Homepage of the editor, publishing Arabic literature, translated in Hebrew:

Bridging over the Conflict … by Hannah Amit-Kochavi, she writes: Arabic literature has been translated into Hebrew by Jews, Arabs and Druze for over a century. However, Hebrew target culture, which has always welcomed translations from a variety of foreign languages that enriched it and provided models for its development, has assigned Arabic literature a minor position. This is mainly due to political circumstances – the ongoing century-old conflict between Jews and Arabs as well as between Israel and several Arab countries has been but partially resolved through peace contracts. Arabs and their culture have been perceived by Western-oriented Israeli culture as either arch-enemies or as abstract figures representing attractive oriental images and even as the Biblical forefathers of the Jewish people. Arabic language and culture are little known to most Israeli Jews, with the exception of those many Israeli Jews who are natives of such Arab countries as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and Yemen and those relatively few who have studied Arabic at the high school and university level.

Translations from Arabic into Hebrew, then, have been relatively few and they have failed to exert any long term influence on Israeli Hebrew literature and culture. And yet, since the advent of Zionism and up to the present, there have been attempts by Jewish individuals and groups to reconcile Jews and Arabs and in the process mastered and cherished the Arabic language and culture. Translations of Arabic literature into Hebrew have been incessantly made, disseminated and used in an attempt to bring about Jewish-Arab mutual understanding and coexistence in the naive belief that literary translation could help bring about peace between Jews and Arabs on an individual basis as well as between Israel and the Arab neighboring countries. (Read the rest ofthis long article here).

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Soldiers' Mothers of St. Petersburg

Linked with our presentation of Ella-Maria Polyakova – Russian Federation.

Its Goal: to provide practical assistance to recruits, soldiers and their families in protecting their legal rights.Information and legal help to recruits and their parents.

Presentation: “Soldier’s Mothers of Saint-Petersburg” is human rights and non-governmental organization protecting the rights of the conscripts, soldiers of the active army and their families. The situation in the russian army is serious and important problem which is symbolizes the state of affairs in modern Russia. Our organization is engaged in educational and legal work. We teach to protect the right to the life, to the health and to the self-respect by themselves. The mission of the organization is formation of the legal culture, relations governed by law. But first of all it is alteration of the human mind, as only people having the new recognition, could make Russia the democratic state.

The NGO is member of Pax Christi International.

The „Civil Rights Organisation Soldatskiye Matieri Sankt-Pietierburga / in english Soldiers’ Mothers of St. Petersburg“, founded in 1991, has been awarded the Aachen Peace Award 2004 for its courageous actions and efforts for more than 100,000 Russian conscientious objectors and deserters, as well as for its resistance against the dirty war in Chechnya.

The organisation of St. Petersburg has so far provided legal advice to more than 150,000 individuals. Thanks to the aid provided by the organisation, more than 100,000 conscripts were able to assert their legally chartered right not to do any military service, and thanks to the support provided by the organisation, more than 5,000 deserters were prematurely dismissed from the army.

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The Pacific Institute in California

Linked with our presentation of Jason Morrison – USA.

And linked with our presentation of Economic Globalization and the Environment.

The Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Economic Globalisation studies the effects of the increasingly integrated global economy on the environment and society.

The explosive growth of the global economy threatens the natural systems that sustain life on Earth. Despite some significant successes in reducing industrial pollution and increasing efficiency, globalization is devastating natural habitats, speeding global warming, and increasing air and water pollution. At the same time, due to the increasingly global nature of trade and business, traditional national environmental protection techniques have become less effective.

The Economic Globalization and the Environment (EGE) Program studies the local, national, and international impacts of globalization while developing solutions to support healthy economic growth, protect the environment, and create a more equitable world. (Read more on Pacific Institute).

The International NGO Network on ISO (INNI) is a project of the Pacific Institute’s Economic Globalization and the Environment (EGE) program and has its own website. The INNI website provides timely information on the activities of ISO to network organizations so that they can activate their members, provide guidance to decision-makers, and shape public opinion. (See on International NGO Network on ISO).

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The Communication Initiative Aïna – Afghanistan

AINA = Education, training and information for the development of independent media and cultural expression in Afghanistan.

AINAworld.org was founded on August 2, 2001 by renowned photojournalist Reza. The non-governmental organization Aïna is working to build and develop a thriving civil society through independent media and culture projects.

Over the last three years, within the emerging democratic process and the reconstruction of a national identity in Afghanistan, Aïna has developed far-reaching projects throughout the country: 8 media and culture centers in eight provinces that provide support for the leading news publications of the country as well as video production and training; the first educational mobile cinema; the first Afghan school of photojournalism, Afghanistan’s first women’s radio station; and the first Afghan advertising and communications agency.

To reach our objectives, Aïna brings together a dedicated team of volunteers, media professionals and Afghans, of whom one third are women and a large number are experienced journalists. The training offered by Aïna has thus far benefited nearly 1000 journalists and students. Through our supported publications, over 400 000 readers have been exposed to Aina’s work. Close to one million spectators have taken part in Aïna’s film screenings, and over 3 million listeners have tuned in to Aïna’s radio programs.

Aïna offers specialized audiovisual training to women in Afghanistan (filming, photography, journalism, etc.), encouraging women to speak out, and keeping them informed through national information campaigns about important issues such as health, labour rights and the democratic process to name a few.

Aïna also places an emphasis on children’s education through its bi-monthly magazine Parvaz. This publication acts as a window to the world for Afghan children, teaching diversity and cooperation to those who will become the next generation of Afghan leaders.

Aina is providing the tools of freedom through a Multimedia Training Institute, and offering Afghans access to the latest in technology and multimedia equipment.

The Communication Initiative – Experiences – Aïna – Afghanistan – Summary:

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