London Events

[cynical lady]

Capturing Conflict: Somalia: Al-Qaeda's New Haven

September 24, 2009 7:00 PM - £8 Earlybird/Concession s, £10 Full Price - book

 

Location: Frontline, 13 Norfolk Place, London, W2 1QJ

United Kingdom.

 

 

Unreported World visits one of the most dangerous places on earth to investigate the growth of a militant Islamic network and asks whether Somalia's fertile training ground for Islamic terrorists could provoke a regional civil war.

 

A decade has passed since the UN military mission in Somalia ended following the deaths of 18 US special forces and 1,000 Somalis in the so-called "Blackhawk Down" battle.

 

The state has collapsed completely, with warlords controlling the country and more than half a million people killed over the last ten years by war and famine. But the warlords' hold on the country is now being superseded by a new, well-funded Islamic network. America alleges the militants' leader Shayk Hasan Dahir Aweys is linked to al-Qaeda, and other contacts tell Reporter Aidan Hartley that rich Saudi businessmen are backing the jihadi network, which is training 3,000 men to spread Islamic revolution all over the African continent.

 

Tags for this entry: Aidan Hartley, Capturing Conflict Film Festival, Documentary, James Brabazon, Somalia, Unreported World

 

Somaliland: Democracy Threatened

 

Launch of a paper discussing Somaliland’s postponed presidential elections and constitutional crisis

 

Speaker: Michael Walls, Coordinator, international election observation team, Somaliland presidential election; Chair, Somaliland Focus (UK); Lecturer, Development Planning Unit, UCL

 

 

 

13.15pm – 14.15

 

Wednesday 30th September 2009

 

Somaliland currently faces a critical constitutional and political dilemma as the presidential elections, scheduled to take place on 27 September, have been postponed for the third time with no new date announced. The President’s and Vice-President’s already extended terms in office expire on 29 October, and there are no constitutional means for addressing the power vacuum which will be left in the absence of an election.

 

For a region which is one of the few secure and democratic territories in the Horn of Africa, the failure of Somaliland’s political system could result in instability, a more authoritarian governance system and contribute to the further deterioration of an already unstable part of the African continent.

 

Michael Walls will provide his analysis of the crisis and discuss why the Somali tradition of dialogue and consensus-building may be the only real avenue for resolution.

 

If you would like to come please register with Tighisti Amare tamare@chathamhouse. org.uk

 

 

Capturing Conflict: Cry Freetown

 

Location: Frontline

Date: September 25, 2009 7:00 PM

 

We are screening the Emmy and Bafta winning film Cry Freetown as part of our Capturing Conflict Film Festival which showcases a selection of the most important films about the risks journalists and filmmakers take in order to get their stories out.

 

A brutal portrayal of what happened in Freetown, capital of Sierra Leone in January 1999.

 

Sorious Samura shot the film at great risk for his own life, keenly aware of the fact that the strong images he recorded were the only thing that could shake the world from its indifference to the plight of his countrymen, women and children.

 

28 minutes

An Insight News Television production

 

 

Tags for this entry: Capturing Conflict Film Festival, Cry Freetown, Documentary, Ron McCullagh, Sierra Leone, Sorious Samura

 

Media Talk: Murder for honour's sake

Location:Frontline

Date: October 8, 2009 7:00 PM

£12.50 or £10 for early booking

 

Moderator: Samira Ahmed, presenter and correspondent for Channel 4 News

Over 5,000 girls and women are killed each year by male relatives in the belief that it will purge a family of shame brought on it by the behaviour of a sister, daughter, wife or mother.

Award-winning Rana Husseini began investigating so-called honour killings in 1994 after reporting the story of a murder for her newspaper The Jordan Times.

 

Shocked by the fact that the girl’s “crime” was being raped by her brother, Rana Husseini discovered that 25 girls or women are murdered each year in her home country for “crimes” that range from rape to chewing gum or laughing in the street.

 

In her book Murder in the Name of Honour, Rana Husseini examines the cases of women in traditional societies and migrant communities in Europe and the United States whose murders were deemed necessary to restore the honour of a family.

 

Awarded a Reebok Award for Human Rights in 1998, Rana Husseini has, through persistent campaigning, brought this otherwise ignored subject into the public arena. This is an opportunity to hear Rana Husseini discuss a subject which she has fought to uncover.

 

She will be joined by: Ramita Navaï, a reporter for Channel 4's Unreported World, who travelled to Turkey where honour killings have now reached record levels with more than 200 girls and women killed in the past year alone; Nazir Afzal OBE, director of legal services, CPS London and the foremost criminal justice practitioner on the issue of honour crime; Liesl Gerntholtz, director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch.

 

 

 

Insight with Emmanuel Jal: War Child

Location:Frontline

Date: October 9, 2009 7:00 PM

 

From child soldier to hip hop artist invited to perform at Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday celebrations, Emmanuel Jal's story is a remarkable one of transformed life.

Born in Sudan in the early 1980s, Emmanuel Jal spent six years fighting with the rebel forces in his country’s civil war before he was rescued in his early teens by British aid worker, Emma McCune and smuggled to Nairobi.

In his book Warchild: A Boy Soldier’s Story, Emmanuel Jal describes how music helped him deal with the pain of his experiences from the time aged around seven years that he was separated from his family and forced to fight with rebel forces.

Emmanuel Jal has continued to use music to speak out on injustice and against the terror that many continue to encounter in their lives. He will be at the Frontline Club to perform and to talk about his life and continued fight to help children in Sudan.

[-Serenity-]

Hey CL!

 

I attended a couple of events before by the frontline group. I found the non-Somali event informational but the events related to Somalis very lacking. I dont know why, but I think you always know more and better being Somali than the folks sitting on the news-desk. Not really worth the time if you ask me.

 

Also, I was surprised there was just one other Somali person in the event I went to - mostly cadaan student types. And that 1 Somali managed to embarrass me as he kept talking shyte!

[Ibtisam]

Propaganda talks, over generalized themes and lazy researching or information submitted by journalist, hardly factual. I went to one on Somalia’s IDPs and the humanitarian efforts, it was okay but not good enough to pay to get in.

[cynical lady]

Serenity,

 

Whose fault is that? Somali(s) hardly attend these events nor partake in them and when they do as you have noted embarrass you. Unless Somali’s graduate from the arm-chair politicians that they are/move out of the SOL politics section into the mainstream media we will continue to see talks about Somali dominated by non-somalis and events attended by non-Somalis. So again I ask whose fault is that.

 

p.s

I don’t know if you managed to see the Somalia eye (editor) I think on Aljazeera news being asked about Somali boys joining Al-shabab. God help us, not only was he unable to formulate a valid/understandable response but he inserted init, nameen etc with every other words. So confusing that the news guy decided to cut him off and rightly so if you ask me.

[N.O.R.F]

^I saw that. I was cringing,,,,,

[SayidSomal]

:rolleyes: @ somalis this and that

[Ibtisam]

CL lool,The walking books only feel comfortable showing off in front of each other in somali events.

[N.O.R.F]

Originally posted by Sayid*Somal:

:rolleyes: @ somalis this and that

It's true. Somalidu way is eegtaan uun. These events formulate government policy and Somalis should be involving themselves.

[-Serenity-]

Folks, the onus is on the organisers to approach the right Somali candidates to participate in these events. Otherwise, everyone can see that its just a bunch of non-Somalis debating Somali issues.

[NinBrown]

Is that interview on youtube..anyone link please.

 

Cos I know the Somali Eye editor, very nice bloke.

[Paragon]

I usually don't sit for it. If I am patient enough I quietly slip away but if when I don't...no need to mention it. It's what a political degree does to you.

 

So I avoid such beginner talks/debates.

[cynical lady]

:rolleyes:

[N.O.R.F]

Originally posted by -Serenity-:

Folks, the onus is on the organisers to approach the right Somali candidates to participate in these events. Otherwise, everyone can see that its just a bunch of non-Somalis debating Somali issues.

Who are these 'right Somali candidates'? Where can they be found?

[cynical lady]

Serenity,

 

Care to explain to me why the onus is on the organisers to approach this “right Somali candidates”?

 

P.S The onus isn’t on the organisers and its high time Somalis take ownership and responsibilities when it comes to discussions around Somali issues. At the end of the day this so-called “bunch of non-Somalis” conclusions and opinions have a lasting impact on Somalis in Somalia etc and if that’s not a Somali problem I don’t know what is.

[cynical lady]

Abdirahman Omar Osman – Minister of Treasury, Republic of Somalia Thursday 24 September 2009 - 12:30-13:30 @ Chatham house

 

The minister was appointed during the recent cabinet reshuffle and will be able to offer a first hand view of the situation in Somalia today. The minister will speak about the Somali perspective on regional conflict and economics.