July 20, 2007, Fidel: The untold story, Activism from grassroots to Grandmothers, Business of Being Born screening, by Michelle Connor

Global Justice Film,
Fidel: The Untold Story
Thurs, July 26, 3pm
Teatro Santa Ana.
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
50 pesos

Fidel: The untold story

This July 26 marks the 54th anniversary of the start of the Cuban Revolution. Today it is celebrated as Revolution Day. The central figure in the Cuban drama since 1959 has been Fidel Castro.

He has outlasted nine US presidents, survived numerous assassination attempts and, according to San Miguel’s Center for Global Justice, “single-handedly defied the most powerful, militaristic nation on the planet for nearly half a century.”

Global Justice presents a documentary that examines the life of this Cuban leader beginning with his childhood as one of seven children of a sugar planter and covers 40 years of the Cuban revolution. Fidel: The Untold Story (91 minutes), directed by US. filmmaker Estela Bravo, provides viewers with a different perspective of Cuba and its dictator, a man Global Justice believes is greatly misunderstood in the US. Bravo uses exclusive archival footage and a mix of interviews with Fidel and celebrities such as Harry Belafonte, Aleida Guevara, Alice Walker, Ramsey Clark, Sydney Pollack, Angela Davis and longtime friend of Castro, Nobel Prize-winning writer Gabriel García Marquez.

Whether dismissed as a relic, revered as a savior or reviled as a dictator with an appalling record of human rights violations, most would agree that Castro has been a very influential, controversial figure.

The Center for Global Justice first screened Fidel: The Untold Story last winter and packed Teatro Santa Ana twice. You won’t want to miss it. Following the film there will be a discussion led by Dr. Cliff DuRand, who travels frequently to Cuba.

For information call the Center for Global Justice 150-0025.

Bioneers films
Tues, July 24, 3–4:30pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
50 pesos

Activism from grassroots to Grandmothers

On Tuesday, July 24, there are two dynamite films from the 2006 Bioneers Conference in addition to an exciting speaker.

The films feature Paul Hawken and Rachel Remen, both of whom attempt to bring home the message of the power of the individual to bring about change in the world. The speaker is local resident María Teresa Valenzuela speaking on “The Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers.” This group of women travels the world to bring their wealth of wisdom to councils and conferences.

Paul Hawken is an entrepreneur, author, worldwide speaker and visionary activist extraordinaire. He heads the Pax Group family of companies and works with the Natural Capital Institute. Hawken states that he never graduated from any of the high schools or universities that he attended, but he is thrilled to be on this planet.

From now on he will probably be best known as the author of Blessed Unrest a just released book about the power of grassroots groups. As a result of his worldwide speaking tours, Hawken has gathered thousands of business cards from both individuals and non-profit groups. This collection morphed into his book. The book describes the unseen wave of power of the hundreds of thousands of grass-roots groups around the world. These groups have sprung up organically in their own locales and have become a huge real-time, real people ‘worldwide web’. But, as Hawken points out, this phenomenon has been flying under the radar. The potential of this unseen power is huge and holds great promise for the future.

Rachel Remen is a natural storyteller and in this film she speaks on “Becoming a Blessing: Living as if Your Life Makes A Difference.” She is the best-selling author of Kitchen Table Wisdom, her latest work. Remen also is co-founder of the Commonweal Cancer Help Program and is a professor at UCSF School of Medicine. In her 30 years as a doctor and healer she believes that her work is to explore the sacred in our lives, our work and our medicine.

After the two films, María Teresa Valenzuela, will show a short clip of the “Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers” in their appearance at the Bioneers Conference last October. Valenzuela often travels with The Grandmothers to facilitate the translation of their teachings. A Raramuri medicine woman, she teaches throughout Latin America and the US. As an activist, she works on behalf of many marginalized groups including the “disappeared”of Juárez.

Fresh from the Tribeca Film festival, filmmaker Abby Epstein and producer Ricki Lake will be presenting a screening of their documentary, The Business of Being Born, at the Teatro Santa Ana on July 30, 31 and August 3.

After each showing, film participant and CASA Midwifery School founder Nadine Goodman and some of the CASA midwives will participate in a question and answer session. These special screenings kick off CASA’s 25th anniversary celebration on Aug 5, which will be held at its facility in Colonia Santa Julia.

Abby Epstein made her directing debut at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival with the documentary feature, Until the Violence Stops. The film went on to win the Golden Audience Award at the Amnesty International Film Festival in Vancouver.

Ricki Lake, talk show host, produced The Business of Being Born when she became pregnant for the second time. Feeling something profoundly lacking from her first birth experience, she began investigating facts about birthing, attending conferences, and researching midwifery, wanting to learn more about the process of birth. According to Lake, information was surprisingly difficult to come by. She believes that not only are most American women terrified of the birth process, but according to her, the United States has the second highest infant mortality rate in the world. In actuality, the US is at number 188 out of 271, according to statistics on Nationmaster.com.

According to Lake, in the United States, in order to accommodate insurance company policies, doctor’s dinner schedules, and to avoid the expense of a natural childbirth, interventions are routinely prescribed, in the form of strong drugs such as Pitocyn, creating a domino effect of other medical interventions.

Worse, according to Lake, no long-term studies are being conducted on the results of these interventions. Medical decisions are being made for purely economic reasons at risk to the mother and child. She also claims that New York City has the highest C-section rate in the country.

Hot on the heels of Michael Moore’s medical expose Sicko, The Business of Being Born claims to cover the history of childbirth in the US and its result-oriented effect on the health and wellbeing of women and children

CASA is a non-profit organization that has been serving the poor, particularly adolescents and rural women, through health, social service, and environmental outreach programs since 1981. Located in San Miguel de Allende, in central Mexico, CASA sends out its urban and rural promoters to all corners of the State of Guanajuato, and most recently, has begun an advocacy training program operating in a total of five states with the ultimate goal of creating networks of volunteer social advocates all over Mexico. It also operates the only accredited midwifery school in Mexico.

For more information about CASA go to www.casa.org.mx or call 154-6060. For more information about The Business of Being born visit www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com or call Michele Connor at 185-2195.