Tag Archives: Youth

Youth Using Technology to Combat Child Abuse

By petchary on | 7 Comments

We all know that young people are hooked on technology. And young Jamaicans are no exception. I fully understand this – I am fascinated by it myself, and as a much older person, I dabble in it quite a bit. As my friends know, I love the complexities (and the simplicity) of social media and of course, this blog is a part of it. But there is one device that is particularly dear to the hearts of Jamaican middle-class youth (and in fact any young person who can afford it) and that is the BlackBerry. Now, I had one until I retired, purely as a business tool. Since then, I have moved on to my beloved android phone, which can do everything (except make me a nice cafe latte). But there is also BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) which is enormously popular in Jamaica.

What do BlackBerries have to do with child abuse, you may ask? Well, the youth-led children’s rights advocacy group, Help JA Children, recently launched a ground-breaking BB application that is cleverly designed to allow the user to report incidents of possible child abuse on the spot, if and when they occur. The app is free, and it is called the Child Abuse Reporting System (CARS). At 11:16 a.m. Jamaican time on July 25, 2012, with one click of the mouse, CARS was launched and uploaded to the BlackBerry App World. Apps for iPhones and androids will be available soon.

CARS

CARS

Now, I like to think of Help JA Children and similar groups as an example of what I learned recently is called the “clan culture.” This culture is one of adaptability, creativity, experimentation, risk-taking, autonomy, responsiveness. Now, mix that with a dash of competitiveness, a yearning for perfection, diligence and personal initiative – and you have the perfect combination to really make things happen. And one thing is for sure, Help JA Children has no intention of becoming a “talk shop” or an arm of the public relations machine. It is seeking practical solutions, and the recently-formed group (I mean, very recently) has come up with something that is youth-oriented, simple, effective.

There are various ways of reporting child abuse to the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR) in Jamaica – by fax, email or mail; via a confidential toll-free number (1-800-PROTECT); or now, through CARS. The CARS app can be downloaded from the OCR website too – the link is below and it is excellent and informative. We should also seek to encourage children to report abuse themselves.

Office of the Children's Registry

Office of the Children’s Registry

Here is the Help JA Children press release:

Newly-formed advocacy group Help JA Children recently launched a free smartphone application to facilitate the reporting of child abuse to the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR). This application, named the Child Abuse Reporting System (CARS), aims to increase the number of reports into the OCR and brings to eight the number of different ways to report abuse to the OCR. 

 CARS was developed by Aranis Technologies. Currently, CARS is only available for BlackBerry smartphones, with versions for iOS and android-based devices to be completed soon. CARS can be downloaded from the BlackBerry App World and from the OCR website and is free.

 Speaking at the launch, Help JA Children’s chief advocate Brandon Allwood said that according to the group’s own research CARS is the second application of its kind in the world; the first in the Caribbean region; and the first in the world to be approved by Research In Motion for listing in its BlackBerry App World.

 Aranis Technologies CEO Samuel Folkes has committed to providing maintenance for the application for life.

 ”We saw where this was not just something worthy of participating in, but something that we felt was a good way to contribute to the nation,” Folkes said.

 Casetta Green, senior registration officer at the OCR, thanked Help JA Children for having  the application developed and increasing the ways in which people can fulfill their mandatory duty to report child abuse. The other methods of filing reports are via phone, email, face-to-face interview, filling out a form, snail mail and fax.

 Green was alluding to Section 5 of the Child Care & Protection Act (2004) which states that it is the citizen’s responsibility to report cases of suspected and actual abuse to the OCR. If persons fail to report abuse, they may be fined up to $500,000 and face up to 6 months in prison.

CARS allows users to submit report anonymously, and the information entered is not cached or stored anywhere on the phone.

 ”The information goes directly to the Registry, where they and they alone will be able to see the information you have entered,” said Allwood.

 For his part, Allwood also encouraged Jamaicans to download the application and be prepared to report abuse as well as opt to leave their information so they can follow up with the OCR about the report they made.

 ”People who leave their information, and be reminded that this is completely optional, will be assigned a case number by the OCR and with that number they can call the OCR and get updates as to where the office is in the investigation of that report,” he said.

Green also reminded the public that the information sent to the OCR is kept extremely confidential.

 ”There are charges that can be levied against the Registry for breaching confidentiality of information submitted to us, so we are particularly careful to keep all information confidential,” she said.

 Important note: Founder/leader of Help JA Children, 22-year-old Brandon Allwood (yes, he’s only 22!) commented at the launch of CARS recently that the organization’s work is not going to be a “one-off partying session,” as detractors have suggested. Some older Jamaicans appear to believe that this is all that young Jamaicans do. Any excuse for fun and partying. They don’t have the brainpower or determination to deal with serious, weighty matters like us, say the older generation – unless, of course, they are academic “nerds,” or political clones created in the image of their predecessors. There is a lack of confidence in our youth, which I find very disconcerting. Older Jamaicans often do not look at Jamaican youth as inclusive, diverse, co-operative, innovative – harnessing technology for a serious purpose like this, for example, not just using it for chat. Partnering with others to grow stronger – who is better at social networking? Well, as I have said in previous blog posts – give the young people credit! Support them when they do something new and different! Stop talking and take action! Listen and consider their ideas!

Brandon Allwood

This is a man you can’t say “no” to.

As Mr. Allwood said: Collaboration is so important. We can “build a bigger pyramid, rather than lots of small pyramids.”  No more silos!

Can anyone tell me, by the way, what has happened to plans to introduce a Sexual Offenders Registry? Perhaps it’s one of those “controversial” issues that the powers-that-be would rather avoid making a decision on? It is the next step we need to take.

P.S. Kudos to British Caribbean Insurance Company (BCIC) and Kia Motors for their support for the CARS project; and also to Aranis Technologies, who developed the app – also a very young enterprise.

Related articles:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Jamaican-child-abuse-reporting-App-being-featured-by-Blackberry (Jamaican child abuse reporting app being featured by BlackBerry)

http://www.ocr.gov.jm/index.htm (Office of the Children’s Registry website)

http://petchary.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/listen-to-the-youth-no-stop-really-listen-please/ (Listen to the Youth! petchary.wordpress.com)

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20101105/ent/ent1.html (Multi-faceted Brandon Allwood: November 2010 article)

http://petchary.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/african-postman-youth-technology-and-literacy/ (African Postman: Youth, Technology and Literacy – petchary.wordpress.com)

http://petchary.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/2594/ (I know you may be skeptical but just listen – reblogged from mooretalkja.com)

…and you can find Help JA Children on Facebook and on Twitter @HelpJAChildren.

Trench Town children

Here are two lovely children we made friends with at Trench Town Reading Centre in Kingston last week. Let’s love and protect all our children!

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“End patronizing, piecemeal engagement of youth”

By petchary on | 8 Comments

OK, so now our fifty years are behind us, Jamaica. What of the next fifty years? For the remainder of the year, this blog is planning to focus on a regular basis on our youth. In case the (mostly) old men currently governing our country did not realize, we must hand over the future of Jamaica to our young people. Our next fifty years belong to them. 

Listen to them. Engage them. Empower them. Let them create our future. Trust them!

I am starting with a speech by Jamaican youth advocate Jaevion Nelson, who is speaking in the context of HIV/AIDS. Jaevion is a great role model and an example of how our bright Jamaican young people can really make a difference – through their words and actions. More to come in future blog posts!

Speech by Jaevion Nelson, Executive Director of the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network, delivered at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C. during a Regional Session on Sustainability and HIV.

Jaevion Nelson

Jamaican youth advocate Jaevion Nelson

 Young people are central to the success and sustainability of HIV prevention, treatment, care and support efforts.
Increased funding for programmes has ensured that as young people, we are more empowered with comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and correct knowledge about HIV–as well as resources and commodities to support and encourage us to abandon risky behaviours and seek HIV prevention, treatment and care services.
Despite many programs/interventions and remarkable success, young people, especially those of us who are among key and affected populations, continue to be at high risk and vulnerable to HIV transmission. Many of us are gay, bisexual, transgender, sex workers, lesbian, disabled, living with HIV, incarcerated, living in the care of the state, homeless, among other things, but we remain largely invisible to the general population. Even within the AIDS response we are not afforded the space to fully contribute to turning the tide and ensuring and AIDS-free generation.
As UNAIDS has said “at this pivotal moment in the response, we must courageously face up to the challenges presented by a new context and embrace wholeheartedly the opportunities to break the trajectory of the epidemic.” Sadly, in my view, which is informed by four years of working in the sector (as a volunteer), this is hardly the case when it comes to young people.
Seemingly, we are more appreciated (and sadly too many of us have bought into this practice) as articulate testifiers.
Talking about us as young people and giving us space to air our concerns is commendable BUT woefully insufficient.
If we are not mobilised to harness our energies and become more active in the regional AIDS response the successes gained over the years can be reversed.
Regional partners must do much more than use young people as an AIDS-FUNDING BINGO. We have to task ourselves to care to do more than we are currently doing.
This is already happening in some places but leadership and meaningful involvement of young people is still woefully inept. In Jamaica, my organisation, the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN), though in need of more resources to scale up our work, is treated with great respect as any other AIDS organisation. We work closely with multi and bilateral partners, the Ministry of Health, which has been supporting us with office space and overheads since 2008, and several NGO partners. We have managed to represent young people in Jamaica and the Caribbean at national, regional and international fora. Sadly, this is not the case for the vast majority of the few young people and youth organisations in the region.
There are some things that we can and must do:
1. Provide youth-led organisations with funding
2. Employ young people in your organisations; not just as peer educators and outreach officers
3. Give young people sace to be key stakeholders and partners – not merely beneficiaries of your programmes
4. Build our capacities to write funding proposals and design, implement and monitor and evaluate programmes, policies and interventions
5. Build our capacities and respect our ability to hold non-governmental organisations, United Nations agencies and governments accountable to their commitments
6. Conduct research so the programmes that target us are informed by evidence. For far too long when it comes to data in reports there is a dearth when you reach Caribbean countries. This is unacceptable.
In closing, my encouragement is that you provide us with the space, tools and resources to nurture and support our leadership in the response. We have to do this together.
We are as competent, with training and mentorship, to plan, design, monitor and evaluate and implement programmes and policies to ensure less people are becoming infected and dying. We are as competent, with training and mentorship, to ensure that more of us are on treatment and can be accorded our rights and dignity.
UNAIDS Caribbean

UNAIDS Caribbean

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Listen to the Youth! No, Stop… REALLY Listen, Please!

By petchary on | 6 Comments

Last night I watched an interview with a young Jamaican on CVM Television’s “Live at Seven.”  The young man is 22-year-old Brandon Allwood, an intelligent young man who attended one of Jamaica’s top high schools, former editor of the “TeenAge” Observer magazine (where I first met him) – and since he was in his teens I know he has been a fervent advocate for children’s rights.  Brandon is organizer of the upcoming March and Rally for “Help JA Children,” which will take place on Tuesday, May 1 at 12:00 noon, beginning at Bustamante Children’s Hospital and ending at Emancipation Park in Kingston.

Emancipation Park, Kingston, Jamaica

Emancipation Park on a bright Kingston day.

Brandon is not one of those young people who has given up on Jamaica (I don’t mean that in a negative way – but I know many who have left, and for that I do not judge them; it is a fact of life).  He is staying here, and has already set up his own marketing company, Brandon Allwood & Associates.  Like all young people, he makes the most of the social media to promote both his business and the causes he believes in.  Top of the list of causes has been the rights of Jamaican children.

Brandon Allwood

The young and enthusiastic Brandon Allwood, winner of the Prime Minister's Youth Award for Excellence in Journalism, Managing Director of Brandon Allwood Associates (Blacksheep) and Children's Rights Advocate

There has been much hot air in the media over the past few weeks since the Jamaica Observer printed an interview with a doctor, who gave graphic descriptions of child abuse cases she has treated at the children’s hospital.  The Jamaican public was shocked rigid.  The airwaves rang with the shrill voices of horrified Jamaican citizens, who sounded as if they had no idea that this was taking place – although it is nothing new, so far as I am aware.  Letters to the editor flooded in; everyone had something to say.  We are talking about child sexual abuse mainly in this case, and there is incest, too.  This is an issue that clearly has not been kept in the public eye – if at all – and it took a rather sensationalized report to throw it back in people’s faces.  There has been the usual assumption that it is only “poor people pickney” (poor people’s children) involved – but we know this is not true, and that the middle and upper classes are also helping to prey on and deprive children of all ages of their innocence – their childhood, their ability to function as normal human beings.

Now, the issue is fading away in the public eye.  The Minister responsible for youth has spoken, the Prime Minister has said that, as well all know, “Children are dear to her heart.”  As many have remarked, this ongoing, everyday tragedy was destined to become another “nine day wonder,” as the outrage faded.  But what is to be done?  What is being done, now that the blinkers have fallen away from people’s faces?  Returning to a state of semi-denial or ignorance is not really an option.  How does Jamaica move forward?

Thankfully, May is Child Month in Jamaica.  There will be the usual church services, speeches by public officials, supplements in the newspapers, “messages” from all the relevant government agencies.  But I am hopeful that, this year, there will also be action.

On the television program, Brandon Allwood attempted to explain, in the short time allowed, the importance of advocacy – a concept not fully developed or recognized in Jamaican civil society, perhaps.  In Jamaica, it depends on who is doing the advocating that matters.  It’s the personality, (and certainly, whether you personally like them or not), and not necessarily the cause they are espousing, that is important.  Thus, human rights advocates are maligned and indeed threatened on a regular basis by Jamaicans who seem incapable of understanding their role, and who are intent on finding some dark ulterior motive, personal vendetta or political agenda in their selfless work.

But what really concerns me in this case is: A young man and his group of supporters (he calls his PR firm the “Black Sheep” – interestingly) are not being heard.  People are outraged and shocked at the issue of child sexual abuse, but they are not prepared to support him – apart from a few worthy corporate sponsors of the event, whom I applaud.  Brandon spoke of government ministries and agencies refusing to come to the phone and never returning his calls, when he called them for support.  He has had many rebuffs also from the private sector – who may of course be strapped for cash in these difficult times but have mostly given him a flat “no” to his modest requests for sponsorship.  Government agencies have not waived or reduced fees and permits for him to hold the rally, which is in the interest of Jamaica’s children.

Bustamante Children's Hospital

This is where the March on May 1 begins.

Let’s face it.  The voices of young people are not being heard.  Politicians pay lip service,but if you were to ask them what the three major issues are for the Jamaican youth of 2012, or what their views in general might be on a particular issue, they would hesitate.  You see, they are not listening.  Jamaica is for the grown-ups, those who have it all, for them to enjoy.  When did you last see a meaningful discussion, a debate between young people and those “in power”?  Are young people being “mainstreamed” into Jamaican public life?  It’s a popular catchphrase, but I don’t see much evidence of it.

Is it that the comfortable, influential ones, those “in power,” the adults who are enjoying life, really don’t want to be disturbed by young people, who will question all the things that they, the adults, hold dear (and close to their chests)?  Especially young people who are not “connected” with the right people (political or socially), or who are not members of an influential family – so-and-so’s son or daughter.  I am not speaking about Brandon and his group of supporters, necessarily – and of course not all Jamaican adults fall into this uncaring category.  There are many who do, indeed, listen.  But perhaps not enough.

What I do know is that Brandon, Jaevion Nelson and others like him, are bright, sincere, and care about the future of their country.  They have what is called a social conscience.

Brandon and his “Black Sheep” are passionate (as I was at their age), eloquent and strong advocates for the marginalized, the ignored and the neglected.  They abhor injustice.  They love their country.  They are not “fat cats.”  I posted a link to Jaevion’s co-authored op-ed below for you to read, if you have not done so already – it is focused, hard-hitting and resonates loud and clear.

I think Jamaica’s youth advocates – and its troubled and abused children – deserve support.  Do what you can.

Help Jamaica's Children ad

Help Jamaica's Children

For more on Help JA Children, see their Facebook page or tweet them @HelpJAChildren.  Help JA Children are: Brandon Allwood, Candiese Leveridge, Jaevion Nelson, K. Dominic McKenzie, Lonique Chin and Ricardo Brooks.

This is what they say on their Facebook page:

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul, than the way in which it treats its children” – Nelson Mandela

Please support Help JA Children as we seek to raise the profile of our nation’s children and highlight the dire reality that too many of them face.

Our organisation NEEDS your help to make sure our march and rally on May 1, 2012 happens.

The fight to protect our nations children is one which involves all of us. PLEASE make a donation to Help JA Children today.

Our account was opened with the gracious help of Scotiabank, and ALL donations will go DIRECTLY to funding the costs of hosting the march and rally as well as the future work of Help JA Children. Below are the details of the account.

Name: Help JA Children
Branch: New Kingston
A/C#: 803605

If you have any questions, please email us at hello@helpjachildren.org.

You can also keep up-to-date with Help JA Children news by following us on Twitter (@HelpJAChildren) and liking us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/HelpJAChildren).

The time has come for us to call Jamaicans to action in the fight to keep our children safe.

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul, than the way in which it treats its children” – Nelson Mandela

What kind of soul do we have?

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Earth Day Plus One: Postscript from the Garden

By petchary on | 9 Comments

It is a beautiful green garden, the kind that feels like home.  Three or four big old mango trees, the tips of their branches dripping with “black mangoes” (and one Bombay tree that I was told doesn’t bear much).  The lawns are not flat or perfectly smooth, and a little worn in places.The white house that stands back from the road is worn with memories, but comfortable with them.  One can still imagine family members sitting on the verandah on warm afternoons, sipping lemonade.  Inside, the wooden floors shine, and walls and screens are adorned with bright posters and photographs.  This is the home of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) in Kingston, Jamaica.

Jamaica Environment Trust

JET's cozy office.

In the JET garden

Under the mango tree.

For Earth Day 2012, JET welcomed over one hundred young people from several inner-city communities to their headquarters for a special celebration.  Most of the children had participated in a special joint project between JET and the downtown-based NGO RISE Life Management Services, which works with at-risk youth.  The project, supported by the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, is called “Building Appreciation for Nature in Children at Risk.”  There is a link to this project below.  The program began with the communities of Parade Gardens, Fletcher’s Land and Allman Town; the second phase included children from Drewsland, Tower Hill and Majesty Gardens, and I also met some children from Cockburn Gardens.  These are all depressed areas of Kingston; despite their attractive names, there are very few gardens indeed.  There is concrete, there is uncollected garbage, there are rats, zinc fences.  Hence the need for such a project, which was conceptualized by the dynamic leaders of JET and RISE, Diana McCaulay and Sonita Abrahams.  From the enthusiasm and interest of the young people (and their desire to show off their new-found knowledge) I could tell that the program had been successful.  It was clear from their faces, from their sheer enjoyment.

One of the highlights of the morning was the reading of two books written by Jamaican children’s author Jana Bent.  Well, it was much more than a reading.  Jana’s two books, “Shaggy Parrot and the Reggae Band” and “The Reggae Band Rescues Mama Edda Leatherback” come with music CDs that enhance the narrative and encourage participation.  The music is excellent, inspired, written and performed by Jamaican reggae singer Shaggy – rhythmic, fun and well produced.  Of course, both the books have strong messages on environmental protection – not just Jamaica-related.  The second book involves the poor Leatherback Turtle who has swallowed a plastic bag…. But don’t worry, of course there was a happy ending.

Children listening to a story from Jana Bent

The children ended up playing little instruments provided by Jana (with much vigor and gusto) and doing some recycling of their own with boxes and items she provided.  Jana is so talented – she acts the book rather than reads it.  See the link below and buy copies for your kids – I can guarantee they will enjoy them thoroughly.  Jana has had great support from Jamaican musicians and educators in the books’ production and will no doubt continue to do so (as well as sponsorship from the United Nations Environment Program, among others).  And the good news is she is working on a third book… If you take a look at the photos on my Facebook page and at the link to my Flickr Earth Day album, you can see for yourself that the children had a wonderful time… and got all the messages.
A group of girls

This group of girls gave us a warm welcome.

A group of boys

I also got acquainted with these bright young men from Drewsland.

Children with recycling boxes

Children with recycling boxes: did I mention that large quantities of Milo were consumed (and quite a bit of it decorated the young ones' T shirts)...

And as one of the old hippy anthems has it (in fact, it was the classic “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell, I believe) … “We’ve got to get back to the garden.”  For the children’s sake.
Jamaican musician Shaggy with Shaggy Parrot books

Musician Shaggy is a warm-hearted, generous man who raises funds for the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Kingston. Always working for the kids.

Two young fans of Shaggy Parrot

Two young fans of Shaggy Parrot

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No One Knows About Persian Cats Official Trailer

By petchary on | Leave a Comment

This two-minute flavor of the film touches on its beauty and complexity. Look it up on YouTube and read my review. A very powerful film about music, freedom, and the eternal tenaciousness and hope of youth under a repressive regime.

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The Underground Persians

By petchary on | 3 Comments

Youth is about freedom.  It is about being free to express yourself, culturally; and music is the lifeblood.  ”The days of our youth are the days of our glory,” wrote that incurable romantic Lord Byron.  Yet there is little glory for the youth of Tehran.  Freedom is a luxury they don’t possess; but with the optimism and tenaciousness of youth, they stretch their fingers out for what little they can reach for.

The 2009 Iranian film, “No One Knows About Persian Cats,” is a wry, touching and quietly tragic film about the struggles of several rock bands to express themselves (loudly) in a world of cold repression.  Two close friends and musicians, Ashkan and Negar (the only girl, and the only one who does not smile during the entire film) have just come out of prison.  They move around Tehran, meeting other possible band members.  Their plan is to form a band and leave the country for a tour of the United States – a possibility they hardly dare dream about, but work doggedly towards.

No One Knows About Persian Cats promo photo

No smiles... Young Negar (front) and Ashkan (in red) along with two of their musical friends

The movie was filmed secretly by Kurdish Iranian director Bahman Ghobadi.  Perhaps because of this, it has a documentary feel.  The reality is gritty and unrelenting. There are extraordinary collages of life in Tehran – disturbing footage of junkies living with rats in piles of garbage, street scenes of mostly unsmiling people (this was noticeable), the occasional flash of opulence – that reinforce the claustrophobic atmosphere of the city.

The ultimate freedom, of course, is a visa.  Our intrepid pair (the name of their band is Take It Easy Hospital) visit an underground passport and visa dealer (we only see the secret life of the city) with the assistance of the voluble Nader, who takes them under his wing – a somewhat greasy T-shirt sleeve.  Nader means well, or does he?  His boundless energy (he careers down streets on his beloved motorbike) is, in the end, undone.

No One Knows About Persian Cats

As dusk settles over Tehran, Nader meditates on his motorbike

The film is not unremittingly grim by any means.  The young musicians whom Ashkan and Negar meet look like indie rock bands anywhere – shocks of thick hair, a slouching demeanor – and one of the musicians has a definite Rasta influence.  They make the usual offhand, ironic jokes of rock musicians – but their jokes are about the police knocking on the door to throw them into prison, simply for playing banned, subversive music.   They talk about corruption and torture and informers; and spies – young and old, neighbors and children.  They joke about their rehearsal venues.  One heavy metal band regularly rehearses on a farm; the cows’ milk has dried up.  Rehearsal rooms are hidden in a maze of narrow stairs and dirty alleyways, dimly lit and sound-proofed so as not to give themselves away, the drums muffled.

No One Knows About Persian Cats trailer

Heavy metal in the cowshed

“This is Tehran.  It’s no joke.  No sign of flowers or popsicles.”   One of the most powerful scenes is on the top floor of an unfinished high rise, where rapper Hichkas (“Nobody” in English) presents a bitter little diatribe on inequality, hypocrisy, false religiosity and corruption.  But he doesn’t want to leave Tehran.  There would be no one to sing about it all then, would there.

Hichkas and Ehsan Maleki

Hichkas (right), a friend and the Tehran skyline

Oh by the way, the real Negar and Ashkan (they played themselves) did eventually escape. They now live in London.  The co-writer of the film, Iranian-American Roxana Saberi, was jailed on spying charges and released just in time for the film to win a Special Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival.

And the music?  Negar’s voice is wistful, the guitars and keyboards forceful, the drumming excellent, the lyrics (mostly in English) banal at times.  And there are some beautiful interludes – traditional Iranian music and dancing, taking the viewer into a world of gentle movement and acoustic sound.  All beautifully counter-balanced.

And hope?  Not much there, although there was a bit of a happy ending in real life.  But life in Tehran goes on, and freedom is like a feather blowing in the wind.

Very hard to catch.

Take It Easy Hospital

Negar (left) and Ashkan, now in happier times

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