At DGH we believe there is an intrinsic relationship between art, health, education and Human Rights. Art, in its various forms, inspires our daily work. Every Spring we’ll share some of the books, movies and music that have touched us. We invite you to recommend some works that have moved and enlightened you. Send your suggestions to Monica Sanchez at newsletter@dghonline.org, or P.O. Box 20111, London Terrace Station, New York, NY 10011.
In the Time of the Butterflies,
By Julia Alvarez, Algonquin Books, 1994, Fiction, ISBN 1-565120-38-8. Set during the waning days of the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic in 1960, this extraordinary novel retells the true story of the Mirabal sisters, three young wives and mothers who were assassinated after visiting their jailed husbands. Only a fourth sister, the youngest, survived to tell this moving tale.At Play in the Fields of the Lord,
By Peter Matthiessen, Vintage Books, 1991, Fiction, ISBN 0-679737-41-3. Don't be put off by the mediocre film version of a few years back. This 1965 classic is worth the read. No liberation theology here. This is an old-fashioned battle for the souls of the heathens, but who's saving who? |
Portrait of the Aztec Goddess of rain, Chalchihuitlicue, who carries the sun during the 4th prehistoric age known. Seeing much injustice in the world, she created a bridge to the 5th world for those whom she favored. Reproduced here with permission of the artist, Sandra Stanton, from her series on ancient goddesses. |
Breath, Eyes, Memory,
By Edwidge Danticat, Random House, 1998, Fiction, ISBN 0-375705-04-X. The tale of a Haitian girl haunted by her family’s traumatic past and the violence of her native country. The New York Times Book Review raved, "Ms. Danticat’s clarity of vision takes on the resonance of folk art. Extraordinarily ambitious, extraordinarily successful."Freedomland,
By Richard Price, Broadway Books, 1998, Fiction, ISBN 0-767900-24-3. A searing novel of racial injustice in two New Jersey cities. Imagine Doestoevsky writing a crime novel set in a housing project in a down-and-out American city and you’ll have an idea of this book’s power and complexity.The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts,
By Louis de Bernières, Vintage Books, 1997, Fiction, ISBN 0-375700-13-7. An English author with a French name writing about Latin America? Don’t worry, he does it very well, drawing upon his time living in rural Colombia to tell this entertaining story. It is a brilliant caricature of life, love and politics.Our America,
by Lealan Jones and Lloyd Newman with David Isay, Washington Square Press, 1998, Non-Fiction, ISBN 0-671004-64-6. Unflinching journalism from two teenagers living in Chicago’s Ida B. Wells Homes—one of the most dangerous housing projects in America. Their voices emerge from a part of the world that most have forgotten, or chosen to ignore, to ignite our conscience and rekindle our sense of justice.Do They Hear You When You Cry,
by Fauziya Kassindja and Layli Miller Bashir, Delta, 1999, Non-Fiction, ISBN 0-385319-94-0. At age 17, Fauziya Kassindja fled Africa to escape the tribal ritual kaika (female genital mutilation) in preparation for an arranged marriage. Smuggled to the airport on the eve of the procedure, fleeing without passport or hope of safe return, Fauziya arrived in Newark Airport. There, when she was imprisoned for illegal entry, is where her struggle truly began.
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Portrait of the Japanese Sun Goddess, Amaterasu. Disgusted with her brother because of his violence towards women, she enclosed herself in a cave and refused to come out. The snake, draped on her arm, holds the sword of her brother, which she broke into three pieces that became Goddesses. Reproduced here with permission of the artist, Sandra Stanton, from her series on ancient goddesses. |
A Hope in the Unseen,
By Ron Suskind, Broadway Books, 1998, Non-Fiction, ISBN 0-767901-25-8. This work, which recounts the struggle of Cedric Jennings, a bright but poor ghetto-kid trying to make it in the Ivy League, reminds us that human rights begin at home.El Niño Campesino Deshabilitado,
By David Werner, The Hesperian Foundation, 1990, Non-Fiction, ISBN 0-942364-07-4. Excellent book of ideas and practice also available in English, for working creatively with children who have disabilities.Medicina Liberadora: Teoria, Metodo y Practica,
By Agustín Sanginés, MD, Programa de Formación en la Acción y la Investigación Social, A.C., 1989, Non-Fiction. This book, published in Spanish, is an exploration of medicine as a liberating agent.Not All of Us Are Saints: A Doctor’s Journey with the Poor,
By David Hilfiker, MD, Hill and Wang, 1994, Non-Fiction, ISBN 0-8090-3921-4. A doctor wrestles with "poverty medicine" and the experience of practicing and living with the poor in inner-city Washington, DC. This book is both disturbing and inspiring.
Men with Guns,
Directed by John Sales, Starring Federico Luppi and Mandy Patinkin, Spanish with English subtitles, 1997. After retiring from his profitable private practice, a distinguished South American physician sets off on a quest to locate his former health care students, whom he trained to work in remote, disease-ridden villages. Once he steps outside his comfortable milieu, he is confronted by the reality to which he has been so willfully blind: the violence and despair in which the majority of his fellow citizens must eke out a miserable living.Romero,
1989 USA movie directed by John Duigan; Starring Raul Julia. This compelling film tells the story of El Salvador’s Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated in 1980. It follows his awakening to the plight of his people and his stance against the violence and poverty under which they toil.The Victims Of The War In Chiapas,
Directed by Carlos Martinez, 1998. This 28-minute video was filmed just before and after the December 1998 massacre at Acteal, a village in Mexico. Refugees from the area are interviewed after fleeing their burning homes and fields. The footage immediately following documents the massacre, bodies in the fields and ditches, and includes a personal interview with one of the same men who was interviewed just two days before the massacre. The video costs $35 and is distributed by the non-profit organization Cloudforest Initiatives, PO Box 13149, Minneapolis, MN, 55414.I Am Cuba,
Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, Cinematography by Sergei Urusevsky, Script by Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Enrique Pineda Barnet. Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese present this black and white, 1994 Milestone Film release in Spanish and Russian with English subtitles. This film by the great Russian director is an epic poem to Communist kitsch, giving the viewer a bird’s eye view of the decadence of Batista’s Havana and the poverty and oppression of the Cuban people. The rise of the revolution is shown in four main stories in this restored 1964 film.The Bad Harvest,
Chiapas Media Project. This 17-minute video documents the severe food shortages in indigenous communities in Chiapas, Mexico. It is a co-production of indigenous youth, who are learning video skills through the Chiapas Media Project (www.chiapasmediaproject.org), and professional video producers from Mexico and the US. The story of crushing poverty is portrayed through first-hand testimony from several indigenous communities and the various causes of hunger in Chiapas are explored, including droughts and floods, burning of the mountains, lack of agricultural expertise and the militarization of the area. Contact the group at 4834 N. Springfield, Chicago, IL 60625, 773-583-7728, 773-583-7738 (fax).
We Only Want the World: Sounds of Revolution from Around the Globe,
Compiled and produced by A World to Win, 1990. This collection, combining mainly new material with some songs from the world’s revolutionary heritage, was made possible thanks to the efforts of a great many artists and friends on the same side of the barricades in the fight against imperialism and reaction. BCM World to Win, 27 Old Gloucester St., London, WC1N3XX, U.K. Fax: 44-71-831-94-89 (ref. W6787).
Last year DGH sponsored a poetry contest to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, as well as to draw attention to the still ardent need to fulfill its promise. All entries had to be based on the theme of "Promoting health and human rights with those who have no voice." We received many wonderful poems, making choosing the winners a difficult task for our distinguished panel of judges. Our thanks to all who shared their verse with us and our congratulations to the 14 winners, listed below. First Place: Second Place: Third Place: Fourth Place:
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