Religious literacy - much needed insight in dealing with and writing about world affairs

Originally posted on Beside The Creek. Re-posted here with permission.

What is Religious Literacy?

Get the gist of what Religious Literacy is all about

by exploring Lapidomedia.

LAPIDO MEANS TO SPEAK UP in the Acholi dialect of Northern Uganda.  Religiously literate media work helped to end a war there between 2003-5.  We were founded by journalists to advocate for greater awareness of the faith dimension in policy, governance, and conflict in the UK and abroad.

Many news stories do not make sense - whether to journalists or policy makers who feed off what they report - without understanding religion. Lapido Media is an internationally networked, British-based philanthro-media charity, founded in 2005, that seeks to increase understanding among journalists and opinion formers of the way religion shapes world affairs. 

It’s called religious literacy.  We run media briefings, publish research and essays and work with journalists around the world.  Our stringers practise on our website the kind of religiously literate journalism we wish to see, going deeper to the sources of social motivations, and providing a resource for other journalists.  And we work with civil society groups on campaigns and media strategy to improve the flow and quality of stories with a religion dimension. 

Lapido Media e-newsletter - View email in browser | Forward to a friend THE DAWKINS EFFECT ON RELIGIOUS DEBATE – AN APPRAISAL HAVE New Atheism and Richard Dawkins contributed to or hindered our understanding of modern faith? Read more here>> EGYPT EXPORTS INTERFAITH 'BRIDGE' AS IRAN comes in from the cold, Iranian-born artist highlighted among 47 Middle Eastern works coming to London. Read more here>> TOP PICKS FROM OUR WORLD MEDIA WATCH AS the 100th Armenian genocide anniversary approaches, initial delight in Turkey's AKP government among Christians sours amidst rising sectarianism (Al-Monitor). Meanwhile, the World Bank gets religion as its president declares 'we have to have the partnership of religious leaders' to end extreme poverty (Washington Post). Finally, to mark Holocaust Day last week, the story of a Muslim country–the only European nation to boast a larger Jewish population than it had before the war (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).

A GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION - STOP THE FORCED CLOSURE OF ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN AUSTRALIA

Cross posted with permission from The Network.

Aboriginal communities in Australia announce

a global call to action.

Rally from Aboriginal Tent Embassy to Parliament House,

Thursday 19 March.

Assemble at Tent Embassy 11.30am 

for a 12.00pm march to Parliament.

12.30 - 2.00pm speakers.

Kimberley Aboriginal communities have declared a GLOBAL CALL TO ACTION to stop the forced closure of Aboriginal communities in Western Australia amidst the growing campaign by State and Federal Governments to withdraw their support and remove Aboriginal people from their traditional homelands.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has whipped up a great amount of fear, anxiety and doubt amongst the already marginalised First Peoples, when he said that: 

“What we can’t do, is endlessly subsidise choices, if those lifestyle choices are not conducive to the kind of full participation in Australian society that everyone should have”.

Editorial Note: Please see this ABC 7.30 Report
for video, transcript, and discussion.

Abbott’s statement was in support of the declarations made by Premier of Western Australia, Colin Barnett, in a press statement released 12 November 2014, suggesting that the State could no longer support 150 Aboriginal Communities, flagging the prospective removal by the end of 2015.

We who live in the remoter areas of Australia do not believe it is a lifestyle choice but an intrinsic fundamental human right to live in our own communities and our own country. We hold significant cultural obligations to our Ancestors to maintain Sovereign ties to our lands. After successive breaches of Human Rights conventions and the forced removal of the Aboriginal Community of Oombulgurri in 2014, we maintain a vote of no confidence in both the incumbent State and Federal Governments in their actions toward Aboriginal people.

On Thursday 19 March 2015, Australians across the Nation are being asked by governments to acknowledge ‘Close the Gap’ Day – but for many of our countrymen the ‘gap’ has been significantly widened, placing increasing pressure and trauma on our people. Starting in the Kimberley at 10am, we will march not for this Government agenda, but instead to show our objection to the threatened proposed closures to Aboriginal communities.

We stand in solidarity with all other regions in Western Australia and South Australia who have the veil of threatened remote community closures hanging over their lives. We understand that the precedent for a National attack by Government toward Aboriginal people living on their homelands, has already been set in the Oombulgurri closure. We ask the national and international community to stand with us in this action, and the subsequent actions that will ensue as we mobilise effective campaigns to secure our cultural right and entitlement.

Canberra media inquiries: 

Amy McQuire: 0487 427 207 

Alice Haines: 0447 097 659

www.sosblakaustralia.com 

www.facebook.com/sosblakaustralia I Twitter: @sosblakaust

Official Hashtags:

#SOSBLAKAUSTRALIA 

#NOconsent #Lifestylechoice

email: blaksoscanberra@gmail.com 

For further information see the website:
www.wgar.wordpress.com

Editors' note
- as well as this, take note of conservative State and Federal Governments
attempts at social control of the mainstream population: Medicare co-payments;
dismissal of the NDIS, treatment of people with disabilities -
particularly those young people who end up in nursing home aged care
because there is no place for them anywhere else;
education policies; cuts to social welfare payments to the elderly and the unemployed.
The question to be asked is why is it that Australian governments are still  unable
to treat Aboriginal people as citizens with equal rights to the goods and services
which other citizens receive.
This is the 21st Century after all - we put people in space -
we have more money awash in Australia than at any time in our history.
But we still can't meet the needs of our original inhabitants
whose land we stole.

To-day is the International Day of People with Disability. The theme is Sustainable development: the promise of technology

This is   a timely and important post excerpted from Carly Findlay's blog.  

Please go here to get the full post.

 

The state (and importance) of disability media.

Today is International Day of People with Disability. 

(I'm pictured with the amazing Quippings crew - a disability performance group.)

The theme of this year's Disability Day is 

'Sustainable development: the promise of technology'.

About a month ago I was recognised as a finalist in the Yooralla Media Awards for this piece.

Last week I declined my award. I couldn't accept it knowing what happened to people in the organisation's care and workplace.

As a writer with a disability, and knowing one of the victims, this just wouldn't be right.

The safety and dignity of those in care is where my values lie.

(And I also recognise the majority of ethical, dedicated employees and good work of this organisation and others facing similar allegations. Furthermore, I am still proud to be recognised by these independent judges.)

However, I maintain disability media and the recognition of such media through awards is so important. Whether it be disabled media makers, or media about disability, stories need to be told. This latest case highlights just important it is. I hope that Australia can run independent disability media awards through The Media and Arts Alliance or the Walkley Awards in the future.
I am scared for the future of disability media. There's very little mainstream media about disability, and what is shown is often inspiration porn. It's focussed on overcoming obstacles and even glamourising illness in Hollywood (see this article about The Fault in Our Stars - a book and movie which I loved).