We want to humbly, reverently and not-at-all conceitedly boast that Speak! is a magazine on the rise. In the past year we’ve grown 30 pages bigger (bringing you literally weightier words) and 10 percent shinier (featuring your reflection on our cover page). Likewise, our staff has swelled by 20 percent its previous size (the desserts at … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Activists & Advocates Issue
Articles from print magazine: Vol. 8, Iss. 4, Winter 2012
Marginalized movements, criminalized dissent
JENNA TOPAN It has been a year of protests. From the Arab Spring, to political turmoil in Russia, to Occupy Wall Street, and back to Québec’s campaign against tuition hikes, it is clear that revolution is in the air. Some protests have been peaceful, while others have turned violent. All have received media attention. One … Continue reading
Dissent vs. disobedience: a McGill perspective
JASMINE STASIUK-RIDDELL The distinction between student activism and behaviour considered disruptive under the McGill Student Code of Conduct (SCOC) has been much debated this year on campus. In the wake of the Nov. 10 tuition-hike protest and the resulting police action, it struck many that the line between unacceptable behaviour and freedom of speech is … Continue reading
Creative activism: culture jamming and video activism
TAMKINAT MIRZA The word “activist” carries connotations ranging from wardrobe choices to number of jail sentences, wherein the nuances of activism are often lost. Arguably, the major distinction between types of activists can be made between those on the front-line and the spotlight, and auxiliaries handling crucial logistics and organization issues behind scenes. This distinction … Continue reading
Terrorist or activist? The corporate and political agenda
JESSICA NEWFIELD “The threats [of terrorism] are real and call for a firm response from states. The response should, however, be proportional to the danger involved…the danger includes not only the harm done by terrorism, but also the harm done to the fabric of our societies by disproportionate responses that undermine democracy itself.” – Arthur … Continue reading
Student activists: a unique catalyst for change?
OLIVIA ZEYDLER “Everyone’s rights are the same, student or not, your voice will be heard”, stated one 19-year-old McGill student in reference to the tuition hikes. Students took to the streets on March 22 to strike and speak out against tuition hikes. Students of all different backgrounds united on common ground, utilized their rights as … Continue reading
Students take stand on Russian elections
LAUREN REDIES On March 4, 2012, Vladimir Putin was reelected to his third term as president of Russia. Discontent and outrage have spread across the Russian population, sparking riots and revolts against a government that the citizens believe is corrupt. Students are particularly active in these riots, with organized youth groups protesting against Putin and … Continue reading
To ask or not to ask? The ambiguous role of advocacy in humanitarian aid
TIPHAINE MONROE On March 8, after weeks of brutal attacks on Homs, Syria by government forces, the International Red Cross gained limited access to the city to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid. In current situations of political turmoil in Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Libya, to name a few, humanitarian aid plays a critical role in … Continue reading
Round-up of the world’s news
HATTY LIU, JENNA TOPAN & OLIVIA ZEYDLER February – April, 2012 1. By-elections in Burma The National League for Democracy (NLD), the opposition party in Burma headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, won 43 out of the 44 seats it contested in the country’s parliamentary by-elections on April 1. These were Burma’s … Continue reading
Kony 2012. In black and white
PAULINE CHERY No other documentary concerning Uganda’s security situation has made its way around the world faster than Invisible Children’s Kony 2012. But for all the hype generated by Facebook and Twitter, the video has been greeted with an equally fierce backlash amongst prominent Ugandan and western experts. Kony 2012 has raised many questions on … Continue reading
Regional dynamics behind Kony 2012
HUGO MARTORELL Kony, the tip of the iceberg The image of Joseph Kony, leader of Uganda’s Lord Resistance Army (LRA) militant group, has spiked much attention and controversy in the beginning of March. By March 11, this video made by the NGO Invisible Children’s (IC) for its Kony 2012 campaign already had 72 million views … Continue reading
Is Kony 2012 dubious? A look into charity evaluations
BRENDA CHANG Kony has become a ubiquitous and infamous name in cyberspace, thanks to the release of a short documentary-like film produced by Invisible Children. A massive uproar swept social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, where people all over these Internet platforms “shared” and “retweeted” his name in the hopes that, as the … Continue reading
#Hashtag activism
FRANCESCA MITCHELL Whether through “hashtag activism,” Facebook “likes” or viral video campaigns, it is undeniable that social networking technology is transforming the face of advocacy as everyone knows it. With the invasion of social media into the everyday lives of millions of people, such online presence is of new and fundamental importance to advocacy groups … Continue reading
Microfinancing: the good, the bad and the promising
KATIA FOX Social activism is becoming an increasingly large part of modern culture. A variety of development efforts have sprung up in response, ranging from child-sposorship to livestock donation to building wells in rural villages. Most recently, microfinancing has become an especially intriguing avenue to those seeking to make a difference in impoverished countries. The … Continue reading
In defense of microfinance: a socially responsible form of aid
MORGAN VLAD-MCCABE The New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof wrote in his blog, “Microcredit is undoubtedly the most visible innovation in anti-poverty policy in the last half century.” According to the World Bank, in some developing countries, upwards of 50 percent of adults lack access to basic financial services such as the procurement of loans or … Continue reading
Translating lives into numbers: how rights organizations crunch statistics
JUAN CAMILO VELASQUEZ Earlier this year, The Sunday Times reporter Marie Colvin and photographer Remi Ochlik died while covering the conflict in Syria. The Colvin and Ochlik case is not an isolated event. Human rights violations against media organizations and reporters are widespread. Several accounts from human rights watchdog organizations like Reporters without Borders (RWB), … Continue reading
Public-private relations in development: mining and Canada’s international development strategy
ALEX BADDUKE In October 2011, African Barrick Gold (ABG) began construction on a 14-kilometre long concrete wall that will stretch around its North Mara Gold Mine in Tanzania. The mine has been the source of tension within the community. The wall is an attempt at keeping local Tanzanians from entering the mine lands and searching … Continue reading
PROFILE on the Social Justice Committee: volunteers for rights
AMANDA MURPHY The Social Justice Committee (SJC) is a Montreal-based non-governmental organization that was founded in a church basement in 1975. It has since evolved into a secular organization, with its headquarters in the heart of downtown Montreal. Derek MacCuish is the editor of the SJC’s quarterly journal Upstream. Upstream defines itself as a publication … Continue reading
PROFILE: The Montreal Media Co-op
HATTY LIU The Montreal Media Co-op belongs to The Media Co-op, a coast-to-coast network of co-operatives that provides people-centred, democratic media coverage of their communities and of Canada. The Media Co-op evolved from The Dominion, an independent news magazine dedicated to exploring news stories and angles ignored by mainstream Canadian or international press. The Media … Continue reading
PHOTO ESSAY: March 22 demonstration and the city
HAIDAN DONG Continue reading
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