Ka Leo O Hawaii

Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Breaking News

"Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world."

Using the words of famed anthropologist Margaret Mead, WITNESS, a human rights program devoted to video advocacy, has made educating the masses its mission.

The program uses a YouTube-like system to put power into the hands of the less fortunate, giving camcorders to human rights victims to use their words to create documentaries.

Hoping to spread this message, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's own human rights organization, Amnesty International, is teaming up with the program to put on a film festival this weekend at the Art Auditorium.

It all started with an idea: Joshua Cooper, area coordinator for Amnesty and executive director for the Hawai‘i Institute for Human Rights, found out about WITNESS while attending a forum at the United Nations. Peter Gabriel, a famous musician and filmmaker, gave a speech about the program, and from there Cooper got the idea to bring the festival to UHM.

"It's a brand new tradition," Cooper said. "Students can go around the world in one night and learn about important issues."

The issues highlighted in the festival are indigenous people's, children's, and women's rights.

"Our focus is primarily on issues that are happening everywhere, some are country specific. We hope students can relate to relevant issues, such as indigenous rights, and want to learn more," said Aleina Hammonds, president of UH's Amnesty chapter.

Cooper believes that Hawai‘i students can connect to the films. One film deals with the free trade of cocoa and coffee, addressing globalization and how people everywhere are affected by each other's actions. The film teaches that fair trade would eliminate the middle-man between producers and consumers, giving the workers, who often live in destitute conditions, a greater percentage of the profit made from coffee. "There's a common thread of humanity you can see through these films," Cooper said.

Another film, "If Hope Were Enough," empowered Hammonds. The film "documents the historic importance of women coming together to change the structure and substance of the International Criminal Court so that it can become a mechanism to address violations of women's human rights at the international level," Hammonds said. "Women from around the world, getting together, working together is a good thing."

The documentaries are short, with films ranging anywhere from six minutes to an hour. "Every movie is great…they are made from their (the people in the midst of the issue) perspective. They allow the audience to understand complex problems in a short time," said Cooper, who says the festival is a great way to break from the traditional textbook mode of learning.

Students don't have to be bored with what they're learning in class or apathetic, said Cooper. Starting at grassroots level to expand globally is his vision. "People can become advocates as long as there are enough activities to get involved in."

Hammonds echoes the sentiment of Mead: "I hope our audience walks away thinking, 'Wow I have to do something about this!'"

Check out WITNESS and their films at witness.org

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