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The creation of the International Criminal Court has established a new venue for investigating and prosecuting war crimes, despite a lack of U.S. participation. Will the non-participation of the U.S. weaken the power of the ICC? What challenges are faced by the ICC in punishing war criminals? Local legal legend Ed DeLaney explains.

(more…)

When: Wednesday May 2, talk 11-noon, lunch noon-12:30

Where: North United Methodist Church, N. Meridian St. at 38th St. Indianapolis

South Africa is the most developed country in Africa and has been an active leader on the continent, yet it still struggles with major issues in the post-Apartheid era. What are the political challenges facing South Africa? What impact is the AIDS epidemic playing on South Africa’s economy and society?

Kelly Campbell is Vice President of Operations for Ambassadors for Children. Ambassadors for Children (AFC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving children around the world through short-term humanitarian service trips and sustainable programs. Voluntourism trips are fast becoming the new way to travel. Voluntourism is the combination of voluntary service to a destination with the traditional elements of travel and tourism - arts, culture, history, geography, and recreation. Kelly has been with the organization since 2004 and have served as an intern, volunteer travel coordinator, and Director of Missions. She recently completed her Masters in International Relations at the University of Indianapolis.

Kelly’s talk is part of the Mid-North Shepherd Center’s Great decisions series. Questions? Contact 317-924-0959 or mnscenter@aol.com. Her talk is free, but you stay for lunch and that will cost you a few dollars.

If this talk sounds interesting, you should check out Dr. Chuck Dietzen of the Timmy Foundation May 23rd. He’ll give another perspective on what we can do to help the problems of children in poor and strife-torn countries.

You should know before you go…

The failure of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission to do justice to women rape victims was not a simple oversight but is constitutive of the symbolic order dominating the political landscape.

Preoccupation with India’s booming economy lead many to forget that the Indian subcontinent is home to nearly as much spiritual innovation (and conflict) as the Middle East. A great topic for a Mosaic International Cafe Conversation.

When: Tuesday April 24 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Where: Udupi (Indian Vegetarian Restaurant) 4225 Lafayette Road  Indianapolis

(Inside International Bazaar – Past Lafayette Square Mall.  Near

Value

City Furniture Store, between DJ Supply and the

India

Palace)

$10.00 per person includes meal and soft drink; specialty beverages and gratuity extra. SEATING IS LIMITED. RSVP by calling or emailing Cindy at 317.920.0231 or cindyball@sbcglobal.net.

Mosaic International Conversation Cafés provide a chance to discuss serious issues in a relaxed and enjoyable setting. The groups of conversationalists range from their 20s to 70s, from all ethnic groups. What better setting for a discussion of India than the South Indian restaurant Udupi? This discussion of India will include former Indiana First Lady Judy O’Bannon (a great friend of India who will later be leading an Ambassadors for Children “voluntourism” mission to that country) and a Buddhist spiritual leader.

If this discussion sounds interesting …After the discussion on May 1 go to the 9:45 showing of the award-winning Indian film Milk and Opium, a highlight of the Indianapoilis International Film Festival.

Know before you go … read some provocative articles.

• From Sign and Sight, farewell to spice and curry: Claudia Kramatschek introduces a new generation of Indian writers, a far cry from the senior cultural ambassadors of yesteryear

• From Economic and Political Weekly, secularism without secularisation: What explains the failure of secularism in the US and India? Why have secular constitutions proved to be incapable of preventing the growing “religionisation” of the state and the public sphere?

• Americans have a love affair with India, seduced by a colorful culture, one of the world’s great cuisines, and the sense that these two great democracies are a lot alike. In reality, however, the two countries have very little in common, and a lot that could pull them apart.

For more information after the discussion … check out a few books about Indian (new and classic):

• Edward Luce, In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India (excerpt) (review) (review) (review) (review) (review)

• Vikram Chandra, Sacred Games  is a sprawling marvelous detective novel set in Mumbai.

• Edna Fernandes, Holy Warriors: A Journey into the Heart of Indian Fundamentalism 

• Mira Kamdar, Planet India: How the Fastest- Growing Democracy Is Transforming America and the World  

• Ramachandra Guha, India After Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest Democracy (review)

• Gurcharan Das, India Unbound: The Social and Economic Revolution from Independence to the Global Information Age 

• Stephen Philip Cohen, India: Emerging Power

• Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali: A Collection of Indian Poems by the Nobel Laureate 

• V. S. Naipaul, India: A Million Mutinies Now

 Want to learn more? Talk to a local expert about India.

Milind Thakar: University of IndianapolisJyotika Saksena: University of IndianapolisSumit Ganguly: Indiana University

The Indiana Council on World Affairs and the Indianapolis Committee on Foreign relations host a discussions with the VP of the Korean Economic Institute and officials from the US State Department and the South Korean Embassy (more…)

“Seeing Santería: A Guided Tour” explores the roots of Magdalena Maria Campos-Pons’s art in Afro-Cuban religion

When: Thursday, May 17, 7:00 pm

Where: Indianapolis Museum of Art: Meet at entrance to Special Exhibitions Gallery

Free with special exhibition ticket ($12) / Free to museum members 
 

Santería is a New World religion derived from Yoruba (Nigeria, West African) spiritual traditions and Spanish folk Catholicism, practiced by millions in the Caribbean and South America. Growing up in Cuba, the practice of Santería shaped the life of María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Central to Santería are Orishas, multi-dimensional beings representing forces of nature symbolized by colors, numbers, rhythms and more. On “Seeing Santería: A Guided Tour,” Anthony Artis, a.k.a Babalawo Awodele, a Santería high priest, leads a fascinating tour through the Campos-Pons exhibition with an eye to the Santería rites, rituals and symbols reflected in her works. Babalawo is directly translated as “father of the secrets”.

Know before you go … In Santeria/Lukumi, the Babalawo is the High Priest of Orunmila. Babalawo is the Highest rank of the Priesthood in Santeria. Babalawos specialize in divination- communication with the Orishas. They determine through a variety of divination methods the will of the Orishas. A Babalawo determines which Orisha rules the “head” of a candidate for initiation, and Only a man may become a Babalawo; women become Ayalochas (Mother of the Orishas). 

Click here for music from Santeria rituals.

April 29 & May 3: “American Fugitive” 

Sun Apr 29 12:00pm WTTS Screening Room (Landmark) 

Thur May 3 2:00pm WTTS Screening Room (Landmark) 

RSVP info: http://indyfilmfest.org/tickets.html 

 

“American Fugitive: The Truth about Hassan,” may be one of the most intriguing – and for Americans – controversial films of the festival. “I went to his door as a postman…and when he came to the door for a signature, I shot him. Simple.” Or is it? The man behind this straightforward comment (as well as the trigger) is Hassan Abdulrahman, formerly David Belfield, a black nationalist, Muslim convert and the titular American fugitive of this riveting documentary. On the morning of July 22, 1980, Belfield shot and killed Ali Akbar Tabbatabi, the former press attache for the deposed Shah of Iran at his home in suburban

New Jersey. After absconding to Canada and boarding a plane to Geneva, Belfield fled to

Tehran and transformed himself into Abdulrahman. His case might have been forgetten were it not for the unexpected international success of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s fiction film

Kandahar, which features Hassan in a supporting role. 

Abdulrahman / Belfield’s appearance in the film provoked a renewed interest in the events surrounding the Iranian Hostage crisis of the late-1970s. And it opened more than a few old wounds. But it is simply the latest twist in one man’s crooked path that leads from the 1968 riots in Washington DC through the “October Surprise” and Iran/Contra scandals of the 1980s up to the terrorist attacks on the

World Trade Center and beyond. When asked why he agreed to appear in this documentary, Abdulrahman claims he doesn’t know. “There is no single truth,” he says. Audiences will no doubt agree. But they will certain find the myriad truths evident in American Fugitive fascinating.  

 

If you like this film… You might like “Son of Man,” a South African flick with themes of dissidence. 

 

You should know before you go…Look at this TIME article from 2001 discussing Belfield’s reemergence as an actor in an Iranian film. Check out a synopsis of film.  

 

For more information after the film, read discussion of activism in Muslim America.  

Bookmark to:

April 29 & May 3: “American Fugitive” 

Sun Apr 29 12:00pm WTTS Screening Room (Landmark) 

Thur May 3 2:00pm WTTS Screening Room (Landmark) 

RSVP info: http://indyfilmfest.org/tickets.html 

 

“American Fugitive: The Truth about Hassan,” may be one of the most intriguing – and for Americans – controversial films of the festival. “I went to his door as a postman…and when he came to the door for a signature, I shot him. Simple.” Or is it? The man behind this straightforward comment (as well as the trigger) is Hassan Abdulrahman, formerly David Belfield, a black nationalist, Muslim convert and the titular American fugitive of this riveting documentary. On the morning of July 22, 1980, Belfield shot and killed Ali Akbar Tabbatabi, the former press attache for the deposed Shah of Iran at his home in suburban

New Jersey. After absconding to Canada and boarding a plane to Geneva, Belfield fled to

Tehran and transformed himself into Abdulrahman. His case might have been forgetten were it not for the unexpected international success of Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s fiction film

Kandahar, which features Hassan in a supporting role. 

Abdulrahman / Belfield’s appearance in the film provoked a renewed interest in the events surrounding the Iranian Hostage crisis of the late-1970s. And it opened more than a few old wounds. But it is simply the latest twist in one man’s crooked path that leads from the 1968 riots in Washington DC through the “October Surprise” and Iran/Contra scandals of the 1980s up to the terrorist attacks on the

World Trade Center and beyond. When asked why he agreed to appear in this documentary, Abdulrahman claims he doesn’t know. “There is no single truth,” he says. Audiences will no doubt agree. But they will certain find the myriad truths evident in American Fugitive fascinating.  

 

If you like this film… You might like “Son of Man,” a South African flick with themes of dissidence. 

 

You should know before you go…Look at this TIME article from 2001 discussing Belfield’s reemergence as an actor in an Iranian film. Check out a synopsis of film.  

 

For more information after the film, read discussion of activism in Muslim America.  

Bookmark to:

April 29 & May 1: War/Dance   

Sun Apr 29 2:00pm IMM Screening Room (Landmark) Tues May 1 6:00pm NUVO Screening Room (Landmark)   The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has been terrorizing northern

Uganda for more than two decades, displacing hundreds of thousands of Ugandans. In this war zone, the children are not just victims of the rebel insurgence– they become the rebels. The LRA employs a particularly effective way of keeping its ranks filled … by abducting children. “War/Dance” is a documentary about the hardships of a group of children trapped in the middle of a war-zone in northern

Uganda. Three such children –Dominic, Rose, and Nancy, who now reside in a misplaced persons camp at Patongo. When the only school in the war-torn region is invited to participate in a national festival of music and dance, the children sign up. The competition offers these children – families torn apart by unimaginable acts – the opportunity to reclaim at least a small part of their childhoods. They sing in protest. They dance with joy. For at least one moment, they rid themselves of fear and taste pride and victory. The emotional power of War/Dance will overthrow the cynic in you and you will believe in the ability of the human spirit to overcome tragedy, despite seemingly impossible odds 

If you like this film, you should check out “Bridge over the Wadi” for a view of how Jewish and Arab kids in

Israel are coping with conflict. “Red Flowers” is another film in the festival that looks at children coping with crisis, in post-Revolution

China. And hear Dr. Chuck Dietzen talk about children and conflict at the

North United Methodist Church May 23.  

Know before you go … Read about the Lord’s Resistance Army.   Local expert: Paul Babcock has just from two years in

Uganda. Prof. Siobhan McEvoy-Levy at

Butler is one of the country’s top experts on children and conflict.  

Bookmark to:

April 29 & May 1: War/Dance   

Sun Apr 29 2:00pm IMM Screening Room (Landmark) Tues May 1 6:00pm NUVO Screening Room (Landmark)   The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has been terrorizing northern

Uganda for more than two decades, displacing hundreds of thousands of Ugandans. In this war zone, the children are not just victims of the rebel insurgence– they become the rebels. The LRA employs a particularly effective way of keeping its ranks filled … by abducting children. “War/Dance” is a documentary about the hardships of a group of children trapped in the middle of a war-zone in northern

Uganda. Three such children –Dominic, Rose, and Nancy, who now reside in a misplaced persons camp at Patongo. When the only school in the war-torn region is invited to participate in a national festival of music and dance, the children sign up. The competition offers these children – families torn apart by unimaginable acts – the opportunity to reclaim at least a small part of their childhoods. They sing in protest. They dance with joy. For at least one moment, they rid themselves of fear and taste pride and victory. The emotional power of War/Dance will overthrow the cynic in you and you will believe in the ability of the human spirit to overcome tragedy, despite seemingly impossible odds 

If you like this film, you should check out “Bridge over the Wadi” for a view of how Jewish and Arab kids in

Israel are coping with conflict. “Red Flowers” is another film in the festival that looks at children coping with crisis, in post-Revolution

China. And hear Dr. Chuck Dietzen talk about children and conflict at the

North United Methodist Church May 23.  

Know before you go … Read about the Lord’s Resistance Army.   Local expert: Paul Babcock has just from two years in

Uganda. Prof. Siobhan McEvoy-Levy at

Butler is one of the country’s top experts on children and conflict.  

Bookmark to:

April 29 & May 1: “Abeni” 

Sun Apr 29 6:15pm Indy Men’s Magazine Screening Room (Landmark) 

Tues May 1 4:00pm NUVO Screening Room (Landmark) 

Ticket info: http://indyfilmfest.org/tickets.html 

See the best of “Nollywood” (Nigeria’s

Hollywood) with “Abeni.” In a country where fifty new films are produced every week and a movie mad population voraciously consumes them all with unparalleled ferocity, filmmaker Yunde Kelani sets himself apart from the formidable pack with this enthralling tale of long lost love set against the backdrop of the Yoruba culture. Abeni (Sola Asedeko) has lived a charmed life. The ambitious daughter of a wealthy father, she is set to be married and all signs point to a healthy and prosperous future. In contrast, Akanni (Abdel Hakim Amzat) was born into poverty, but has since managed to improve his lot in life through steady determination and a healthy dose of hard work. When Akanni was a child, his father worked for Abeni’s father and the two youngsters became sweethearts. Akanni was a reckless boy though, and as a result of his foolish actions his family was eventually forced to relocate across the Nigerian border and set up a new homestead in

Cotonou, Benin. When fate brings Abeni and Akanni together once again after years of separation and the childhood bond that the pair once shared proves as powerful as ever, both their well-planned futures - and their commitments to their respective fiancées - soon begin to crumble as the childhood sweethearts finally realize that they truly were meant to be together A subplot involving two young men recently returned from the United States in full hiphop regalia is hilarious; one of them becomes Abeni’s unwanted suitor. On a broader level, Kelani offers a fascinating portrait of the Yoruba culture that flows between Nigeria and

Benin. His trilingual characters may have arrived in the urban middle class, but still display proud traditions in their actions and in their spectacular clothes. Abeni represents the best of Nollywood, right up to the cliffhanger ending. 

If you like this film…See “Eagle vs. Shark,” another odd romantic tale. “War/Dance” shows another aspect of African life.  

You should know before you go… You might want to know a bit about Nigerian cinema (Nollywood). Learn about Yoruba culture to understand the pressures the characters are experiencing.

Bookmark to: