Alex Berg, 264, read on FB that I wouldn't be able to attend Nick and Sheryl's presentation last night so she sent me information on how to listen to a live interview today. I am urging everyone to listen to the recorded version of it at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/10/07/Nicholas-Kristof-Sheryl-WuDunn
It was wonderful. They talked about many things which Conflicts students across the years will find familiar: FGM, fistulas, sexual slavery, Mukhtar Mai whom Nick describes simply as his "hero", rape as a tactic of war and so much more.
I was struck by so many points, but here are a few which I hope will entice you to listen. They used the term "gendercide" to describe what is happening to girls and women in the 21st century. And they had incredible statistics to back it up. for example, one woman dies every minute in childbirth and twenty are injured seriously. More women died in childbirth during WW I than soldiers died in combat. Sheryl explained why she felt doing something to try to end FGM is not cultural imperialism. Perhaps, most powerful for me was the point they made that the people who victimize women are often (perhaps more often than not) other women. Nick said that he is really hoping Greg Mortenson wins the Nobel Peace Prize this week.
Listen. It is really worth the time you will spend. One special note for Conflicts 266. At the end of the broadcast, Nick was asked if he had some final comment and he used our starfish story. No wonder I love him!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment