July 20, 2008

Dear Nobel Peace Women:

Let’s make history. Women have an amazing opportunity at their fingertips, if they choose to exercise it. Gandhi and King led movements of nonviolence. What if women led a global movement of nonviolence? It would empower women everywhere. It would bring attention to all women issues. All that is needed is a catalyst.

• There is a problem in Iran. Baha’i women and men have been arrested without charges. Let’s turn this into an opportunity. The Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i Faith, in a book entitled “Women”, states about women, “…when they form a conscious and overwhelming mass of public opinion against war there can be no war.”

• Let’s mobilize women to STOP and PREVENT WAR

It is time for women to create change, not wait for it. And the whole world should know about it! All the women need is a CATALYST. The women in Iran, or Europe, or the U.S., cannot do it by themselves. They need the whole world.

The Nobel Peace Women can provide the catalyst. The key is empowering the women and mobilizing. If the women in Iran see the women of the world mobilizing to stop war, and vice versa, via nonviolence and in a conciliatory manner, there will be change.

It has been my honor and privilege to develop a “Global Strategy of Nonviolence, For the Children” (GS of NV). It is based upon people power with nonviolence as its strength. It is led by women but not exclusive to women. It states that the time has come for nonviolence to be the doctrine of all societies and countries. It is my theory that through this strategy, women’s issues will be addressed. A GS of NV is to be implemented by an initiative called a “Call to Women, a World-wide Unity Campaign.”

A GS of NV is a comprehensive plan, designed as a “guideline,” to mobilize the women of the world, to STOP WAR, based on nonviolence, for the purpose of creating a new political paradigm based on humanitarian efforts, starting with, and prioritizing programs for the children. The plans include administration, funding, marketing, implementation and follow-up. The overall strategy is a three phase, three year plan.

Many elements are in place and many women leaders know of the basics of the plan – Dr. Helen Caldicott (Australia), Sister Joan Chittister (US), Margarita Papandreou (Greece), Anita Vargas (Bolivia- South America), Ela Gandhi (South Africa), etc. All that is needed is someone, some group, or something to tie it all together.

Let’s show what women can do! Men are not excluded. Women peace and humanitarian networks are everywhere. All the networks around the world are ready for a catalyst.

The plans are available for review. Research to support the theories and plans is available for review. Please contact me at calltowomen@rcn.com .

Peace and Love,
Andre Sheldon
Member of NOW, WILPF, Newton Dialogues, Supporter of CODEPINK and Men’s Resource Center

“If a person with black hair sees a person with red hair, he or she sees someone different, but, it a person with black hair sees a child with red hair, he or she sees a child.”
By Adil Najam – Boston University professor in International Relations

http://www.indagare.com/passions/5/departments/173

Uganda- East Africa.

I write to tell you about my documentary, THE SHAPE OF WATER narrated by Susan Sarandon (http://www.theshapweofwatermovie.com)

I am a first time film-maker (I am also a university professor
at the University of California at Santa Barbara). The website is http://www.theshapeofwatermovie.com

THE SHAPE OF WATER (February 2006) interweaves the
intimate stories of Khady, Oraiza, Bilkusben, Dona Antonia, Gila – living in Senegal, Brazil, India, and Jerusalem. The women are abandoning female genital mutilation, tapping for rubber to protect the rainforest, protecting the biodiversity of the planet and opposing military occupations. This film offers a unique view of the realities and visions of the women through their passion to create a more just world.

THE SHAPE OF WATER has started to win a few awards
– Best Feature Documentary (Reel Sisters of the Diaspora,
Brooklyn) Best Director, Documentary (San Francisco
Women’s Film Festival), World Cinema Award (DC Independent Film Festival) amongst others. It has screened in Rome (Italy), Barcelona, Durban and Ankara. It opened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2006, was sold out at two screenings and was an Official Festival Highlight. It has also screened at a number of other Film Festivals in the USA, including the UNAFF at Stanford where it had an audience of 450, the New York Museum of TV and Radio Film Festival and the Harlem International Film Festival in October 2006. It has also screened at the Amnesty Film Festival in Vancouver, Canada and at the Artivist Film Festival in Los Angeles inNovember 2006. It screened at FESPACO in
Burkina Faso in March 2007 and was an Official Selection,
at the New Zealand Human Rights Film Festival
in May 2007.

I would ne happy to send you a screener, if you are interested.

Best wishes,

Kum-Kum

Kum-Kum Bhavnani, Producer/Director
http://www.theshapeofwatermovie.com
Tel: +1 805.898.0880 Fax: +1 805.898.0885

I am particularly impressed with the work you are doing and I am persuaded to believe that we have a similar calling.
I would like to interact more with you.
I am from Northern region of Uganda , 30 years old female. The northern region were I come from has been affected by war for the past 20 years, and alot has happened with regard to gross violations committed against women and children although there is relative stability now as peace negotiations are in progress, alot still needs to be done interms of advocacy for the rights of women and children.
I hope to share alot more with you after your reply.

Thanks,
hilda.