Posts Tagged ‘Barbara Hendricks’
October 6, 2015
October seems to be very much the season of awards. Tonight is the MEA announcement and yesterday UNHCR presented the 2015 Nansen Refugee Award to Afghan refugee teacher Aqeela Asifi:
© UNHCR/M Henley
Aqeela Asifi made it her mission over more than 20 years in exile to bring education to refugee girls in a remote community in Pakistan. Asifi has been recognised for her tireless dedication to education for Afghan refugee girls in the Kot Chandana refugee village in Mianwali, Pakistan – while herself overcoming the struggles of life in exile. Despite minimal resources and significant cultural challenges, Asifi has guided a thousand refugee girls through their primary education.
“When I first set up my school I was not very optimistic. This success is beyond my expectations. Let the dove of peace be our messenger, let us shun the culture of war and weapons and let us promote the culture of pen and education. That’s the only way, my dear brothers and sisters, that we can bring peace and prosperity to our country.” Asifi said.
The Award ceremony, in Geneva’s Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, featured performances from UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and two-time Grammy winner, Angelique Kidjo, and UNHCR Honorary Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador, Barbara Hendricks.
More about the Nansen award: http://www.brandsaviors.com/thedigest/award/nansen-medal
To learn more about Aqeela’s story: here
Source: UNHCR – UNHCR presents Nansen Refugee Award to Afghan refugee teacher
Posted in awards, human rights, UN | 1 Comment »
Tags: Afghanistan, Aqeela Asifi, awards, Barbara Hendricks, digest of human rights awards, Education, Geneva, Nansen medal, Nansen Refugee Award, Pakistan, refugees
February 27, 2014
The International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights [FIFDH] was inaugurated in 2003. This year’s session runs from 7 to 16 March, 2014. On purpose it coincides with the UN Human Rights Council. This simultaneous event helps to make the Festival a Platform for discussion and debates on a wide variety of topics concerning human rights. As a genuine Forum on Human Rights, the Festival informs and firmly denounces violations of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights wherever they occur. In the heart of Geneva, the “international hub for human rights”, the FIFDH offers debates as well as unscreened films and solidarity actions. The link to the full programme is: http://www.fifdh.org/2014/index.php?rubID=101&lan=en Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in films, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, OMCT | Leave a Comment »
Tags: Barbara Hendricks, City of Geneva, FIFDH, film festival, films, Geneva, human rights, Human Rights Defenders, human rights film festivals, human rights films, human rights violations, images, International Film Festival, Kanneman, OMCT, Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Human Rights Council, Ville de Geneve
February 10, 2014
(Jennifer Lopez performing for the leader Turkmenistan. (c) Agence France-Presse/Igor Sasin)
In quite a few earlier posts in this blog I have drawn attention to stars and celebrities who either support dictators or simply do not care that their actions do. So, I was quite happy to see a thoughtful piece by Jo Biddle of Agence France-Presse on 9 February 2014 analyzing this issue a bit more in-depth, with actress Scarlett Johansson as the “poster girl of Israeli apartheid”, Dennis Rodman in North Korea, and Kim Kardashian expressing her love of Bahrain. I would add, Mariah Carey who thinks nothing of singing for Gaddafi or the Angolan President, while Jennifer Lopez (picture above) did the same in Turkmenistan.
The author rightly states that when celebrities wander into complex foreign policy issues, it can be a minefield, leaving diplomats and human rights campaigners scrambling for damage control. The article mentions exceptions such as Bob Geldof, Bono, George Clooney or Angelina Jolie Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in HRF, human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 9 Comments »
Tags: Agence France-Presse, Angelina Jolie, Angola, Bahrain, Barbara Hendricks, Bob Geldof, Bono, Brian Dooley, celebrities, concert, Dennis Rodman, diplomacy, Gaddafi, George Clooney, HRF, human rights, Human Rights First, human rights violations, Israel, Jennifer Lopez, Jo Biddle, Kim Kardashian, Loreen, Mariah Carey, Muammar Gaddafi, North Korea, Scarlett Johansson, singers, solidarity action, star power, stars, Sting, Turkmenistan
December 19, 2013
Mariah Carey poses with José Eduardo dos Santos, the 34-year dictator of Angola, his wife, and his daughter Isabel—Angola’s only billionaire
The Human Rights Foundation has lately been targeting celebrities who give their voice and reputation to bad causes and I think it is an excellent idea. Some celebrities do good work (think of Barbara Hendricks or Angelina Jolie), most are not interested but there is no reason why some should go out of their way to give support to dictators. There is no financial or diplomatic necessity. So, it is good to highlight Mariah Carey‘s concert on 15 December during a gala for the Angolan Red Cross, which was sponsored by Unitel (President José Eduardo dos Santos billionaire daughter Isabel owns Unitel and is also president of the Angolan Red Cross). “Mariah Carey can’t seem to get enough dictator cash, reportedly more than $1 million dollars this time. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in human rights, Human Rights Defenders | 7 Comments »
Tags: Angelina Jolie, Angola, Angolan Red Cross, Barbara Hendricks, celebrities, dictatorship, Human Rights Foundation, human rights violations, Jennifer Lopez, José Eduardo dos Santos, Mariah Carey, Muammar Gaddafi, Rafael Marques de Morais, Turkmenistan
November 2, 2012
Barbara Hendricks at MEA ceremony 2003 with late Sergio Vieira de Mello and Alirio Uribe Munoz
The trigger to write about this very special person is that she has just been celebrated as UNHCR’s Goodwill ambassador for 25 years.
“You are really the princess of the humanitarian and human rights world,” High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said at a special UNHCR staff ceremony in Geneva. “The authority of your voice is a precious instrument for our fight,” he added. “Twenty-five years – it’s a long time and the cause of refugees has been a part of my life since my first mission,” said Hendricks, adding that it had been an honour to work for UNHCR. She praised the refugees who inspire her and the UNHCR staff who help them. “Thank you so much. It has been a fantastic journey and I look forward to continuing for as long as I can.”
What many people do not know is that Barbara Hendricks has not only been a dedicated and outspoken advocate for refugees for the past 25 years, but also been a strong supporter of other causes including human rights, e.g. as a Patron of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders or in giving her support to creating the True Heroes Foundation, Films for Human Rights Defenders in 2007.
The American-born Swedish citizen was inspired by the struggle for civil rights in the USA as a child and never let off. The human rights world needs celebrities but even more it needs celebrities with real and long-term commitment. This is what makes Barbara Hendricks a Human Rights Defender in her own name! Thanks.
Posted in human rights | 1 Comment »
Tags: Barbara Hendricks, Geneva, human rights, Human rights defender, Martin Ennals Award, Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, Sergio Vieira de Mello, True Heroes Foundation, UNHCR
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 