|
press briefing
15 july 2002
johannesburg
HEAR OUR VOICE
ART FOR THE EARTH SUMMIT
While government officials gather for the
World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg (26th Aug - 4th September 2002),
South-African artists and local communities
in deprived areas around Johannesburg will be
getting involved, helping each other to make
a living through work on Friends of the Earth
International's art installation
Hear our
voice.
The installation, consisting of 10,000
biodegradable paper statues produced from
waste materials such as paper, is being
co-ordinated by Friends of the Earth
International as part of their presence at
the Earth Summit. The statues represent the
diverse voices of people all over the world
whose lives are struggling to defend their
environment and communities. The figures will
be a constant reminder to government
officials at the Summit that people's real
needs should be central to the
negotiations.
At the centre of the installation, there
will be a giant statue, made out of
industrial waste, which represents the power
of big corporations. Big corporations
exercise a growing influence on our lives,
but they are not always willing to listen to
the individuals whose lives they affect. The
contrast between the biodegradable statues
and the corporate giant is the theme of the
installation.
The installation will also feature a
soundscape, compiled by Friends of the Earth
International from the messages and sounds
sent by individuals around the world, as a
powerful message to world leaders that action
must be taken to protect communities and the
environment from exploitation by
corporations.
On Monday 2nd September, the day ministers
arrive at the Earth Summit, the installation
will be there to welcome them, symbolizing
the calls of many for a sustainable
future.
Don't let big corporations rule the
world!
As a prelude to that day, a bottom-up
process of empowerment, skill-transfer and
awareness raising is already taking place
among the deprived communities in Gauteng
province. The production of
Hear our
voice
shows that how ever marginalised,
people can help themselves, learning new and
useful skills while respecting ecological and
social conditions.
One of the 11 groups involved in
Hear
our voice
is the Soweto Mountain of Hope
(SoMoHo). This community-group educates young
people from one of the poorest townships in
Johannesburg to recycle waste materials into
art. The FoEI-project hooks on and
strengthens these practices, which have
proved an effective way of preventing crime
and encouraging employment.
The skills the participants acquire enable
them to support themselves in the future.
Since all statues are hand-made, they are all
different, reflecting the contrast between
the expressive and empowering quality of the
art installation and the uniformity of the
corporate world of unlimited trade.
In today's world, people from deprived
communities rarely have chance to have their
say. Economic gain presides over ecological
or community gain. But the participants of
Hear our Voice
instead envision a
world where common resources are developed
for the profit of the majority, rather than
for the profit of a minority.
Hear our
voice
is a call for corporate
accountability.
Don't let big corporations
rule the world!
For further information contact
Friends of the Earth International in
Johannesburg:
Lotte Asveld - Press officer - Hear our
Voice
Tel: +27-(0) 724796658 Fax: +27-(0)
114030062
Donald Pols
Earth Summit Co-ordinator in
South-Africa
Tel: +27(0) 11 3394968 and +27
(0)722966740
|
