Born into Brothels Critique

After watching Born into Brothels I have to say overall I really didn't like the film all that much. Although I agree with the message the filmmakers were trying to convey, I didn't like the execution. While watching the film I really thought that they portrayed all these kids as hope less and going nowhere while the film portrayed its director, Zana Briski, as some kind of heaven sent instrument who was sent there to free these kids from the Western view point that there is nothing better than a "textbook" education.

I did find that it was effective in catching at least a glimmer of the life of a child (and the differences between the male and female children), and how instead of a research study, which at times can dehumanize people, it used advocacy art in a way of educating those who may be ignorant of the lives outside of their own urban bubbles.

The urban landscape played a dominant role within the context of the film as well. Scenes of tight winding maze-like street could be seen as a 'no-way-out' symbolism. A day trip to a beach gave the viewer as well as the children a brief sense of freedom from the confines of the district as well. I truly wonder of the meaning of the rooftops within the film as a means of escape or a bridge between the present world and a dream like state (think of Mayan upper, middle and lower level worlds analogy).

As an advocacy film for the rights of a child on a global perspective, I believe the film hit its mark. I also feel like they portrayed these kids and their families in a negative light. I am positive that these people never had dreams of becoming prostitutes, its the way life turned out, and the children seem to use apathy as a coping mechanism to deal with life and its harsh realities.

In parallel to this film (an a little closer to home) would have to be a documentary called "Streetwise". Although made in 1984, it looks into the lives of 9 young teens/children coping the streets of downtown Seattle. I will post it on here (and if you have some time, its well worth the watch.) I couldn't find part8, my apologies.

Axis of the 'Yarn Bombers'

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Life/Yarn+bombers+target+Vancouver+streets/1342756/story.html

"improving the urban landscape one stitch at a time.”

I found the article slightly amusing but it does fit nicely with the concepts of visual representations/voices within the urban landscpae.

The Circle of Healing

Warriors Against Violence is based out of Vancouver

http://www.kiwassa.bc.ca/wav/mission.htm

The Struggle for ones Indenity in the Urban Setting

http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/cmc/urbannativelife/urbannativelife05e.shtml

"The Struggle for Identity in Urban Centres

Maintaining one’s language, culture, traditional knowledge, values and spirituality is not an easy task in many Aboriginal communities today, whether they are rural or urban. The questions of interest for this project is: “How do Aboriginal people, living in urban centres, maintain their language, culture, Aboriginal knowledge, art, values, spirituality, their relationship to the land, home communities and their elders or ceremonialists? How does contemporary art reflect traditional values and knowledge of Aboriginal people struggling in urban centres?
For those who arrive in urban centres, with all or some of these values in place, life is difficult. After several generations of urban living, these values are quite often in jeopardy. The nature of the urban movement is that there are always new people moving to the city arriving with varying degrees of their culture, language and knowledge base intact. Quite often, these people are very happy to share what they have with those who are interested in learning.
Some of the most successful programs in drug and alcohol recovery programs in urban centres for Aboriginal adults and youth have been those centered around the arts – traditional and contemporary art, singing, drumming, theatre, dance, language instruction, as well as programs which take place on the land, such as camping, hunting, trapping, hide tanning, snowshoe construction, and story telling.
For many urban Aboriginal people, the connection to their culture and identity is supported through Aboriginal theatre, music, film, video production, dance, social and religious gatherings. In some cases cultural centres and art centres offer courses in dance, traditional dance clothing (regalia), carving, basket weaving, bead work, language, drum making, and wilderness survival, to name but a few activities.
This project will present a selection of multi-discipline art forms which address urban Aboriginal interest and issues of culture, identity and social issues affecting their lives today."

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I believe the calling has come for my 'Urban Life' project. I have contacted the local friendship centre for contact numbers of elders and those in the first nations community. I am intrigued who a group of peoples who have inhabited this Continent are struggling to keep their identity. We only ever hear of those who immigrated here and have cultural issues, what about those who have always been here?

World (urban) Views

http://www.theplaceswelive.com/


The year 2008 had witnessed a major shift in the way people across the world live: for the first time in human history more people live in cities than in rural areas. This triumph of the urban, however, does not entirely represent progress, as the number of people living in urban slums—often in abject conditions—will soon exceed one billion. From 2005 to 2007 Jonas Bendiksen documented life in the slums of four different cities: Nairobi, Kenya; Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; and Caracas, Venezuela. His lyrical images capture the diversity of personal histories and outlooks found in these dense neighborhoods that, despite commonly held assumptions, are not simply places of poverty and misery. Yet, slum residents continuously face enormous challenges, such as the lack of health care, sanitation, and electricity.The Places We Live brings the modern-day Dickensian reality of these individuals into sharp focus.

Out of the Ashes to an Unknown Future

http://www.theprovince.com/news/operation-phoenix/index.html

For far too long, the world focuses on the gentrification of its lands and then wonders why poverty is an issue. I think this is an important project being proposed for Vancouver's East Side. I truly hope that this is not a 'flash in the pan' and that people are truly concerned about marginalized peoples.
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I can relate, oh how I can relate.. tell me,how can someone in the course of in course of 7 years, be living on the streets for 3, be on income assistance for 2(which I think is worse then being homeless) and now in school full time? This scares me to know that areas of life such as economy and and living scenarios can change so drastically. Everyday is a struggle to know that if ones life can change so rapidly what is stopping it from happening again.
As I prepare for a presentation involving myths about poverty, this has been a difficult experience reliving things I know I will never forget.

Fish-eye on the issues

http://www.criticaleye.org/

Some of these visual representations of social and urban issues, I think are very much worth taking a gander at. I recommend when viewing them to ignore what the artist has given as the views of the piece. View it personally and then come to your own conclusions and see how you and this artist may have different takes.