Everyday Rebellion is a fantastic film that premiered in Berlin in September 2014. The filmmakers also have a website full of great resources, including video blogs. Here are some of the best:
Creating Crisis to Make Positive Change
“When people ask me, ‘What do you do?’ I say I create crisis, because crisis is that edge where change is possible.” Lisa Fithian is an American political activist. She has been working for nonviolent social change since the mid 1970’s. Over the years she has been a student, labor and community organizer on a broad range of issues. From environmental justice to student and worker rights, from peace and global justice to immigration and housing, Lisa continues to use a wide range of strategies and tactics and encouraged nonviolent direct action as one of the most effective strategies for change. She is available for trainings, consultations and organizing projects. Lisa continues to work with people to access the power they need to build a more just and peaceful community and world. She is also part of the movement “Occupy Wall Street”.
Street Theatre in Amman, Jordan
“There is nothing like art” to effect change in society, actor Ahmad Srour said. A member of a four-man performance group called Masrah Al Sharaa (Theatre of the Street), Srour and his partners Amjad Hijazin, Ahmad Massad and Ibrahim Al Nawabneh have made both cultural and political waves in Jordan with their brand of improvisational public theatre that touches on topical issues with a critical eye. Taking the street as their stage, the four men give impromptu performances around the capital as well as at organised events such as the Amman Fi Ramadan Festival on Rainbow Street. They also produce scenes on video to share with audiences online. The group does not use any props or sets in their sketches because, Srour said in a recent interview with The Jordan Times, their artistic philosophy is based exclusively on “improvising and storytelling”. The themes of their sketches and videos include topics such as campus violence, poverty, abuse of orphans, nepotism, corruption, food safety and other issues that have grabbed headlines in recent months. Although Masrah Al Sharaa’s performances are extremely critical of governments, Srour, who said his statements represent the group’s views, explained: “Still, we should bear in mind that the government is not alone responsible” for the problems facing Jordanian society. “The problem in Jordan lies in the Jordanian individual,” he said.
The Yes Men, Hiring Unwilling Actors
How do you turn your nonviolent protest into a street theatre? By hiring unwilling actors, who might be very good at their job, like the police. In this video you will learn from the world-famous Yes Men how to incorporate predictable actors in your protest and create a theatre full of comedy and drama. The video is part of our 20-part web series “Creative Resistance: Inside The Creative Nonviolent Struggle“ in cooperation with ARTE Creative. The Yes Men from the United States have already embarrassed some major corporations with their creative and subversive activism. One of their creative methods of nonviolent resistance is to deliberately mislead the mainstream media. Group members like to adopt certain roles of representatives of international corporations and to caricature their goals in conferences by exaggerating their claims.
What You Can Do Against a Teargas Attack
During their stay in Turkey in February 2014 the directors Arash and Arman T. Riahi themselves have been involved in a dangerous situation, when the police attacked civilians with tear gas. One of them even got hit by a tear gas catridge. For some time they could only breath heavily and were not able to open their eyes. For Gezi protestors this was an everyday situation. They were very helpful and well-prepared. They brought Arman and Arash T. Riahi in a building, where they treated them with a mixture of liquids. As the activists found out that the two were the directors of “Everyday Rebellion”, which has been screened in Turkish cinemas some hours ago, they wanted to see the film. Immideately they provided a notebook and together they watched the documentary with Turkish subtitles. It was a nice atmosphere full of solidarity, since there were also other people joined the room, which have been victims of tear gas and were treated in the building. The Turkish Gezi activist Yakup Cetinkaya explains in the video how to protect oneself from tear gas and how to breath properly.
Sudanese Activist on How to Clean Your Dictator with "Fed-up" Soap
Mai Ali, is a Sudanese human rights defender, activist, and nonviolence trainer, affiliated with several NGOs and nonviolent social movements in Sudan. She remains deeply committed for change and the people in Sudan. After facing human rights violations in Khartoum in 2010, Mai Ali currently works in Germany with the NGO “act for transformation.” Her goals are to reach justice and freedom in Sudan. This means regime change and system change. She longs for a system where human beings have equal rights. Also, her goal is that people live in peace in Sudan.
You can find lots more great videos on the Everyday Rebellion website.