A Minnesota School and a Brazilian Activist In his world-renowned “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” Paulo Freire demonstrated that the paternalistic teacher/pupil relationship inhibits dialogue and critical thinking—breeding what Freire calls a “culture of silence.” While any teacher who has stood in front of bored, sullen teenagers is well acquainted with a culture of silence in [...]
Every August, fifteen students gather in the basement of the theatre building at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota. In one week they will create, produce and perform an original show for 700 incoming first-year students- a show that will welcome them to the community, make them aware of the issues they will face [...]
“Bosnia!?!?” I still remember the look of disbelief, and slight disgust, on the ticket seller’s face. I was living in Prague in 2005 and wanted to take a more unconventional vacation trip. I have to admit, I was drawn to Bosnia by the idea of experiencing a nation crippled by recent war—to see first hand [...]
Despite instances of disease, assault, and kidnapping, these individuals continue to go out there and do their work simply because they feel called to do so. Thursday, August 19th marks the anniversary of a 2003 bombing in Baghdad that killed 18 UN staff members: “Last year, the UN and other humanitarian organizations began honouring the [...]
Last month, LindsayF wrote an inspiring article on “Telling True Stories,” using Dave Eggers’ book, “What is the What,” as a starting point. Egger’s telling of Valentino Achak Deng’s experience as a Sudanese refugee has touched the lives of thousands, and not just as a powerful story to read, feel moved by, and put back [...]
The world is talking. Are you listening? I recently posted a video talk from Ethan Zuckerman on how our “world wide web” has failed to connect us—or rather—we have failed to connect ourselves by our almost exclusive preference for domestic media sites. So how can we branch out? There’s a world of options at our [...]
As a follow up to my last post – here is yet another organization working to use art as a means to bring attention to the criminal justice system and help the artists strengthen their communities. Art for Justice also hosts workshops for youth in the Philadelphia area who have an increased exposure to crime, [...]
Earlier this month, France’s lower house of parliament approved a bill to ban Islamic face veiling, or the burqa.* Though not yet law, the bill is expected to pass through the French senate in September. Lawmakers have somehow framed this proposal as a boost for security and women’s rights, but—as anyone who reads into the [...]
The world wide web was supposed to usher in an era of connection between various cultures, opinions, and voices around the world. However, according to Ethan Zuckerman, the overwhelming majority of online users simply access domestic media and surround ourselves with people just like us. Logging onto the internet may give us an illusory feeling [...]
Much of the work we highlight here at thambo.org focuses on the influence of external audiences through performance and other art forms. However, art is often used for or results in an internal transformation as well. Nowhere more apparent is that fact than San Fancisco, CA where a small organization called Community Works is changing [...]