Visiting Practitioner: Pedro X. Molina
I-GMAP Co-Hosts a Screening of "LYD"
Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month
I-GMAP's Safer Havens Conference in Kenya
Hosting Our Second Set of Visiting Practitioners
What's Happening with I-GMAP Students and Alumni
Wai Wai Nu at the United Nations Security Council
From the Co-Directors
Dear Friends of I-GMAP,
Welcome to our November/December newsletter. We are happy to reach out to you to give you updated and new information on what's happening here at the Institute, and to invite you to engage with us and our work in the weeks and months to come.
Of course here in the United States, all eyes are on the November national election, surely among the most consequential in our nation's history. Voters have been presented with two starkly different visions for the future of American democracy. One of those visions, if it prevails, will dramatically increase risks to vulnerable populations and individuals across the United States. Election day, and the days and weeks that will follow in its wake, also entail real risks of political violence - a risk that we can all help to reduce by speaking out consistently for the values that must unite us: the demand for peaceful, open, free and fair elections, the peaceful transition of power, an end to campaigns of disinformation and misinformation meant to drive social division and incite violence, and a national politics that rightly cherishes and protects democratic governance. November will be a difficult month for this country, and its atrocity risk assessment may look very different by the end of the month than it does now. No matter what the outcome of November's vote, we at I-GMAP will work tirelessly to educate, research, advocate, and collaborate for reducing risks to vulnerable populations and build forms of social resilience and solidarity that makes identity-based violence less likely.
At the same time our full spectrum of educational, policy, and convening programs continues. Here are some highlights, but please read on for more information!
Our Safer Havens workshop in Naivasha, Kenya on October 3-4 was a resounding success.
Over the course of two days, over thirty representatives from the government of Kenya,
civil society groups, and international organizations met to collaborate on better
protection from identity-based violence for the hundreds of thousands of forcibly
displaced persons in Kenya. We were particularly excited to welcome several representatives
from refugee-led organizations to the workshop, where they (literally) had a seat
at the table to discuss their hopes, fears, and ambitions for the future of their
communities with government officials. As the Kenyan government plans to move forward
in its long-anticipated plan to begin the closure of the two "mega-camps" in Kakuma
and Dadaab, the need for protection as refugees begin integrating into their local
communities will become even more pressing. The frank conversations, good ideas, initiatives
for collaboration, and other outcomes of our 2024 Safer Havens workshop left all of
us, organizers and participants alike, gratified and energized. A comprehensive report,
following our initial Safer Havens report on Venezuelan refugees in Colombia will
be forthcoming early in the new year.
In collaboration with the Center for Israel Studies and the new Center for Middle
East and North Africa Studies, we're co-sponsoring a series of events and conversations
on the situation in Gaza and southern Lebanon. We think these events give our students
something they desperately need: a safe, respectful, and productive space to speak
and to hear from experts and one another. Our most recent event, an evening with Israeli
and Palestinian peace activists Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah, was a moving experience
for all of us, pointing toward a path beyond simple binaries and toward a radically
different, peaceful vision of Israeli-Palestinian relations. Later this month, we'll
host a screening of the experimental documentary "LYD," including a talk-back with
director Rami Younis.
We've had a great time with our wonderful guests this Fall: Resident Practitioner
Shadi Amin from Iran, and our Visiting Practitioners, South African peace and human
rights activist Bonita Bennett, Nemanja Nestorović and Milivoje Raičević from Kosovo
and, later this month, Nicaraguan political cartoonist and human rights defender Pedro
Molina. The time our guests spend with GMAP students, educating them about their work,
and broadening their horizons about what atrocity prevention can look like, is invaluable.
We are planning a great lineup of Visiting Practitioners for 2025, and will have more
information about our upcoming guests soon!
Please continue reading for more information about what's happening here at I-GMAP.
From both of us, wishing you a safe and happy Fall, and please be in touch!
Sincerely,
- Kerry Whigham & Max Pensky
Upcoming Events
Visiting Practitioner: Pedro X. Molina
I-GMAP will welcome its final visiting practitioner of the Fall semester on November
18-22. Pedro is a political cartoonist for the Nicaraguan newspaper Confidencial,
whose work is regularly critical of President Daniel Ortega's dictatorship. In 2018,
Nicaraguan police killed a journalist, detained others, and ransacked and occupied
Confidencial's office, forcing Pedro into exile. He settled in Ithaca, NY, where
he continues to produce a cartoon of the day and has become a prominent voice in the
Nicaraguan diaspora, advocating for human rights and freedom of expression.
I-GMAP Co-Hosts a Screening of "LYD"
Join us on Wednesday, November 6th, at 4 PM in LH 9 for a special screening of "LYD," a sci-fi documentary co-directed by Rami Younis and Sarah Ema Friedland. The screening will feature a Q&A session with Rami Younis.
Narrated from the perspective of the city, "LYD" explores the rich history of Lyd, a Palestinian city with roots dating back 5,000 years. The film examines Lyd’s past as a vibrant Palestinian capital, the trauma of the 1948 occupation, and envisions alternative futures. Through archival footage and speculative animation, "LYD" challenges us to imagine a reality where the city and its people can live free from cycles of violence and division.
Don't miss this compelling reimagining of history and possibility!
LYD trailer
Newsworthy
Celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month
We were proud to celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month in October with our Resident Practitioner
Shadi Amin (she/her and they/them). Shadi recently gave a moving public talk recounting
her childhood in Iran, including an attraction to girls in a country governed by Sharia
law, in which acting upon those feelings can be punishable by death. She is now living
in exile in Germany, where she founded 6Rang to challenge homophobia and discrimination
against LGBTI+ people. 6Rang aims to apply pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran
through international advocacy and media efforts focused on research and documentation,
raising awareness about sexual orientation, gender identity, and diversity within
Iran. Shadi's talk can be found on our Youtube channel. Shadi also spoke after play readings performed in part by students, a collaboration
with Say Gay Plays. Say Gay Plays was formed in response to a Florida state law which prohibits classroom
instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity through grade 3. The readings
sought to increase understanding of LGBTQ+ issues and raise money for a local queer-focused
organization, the Southern Tier AIDS Program.
I-GMAP's Safer Havens Conference in Kenya
In collaboration with the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass
Atrocities (AIPG), I-GMAP organized and facilitated a conference in Naivasha, Kenya
on October 3-4. This conference brought together 36 participants from state and civil
society organizations to discuss risks of violence against displaced people as well
as brainstorm possible solutions. Kenya hosts over 610,000 refugees and has one of
the largest refugee camps in the world, Kakuma, making it an ideal location for the
second workshop in our Safer Havens project.
The Shirika Plan, a 12-year initiative to integrate Kenya's refugees into host communities,
is set to begin this month. This progressive policy would transition from a humanitarian-led
approach toward refugee self-reliance. However, there are many challenges that state
and civil society actors must overcome to make it a success. We felt that this conference
was a positive step to increase communication between the different sectors, and a
policy report will follow to better inform stakeholders throughout this pioneering
approach.
Hosting Our Second Set of Visiting Practitioners
We welcomed Visiting Practitioners Nemanja Nestorović and Milivoje Raičević the week of October 28 - November 1. Nemanja and Mili both work for the nonprofit organization Community Building Mitrovica, engaging in community dialogue and peacebuilding to restore relationships between ethnic Serbs and Albanians in Kososv's deeply divided north. During their visit, Nemanja and Mili met with several classes and faculty members, and presented a public talk, which can be viewed here.
In mid-October, Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon visited campus to call for a peace process between Israel and Palestine, which would make way for reconciliation, justice and safety.
Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian peacebuilder and author, whose brother was killed
by Israeli soldiers. Maoz Inon is an Israeli peace entrepreneur, whose parents were
murdered in the Hamas attack last October. This was part of a series of three events
on the Israel-Hamas conflict, organized in collaboration with the Center for Israeli
Studies and the Center for Middle East and North Africa Studies.
What's Happening with GMAP Students and Alumni
Wai Wai Nu at the United Nations Security Council
GMAP MS student Wai Wai Nu briefed the United Nations Security Council's annual open debate on Women, Peace, and Security. Speaking in her capacity as Founder and Executive Director of the Women's Peace Network, she explained that women in Myanmar are trying to build a new, inclusive post-coup future. She warned that such a future is threatened by brutal attacks against the Rohingya, and the lack of accountability for the perpetrators. Wai Wai's full speech can be viewed here, starting at 34:00 minutes.
