enjoy a cool video on life in Senegal...makes me 'homesick'
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Saturday, June 28, 2008
Beaten In Silence
DAKAR, 16 June 2008 (IRIN) - One in four women suffers domestic assault and battery in Senegal yet most suffer in silence because of a deeply entrenched culture of impunity and a phlegmatic response from the government, according to experts in the sector.
A study on domestic violence conducted in 2000 by the Canadian Centre of research and International Cooperation (CECI) in Dakar and Kaolack, 150km southeast of the capital, revealed 27.5 percent of women are subject to physical violence from their partners.
Aïssatou (not her real name), 35 and married for ten years, is sitting in the offices of Committee for the Fight Against Violence against Women (CLVF), a non-governmental organisation set up to help domestic violence victims in the Colobane district of Dakar. She is trying to find the words to describe her situation.
"At first, whenever we had an argument my husband would shout and occasionally slap me, then gradually he started to beat me harder,” she said in a frail voice, covering her braided hair with her white veil. "I do not know how long it lasted but I couldn’t take anymore and I eventually went to complain to the police."
She presented the police with a medical certificate as proof of her abuse, but her brother-in-law found out and ordered the police to remove her records from the file. Next time she went to the CLVF listening centre, to relate her story.
According to Fatou Bintou Thioune, CLVF’s only employee, the organisation registered 138 cases like Aïssatou’s between 2005 and 2007, but this represents a fraction of the overall number of cases of domestic violence. “It is happening inside houses all across the city, she told IRIN.
NGOs fill government void
Despite widespread awareness of the problem and commitment in the form of a national campaign a few years ago to address it, no government structure is in place to address these violent incidents, there is no toll-free number for women to report their cases, and no shelter has yet been created for women who flee their homes.
In lieu of government structures to address the problem, 17 women's associations have come together to form a network called Siggil Jigéen, to fight against domestic violence and bring the debate into the public arena. Many of them focus on raising awareness of the issue among communities.
The CLVF, another network of organisations is the only one to have set up listening centres – one in each of Senegal’s eight largest towns - where staff give women psychological counselling and legal and administrative support including on how to proceed with a divorce.
They also offer to mediate in disputes or provide couple counselling. Ndèye Ndiaya Ndoye, vice-president of CLVF says their efforts make a difference but the impact is limited. "Counselling can ease tension, but it does not guarantee the violence will stop. We come to talk to women, to bring them out of their houses and it is a start, but this does not solve the heart of the problem,” she told IRIN.
Impunity despite legislation
In January 1999 a law was passed in the Senegalese penal code punishing domestic violence with a prison sentence ranging from one to five years and a fine of between US$70 and $117. But this law faces religious and cultural resistance according to Fatou Ndiaye who works with Siggil Jigéen.
"The law is poorly enforced," Diouf Nafissatou Mbodj, president of the Association of Women Lawyers of Senegal (AJS).
A former judge to the prosecutor who wished to remain anonymous says judges often do not have a choice - they face pressure from families to minimise the penalties, and there are often limits to what families can pay, given their economic and social reality. "It's very easy for a judge to apply the penalty, but there are many practical obstacles that also have to be taken into account.”
Society encourages silence
Adji Fatou Ndiaye, a coordinator at the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Senegal says part of the problem is that people accept domestic violence. ”In Senegal, it is accepted that women are subordinate to men. A woman should always follow a man – her husband, her son, her uncle, or her father - even if his expression of his domination turns violent."
She continued, “There are even religious arguments to legitimise this, and it [violence] is often accepted in families. It is not uncommon to see a mother proud to see her daughters suffer in her marriage, because people can say she has learned to behave in the household."
The result, according to several women who work in the sector, is that too few women dare to admit they are beaten. "When they do, they face enormous pressure from those around them not to," Thioune told IRIN.
Up to 60 percent of domestic violence victims turn to a family member and in three quarters of cases they are told to keep quiet, try to endure it, and find consensus with their spouse, according to CECI’s study.
“I no longer count the number of women who withdraw their complaints or ‘disappear; after having testified,” Thioune said.
Practical obstacles
Women also face practical problems in extricating themselves from their situation. In Senegal the majority of marriages among the 95 percent Muslim population are traditional unions observed in a mosque and not registered by the local authorities according to Thioune.
"The problem is that even when women wish to divorce they are often not able to provide a marriage certificate that would give them this right,” she said.
"It's a vicious circle," she pointed out. "There are so many obstacles to getting out of the marriage that many women drop out of the process, stay in their marriages and tell me they leave it in God’s hands.”
Stigmatise domestic violence
Women working in the sector say the first solution is to enforce existing laws more rigorously.
And they say if the problem is brought out into the open, and people – especially the young - are encouraged to talk about it, it could achieve more of a stigma. They also call on Muslim leaders, Imams, to be brought on board since they are a powerful force in Senegalese society.
By working with these groups the CLVF’s Ndoye hopes to stop the issue from arising in a marriage in the first place. “For when violence has appeared in the household it never completely disappears,” she said.
A study on domestic violence conducted in 2000 by the Canadian Centre of research and International Cooperation (CECI) in Dakar and Kaolack, 150km southeast of the capital, revealed 27.5 percent of women are subject to physical violence from their partners.
Aïssatou (not her real name), 35 and married for ten years, is sitting in the offices of Committee for the Fight Against Violence against Women (CLVF), a non-governmental organisation set up to help domestic violence victims in the Colobane district of Dakar. She is trying to find the words to describe her situation.
"At first, whenever we had an argument my husband would shout and occasionally slap me, then gradually he started to beat me harder,” she said in a frail voice, covering her braided hair with her white veil. "I do not know how long it lasted but I couldn’t take anymore and I eventually went to complain to the police."
She presented the police with a medical certificate as proof of her abuse, but her brother-in-law found out and ordered the police to remove her records from the file. Next time she went to the CLVF listening centre, to relate her story.
According to Fatou Bintou Thioune, CLVF’s only employee, the organisation registered 138 cases like Aïssatou’s between 2005 and 2007, but this represents a fraction of the overall number of cases of domestic violence. “It is happening inside houses all across the city, she told IRIN.
NGOs fill government void
Despite widespread awareness of the problem and commitment in the form of a national campaign a few years ago to address it, no government structure is in place to address these violent incidents, there is no toll-free number for women to report their cases, and no shelter has yet been created for women who flee their homes.
In lieu of government structures to address the problem, 17 women's associations have come together to form a network called Siggil Jigéen, to fight against domestic violence and bring the debate into the public arena. Many of them focus on raising awareness of the issue among communities.
The CLVF, another network of organisations is the only one to have set up listening centres – one in each of Senegal’s eight largest towns - where staff give women psychological counselling and legal and administrative support including on how to proceed with a divorce.
They also offer to mediate in disputes or provide couple counselling. Ndèye Ndiaya Ndoye, vice-president of CLVF says their efforts make a difference but the impact is limited. "Counselling can ease tension, but it does not guarantee the violence will stop. We come to talk to women, to bring them out of their houses and it is a start, but this does not solve the heart of the problem,” she told IRIN.
Impunity despite legislation
In January 1999 a law was passed in the Senegalese penal code punishing domestic violence with a prison sentence ranging from one to five years and a fine of between US$70 and $117. But this law faces religious and cultural resistance according to Fatou Ndiaye who works with Siggil Jigéen.
"The law is poorly enforced," Diouf Nafissatou Mbodj, president of the Association of Women Lawyers of Senegal (AJS).
A former judge to the prosecutor who wished to remain anonymous says judges often do not have a choice - they face pressure from families to minimise the penalties, and there are often limits to what families can pay, given their economic and social reality. "It's very easy for a judge to apply the penalty, but there are many practical obstacles that also have to be taken into account.”
Society encourages silence
Adji Fatou Ndiaye, a coordinator at the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in Senegal says part of the problem is that people accept domestic violence. ”In Senegal, it is accepted that women are subordinate to men. A woman should always follow a man – her husband, her son, her uncle, or her father - even if his expression of his domination turns violent."
She continued, “There are even religious arguments to legitimise this, and it [violence] is often accepted in families. It is not uncommon to see a mother proud to see her daughters suffer in her marriage, because people can say she has learned to behave in the household."
The result, according to several women who work in the sector, is that too few women dare to admit they are beaten. "When they do, they face enormous pressure from those around them not to," Thioune told IRIN.
Up to 60 percent of domestic violence victims turn to a family member and in three quarters of cases they are told to keep quiet, try to endure it, and find consensus with their spouse, according to CECI’s study.
“I no longer count the number of women who withdraw their complaints or ‘disappear; after having testified,” Thioune said.
Practical obstacles
Women also face practical problems in extricating themselves from their situation. In Senegal the majority of marriages among the 95 percent Muslim population are traditional unions observed in a mosque and not registered by the local authorities according to Thioune.
"The problem is that even when women wish to divorce they are often not able to provide a marriage certificate that would give them this right,” she said.
"It's a vicious circle," she pointed out. "There are so many obstacles to getting out of the marriage that many women drop out of the process, stay in their marriages and tell me they leave it in God’s hands.”
Stigmatise domestic violence
Women working in the sector say the first solution is to enforce existing laws more rigorously.
And they say if the problem is brought out into the open, and people – especially the young - are encouraged to talk about it, it could achieve more of a stigma. They also call on Muslim leaders, Imams, to be brought on board since they are a powerful force in Senegalese society.
By working with these groups the CLVF’s Ndoye hopes to stop the issue from arising in a marriage in the first place. “For when violence has appeared in the household it never completely disappears,” she said.
Turning World's Eyes and Ears to Congo
Turning World's Eyes and Ears to Congo
More Than Four Million Lives Lost in African Country in the Last Decade
GUEST ESSAY By BEN AFFLECK
Over the last year, I have been traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an effort to learn more about the country.
The actor uses his celebrity to bring attention to Congo's humanitarian crisis.
I view this as a long and ongoing learning experience to educate myself before making any attempt to advocate or "speak out." My plan has been to explore, watch, listen and find those doing the best work with and on behalf of the people of the DRC, in an effort to give exposure to voices which might not otherwise be heard.
In short, I want to listen before speaking and learn before taking action. The "Nightline" segment airing Thursday June, 26 is an attempt to take the viewer along with me in that process.
It makes sense to be skeptical about celebrity activism. There is always the suspicion that involvement with a cause may be doing more good for the spokesman than he or she is doing for the cause.
I welcome any questions about me and my involvement, but I hope you can separate whatever reservations you may have from what is unimpeachably important about this segment: the plight of eastern Congo.
Anyone familiar with the Congo has heard the mind-numbing statistics: more than four million dead since 1998 (and many more before then), the most killed in any conflict since the Second World War. 1,200 people a day are still dying from conflict and conflict-related causes such as starvation and preventable disease.
The country languished as the second worst on the list of failed states until last year, when it bumped up a few notches (though it still ranks below Iraq and Afghanistan on many indices).
The larger war that was fought in Congo included eight countries; regional fighting and violence still continue and instability, impunity and inhumanity are rampant. There are some parts of the country where two out of every three women have been raped.
Children are still widely used as soldiers if they are boys, and as "wives" to militia soldiers if they are girls. The state exerts little authority over much of the eastern part of the country — it is controlled by at least 22 known armed groups. These elements combine to create an environment, in some parts of the country that more closely resembles the movie "Road Warrior" than a properly secured modern state. Bands of militia groups roam freely and each answer only to their own respective leader, living off the population and offering as payment the "Congolese credit card" — the AK-47.
Go to website to watch videos
More Than Four Million Lives Lost in African Country in the Last Decade
GUEST ESSAY By BEN AFFLECK
Over the last year, I have been traveling to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in an effort to learn more about the country.
The actor uses his celebrity to bring attention to Congo's humanitarian crisis.
I view this as a long and ongoing learning experience to educate myself before making any attempt to advocate or "speak out." My plan has been to explore, watch, listen and find those doing the best work with and on behalf of the people of the DRC, in an effort to give exposure to voices which might not otherwise be heard.
In short, I want to listen before speaking and learn before taking action. The "Nightline" segment airing Thursday June, 26 is an attempt to take the viewer along with me in that process.
It makes sense to be skeptical about celebrity activism. There is always the suspicion that involvement with a cause may be doing more good for the spokesman than he or she is doing for the cause.
I welcome any questions about me and my involvement, but I hope you can separate whatever reservations you may have from what is unimpeachably important about this segment: the plight of eastern Congo.
Anyone familiar with the Congo has heard the mind-numbing statistics: more than four million dead since 1998 (and many more before then), the most killed in any conflict since the Second World War. 1,200 people a day are still dying from conflict and conflict-related causes such as starvation and preventable disease.
The country languished as the second worst on the list of failed states until last year, when it bumped up a few notches (though it still ranks below Iraq and Afghanistan on many indices).
The larger war that was fought in Congo included eight countries; regional fighting and violence still continue and instability, impunity and inhumanity are rampant. There are some parts of the country where two out of every three women have been raped.
Children are still widely used as soldiers if they are boys, and as "wives" to militia soldiers if they are girls. The state exerts little authority over much of the eastern part of the country — it is controlled by at least 22 known armed groups. These elements combine to create an environment, in some parts of the country that more closely resembles the movie "Road Warrior" than a properly secured modern state. Bands of militia groups roam freely and each answer only to their own respective leader, living off the population and offering as payment the "Congolese credit card" — the AK-47.
Go to website to watch videos
Ben Affleck's Journey Through the Congo
By KATIE ESCHERICH
June 23, 2008
Actor, writer, producer and director Ben Affleck traveled to Africa's Congo region three times over the last eight months, hoping to understand firsthand one of the world's worst humanitarian crises of this century.
"Nightline" producer Max Culhane and photographer Doug Vogt joined Affleck on his most recent trip to document his journey. Affleck and the "Nightline" team traveled through refugee camps, hospitals and clinics, meeting with warlords, relief workers, child soldiers and members of parliament in an effort to better understand the place where over the last decade more than 4 million people have died in the deadliest conflict since World War II, according to a 2008 report by the International Rescue Committee.
Read more here
June 23, 2008
Actor, writer, producer and director Ben Affleck traveled to Africa's Congo region three times over the last eight months, hoping to understand firsthand one of the world's worst humanitarian crises of this century.
"Nightline" producer Max Culhane and photographer Doug Vogt joined Affleck on his most recent trip to document his journey. Affleck and the "Nightline" team traveled through refugee camps, hospitals and clinics, meeting with warlords, relief workers, child soldiers and members of parliament in an effort to better understand the place where over the last decade more than 4 million people have died in the deadliest conflict since World War II, according to a 2008 report by the International Rescue Committee.
Read more here
Crisis in the Congo- a ABC Nightline Special
Crisis in the Congo
Actor, writer, producer and director Ben Affleck traveled to Africa's Congo region three times over the last eight months, hoping to understand firsthand one of the world's worst humanitarian crises of this century. "Nightline" producer Max Culhane and photographer Doug Vogt joined Affleck on his most recent trip to document his journey. Affleck and the "Nightline" team traveled through refugee camps, hospitals and clinics, meeting with warlords, relief workers, child soldiers and members of parliament in an effort to better understand the place where over the last decade more than 4 million people have died in the deadliest conflict since World War II.
Go to the website for more photo's HERE
This photo shows a Congolese child on the outskirts of Goma.
(Max Culhane/ABC News)
Actor, writer, producer and director Ben Affleck traveled to Africa's Congo region three times over the last eight months, hoping to understand firsthand one of the world's worst humanitarian crises of this century. "Nightline" producer Max Culhane and photographer Doug Vogt joined Affleck on his most recent trip to document his journey. Affleck and the "Nightline" team traveled through refugee camps, hospitals and clinics, meeting with warlords, relief workers, child soldiers and members of parliament in an effort to better understand the place where over the last decade more than 4 million people have died in the deadliest conflict since World War II.
Go to the website for more photo's HERE
This photo shows a Congolese child on the outskirts of Goma.
(Max Culhane/ABC News)
Friday, June 13, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
Contact Brian Hart/Becky Ogilvie
May 23, 2008
BROWNBACK, DURBIN INTRODUCE CONFLICT MINING BILL
Legislation would require certification of minerals mined inCongo
WASHINGTONU.S.Senators Sam Brownback(R-KS) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Conflict Coltan and Cassiterite Act, legislation which would require certification of minerals imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
We are witnessing a grave humanitarian crisis in Congo, and we must act now to put an end to the death and suffering, said Brownback. Everyday, Americans use products that have been manufactured using inhumanely mined minerals. The legislation introduced by Senator Durbin and I will bring accountability and transparency to the supply chain of minerals used in the manufacturing of many electronic devices.
Every day inCongo, 1,500 people die as a direct or indirect result of the conflict over the mining of minerals like cassiterite and coltan; to date, the conflict has displaced more than 1.3 million Congolese and has resulted in over 5.4 million deaths.
Without knowing it, tens of millions of people in the United States may be putting money in the pockets of some of the worst human rights violators in the world, simply by using a cell phone or laptop computer, Durbin said. We ought to do all we can to make sure that the products we use and the minerals we import, in no way support those who violate human rights abroad.
The Conflict Coltan and Cassiterite Act requires the President to compile a list of armed groups in the DRC committing serious human rights violations, and prohibits the importation into the U.S. of any product containing columbite-tantalite (coltan) or cassiterite (tin ore) from the DRC if groups on the list would financially benefit.
Approximately 65% of the worlds coltan reserves are located in Congo. Congolese civilians are terrorized and brutalized by warring rebel groups seeking to capitalize on the mining of these minerals. Coltan is commonly used in electronic devices like cell phones, computers, and DVD players.
-30-
Sam Brownback
United States Senator - Kansas
303 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6521
http://brownback.senate.gov
NEWS RELEASE
Contact Brian Hart/Becky Ogilvie
May 23, 2008
BROWNBACK, DURBIN INTRODUCE CONFLICT MINING BILL
Legislation would require certification of minerals mined inCongo
WASHINGTONU.S.Senators Sam Brownback(R-KS) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Conflict Coltan and Cassiterite Act, legislation which would require certification of minerals imported from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
We are witnessing a grave humanitarian crisis in Congo, and we must act now to put an end to the death and suffering, said Brownback. Everyday, Americans use products that have been manufactured using inhumanely mined minerals. The legislation introduced by Senator Durbin and I will bring accountability and transparency to the supply chain of minerals used in the manufacturing of many electronic devices.
Every day inCongo, 1,500 people die as a direct or indirect result of the conflict over the mining of minerals like cassiterite and coltan; to date, the conflict has displaced more than 1.3 million Congolese and has resulted in over 5.4 million deaths.
Without knowing it, tens of millions of people in the United States may be putting money in the pockets of some of the worst human rights violators in the world, simply by using a cell phone or laptop computer, Durbin said. We ought to do all we can to make sure that the products we use and the minerals we import, in no way support those who violate human rights abroad.
The Conflict Coltan and Cassiterite Act requires the President to compile a list of armed groups in the DRC committing serious human rights violations, and prohibits the importation into the U.S. of any product containing columbite-tantalite (coltan) or cassiterite (tin ore) from the DRC if groups on the list would financially benefit.
Approximately 65% of the worlds coltan reserves are located in Congo. Congolese civilians are terrorized and brutalized by warring rebel groups seeking to capitalize on the mining of these minerals. Coltan is commonly used in electronic devices like cell phones, computers, and DVD players.
-30-
Sam Brownback
United States Senator - Kansas
303 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6521
http://brownback.senate.gov
Tough Stand By President As Teachers Strike
Tough Stand By President As Teachers Strike
The Nation (Nairobi)
NEWS
11 June 2008
Posted to the web 11 June 2008
By Hamadou Tidiane Sy
Dakar
Senegalese teachers have downed tools demanding better living conditions, higher salaries and research and documentation allowances, but the government is saying it has no resources to increase salaries.
The government claims that the country's teachers are better paid than their colleagues in the west African region, and it claims to spend 40 per cent of the national budget on education.
A Senegalese primary school teacher gets at the beginning of his career roughly FCFA 100,000, (Sh14,632) per month but with the cost of living in Senegal at 24 per cent higher than the African average according to the World Bank, this salary has become meaningless for many teachers.
In reaction to the strike, Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade decided to split the National Education department into three new ministerial portfolios.
This is the most serious crisis in the education sector since President Wade came to power eight years ago.
The surprise decision came on Monday while the whole nation was wondering if the academic year won't be invalidated due to the repeated teachers' strikes.
The creation of three different ministries to handle the sector was not a welcome move for the teachers who believe this is another ploy by the government to avoid dealing seriously with their demands.
Not an answer
"This is not an answer to the problems. It does not help in any way whatsoever. This chopping of the education ministry into three departments is not in line with any sound management principle", Ms Marième Sakho Dansohko, the Coordinator of the "Intersyndicale", a large coalition of teachers trade unions said.
According to Mrs Dansokho, the government is going the opposite way from earlier recommendations which pleaded for a reunion of all the education sectors to be under one ministry, for "coherence" purposes.
On June 1, the president met the trade-unions and asked them to stop the work stoppage to save the academic year, which since October has suffered from several strikes both by teachers and students.
The unions are not the only ones who have criticised the government decision to split the Education ministry.
The general public and some newspapers have also expressed concern at the increasing number of government portfolios at a time when people are demanding the government reduce its expenses.
Before he reshuffled his government, the president threatened to withhold the salaries for those teachers who continue to go on strike.
"I cannot pay somebody who is not going to work", the president said on Sunday while speaking to a gathering of his supporters.
Copyright © 2008 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
The Nation (Nairobi)
NEWS
11 June 2008
Posted to the web 11 June 2008
By Hamadou Tidiane Sy
Dakar
Senegalese teachers have downed tools demanding better living conditions, higher salaries and research and documentation allowances, but the government is saying it has no resources to increase salaries.
The government claims that the country's teachers are better paid than their colleagues in the west African region, and it claims to spend 40 per cent of the national budget on education.
A Senegalese primary school teacher gets at the beginning of his career roughly FCFA 100,000, (Sh14,632) per month but with the cost of living in Senegal at 24 per cent higher than the African average according to the World Bank, this salary has become meaningless for many teachers.
In reaction to the strike, Senegalese president Abdoulaye Wade decided to split the National Education department into three new ministerial portfolios.
This is the most serious crisis in the education sector since President Wade came to power eight years ago.
The surprise decision came on Monday while the whole nation was wondering if the academic year won't be invalidated due to the repeated teachers' strikes.
The creation of three different ministries to handle the sector was not a welcome move for the teachers who believe this is another ploy by the government to avoid dealing seriously with their demands.
Not an answer
"This is not an answer to the problems. It does not help in any way whatsoever. This chopping of the education ministry into three departments is not in line with any sound management principle", Ms Marième Sakho Dansohko, the Coordinator of the "Intersyndicale", a large coalition of teachers trade unions said.
According to Mrs Dansokho, the government is going the opposite way from earlier recommendations which pleaded for a reunion of all the education sectors to be under one ministry, for "coherence" purposes.
On June 1, the president met the trade-unions and asked them to stop the work stoppage to save the academic year, which since October has suffered from several strikes both by teachers and students.
The unions are not the only ones who have criticised the government decision to split the Education ministry.
The general public and some newspapers have also expressed concern at the increasing number of government portfolios at a time when people are demanding the government reduce its expenses.
Before he reshuffled his government, the president threatened to withhold the salaries for those teachers who continue to go on strike.
"I cannot pay somebody who is not going to work", the president said on Sunday while speaking to a gathering of his supporters.
Copyright © 2008 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Interesting Quote
“We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better. “
So said Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling as she delivered a moving commencement speech at Harvard University, focusing on failure and the power of imagination.
"If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."
I'm not sure where Ms. Rowling is in her faith, but I believe these are some pretty powerful statements. And as a believer, the power is Jesus Christ.
Can I get an amen?
So said Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling as she delivered a moving commencement speech at Harvard University, focusing on failure and the power of imagination.
"If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better."
I'm not sure where Ms. Rowling is in her faith, but I believe these are some pretty powerful statements. And as a believer, the power is Jesus Christ.
Can I get an amen?
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