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Voices, Images, and Hearts

by Susan Nossal

"Voices, Images, and Hearts" is an upcoming benefit at the Barrymore Theater on Feb. 25 celebrating solidarity from Latin America to the Middle East taht will feature screenings of three documentaries by the acclaimed cinematographers Saul and Greg Landau, special guest Palestinian American rap artist “The Iron Sheik,” and food from Latin America and the Middle East. Highlighting similarities in the struggles of peoples an ocean apart, the event is a joint benefit for the Wisconsin Coordinating Council on Nicaragua, the Madison-Arcatao Sister City Project, and the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project.

The benefit is part of the Latin American and Iberian Studies Program's sixth annual Cinefest (February 24-26)  whose theme this year is "The Landau Legacy with Special Guest Haskell Wexler: Films from the Americas and Beyond." Oscar-winning Haskell Wexler will be joining Saul and Greg Landau at the benefit and throughout the Cinefest. Like the Landaus, Wexler has worked on many documentaries with social justice themes, including "Target Nicaragua: Inside a Secret War." A complete schedule and the location of all films can be found at www.cinefest.wisc.edu. Other than the Feb. 25 benefit, all Cinefest events are free.

After a reception and social hour 5-6 p.m., with food from Latin America and the Middle East, the following three films will be screened at the Feb. 25 benefit: "The Sixth Sun: Mayan Uprising in Chiapas"(6 p.m.) directed by Saul Landau in 1996 features in-depth interviews with people involved with the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) and discusses their struggles for land, public services, and Native Autonomy in the Chiapas region of Mexico. A second film by Saul Landau with co-directors Sonia Angule and Farrah Hassen, "Syria: Between Iraq and a Hard Place" (2004) (7:30 p.m.) conveys conditions in present-day Syria, including tensions between centuries-old traditions and modern culture and economics; the aftermath of the war in 1973; and the decline in U.S.-Syrian relations associated with the Iraq wars. The third film, "Rock Down Central America" (8:30 p.m.) was directed by Greg Landau, who filmed the documentary in 1988 during the Sandinista Revolution. The film follows a Nicaraguan reggae band back to its hometown and highlights the culture and political aspirations of the people of the Atlantic Coastal region of Nicaragua.

Appearing as the evening DJ and special guest will be Will Youmans, a 26-year-old rap artist who is part of a movement of Palestinian rap artists in the West Bank, Gaza, Israel, the U.S., and Europe. Youmans is a Palestinian American who took the stage name "Iron Sheik" as a "political commentary about the misrepresentation of Arabs in the popular media." Youmans considers himself "an activist first, then an emcee. I got back into producing hip-hop as an alternative way to communicate the messages and ideas I work with."  

His work addresses such themes as the illegal detentions and arrests of Muslims and Arabs living in the U.S., Palestinian refugees, and the Bush administration.

Sister City Projects provide opportunities for people-to-people diplomacy and for residents from both cities to share information and culture directly with each other. At the "Voices, Images, and Hearts" event, there will be opportunities to learn about the work of the Wisconsin Coordinating Council on Nicaragua, the Madison-Arcatao Sister City Project, and the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project and to meet people involved with the projects.

Proceeds from the Voices, Images and Hearts event will help support projects in Madison’s sister city of  El Salvador in many needed areas including education and health care.