Saturday, October 24, 2009

Google Celebrates Freedom of Expression

For the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall Google is asking Youtube.com users to share their thoughts on freedom of expression. See video below:



It is incredible that 20 years later so many are still denied this basic human right but it is great to see that important companies like Google are helping to give people a voice. It is also an incredible example of the new opportunities made possible by new technologies.

Please share your thoughts on Freedom of Expression with us in the comments section and the links to your youtube videos should you participate in this campaign.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Raíces at the Alliance of outh Movements Summit

Watch live now via this link.

Roots' own Veronica Nur Valdes is on a panel about 21st Century women leaders.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

East of Havana - Now on iTunes and Amazon.com

The much anticipated release of the documentary East of Havana is finally here.


East of Havana is a blunt, unflinching close-up on the lives of three young rappers compelled to address their generation's future from the confines of a Cuban ghetto. Soandry, Magyori, and Mikki are the defacto leaders of Cuba's rebellious underground hip hop movement. Possessing the undeniable talent and charisma of pop icons, these fearless performers push self-expression to its sharpest, riskiest, and most triumphant point. Directed and Written by: Jauretsi Saizarbitoria & Emilia Menoca.

The film premiered in 2006 at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas and was screened as part of the 2007 Raices Evolution Tour at New York University.



To purchase or rent the film please visit:
(when shopping through these links a portion of your purchase will go to support Raices de Esperanza)

Las Damas de Blanco, as seen by a blogger and rocker

Ciro Díaz and Claudia Cadelo de Nevi are a dynamic duo of unhindered expression in Cuba. He's the guitarist for Porno Para Ricardo, arguably Cuba's most famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) dissident rock group. She's an up-and-coming blogger with a fast-growing following on her blog, Octavo Cerco, which recently won the Una Isla Virtual (A Virtual Island) awards for best blog and most popular blog.

Here, the two of them document one of the regular demonstrations of Las Damas de Blanco (The Ladies in White), which is an organization made up of family members of political prisoners — especially those who were locked up in Cuba's "Black Spring" in 2003.