April GAPM film series (Bosnia genocide) – 4/23 Carpenter Center

If a person cannot see horror, then he can neither see beauty, nor sadness, anger, fear or love.
– Alexander Lowen

Hi everyone,

It was during the Bosnia genocide that the phrase “ethnic cleansing” first gripped me. I am sure I had heard it before, but there was a certain point for me in the mid-90’s that was the first time I really thought about it, felt it, got it. I wasn’t terribly well-attuned to politics or human rights issues at that point, yet the phrase reverberated within me as if entering the deepest part of my bones. Years later I met for the first time someone who had been imprisoned in one of the camps. I couldn’t fathom that this delightful man I laid eyes on present day had previously been subjected to such cruelty. Nothing about it, on any level, made sense to me.

To this day, I continue to struggle with how it is we do these things to one another within our species, and in mass numbers.

Next week, on Wednesday April 23 at the CSU Long Beach Carpenter Center, the fifth film series event will focus on the Bosnia genocide. Much of the emphasis will be on the women who were raped, and their quest for justice as we screen, “I Came to Testify.”

In addition to the film, our speakers have much to add. They include:

•  Lejla Tricic, who fled the genocide in 1995 with her husband, blinded in the conflict; she has graciously agreed to share with us some of her firsthand stories as a survivor.
• David Kaye, an expert in International Law, who brings a wealth of knowledge; his career has included working within the US State Department in the mid- to late 90’s, and afterward in The Hague.
• Ivana Ivkovic Kelley, a documentary filmmaker who interviewed countless survivors for her soon to be released film, “Persephone Speaks: The Forgotten Women of Bosnia”.

ALSO: our partners will have booths set up in the lobby an hour before the program, so come early and find out more about how to get involved locally! Doors open at 6p.

All events are free to attend, details are here: Remembering the Past toward Healing our Future.
Unlike our other events, 4/23 requires a hard copy ticket. Please make sure to RSVP, and fully complete all of the steps on the registration site.
R.S.V.P. now »

I very much hope you will join us.

Warmly,

Barbara English, LMFT
Founder & Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org
(949) 891-2005

[Ubuntu] n. Every human being truly becomes a human by means of relationships with other human beings.