so about that new angelina jolie film.... you should probably go see it.

angelina jolie frenzy has been in full swing these last few weeks in bosnia thanks to tuesday’s premiere of her directorial debut, ‘in the land of blood and honey’, which she also wrote the screen play for.

the film is set in bosnia, using actors from the balkans, and was shot in both english and in the local language. the plot, loosely speaking, is about a bosniak woman and a serbian man, whose love is blown apart (literally!) at the beginning of the bosnian war. they then meet again when she is held captive at one of the notorious rape houses that existed between 1992 and 1995, and he winds up being her captor.

the conflict that happened in the balkans between 1992 and 1995 was the result of the dissolution of the former yugoslavia. bosnia and herzegovina (BiH) followed slovenia and croatia in declaring their independence, which became the last straw for the serbia, who invaded BiH. that is the simplified (in the extreme) version of what happened; other factors including historical myth, economics, racial and religious tensions all were factors in the conflict. BiH, because of its mixed ethnic and religious make up, found itself at the heart of the conflict. the siege of Sarajevo, the mass graves and genocide at srebrenica, the rape camps where girls as young as 12 were raped alongside generations of their female relatives..... these things happened in bosnia, and unsurprisingly, BiH remains divided, both between the two entities (republika srpska and the federation) and in people’s memories of the war.

the film has received mixed reviews in this country. on one hand,  jolie has been praised for shedding light on the mass rape of women, so often forgotten by the west, and for attempting to present a somewhat balanced view of what happened here. at the premiere of the film in sarajevo, she received a standing ovation and spoke of her love and respect for the bosnian people. to many people here, she can do no wrong.

at the other end of the spectrum, the film is currently not being shown in r.s, the serb dominated region of BiH, because they believe the film promotes a biased portrayal of the serbian people. actors have received death threats and have had their car windows smashed in. jolie has also been criticized by some female victim groups for her ‘love story’ of a rapist and his victim (there is a wonderful article on the topic, written by the excellent valerie hopkins).

despite the controversy, i would recommend to all to see this film. why? for all its flaws (don’t expect shindler’s list here people) and its hollywoodization of the events (it was shot in hungary, and it’s, um, obvious), it shows a part of this war that is often forgotten. the systematic abuse of women during the bosnian conflict was widespread, yet still remains taboo and has an extremely low conviction rate here. anything that gets people talking and understanding these horrors is positive in my eyes. of course it’s a hollywood movie, and things aren’t always black and white here, but the mass rape of women IS a black and white subject, and in my eyes, deserves attention.

[jessica dowling] 

war journalism, and why it matters.

                                                             [jessica dowling reporting from the balkans] 

yesterday’s death of sunday times journalist marie colvin highlights the incredible danger journalists and photographers place themselves in to achieve a story. but it also shows the dedication of these people to show the truth to the world.

marie colvin was an experienced journalist who had reported from several war torn countries, including the former yugoslavia, sri lanka, east timor, and from various locations in the middle east. her work was admired by both her contemporaries and the public, and along with other awards she was named foreign correspondent of the year on two separate occasions by the british press awards. her death in the city of homs in syria ended a life that was spent chasing the truth and bringing it to the masses, despite the threats she invariably faced in these situations.

the dangers facing journalists like marie colvin, and photographer rémi ochlik, who was also killed in the same attack at the age of 28, should not be taken lightly. the importance of war journalism is sometimes forgotten by people; some believe journalists who put themselves in these kinds of situations do so more for the adrenaline and fame factors rather than for the search of truth. but in reality, without these kinds of individuals the stories of so many innocent victims of regimes’ such as assad’s would not be brought to the attention of the west. in the past, reports from war zones showed people the truth about what was happening in places like bosnia and rwanda, spurring foreign governments into taking action and stirring public pressure.

if any good can come of these deaths, the increasing force the international community is putting on the syrian regime as a direct result of them may help alleviate the suffering of the syrian people. french president nicolas sarkozy has already said “this is enough now, this regime must go”, and other world leaders agree. british prime minister david cameron told the house of commons: "this is a desperately sad reminder of the risks that journalists take to inform the world of what is happening and the dreadful events in syria”.

the deaths of journalists in war zones are sadly not new, and remain a terrible reminder that these kinds of regimes have no care for human life. not only does assad have no respect for his own people, who he is picking off in slow mode genocide, but he also seemingly has no concern in angering the international community. people can only hope that these deaths will spur governments into action, to help the innocent people of syria.

[jessica dowling is currently interning in sarajevo for balkan investigative reporting network (BIRN), working as a court reporter for several genocide trials in the court of bosnia and herzegovina and also assisting on research and writings on balkan transitional justice] 

the daily poxy soundsystem: tiny victories - lost weekend.

who: tiny victories.

sounds like: an array of gadgets, samplers and live drums all jostling together like oddly attractive, irregular shaped molars in your mouth.

why we love them: some kids lose their keys over the weekend. they lose their flunking minds.

most likely to say: your mind’s not a prison - it’s a prism. like a pellin broca prism, with four sides, 'cause you can be so god damn square sometimes.

something to ponder: they don’t have ‘breakdowns’ in brooklyn, dummy, they have ‘serious shakedowns’ and everyone gets an invite.

[aine herlihy]

the daily poxy soundsystem: james vincent mcmorrow- if my heart should somehow stop.

who: james vincent mcmorrow

sounds like : longing and the endless distance travelled by a day dream.

why we love him: celtic druid meets french connection man and their combined beards produce a song.  i am beard. i am song.

most likely to say: what’s the premium on your facial hair insurance?

not out of place on: into the wild mix tape,  as alexander supertramp wanders the alaskan wilderness. oh how our hearts  still hurt.

something to ponder: separation anxiety is just one of my co-morbidity disorder’s. somebody get the charlson index out…

[aine herlihy]

poxy poet of the week: tara wheeler.

people like spaces

people transform into spaces in my mind,

burnt out tunnels

huge white domes.

you were a meadow

and all those purple patterned flowers

fritillaria

i didn’t know the name.

and now i guess you’re

a bungalow on a motorway somewhere. 

the sunset doesn't give a damn

the sunset doesn’t give a damn

and will not change its plans for you tonight

or for me.

in bursts its brouhaha

like drunk-you with a party blower,

into that wrong-room,

then us from the angry man, a goose

who hissed and fizzed and ordered us out, out!

two clouds of bright genista

in a sombre space.

shreiking and streaking, away we raced

you hurtling back your sorrys and then to me

‘i wondered why everyone was in black’

as we hit the street and kept running.

no crack of thunder, no nod to rain

or even the modesty of grey.

the sunset doesn’t give a damn

and there will be no abeyance in its plans

of a stargazer spectacular tonight.

so off it sets, taking the whole sky

soft pulls of lavender, then rose, that rise

to be made diaphanous

by the sun,

a seeping mess of amber,

a cracked jar of apricot jam,

your carnelian liquid jewel

dissolving like a throat sweet

for the moon,

which cobalt cools and rises, again.

no, the sunset doesn’t give a damn

and will not change its plans for you tonight

or for me.

by tara wheeler. 

the daily poxy soundsystem: bag raiders - shooting stars

who: bag raiders.

sounds like : as if someone has just thrown a slice of pineapple at your face from a passing fruit cart.

why we love them: one member of the group used to be an elephant trainer. true story. he might even train us.

not out of place on : a cadillac car stereo as you drive along the palm tree ridden coast, into the encroaching dusk.

most likely to say: no, we are not cut copy. next.

   
something to ponder: will they serve pina coladas when we get there?

[callum dickson]

what inspires the inspirational: ivan m. granger

ivan m. granger is a poet and the creator of one of our favourite poetry websites, poetry chaikhana. ivan joyfully shares the sacred poetry of cultures, religions, and spiritual traditions from around the world. in particular, poetry chaikhana has a middle eastern theme, honouring the vibrantly, devotional, irreverent, and truly profound sacred poetry the region has given to the world. but ivan also says there is another important reason for this middle eastern flavour: to counter the miserably limited portrayal of middle eastern cultures and religion we are given in the west. he says “although i am not a muslim or sufi, it is desperately important to remind the western world of the rich spirituality the middle east has given to us”.

so what’s the deal with the un-pronounceable name?  well, my fellow philistines,  “chaikhana is a teahouse along the legendary silk road pilgrimage and trading route linking china to the middle east and europe. it is a place of rest along the journey, to sip tea, and to gather together to sing songs of the divine”.

ivan lives in colorado with his wife michelle. the man’s a mystic - sign up to the chaikhana poetry mail out and you will concur i'm sure.  

listening to: liszt's ‘la campanella’, i keep returning to this piano solo piece. it manages to be delicate and a bit agitated, while also surprisingly serene. i've also been listening to radiohead's ‘creep’.

reading: the yoga tradition by georg fuerstein. and the novel musashi, by eiji yoshikawa. of course, i have a stack (literally) of poetry books all around my desk.

watching: cadfael - a medieval monk solving murders. now why does that feel so cosy?

eating: gluten-free pumpkin pie. well, i would be if there was any left...

loving:the sunny day with snow glistening on the ground. inspires moments of stillness.

loathing: am i loathing anything? i hope not. though i have to admit to a few things i’d like to see changed. do you think we can set the world to rights with a list of 25 items or less?

tired of: ...social institutions that have forgotten what it means to be a human in the world.

bored of: too much is purposeful. it can become a compulsion. i know i'm doing something right when i have moments of boredom in my day.

scared of: plenty. but facing those fears, isn't that what makes for a good adventure?

dreaming of: i used to dream i was fighting zombies. or flying above rooftops at twilight. lately i've been travelling through strange lands, labyrinthine buildings, following vaguely familiar pathways to unknown destinations. every time i think i know my dream landscape well, new, strange vistas open up.

visit the website at : http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com

[aine herlihy]