Tolerance, understanding peace and nonviolence are all themes of this year's Cairo Human Rights Film Festival that runs from December 15 -19. On the flip side, it is also about war, violence and hate. Such is the world we live in, where a festival dedicated to human rights is still needed more than ever. In Egypt, last year's first installment of the festival was met with an Egyptian police crackdown, forcing Bikya Masr's Dalia Ziada to move the festival to the Nile, literally commandeering a tourist boat for the opening night after security forces attempted to shut it down. It is ironic, that a film festival focusing on human rights would be attacked by the Egyptian government. So much for their move toward tolerance and understanding. Instead, they refused to have a group of activists, filmmakers and movie-goers witness a construct that for half a century has evaded the palace. Human rights, in their mind, is a non-starter. They claim security concerns when they arrest innocent bus drivers and sodomize them at police stations; they cite terrorism in order to put elderly members of the Muslim Brotherhood in jail for months on end. When will it stop? Who knows. This year, 12 films will be showcased at the festival, taking a closer look at the situation of human rights across the globe. From the United States to Rwanda to Ukraine and back to Egypt, the films will undoubtedly get people thinking. Maybe they will help imprint the idea that we are all in this together. As we are close to the second decade of the new millennium, it seems humanity is as far from achieving the lofty goals set forth following the end of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall came down, but more walls, imaginary and real, were erected. Our world is more divided than possibly it has ever been in history. We hate the “other” more. We don't know the “other” and don't bother to learn to understand them. Although our world has become more interconnected than ever before, atrocity upon atrocity continues to flourish in this small planet we all dwell. Europeans now despise the Arab as much as they despised the Jew in the early part of the 20th century. Sure, they won't put them in camps, but there are those who would love to return to an era where this could be possible. Arabs hate the West, leading to a global “war” that has no end in sight. Foreign powers invade other nations on the pretext of bringing peace, but only bring death, destruction and violations of humanity. We should be appalled at the world we live in. Things are getting worse, not better. Ask someone from Darfur how life is going for them. They will tell you it is horrible. Africans living in Egypt would rather risk death on the Israeli border for a better life. Where is our dignity? It is great to highlight these errors, these problems and these horrific displays of humanity, but without a concerted effort to change our mindset, learn about what has happened; only then will we, as human beings, be allowed to enter a new era where peace, justice and understanding flourish. In steps the Cairo Human Rights Film Festival. Sure, 12 films won't be able to change the world, but at least it will give those who care a chance to meet like-minded individuals who care more about telling the story of humanity (injustice) than the selfish actions of governments who hide behind “national” projects. We need the human rights film festival more than we ever have. If we don't wake up to what is going on in our own backyard, the country next door or that far away place, then we will soon have nothing left to judge others. Let us all make an effort to see human rights as they are supposed to be seen: for all. **for more information on the Cairo Human Rights Film Festival, please continue checking Bikya Masr for interviews with the filmmakers, a complete schedule and all related information from the festival. Questions, please feel free to email us: [email protected] BM
