fridges, choirs and GIRLcotting

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This week, we will be receiving a fridge and hopefully also a freezer. We have been without said electrical appliances since last October. For those wondering, it is possible to live without them, but it is quite difficult and annoying.

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We recently went to a concert put on by the The African Children's Choir. Working on the basis that a child lifted out of poverty makes a big difference to them and their community, this Christian organisation auditions children from several African countries, then takes them around the world for a year. The children then return to school. Ex-choir members are now in a range of professional jobs. Which is pretty remarkable considering that they came from the slums.

The choir we saw (they have several on the go at once) was a bunch of very small 10-11 year olds, but with bags and bags of energy. It was quite a sight to see a performance of such joy and enthusiasm.

It is all pretty silly - taking kids away from their parents for a year, in order to earn their crust to pay for their education. Literally singing for their supper.

But then, it actually makes a difference to their future lives, and that should not be overlooked.

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As part of a series of local events under the banner of Positive Images, last night I attended an event at the Coventry Peace House. We met a couple of Palestinian peace activists - one from Gaza and one from East Jerusalem studying at the Coventry University Centre for Peace and Reconciliation Studies. The guy from Gaza had been involved in various Palestinian-Israeli activities, most notably the Geneva Accord. This is a peace negotiation undertaken by non-governmental academics, activists, artists and ex-politicians from both communities. It is said that the agreement was accepted by the Palestinian side, but rejected by the Israeli government so never got further than the paper it was written on.

The guy from East Jerusalem was also interesting. I asked him about boycotts and the economic situation, and he said what was needed in contrast to a boycott was a GIRLcott of Palestinian products. Which is an interesting turn of phrase...