Kafranbel - det syriske opprørets kreative sentrum

Kafranbel, en by i det nordvestlige Syria, har blitt det kreative sentrum i opprøret mot president Bashar al-Assad - og nå også motstanden mot ISIS. I følge Raed Fares, en av byens sentrale medieaktivister, har de valgt å uttrykke seg på engelsk via sosiale medier for å nå et internasjonalt publikum.

Det helt spesielle ved mediebruken deres er bruken av satire og referanser til ikoner som er godt kjent internasjonalt (Alien, Tatt av vinden, Game of Thrones, Ringenes Herre ....). Dette dukker opp både på posters og videoer som formidles via sosiale medier.

Du kan se flere av posterne deres samlet opp hos Foreign Policy eller gå rett til deres egen hjemmeside for å lese og se mer. De lager også video'er, som regel postet på Raed Fares' kanal på YouTube.  Videoen under er blitt spesielt mye kjent for sin framstilling av "den syriske revolusjonen på 3 minutter"

Syria Untold er på mange måter mediehub'en for opposisjonen og de kaller Kafranbel for revolusjonens samvittighet. Omtale finner du ellers en rekke steder som f.eks.:

• Nachawati, L. (2014, September 26). Kafranbel: a paradigm of creative storytelling (Part 1/2).
• Hanano, A. (2013, October 18). Rising Up and Rising Down. Foreign Policy.
• Stack, L. (2014, January 11). Syria’s Conflict Told Through a Caustic Wit.

Medialisering satt på spissen: Bowe Bergdahl, Homeland og Brody

Medialisering ("mediatization") satt på spissen. Som kanskje de fleste har fått med seg ble den norsk-amerikanske Bowe Bergdahl sersjanten nylig frigjort fra krigsfangenskap hos Taliban etter å blitt byttet med fem Talibanere i amerikansk fangenskap. Video filmet av Taliban selv fra utvekslingen er under.

Dette er i ferd med å bli et PR-mareritt for Det hvite hus bl.a fordi det viser seg at republikanere og deler av pressen fortolker hendelsen i lys av Homeland og karakteren Brody. (se CNN-videoen under) og ellers linker under hvor historien blir diskutert. 

Les videre: 

• Ackerman, E. (2014, June 4). Bergdahl and the Whale. The New Republic. 
• Fox News. (2010, August 22). Taliban: Captured Soldier Joined Cause. Myfoxphilly.com. 
• Groll, E. (2014a, June 1). Republicans Slam Obama for Bowing to Terror in Bergdahl Release. Foreign Policy Blogs. 
• Groll, E. (2014b, June 4). Video Shows Moment Taliban Hand Bergdahl Over to U.S. Foreign Policy Blogs. 
• Harris, S., Groll, E., Hudson, J., & Lubold, G. (2014, June 5). When Bergdahl Speaks. Foreign Policy. 
• Hastings, M. (2012, June 7). Bowe Bergdahl: America’s Last Prisoner of War. rollingstone.com. 
• Hudson, J. (2014, June 3). The Shifting Sands of Obama’s Bergdahl Defense. Foreign Policy. 
• Keck, Z. (n.d.). The Strategic Logic of the US-Taliban Prisoner Swap Deal. The Diplomat. 
• MacKenzie, M. (2014, June 4). Bergdahl and the Band of Brothers Dilemma: understanding the “patriot”/’traitor’ debate. Duck of Minerva.
• Rasch, J. S. (2014, June 2). Frigitt norskamerikansk soldat møtt med påstander om forræderi og desertering. Dagbladet.no. 

Metal in the war zones of the East - and Black Sabbath

A somewhat different report from the underground in Syria. If not only death metal, all types of metal (except "hair"), as part of the rebellion is documented in a new rockumentary called "Syrian Metal is War".  An interesting piece on the rockumentary and the Syrian metal scene:

Gerstle, D. J. (2014, April 14). Surviving Syria’s Civil War With Heavy Metal. The Atlantic.

An interview wth the young film-maker can be found here:

Grim Kim. (2014, January 28). Syrian Metal is War: An Interview with Filmmaker Monzer Darwish. MetalSucks.

This follows other recent examples on metal in the war zones of the East, such as Kabul and Baghdad. It appears that the heritage from Sabbaths old classics, such as 1971's, "Children of the Grave", is taken care of. Lyrics and video below:

Revolution in their minds
The children start to march
Against the world in which they have to live
And all the hate that's in their hearts
They're tired of being pushed around
And told just what to do
They'll fight the world until they've won
And love comes flowing through.

Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today
Will the sunrise of tomorrow bringing peace in any way
Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear
Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear?

So you children of the world, listen to what I say
If you want a better place to live in spread the word today
Show the world that love is still alive you must be brave
Or you children of today are children of the grave.

 

Of course "War Pigs" is another classic in the Sabbath songbook. A more recent video fram 2005's Ozzfest, featuring the original lineup (including Bill Ward) is posted below.

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait 'til their judgement day comes
Yeah!

Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees the war pig's crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
Oh lord yeah!

 

The Zero Dark Thirty Debate on Torture

Kathryn Bigelow's film Dark Zero Thirty about the hunt for Osama bin Laden triggered a debate on its framing of torture as an interrogation tool. This debate also linked to the wider debate on torture (or "enhanced interrogation techniques") and the relationship between the entertainment business in Hollywood and the security establishment in Pentagon and the CIA. The articles listed below is collected to give an overview of the debate - and provide material for a case study in an upcoming course in Media and Politics at Lillehammer University and a chapter for a book in Media Pedagogy. 

• Ackerman, S. (2012, December 10). Two Cheers for Zero Dark Thirty’s Torture Scenes. Danger Room. 
• Apuzzo, M. (2009, April 22). Does torture work? Released memos don’t answer that age-old question. Seattle Times. 
• Barnes, B. (2012, December 27). Kathryn Bigelow on “Zero Dark Thirty.” The New York Times. Bazelon, E. (2012, December 11). Does Zero Dark Thirty Advocate Torture? Slate. 
• Beck, R. (2013, February 24). Mission Accomplished: On “Zero Dark Thirty.” Los Angeles Review of Books. 
• Bergen, P. L. (2012, December 11). “Zero Dark Thirty”: Did torture really net bin Laden? CNN. 
• Bigelow, K. (2013b, January 15). Kathryn Bigelow addresses “Zero Dark Thirty” torture criticism. Los Angeles Times.

Kathryn Bigelow discuss controversial torture scenes in Zero Dark Thirty below:

• Bowden, M. (2013, January 3). “Zero Dark Thirty” Is Not Pro-Torture. The Atlantic. 
• Breznican, A. (2012, August 28). No conspiracy: New documents explain Pentagon, CIA cooperation on “Zero Dark Thirty.” EW.com. 
• Bruni, F. (2012, December 8). Bin Laden, Torture and Hollywood. The New York Times. 
• Carson, T. (2012, December 11). Zero Dark Thirty’s Morality Brigade. The American Prospect. Child, B. (2011, August 11). Kathryn Bigelow denies White House favouritism over Bin Laden film. The Guardian. 
• Child, B. (2012, December 12). Zero Dark Thirty is not pro-torture, say film-makers. The Guardian. Cieply, M., & Barnes, B. (2012, November 23). “Zero Dark Thirty,” by Kathryn Bigelow, Focuses on Facts. The New York Times. 
• Cohen, R. (2013, February 11). Why “Zero Dark Thirty” Works. The New York Times. 
• Cole, D. (2013, January 10). Through a Glass Darkly. Foreign Policy. 
• Coll, S. (2013, February 7). “Disturbing” & “Misleading.” The New York Review of Books. 
• Corliss, R. (2012, November 25). Zero Dark Thirty: The Girl Who Got bin Laden. Time. 
• Corn, D. (2012, April 29). How Obama Got Bin Laden: A Detailed Account From ‘Showdown. The Daily Beast. 
• Dargis, M. (2012, December 17). By Any Means Necessary. Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty.” New York Times. 
• Daunt, T. (2012a, December 19). Senators Call “Zero Dark Thirty” “Grossly Inaccurate” in Letter to Sony Pictures. The Hollywood Reporter. 
• Daunt, T. (2012b, December 21). Acting CIA Director Disputes “Zero Dark Thirty” Accuracy in Rare Public Statement. The Hollywood Reporter. 
• Davidson, A. (2012, December 13). Torturing the Wrong Man. The New Yorker Blogs. 
• Debruge, P. (2012, November 25). Review: Zero Dark Thirty. Variety. 
• Denby, D. (2012, December 24). Dead Reckoning. The New Yorker. 
• Denson, G. R. (2013, February 11). Zero Dark Thirty: Why the Film’s Makers Should Be Defended and What Deeper bin Laden Controversy Has Been Stirred. Huffington Post. 
• Edelstein, D. (2012, December 10). Zero Dark Thirty Is Borderline Fascistic ... and a Masterpiece. Vulture. 
• Egeland, J. (2013, 02). Da torturvernet sviktet. Aftenposten. 
• Feinstein, D., Levin, C., & McCain, J. (2012, December 19). Feinstein, Levin, McCain write studio about “Zero Dark Thirty.”
  Filkins, D. (2012, December 17). Bin Laden, The Movie. The New Yorker. 
• Gibney, A. (2013, February 1). Zero Dark Thirty’s Wrong and Dangerous Conclusion. Huffington Post.

Watch the report below summing up the debate

• Gleiberman, O. (2012, December 19). Is “Zero Dark Thirty” pro-torture? And if so, is it telling a lie? EW.com.
• Greenberg, K. J. (2013, January 10). Learning to Love Torture, Zero Dark Thirty-Style. Huffington Post.
• Greenwald, G. (2012a, May 23). WH leaks for propaganda film. Salon.com.
• Greenwald, G. (2012b, December 10). Zero Dark Thirty: new torture-glorifying film wins raves. The Guardian.
• Greenwald, G. (2012c, December 14). Zero Dark Thirty: CIA hagiography, pernicious propaganda. The Guardian.
• Halberg, J. (2013, February 8). -Uspennende og distansert. Rushprint.
• Hayden, M. (2011, June 2). Birthers, Truthers and Interrogation Deniers. Wall Street Journal. Hayden, T. (2013, February 28). When the CIA infiltrated Hollywood. Salon.com.
• Hill, L. (2013, January 11). Secrets of “Zero Dark Thirty.” rollingstone.com.
• Hornaday, A. (2012, December 14). “Zero Dark Thirty” and the new reality of reported filmmaking. The Washington Post.
• Horton, S. (2009, September 22). Torture Doesn’t Work, Neurobiologist Says. Harper’s Magazine. Hosenball, M. (2013, January 3). Senate panel to examine CIA contacts with Zero Dark Thirty filmmakers. Reuters. Washington.
• Huffington Post. (2013, January 25). Michael Moore On “Zero Dark Thirty” & Torture: Movie Doesn’t Condone Enhanced Interrogation. Huffington Post.
• Jenkins, T. (2012). The CIA in Hollywood: How the Agency Shapes Film and Television. University of Texas Press.
• Johnson, Z. (2012, December 20). 3 Things You Should Know About Zero Dark Thirty and Torture. Human Rights Now Blog.
• Jones, N. (2013, January 17). The “Dynamite” Pentagon Interview Behind “Zero Dark Thirty.” Foreign Policy.
• Kaminski, M. (2013, February 15). The Art and Politics of “Zero Dark Thirty.” Wall Street Journal. Kenny, G. (2012, December 17). “Zero Dark Thirty:” Perception, reality, perception again, and “the art defense.” Some Come Running.
• Kumar, D. (2013, March 5). Zero Dark Thirty -- not just pro-torture, but pro-extra-judicial killings and racist too. Green Left Weekly.

John McCain: Film 'Zero Dark Thirty' Falsely Links Bin Laden Capture To Torture

• Lang, B. (2012, August 29). Government communicated with. Chicago Tribune. 
• Lennard, N. (2013, December 14). How true is “ZD30″? Salon.com. 
• Maass, P. (2012, December 13). Don’t Trust “Zero Dark Thirty.” The Atlantic. 
• Masters, K. (n.d.). The Unorthodox Relationship Between Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal. The Hollywood Reporter. 
• Mayer, J. (2012, December 14). Zero Conscience in “Zero Dark Thirty.” The New Yorker Blogs. 
• McAuliff, M. (2012, December 13). “Zero Dark Thirty” Wrong On Torture, Top Senators Say. Huffington Post. 
• McCarthy, T. (2012, November 25). Zero Dark Thirty: Film Review. Hollywood Reporter. McClintock, P. (2012, December 12). How to Sell “Zero Dark Thirty”s’ Torture. The Hollywood Reporter. 
• Mccormick, I. T. (2012, December 19). Zero Farce Thirty. Foreign Policy. 
• Mendelson, S. (2012, December 4). Review: Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty Is a Powerful Tale of the Costs of “Justifiable” Violence. Huffington Post. 
• Michelitch, J. (2013, February 22). Torture and Tough Questions: Why Zero Dark Thirty Deserves to Win Best Picture. Underwire. 
• Miller, G. (2012, December 11). In “Zero Dark Thirty,” she’s the hero; in real life, CIA agent’s career is more complicated. The Washington Post. 
• Mitchell, G. (2012, December 12). My View: “Zero Dark Thirty” Shows Torture Playing Key Role in Getting bin Laden. The Nation. 
• Moestrup, S. (2013, February 15). Jagten på Geronimo. Le Monde diplomatique Norwegian Edition. Morell, M. (2012, December 21). Message from the Acting Director: “Zero Dark Thirty.” Central Intelligence Agency. 
• Morton, B. (2013, January 23). Torture as a Growth Experience: Zero Dark Thirty. Dissent Magazine. O’Hehir, A. (2012a, December 14). Pick of the week: Kathryn Bigelow’s mesmerizing post-9/11 nightmare. Salon.com. 
• O’Hehir, A. (2012b, December 29). The “Zero Dark Thirty” debate isn’t really about torture. Salon.com. 
• Pitter, L. (2013, January 11). Zero Dark Torture. Foreign Policy. 
• Powers, R. G. (2013). Zero Dark Thirty. Journal of American History, 100(1), 303–305. 
• Rayfield, J. (2013, February 26). Senate reportedly drops “Zero Dark Thirty” probe. Salon.com. 
• Shane, S. (2012, December 12). “Zero Dark Thirty” Torture Scenes Reopen Debate. The New York Times. 
• Shane, S., & Savage, C. (2011, May 3). Bin Laden Raid Revives Debate on Value of Torture. The New York Times.

Peter Bergen and others: Is "Zero Dark Thirty" fact or fiction? 

• Shaughnessy, L. (2012, December 4). “Zero Dark Thirty” take on bin Laden raid courted controversy from start.
  Singh, A. (2013). Globalizing Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition. New York N.Y.: Open Society Institute. 
• Sullivan, A. (2012, December 14). Kathryn Bigelow: Not A Torture Apologist. The Dish. 
• Taibbi, M. (2013, January 16). “Zero Dark Thirty” Is Osama bin Laden’s Last Victory Over America. rollingstone.com. 
• Winter, J. (2013, January 24). Cover Story: Kathryn Bigelow’s Art of Darkness. Time. 
• Wolf, N. (2013, January 4). A letter to Kathryn Bigelow on Zero Dark Thirty’s apology for torture. the Guardian. 
• Wolff, M. (2012, December 24). The truth about Zero Dark Thirty: this torture fantasy degrades us all. The Guardian. 
• Zagorin, A., & Hilzenrath, D. (2013, June 4). Unreleased: Probe Finds CIA Honcho Disclosed Top Secret Info to Hollywood. Project On Government Oversight. 
• Zakarin, J. (2012a, December 10). The War Over Torture in “Zero Dark Thirty.” The Hollywood Reporter. 
• Zakarin, J. (2012b, December 11). Real-Life “Zero Dark Thirty” CIA Agent Under Fire in Washington (Report). The Hollywood Reporter. 
• Zegart, A. (2012, September 25). Torture Creep. Foreign Policy.
• Zegart, A. (2013, January 30). Not Just Another Movie. Foreign Policy. 
• Žižek, S. (2013, January 25). Zero Dark Thirty: Hollywood’s gift to American power. The Guardian. Økland, I. (2013, February 26). Virkeligheten er fantastisk nok. Aftenposten.

Presentation on the documentary My Daughter the Terrorist

Together with my colleague Eva Bakøy, I’m doing a project on the documentary My Daughter the Terrorist, which focuses on the Tamil Black Tigers. The paper The Dilemmas of the documentary maker as witness was presented at the Anniversary conference of Media, War & Conflict, Royal Holloway, University of London in April 2013. At the moment we are preparing an up-to-date version of the paper, watch this post for further developments.

The abstract is available below, accompanied by a CNN interview of director Beate Arnestad, as well as the presentation from the Media, War and Conflict Conference.

Abstract
This paper investigates ethical and political dilemmas documentary filmmakers face handling the issue of terrorism in the context of on-going ethnic warfare, through a case study of award winning Norwegian documentary My Daughter the Terrorist, focusing on contents as well as the history of production and global reception. Documentarists operating within the Western independent documentary tradition cultivate the suffering individual as the victim of ruthless authorities.

Our case represents documentary makers with an idealist mission to explore the human costs of warfare, focusing on two young female members of the Tamil Black Tigers and the mother of one of the two girls, a few years before the tragic ending of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009. The production- and reception history highlights dilemmas which occur when this type of perspective is applied within the context of on-going civil war and terrorist acts. Especially when applied outside the Western hemisphere, the perspective of human interest stories tends to get lost among audiences attached to the conflict. Instead they become embedded in the «perceptual battlefield» of war, in this case interpreted as supporting the Tigers and even terrorism.

The reception history illustrates the relevance of the concept diffused wars, through mediatization of on-going violent conflicts and triggering unexpected consequences. While the documentary makers were surprised by becoming the centre of a minor global controversy, their film was also taken as evidence within the major Sinhalese discourse about the official Norwegian peace facilitators siding with the Tamil Tigers.