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What Changed?	Robben Island Singers
Return of Navajo Boy	Low Rider
Remembering Harold Washington	Chicago Football Classic

The Robben Island Singers Music Now Available for Purchase or Download

Groundswell is excited to announce that the music of The Robben Island Singers is now available for purchase or download at Amazon.com and iTunes.

Groundswell created two complete albums from the Robben Island Singers documentary film journey – Songs from South Africa’s Freedom Struggle and Stories from South Africa’s Freedom Struggle. The Songs version includes the Singers’ songs from of their struggle against Apartheid while imprisoned with Nelson Mandela on South Africa’s most notorious apartheid prison island. The Stories version also includes their stories from the struggle.

Listeners from around the world can now share an experience that Chicagoans still talk about – the world debut of three ex-political prisoners who never imagined they would live to tell their personal stories, or sing the folk songs that fed their spirits in prison. Ironically, their journey continues as inner city high schools and colleges sponsor cultural exchanges between students and Robben Island Singers.

To purchase or preview the albums, click one of the following links:

Songs from South Africa’s Freedom Struggle (Amazon.com) (iTunes)
Stories from South Africa’s Freedom Struggle (Amazon.com) (iTunes)

Physical versions of the albums can also be bought at the Chicago theater company Remy Bumppo’s production of The Island, which runs until March 7th.

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Winnie Mandela to Give Keynote Address at the Jubilee Film Fest

The Robben Island Singers movie trailer has been selected to kick off the Jubilee Film Festival in Selma, Alabama on March 6th.

The Festival Co-Directors, Erica Henry, (representing the Voting Rights Museum in Selma) will screen the trailer to introduce the theme of this year’s festival: struggle in the American South and South Africa.

Winnie Mandela will be the keynote speaker in this festival which culminates with a celebratory crossing of the Edmund Pettis Bridge, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the famous civil rights march.

Visit selmajubilee.com for more information about the festival, and robbenislandsingers.com for more information about Groundswell’s film and concert project featuring Robben Island Singers.

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Groundswell Intern Wins Studs Terkel Scholarship Award

Groundswell intern Mitch Wenkus (Columbia College Chicago, ’10) is this year’s recipient of the Studs Terkel Scholarship Award presented by The Community Media Workshop and Columbia College Chicago. The award has been given annually in honor of the late Pulitzer-Prize winning oral historian.

The winner of the $2,000 prize, selected by a board of judges from the Community Media Workshop, is given to a student with the best grassroots class project. Mitch’s short documentary film won because it best illustrates Studs Terkel’s perspective of our city—one that recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments or visions of ordinary people. Thom Clark, Executive Director of Community Media Workshop commended Mitch and said that it was a very competitive selection because there were so many high quality nominations across all media, print, audio and video.

As a Groundswell intern, Mitch has been assisting with the production of our “What Changed” webisode series which raises questions about President Obama’s anti-war stance.

Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz writes:

Mitch is the kind of student that Studs Terkel would adore. He’s a real listener, a creative artist and a community builder. Mitch is a documentary artist who has learned how to give voice to others. In the case of his short doc film, Joey and Jamal: A Chicago Public School Story, the voices come from a modest African American family that is speaking truth to power. Mitch focuses on two brothers and their mom as they figure out the ways that they learn best and keep out of harms way in a school system saturated with violence. The film raises profound questions about the hopes, dreams and tactics of Chicago school kids and their parents.

Read more about the film and Mitch’s award at the Community Media Workshop.

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Groundswell Collaborates with Theater Company

For the first time, Groundswell is collaborating with a theater company, Remy Bumppo, to cross-promote The Robben Island Singers and the Chicago Theater Company’s new production of the famous South African play, The Island by Athol Fugard. The play runs through March 7th, 2010.

Groundswell now has created a special exhibit in the theater’s lobby featuring The Robben Island Singers recorded music, video, newspaper articles and large photographs featuring the Robben Island Singers in Chicago’s schools. This new portable exhibition of the Robben Island Singers is now available for museums, conferences, consulate offices and other installations.

The Robben Island Singers music is also available for purchase in the theater lobby.

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University Holds Lecture-Film Series in Support of Haiti

In true Groundswell fashion, Haitian-born professor Cécile Accilienn is leading a lecture-film series entitled, “Haiti in our Backyard” at Columbus State University in Georgia.

The series, which started January 26th, creates a forum for students and activists interested in contributing to the relief efforts following the recent earthquake in Haiti. Likewise, Accilienn aims to go beyond the present crisis and break down commonplace Haitian stereotypes.

Accilien said rebuilding Haiti will take decades. “It’s important to not forget Haiti after the media leave.”In addition to educating local residents, the “Haiti in our Backyard” series will cover the many opportunities to join with others around the world to contribute to the rebuilding process in whatever capacity in they can, Accilien said. For more information, see this report.

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Invisible Children: Creating a Groundswell With a Rough Cut

A simple film project from USC has evolved into a powerful force for improving the lives of children in Northern Uganda.

In 2003, three young filmmakers went to Africa in search of a story. They found a horrible situation that disgusted and inspired them. Their response, a modest documentary called Invisible Children: Rough Cut triggered a movement that has mobilized hundreds of thousands of people to raise awareness and protect innocent children who are at risk of being abducted every night by militias – militias that threaten to murder them unless they agree to become child soldiers.

The filmmakers focused on creating change through the power of story, film, and peer to peer organizing but they didn’t stop there. Additional programs now include teacher exchanges, education programs, scholarships (690 for secondary students and 180 full ride scholarships to university), and other development initiatives all aimed at making a difference in the lives of children surrounded by Africa’s longest-running war.

A screening/discussion event is scheduled for April 14th in Chicago at Loyola’s Water Tower campus. For more information, visit Invisible Children’s official website.

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