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Development aid or oil industry subsidy?
This report was first published in Platform’s Carbon web newletter, issue 1. As the G8 meeting has brought Africa and climate change to the fore, a report by Platform Research reveals that British development aid is being spent on oil projects that exacerbate both climate change and poverty. ‘Pumping Poverty’ details how the government’s…
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BP’s Caspian pipeline – an end or a beginning?
This report was first published in Platform’s carbon web newsletter, Issue 1. BP’s official inauguration of its BakuTbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline in May contained in a nutshell the controversy of the last ten years – and a glimpse of what can be expected over the next forty. As BP’s PR machine was telling positive stories…
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Iraqs untold story
“Iraq is a rich country, but its people are poor,” Hassan Juma’a tells me as we sit in the sparse living room of his crumbling rented house in Basra. Hassan is lucky: he earns just over 300,000 Iraqi dinars (IQD) per month (about £120). With that he is just able to pay rent of 50,000…
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Iraq’s other resistance
Originally published in The Guardian. Faced with daily reports of car bombs and kidnappings, it’s difficult to feel optimistic about Iraq. But last week in the south of the country I heard a very different story. A story of the movement that has formed to rebuild the country’s economy and national pride, to create an…
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The Next Gulf – London, Washington and Oil Conflict in Nigeria.
“the writer cannot be a mere storyteller; he cannot be a mere teacher; he cannot merely X-ray society’s weaknesses, its ills, its perils. He or she must be actively involved shaping its present and its future.” Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941-1995) The Next Gulf – London, Washington and Oil Conflict in Nigeria. Written By: Andy Rowell, James…
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Under the surface
Iraqi oil and Tony Blair’s absurd conspiracy theory By Greg Muttitt Published in Red Pepper magazine February 2005 Since the invasion of Iraq, Britain and America have taken care to avoid being seen as trying to obtain the country’s enormous oil reserves. However, behind the scenes, they have worked hard to ensure that oil multinationals…
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Remember Saro-Wiwa: Short Film – Refining Memory
‘Reflective, compassionate and creatively invigorating’ Time Out, Critic’s Choice. As part of the Living Memorial project, we commissioned a short film from artist filmmakers Judy Price and Andrew Conio to serve as an ‘exhibition’ of the five short listed proposals for the Living Memorial. The film is called Refining Memory. Refining Memory was premiered at the Museum…
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Remember Saro-Wiwa: The Living Memorial Concept
“Artists should be at the centre of society keeping alive a utopian vision, because society will not improve if the people envisioning a better society are politicians.” Peter Sellars The role of the artist in society is critical to communicate the injustices experienced daily by people. Art provides political expression beyond rhetoric, propaganda, and action,…
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Oil and war in Iraq
By Greg Muttitt, PLATFORM Presentation at European Social Forum, October 2004 Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, development of Iraq’s oil industry was divided into two elements. The first was to repair and rebuild the existing infrastructure, to repair damage caused by the invasion, looting and sabotage, the second being to design a long-term future…
