“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…
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…
[gview file=”https://platformlondon.org/app/uploads/2012/02/PSAs_privatisation-1.pdf”] Paper presented to the General Union of Oil Employees’ conference on privatisation Basrah, Iraq, 26 May 2005
In May 2004, 39 civil society groups, from 15 countries, warned commercial banks of extensive violations of the Equator Principles by the Shell-led Sakhalin II project. This update from 2005 finds that events over the past ten months show a deteriorating situation, constituting further violations.
Chapter for New Practices/New Pedagogies, emerging contexts, practices and pedagogies in art in Europe and North America, Ed. Malcolm Miles, Swets and Zeitlinger (ND) “It’s serious – it’s art, it’s politics, it’s economics, it’s everything, and art in that instance becomes so meaningful.” Ken Saro Wiwa 1 Since 1983, artist-led London-based group PLATFORM has been working…
“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…
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…
Open publication – Free publishing – More btc Open publication – Free publishing – More btc Open publication – Free publishing – More 2004 Open publication – Free publishing – More btc Open publication – Free publishing – More btc Open publication – Free publishing – More 2004 Open publication – Free publishing – More…
‘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…
“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,…