Book Reading & Discussion: War Crimes in Somalia, Aug. 21 2014 @ Amnesty International Regional Office

Date: Thursday August 21 2014
Venue: Amnesty International Regional Office
Location: Kanjata Road/Muthangari Drive off Waiyaki Way – Google Map
Time: 5:30pm
Entry: Prior online Registration – Register here.

About
Amnesty International, in partnership with the Rift Valley Institute’s Nairobi Forum, invite you to a book reading and discussion panel on Rasna Warah’s new book War Crimes: How warlords, politicians, foreign governments and aid agencies conspired to create a failed state in Somalia.

In War Crimes, Kenyan journalist Rasna Warah writes about the many war crimes that have taken place in Somalia in the name of peace, development, religion and reconciliation. It is an examination of the destruction of Somalia looking at the involvement of the state and the international community.

Rasna Warah will be joined on the panel by acclaimed Somali novelist Nuruddin Farah, winner of the Neustadt International Prize for literature and the Lettre Ulysses Award, and Ali Hersi, Regional Director of the Society for International Development. This discussion, an inaugural event of the Amnesty International Regional Hub Speaker Series, will be moderated by L. Muthoni Wanyeki, Regional Director of Amnesty International.

Moderator: L. Muthoni Wanyeki – Regional Director Amnesty International

Panellists: Rasna Warah – Kenyan writer and photojournalist, Nuruddin Farah – Writer, Ali Hersi – Regional Director Society for International Development

Cinema Africa

Cinema Japan: Barefoot Gen, Aug. 23 2014 @ Japan Information & Culture Centre – Embassy of Japan

Cinema Africa
The Japan Information & Culture Centre invites you to the screening of the movie “Barefoot Gen” which will be shown on Saturday, 23rd August 2014.

*Kindly note that this movie will be shown on the second last Saturday of August and not on the last Saturday of the month as is the norm.*

Admission is free of charge and the movie screening is open to all film fans.

Next Screening: Barefoot Gen
Date: Saturday, 23rd August 2014
Time: 2:00p.m.
Gates Open: 1:30pm
Venue: Japan Information & Culture Centre, Embassy of Japan, Mara Road, Upper Hill

Synopsis
HIROSHIMA in the early summer of 1945, was a city, like many other Japanese cities, surviving the ravages of war. The tower of Hiroshima castle rises to the blue sky.

NAKAOKA GEN is a normal, active young boy, who is a second grader in the local elementary school, and is living with his parents, an older sister, EIKO, and his younger brother, SHINJI. Although poor, they are living as well as they can, by supporting each other. GEN’s father, DAIKICHI, is critical about the war and always tells his children that they must live strongly, like wheat plants which grow even though they are trodden. His pregnant mother, KIMIE, although very hungry herself, gives up her sweet potato, because her children are begging for food. GEN is proud of his family and is looking forward to seeing the new baby who is expected to be born soon.

On August 6th, carrying atomic bombs, the U.S. bomber Enola Gay takes off from Tinian Base and sets a course towards KYUSHU. Because of the cloud cover, the original target city of KOKURA is spared, but Hiroshima is chosen as the alternative.

This story reveals not only the tragedy and the fear of the A-bomb victims, but also how the boy named GEN survived the desperate times, without a loss of faith in humanity, and without bitterness.