power of place
Syndicate content

Blog: Before you organize a mock tribunal: 14 things to think about

Philippe Duhamel's picture
Posted April 3rd, 2008 by Philippe Duhamel

tribunalPhoto cc: JaHoVil

 

When faced with problems such as weak or no enforcement of human rights law, or even the lack of proper national legal instruments, how can you determine whether a mock tribunal is the right tactic for you? What factors should you weigh in before you decide?

 

And if you thought a citizen-based tribunal could be a useful tactic, how would you go about organizing it? What are some of the steps involved in setting up such a large-scale, public event? For instance, how should you choose those who will play a direct part in it, especially judges (or commissioners)?

 

In A Mock Tribunal to Advance Change, Mufuliat Fijabi has helped us answer those questions. The following checklist includes some of her advice, and other tips.

 

You can quickly scan through the list to see what organizing a tribunal entails. The checklist includes 11 "before you organize" items, and 3 "early prep" tasks.

Blog: Uses of history for the rest of us

Philippe Duhamel's picture
Posted October 31st, 2007 by Philippe Duhamel
Suffragette leaders Annie Kenney and Christabel Pankhurst

Suffragette leaders Annie Kenney and Christabel Pankhurst

As a way to conclude this month’s discussion on The Power of Place: How Sites of Conscience Inspire Civic Engagement, I want to offer some suggestions for folks who, like me, may not have much to do with museums in their daily lives. I mean, there’s a limited number of us who are going to join the International Coalition of Historic Site Museums of Conscience<, right? So what are some of the ways the rest of us can make our activism more powerful using historical sites and history-based tactics?

Here are a few ideas that any group, any individual can use to promote human rights and a social change agenda with the help of history. Somewhere in between simply touring a museum, or starting one yourself, there’s a whole range of things you can do to make History work for you.

Blog: The Seven Wonders of Powerful Places: How Where Matters

Philippe Duhamel's picture
Posted October 29th, 2007 by Philippe Duhamel

Maison des esclaves, Sénégal

photo cc: masoud.nyc 

How can museums do more than entertain us (or bore us) about curiosities of the past? How can change feed on the past? As part of October's tactical discussion on the Power of Place, I have compiled a list of seven wonders that historical sites tap into to bring some awareness, conscience, and change to the world.