If you had a camera....

If you had a camera…

Your neighbor is holding a broom up high. His hand about to swing towards his wife. Would you shoot?

Shoot.

With your handphone, digital camera or home video camera.

Komas [www.komas.org] takes back the tech and invites you to submit video clips.

This 16-day initiative aims to open up digital spaces as a moving visual discourse against gender-based violence.

Video clips will be featured on the Komas site, as well as on this campaign site, to catalyse discussions and action.

Who can shoot?

Anyone. You don’t have to be female to make a stand against violence against women. And you don’t need a grammy award either!

What should I shoot?

Anything, as long as it has to do with gender-based violence and discrimination.

We are not looking for super high-tech, professionally edited films. Just your own take, however rough or real as you see it. Be creative, and moved to take action.

It doesn’t have to be a new video either. If you have an old video clip related to the issue stashed away somewhere, use it for this action!

Which tool should I use?

Your mobile phone camera, digital camera video mode, or homevideo. Basically anything that captures moving images. If you happen to shoot on 16 or 35 mm film and would like us to put it up as well, we won’t discriminate :) But please convert it to a mini-dv [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DV#MiniDV] format first.

How long should the video be?

We would appreciate anything less than 5 minutes. However, if you have a 2-hour movie available, you can make a trailer about it, and we’ll link it to your website.

How to submit a film?

If your video clip is fairly small, you can email it directly to:

mien.ly AT gmail DOT com, copied to takeback AT gejala DOT org

If your video clip is too large to send through email, then you can use one of the free online services such as yousendit [http://yousendit.com/] to send over big files.

Recipient email addresses are the same as above. Any questions or difficulties, email us at the same address too.

Is there a deadline?

Before Dec 10 (the last day of the 16-day campaign) would be great. But we see this also as a continuous space, to be extended to other human rights issues as well.

Who is Komas?

Komas is a popular communications centre set up in August 1993, after two years of close consultation among several grassroots organisations and individuals in Malaysia.

Komas is also a friend of APC WNSP

Take Back The Tech

************ ********* ******
ka-BLOG! TAKE BACK THE TECH!
www.takebackthetech .net
ideas@takebackthete ch.net
25 Nov to 10 Dec
************ ********* ******

ka-BLOG! We want to take over the blogosphere for 16 days.

ka-BLOG! is a 16-day blog fest for the Take Back the Tech Campaign. It
is open to anyone and everyone - girls, boys, everyone beyond and more
-- who wants to share their thoughts, write poetry and prose, post
graphics / pictures, rant, rave, heckle, make snide remarks, stick their
tongue out at violence against women, and how online communications can
exacerbate or help eliminate VAW.

------------ --------- ------
What is the campaign about?
------------ --------- ------
It is simply a call for every person– women and men, who uses online
communications (ICTs), e.g. for chatting, emailing, blogging, doing
websites or developing tools, to use ICTs for activism against VAW
(violence against women) for 16 days. Primarily, we are asking women and
grrls to “Take Back The Tech!” But you don’t have to be female to
disagree with violence faced by women and be part of the campaign to
transform gender relations. Unequal power relations lie at the heart of
VAW, and this is apparent from the streets to online spaces. So we are
saying technology should be used for equality, not to perpetuate violence.

------------ ---
How to ka-BLOG?
------------ ---

1. *commit*: commit yourself to 16 days of blogging about violence
against women and technology.

2. *email*: Email ideas@takebackthete ch.net, with your blog address and
name/handle/ nick if you want to sign up as a Ka-BLOGger, if possible,
before 25 November. f you don't have a blog yet, this will be a great
place to start! Email us, and we'll send you links on how to start your
own blog :)

2. *identify*: make it known by putting a takebackthetech icon on your
blog — create your own or grab a few icons from our Campaign Tools and
Materials.

3. *post*: post something about the how you think violence against women
connects with information communications technology? have a story? heard
something quirky? snap a picture? think this is serious? doesn't make
much sense? anything at all! just post one thing a day from 25 nov to 10
dec on thinking about violence against women

4. tag it: use "takebackthetech" to tag your posts
[http://www. takebackthetech. net/wiki/ tiki-index. php?page= blogathon# tag]

5. link back: send in your bloglinks and and we'll rss your posts to the
campaign website throughout the 16 days

6. expand: widen the campaign to your readers by linking your blog to
the campaign site.

------------ --------- --
What to ka-BLOG! About?
------------ --------- --

So long as it's about violence against women (well, against) and how it
connects to ICTs (and vice versa). So long as it's about gender
relations. So long as it's about how women can have more control over
technology. So long as it's about women and gender equality.

It does not matter to us if the blog entries come in the form of jokes,
limmericks, poetry, short stories, blurbs, graphics, pictures, articles,
creative narratives.

We welcome bloggers in different languages!

So ka-BLOG! with us!

For more information on ka-BLOG!, go http://www.takeback thetech.net

[FYI. In Filipino slang, "ka-BLOG" would mean someone you blog with.]