The COVID-19 has lead to exposure of many areas of our society’s inequality. It has created little but enhanced the underlying lack of equity in the world we have built. Over 84 governments across the world have used the pandemic to justify violating the human right of free speech, and peaceful assembly. This is not […]
Art and Human Rights the need for partnerships.
Refugees rescued from the sea. Watercolour on paper, 2019 Art opens our eyes. Throughout history we have been able to read the social and political history when it has been captured in a painting. More than this, the great artists used art as a way to tell stories, to share their own views and ideas. […]
Clean Environment is a Human Right to come
Sadly, during the past century, the environment of planet earth has been attacked. In some places habitats have been destroyed, in many places, irreparable damage has been done to its forests. The overall effect on Earth’s delicate environment has been devastating – particularly since the systems that would help the process of restoring vegetation will […]
Doris Brabham Hatt, an inspiration.
I’m always learning about new artists, old and new, recently I have discovered Doris Brabham Hatt, whom excitedly I discovered lived in Clevedon, not far from where my own art studio is located. Doris stood out not just for her wonderful art, which really pushed boundaries of composition and colour in modern art, but also […]
Democracy, Responsibility and Peace
Today, the values of democracy, open society, respect for human rights, equality, and my favourite value; dignity, are becoming recognised all over the world as universal values. This is not an education, revolution nor a progression but a realisation of values. To my mind there is an intimate connection between democratic values and the fundamental […]
Human Rights in the new world ahead. -Pandemic recovery
We enter a new world. There is no longer a ‘normal’, there never was. We always enter a new world each day. Our views and ideas have shifted, through the great awakening that is the pandemic we have, mostly, opened our eyes not only to the inequalities of society but also for the need to […]
Closing the Gap Between Rich and Poor
Our world is increasingly interdependent, but I wonder if we truly understand that our interdependent human community has to be compassionate; compassionate in our choice of goals, compassionate in our means of cooperation and our pursuit of these goals. The first of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is No.1 NO POVERTY it is an […]
Improving Observance of Human Rights
Detachment does not mean without compassion. I’m often told I don’t speak up for my own work and my own experiences around the world championing human rights, and there is a reason for this. I aim for detachment. This concept of being detached and non-sentimental or judgemental is something that doesn’t mean uncaring, it means […]
This is how you grow
Some words I put together for a scout leader training project last week. Become friends with people who aren’t your age. Hang out with people whose first language isn’t the same as yours. Get to know someone who doesn’t come from your social class. Break your in-group bias. This is how you see the world. This is […]