Faces of the Forum

Faces from all around the globe in one place seemed like the perfect opportunity to interview diverse persons and collect different viewpoints. I asked them all the same question: What do you think is the biggest struggle facing your community? Here's what they had to say.



Rose Mulyungi, 42, (right), woman's rights organizer in KENYA
"The women in our community are not given a chance to speak out, to organize, to represent. Men are still dictating lives. There must be education and empowerment. The women must educate their husbands and sons."

Kisio Kimanzi, (left), woman's rights organizer in KENYA
"The access to education is still a grave problem in our community."



Filmmaker, 41, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, is currently working on a documentary on Nairobi slums
"There's a lack of community, no sense of a movement happening, no unity."



Azubike Nwokoye, 29, development activist in NIGERIA
"Government accountability is a major problem in my community. Citizens are supposed to be the rightholders but that's not so. The government must show responsiveness to issues. Also the EU's trade agreement with Africa will basically put each development into slavery."



Marco Fantechi, 46, Refundacion Comunista political party organizer in ITALIA
"Italians have to be more open to work with and build alliances with immigrants that come to Italy. Also, Italians need to reduce their amount of consumption."





Abla Mahdi, 50, director of women's organization in SUDAN
"We are having many conflicts within our tribes that we must solve through peace negotiations. But the USA is trying to intervene with acts of militarization. If this happens, we will become another Iraq. Therefore we don't want troops, only a push in the peace process."



Esther Penunia, 48, secretary general for Asian Farmers Association in the PHILIPPINES
"In Southeast Asia farmers are feeling neglect from the government. Their rights to land, municipal water and seas are being violated. There is low production and lack of access to markets."



Erika Chen, 25 of TAIWAN
"Indigenous people and tribes of Taiwan are struggling right now. Agricultural goods are not sold for good prices anymore. Many are leaving to other cities in the island."



Special Thanks to Newton Marikio, 22, a computer technology instructor in NAIROBI who offered to be my Swahili translator during my interview with Rose and Kisio of Kenya!!

I also asked him what he thought were the struggles of young people in Nairobi. Here's what he said:
"We are getting educated, but there is a lack of employment. Most places ask for at least five years of experience, but where are we supposed to get that if someone doesn't give us a chance to work."