congo

"We live in one world, not three. I'm very much against that we have three worlds. We have one world dominated by the same system," says Nawal El Saadawi, the pioneering Egyptian feminist thinker. In part two of her conversation with Laura, Dr. Saadawi elaborates on what real democracy would look like, in Egypt and around the world, on the connections between capitalism, patriarchy, and religious fundamentalism--and not just Islamic religious fundamentalism. A little over a year ago, Rose Mapendo visited us in our New York studio to tell us her story. Rose escaped from the Democratic Republic of Congo with nine of her ten children, and she became a humanitarian activist. Pushing the Elephant picks up ten years later, as Mapendo reunites with her daughter and is struggling to heal her family and homeland as an advocate for refugees. The documentary exposes the hidden effects of war on families, and the collective power of women. Dr. Peter Gomes died recently; the Harvard theologian advocated for the rights of gays and lesbians after coming out about his own sexuality in 1991. Just after that, he gave the sermon at Rev. Jacqui Lewis's commencement. She shares her memories with us. Distributed by Tubemogul.

This weekend saw something revolutionary -- not just in Egypt, but in Congo. The V-Day foundation, led by playwright and GRITtv guest Eve Ensler, opened its first City of Joy, a compound that will help Congolese women, many of them rape survivors, heal and learn, as V-Day puts it, to "turn their pain to power." The compound cost around $1 million, and hopes to graduate 180 women per year. Ensler told the New York Times, "You build an army of women," and they take power for themselves. Distributed by Tubemogul.

We hear a lot about "post-racial" politics these days--the election of Barack Obama supposedly has led us into a post-racial age, but have we really seen anything change? Not much, notes Kimberle Crenshaw, co-founder of the African-American Policy Forum, and it's not really new either. But a lack of a sense of history is another symptom of today's politics, and Crenshaw notes that even black elected officials and candidates sometimes fall victim. Crenshaw joins Laura in studio for a look at black tea party candidates, the troubles facing Adrian Fenty and other black mayors, and the problem with claims of "reverse racism." "We talk about this fault break between war and peace, and it doesn't work that way for women," notes Ann Jones, longtime journalist, author, and humanitarian. Women, she points out, are often victims of sexual violence long after the official peace agreements are signed, and they often become the victims of abuse when soldiers come home traumatized and unable to deal with what they've seen and done. Jones was recently embedded with U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and also has a new book out, War Is Not Over When It's Over: Women Speak Out from the Ruins of War. She joins Laura in studio to discuss her time reporting on conflicts around the world, and what happens to the people who survive them. And Laura has some thoughts on just why the cycle of war never ends, and wonders why we can't seem to figure out the simple answers.

Financial reform came up for a test vote this week in the Senate--and the Republican party (plus Ben Nelson) voted to filibuster the bill before even debating the subject. Will GOP political posturing continue to hold progress hostage? What's the point of being the Party of No, and will the Republicans' apparent decision to stick to that line finally push Obama to decide that there's no point in trying to win them over, and lead him to making progressive choices--for the Supreme Court, say? Joining us to make sense of the confusion in Washington, D.C. is regular GRITtv guest Melissa Harris-Lacewell, columnist for The Nation and professor at Princeton. She also has some thoughts on Nightline's recent special on the purported marriage crisis among black women. Lisa Shannon literally had her life changed by an Oprah show. She watched a program about the suffering of women in Congo and was inspired to do something. But each step wasn't enough--sending money, organizing a Run for Congo Women, getting in touch with other runners, even traveling to Congo to meet the women she was helping. Her new book "A Thousand Sisters: My Journey into the Worst Place on Earth to Be a Woman" details her transition from affluent businesswoman to dedicated activist in a global movement, and she joins Laura in studio to talk about Congo and what all of us can do to help. SUPERFRONT is a gallery and space in Brooklyn, New York where architecture meets art, dance, sound, and more. Currently on display are the graphic-novel-like drawings of Jimenez Lai, who challenges his discipline to be more humanistic and experimental. GRITtv's Sarah Friedland visited the space and brought us this report. Jimenez Lai's work will be on display until May 9. If you're in Brooklyn, we encourage you to check it out. Finally, as the debate over financial reform heats up, Laura once again looks at some of the folks who made out like bandits when the economy collapsed.