The Southern Africa Media Center a Project of California Newsreel, 630 Natoma Street, San Fancisco, CA 94103 (415) 621-6196
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The Southern Africa Media Center A Project of California Newsreel, 630 Natoma Street, San Fancisco, CA 94103 (415) 621-6196 Advisory Board* Memo To: Advisory Board Harry Belafonte From~ Cornelius Moore Hon. Julian Bond re: new catalog, new projects Hon. William Booth Date: July 22, 1986 Bishop H. H. Brookins Dennis Brutus Enclosed please find a copy of our new catalog. Ossie Davis Ruby Dee We will send out 40,000 in our largest mailing yet. Han. Ronald V. Dellums This year's catalog features two significant new Milfred C. Fierce, Chair, releases, Witness to Apartheid and Winnie and Nelson Africa na Studies, Brooklyn College Mandela. Edward Hawley, Editor, Africa TodOl/ George Houser Witness to Apartheid was made at the behest of Rev. M. William Howard, Jr. Bishop Tutu. The film allows those who face daily the Fonller Pres. , Nat1 Council of Churches guns, teargas and bullwhips of the security forces to Paul Irish, Associate Director, American Committee on Africa speak to a western audience. The film's shocking Rev. Joseph Lowery, President, expose of systematic torture and police brutality will Southern Christian Leadership Conference shake the conscience of the most quiescent, making the Prexy Nesbitt film an ideal vehicle for broadening involvement in Randall Robinson, Executive Director, TransAfrica anti-apartheid activities. Christine Root, Association of Concerned African Scholars Winnie and Nelson Mandela personifies the South Jea n Sindab, Director African freedom struggle through the tale of two of its Washington Office on Africa Timothy Smith, Director, Interfaith most legendary leaders. The film introduces Americans Committee on Corporate Responsibility to those whom our own government has steadfastly Steve Talbot, Journalist refused to nengage. n Dr. James Turner, Director, Africana Center, Cornell Univ. Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker Film and video screenings in living rooms, Hon. Maxine Waters dormitory lounges, church basements, and classrooms Dr. David Wiley, Director, African around the country enable Americans to bypass Studies, Michigan State Univ. intransigent governments and the apartheid regime's 'Organizations listed for identification media ban, opening up new possibilities for what might purposes only. be called npeople-to-peoplen diplomacy. We are initiating a project called nTogether/Against Apart heidn which takes advantage of the growing ubiquity of videocassette recorders to stimulate thousands of small, informal screenings across the country and then helps viewers to translate the insights and indignations generated by the film into simple, concrete acts of political and financial support for the victims of apartheid. Viewers will be supplied with resource packages which include such elements as pledge cards for contributions to the South African Council of Churches Emergency Fund, postcards to elected officials demanding that government intensify its pressure on South Africa and directly support black political demands, a resource directory enabling local viewers to link up with national campaigns ... the building blocks of a people-to-people foreign policy . • ,, ~ IO O We will also mount a major effort to place low-cost videocassettes complete with teachers' guides in high schools throughout the country. The learning module would enable teachers at last to "bring South Africa into the classroom" and provide students with the framework needed for understanding today's momentous events. We are currently engaged in discussions with the NEA, the National Council of Social Studies and others. The sucess of both programs will be dependent upon our ability to offer 1/2" VHS cassettes at prices substantially lower than the standard educational offering. In fact, we would like to make our entire library available on VHS to high schools, churches, civic groups and individuals at about $80 per title. But since such an effort can never pay for itself we rust raise the funds needed to support the massive promotion, outreach, and consulting components central to it. Over the next few weeks I hope to contact some of you by phone. I will ask you about conferences and other venues where the films should be screened. Witness to Apartheid has already been screened before the Emminent Persons Commission, the UN's Paris conference on sanctions, and on Capitol Hill at a reception for Bishop Tutu. I would also like to ask you to recommend funding suggestions for "Together/Against Apartheid" and our high school project. By then we will have completed our proposal describing the projects in full. .