Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2007-12-12, Page 16Crossroads 16 Times -Advocate Wednesday, December 12, 2007 Filmmaker says we need to stay inAfghanistan By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — It's a long way from Huron County to the war-torn lands of Afghanistan and the land mine -scarred landscape of Cambodia, but photo -jour- nalist and filmmaker Richard Fitoussi has experience in both countries. The Bayfield -based Fitoussi spoke at a Community Forum at South Huron District High School last Thursday, shar- ing videos from films he is working on and offering his impressions on Canada's involvement in Afghanistan. Fitoussi, a former student of SHDHS principal Jeff Reaburn's at Central Huron Secondary School, is the interna- tional project manager and founder of The Cambodian Land Mine Museum Relief Fund, which, in addition to hous- ing a museum, contains a school, an orphanage with living facilities for up to 30 at -risk children, a medical clinic and training facility for landmine accident prevention. His documentary about Cambodia, "Year Zero: Story of a Khmer Rouge Soldier," he hopes to take to the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. Another film, about the war in Afghanistan, "Ghosts of War," Fitoussi thinks will be marketed to the BBC first before coming to Canada. "Year Zero" tells the story of a former child Khmer Rouge soldier, Aki Ra, who now clears the land mines he once laid as a soldier. It was Aki Ra who started the museum as a collection of the land mines he cleared. Reaburn told those in attendance at Fitoussi's talk last week that Fitoussi is proof you can grow up in Huron County and go on to do interesting and impor- tant work. Fitoussi, who first visited Cambodia in 2000 as a photo -journalist, said his interest in the country started as a child when he watched Oscar -winning picture "The Killing Fields." Eventually, he did a school project on the brutal Khmer Rouge and dictator Pol Pot. Now at 33 years old, he's working alongside a for- mer Khmer Rouge soldier (Aki Ra) and one of his best friends is prosecuting the Khmer Rouge. "I'm broke, but I've had a pretty cool life," Fitoussi joked. First going to Afghanistan in 2004 as an imbedded photographer with NATO forces, Fitoussi returned there in 2006. In addition to expressing frustration that the "good stories" resulting from Canada's involvement in the war aren't Helping out — Bayfield -based photo -journalist and filmmaker Richard Fitoussi, centre, spoke at South Huron District High School last week of his work in Afghanistan and Cambodia.As founder and manager of The Cambodian Land Mine Museum Relief Fund, Fitoussi also spoke of humanitarian efforts to help children affected by land mines in Cambodia.To help out the fund, the SHDHS School Council donated $350.With Fitoussi above are principal Jeff Reaburn, left, and School Council chairperson Jim Brintnell. (photo/Scott Nixon) being reported, Fitoussi says the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq can't be painted with the same brush. In Afghanistan, Canada isn't at war with the Afghan people, Fitoussi said, the war is against the Taliban, most of whom are from Pakistan. He added the belief that Canada is a peacekeeping country is a myth; Canada does "nation building," Fitoussi said. "We're enforcing international law with the barrel of a gun." He added if the war in Afghanistan wasn't taking place, the people there would be worse off. Referring to the Taliban as an oppressive regime, Fitoussi said the war effort is the lesser of two evils. He added the Taliban can't be negotiated with. He said the Taliban have tried to keep Muslims in the Stone Age and Canada's involvement in the war is an attempt to help protect the Afghan people from the Taliban. The war in Iraq, in contrast, is an ille- gal war, not sanctioned by the United Nations, Fitoussi said, explaining that the United States invaded on its own terms and the bombing campaign was a violation of the Geneva Convention. He said since 2003, leukemia rates and malformations in Iraq have skyrocketed due to radiation from the bombing. "It makes me frustrated," he said, when people try to compare the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Fitoussi said he resents the European countries who aren't pulling their own weight in Afghanistan, while nations like Canada and Britain do the "dirty work." He said the Taliban is comparable to the evil regime of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in the 1970s, a time when an estimated two million Cambodians were killed and millions of land mines were laid. Fitoussi added all the Canadian sol- diers he has spoken to in Afghanistan are glad to serve there. Describing him- self as "generally, a pacifist," Fitoussi said he believes Canada will have to be in Afghanistan for the next 20 years. But he added there are many chal- lenges, including: • heroin. The Taliban is funding their war through the drug trade; • we're fighting what Fitoussi calls "a new Taliban," different from the Taliban ousted in 2001; • the relationship with the Karzai administration is "uneasy" and "uncer- tain;" • the slow rate of rebuilding. The Afghan people had huge expectations when forces arrived in their country. The rebuilding has been slow, Fitoussi says. "If we leave, I think NATO will be fm- ished ... and then I think we're in trou- ble." Fitoussi described the Afghans as "a fantastic, honourable people," and said the students he spoke to in Kabul are thankful Canada is there. "It's a pretty noble mission," Fitoussi said of the war in Afghanistan, adding that the Canadian government has cleared one third of the land mines in Afghanistan, "a huge accomplishment. The de -mining work has been incredi- ble," Fitoussi said. He described the Canadian soldiers as well-read and well-informed. Of "Year Zero," his story about Cambodia, Fitoussi calls it a film about redemption. Millions of land mines are still buried in Cambodia; many are too dangerous to be removed, so they are exploded. Most victims of land mines are chil- dren, Fitoussi said, explaining they can look like toys to the children and "curiosity gets the best of them." Fitoussi said he hopes The Cambodian Land Mine Museum will be economically self-sufficient in two years. The school at the back of museum provides education and food for the children until they reach Grade 12 and if they are interest- ed in university, the museum will help the children apply for micro -loans. He said there is a stigma attached to chil- dren in Cambodia who are victims of land mine explosions. The Cambodian Land Mine Museum Relief Fund is registered as a non-profit non-government organization in Canada and Cambodia. According to its website, its goals are: • "to establish a land mine museum in Cambodia for the purpose of providing landmine accident prevention aware- ness and public education; • "to provide educational facilities, programming and rehabilitation facili- ties for survivors of landmine injury." The SHDHS School Council gave a boost to the relief fund Thursday night, donating $350. For more information, visit www. cam- bodialandminemuseum.org Schenk captures presidency of School Boards Association By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE TORONTO — In an unprecedented state of affairs, Huron and Perth counties are now front and centre in the lobby effort on behalf of both publicly funded school systems in Ontario. Wingham resident Colleen Schenk captured the pres- idency of the Ontario Public School Boards Association (OPSBA) at a special association meeting in Toronto last week. In stepping into the post, Schenk joins Stratford resi- dent Bernard Murray, who earlier this year became president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association (OCSTA). "The two presidents (of the two lobby organizations) from the same school board — that's pretty unusual," Murray admitted, when told of Schenk's victory. Murray, the Perth South/West Perth representative on the Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board, had wished Schenk the best of luck when they both attend- ed the release of the Speech from the Throne, but had- n't yet heard the result from the OPSBA presidential vote. Schenk had been acting spokesperson for the organi- zation since August, when former president Rick Johnson stepped down to contest a Toronto -area seat in the provincial election. At the time, she was one of two OPSBA vice presidents. "I was cautiously optimistic, but I never take anything for granted," Schenk said when asked if she was sur- prised by her victory over two other presidential candi- dates. Avon Maitland District School Board education direc- tor Geoff Williams cited Schenk's experience as a major factor in her victory. Schenk began 10 years ago as the Avon Maitland District School Board's delegate to the association, moved up to regional vice -chairper- son and then regional vice-president, and ultimately spent two years as association vice-president. "There's a real tradition (in the OPSBA) of people in Colleen's position moving into the president's position," Williams noted. Murray agreed, adding he looks forward to working with his newly -elected counterpart. "Colleen is a good person who will work well together with our organiza- tion." He said the two separate lobby organizations are at their best when they're able to work together on their work — including researching and presenting policy positions to governments, promoting the value of pub- licly -funded education and fostering communication between boards. "It's good to have good communica- tion. That helps to foster good decision-making." A news release from the Avon Maitland board stated Schenk "is committed to working successfully with par- ents, school boards and the provincial government .. . on behalf of 1.3 million Ontario students and their fam- ilies ... to focus on areas in the education system requiring improvement, develop solutions that work for children and strengthen public confidence in Ontario's schools." In an interview, Williams couldn't resist hinting that Schenk might bring a uniquely Huron County flavour to her new post. "It gives you hope that we might have the opportunity to have some local ideas came forward on a more reg- ular basis on the provincial level," the Avon Maitland education director said.