Transmission Asia-Pacific

Notes from the First Transmission Meeting, Forte Prenestino, Roma, Italy, 2006

Transmission Asia-Pacific - Call for Applications
EngageMedia and Ruangrupa would like to announce Transmission Asia-Pacific: a meeting of video activists and free software developers using online video distribution for social justice and media democracy.
Sukabumi, Indonesia, May 19-25, 2008. http://transmission.cc/txap

Online video distribution is rapidly reshaping social change film making, huge opportunities now exist to distribute video work widely, independently and at minimal cost. The potential of online distribution to advance social justice, human rights, environmental and other causes is significant. With this in mind Transmission Asia-Pacific (TX-AP) aims to bring together free software web developers and video activists from throughout the region to share skills and forge collaborations.

TX-AP will bring together 50 people for five days on the edge of the Gede Pangrango National Park near Sukabumi, 120km from Jakarta. TX-AP will be a space for video makers to learn about free and open source video tools and interface with the technologists developing them. For developers it will be an opportunity to share skills and share code
in order to be more effective. The meeting will allow developers to better understand the needs of video makers and for video makers to understand and contribute to the processes of development. TX-AP is a meeting of peers where everyone brings something to contribute.

The TX-AP meeting will link into the existing Transmission network. Transmission is a network of video activists, artists, researchers, programmers and web producers who are developing online video distribution tools for social justice and media democracy. The network aims to build the necessary tools, standards, documentation and social networks to make independent online distribution possible. http://transmission.cc

The core aims of the meeting are to
* build a regional network of online video web developers, online
video projects and video makers who can work together into the future
* develop the skills of video activists in the areas of encoding,
online distribution, open formats and Free software.
* develop and discuss new online video tactics in campaigning
* increase the uptake and collaboration around shared FOSS online
video distribution tools such as Content Management Systems
* build upon existing Transmission projects such as translation
tools, metadata standard, FOSS codecs, documentation etc. and their
application in the region
* ensure programmers leave with an enhanced understanding of online
video development, understanding of video makers needs and the
ability to run video distribution software

Who should apply?
We're looking for activist video makers, organisers and web-developers from the Asia-Pacific region. If you are a web developer you should have a keen interest in open source technologies, have some knowledge of software programming and preferably already be working with video. If you are a video maker you should already be accomplished in your field and have made several videos. We're looking for video makers and web developers who will take back the skills they learn to their communities and pass them on.

How to Apply?
To apply to attend you need to fill out the online form here which you can find here:
http://www.transmission.cc/Asia_Pacific_Application_Form We particularly encourage women to apply.

Please note that given the range of countries participants will be coming from English will be the main language used at the meeting. If you have any questions about the application form or the event you can contact the organisers here:
http://www.engagemedia.org/contact-info
APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON MARCH 21The First Meeting of TRANSMISSION, ROMA, 2006

Why isn't the meeting open?
Due to funding and venue limitations we're not able to make the meeting open for anyone to attend. Apart from specific trainers and Transmission network project leads participants are restricted to the Asia-Pacific region. We are also committed to at least 1/3 of participants being women and that the meeting as a whole is representative of the region, ie that wealthier attendees from a couple of countries do not dominate the meeting.

Costs and Scholarships
There are a limited number of travel scholarships for people to attend. In the application form you should specify if you need a
scholarship and why.

There is also a small, scaled attendance fee to help cover costs such as food an accommodation. This is either $75, $50 or $25. This fee can be waived if an attendee or organisation is unable to afford it. All food, accomodation and local transport will be covered for all attendees.
Transmission Asia-Pacific is supported by Hivos and the Open Society Institute.
More info: http://transmission.cc/txap
EngageMedia: http://engagemedia.org
Ruangrupa: http://ruangrupa.org
Participants in the first Transmission meeting held in Roma at Forte Prenestino in July, 2006.

Cork Community TV

Cork Community TV has worked with Travelers,
An interesting post about the minority group was recently published by Al Jazeera:

SchoolNet's Computer Comics

Memorial for Saint Clair Bourne

The Riverside Church was full on January 25, 2008. The enormous sanctuary was filled with filmmakers, writers, artist, architects, organizers and fans-- all of whom turned out to pay their respect to the great spirit who had passed-- Saint Clair Bourne. Bourne was a prodigious filmmaker who completed 42 documentaries. At the time of his death, there were at least six on-going projects that he was working on. His documentaries chronicled the history of African Americans with biographies of John Henrik Clarke, Paul Robeson, Amiri Baraka, Spike Lee, Langston Hughes and many others. These documents will be the shown to high schools and colleges for decades to come. At Riverside, Amiri Baraka was the Master of Ceremonies, as many rose to speak of Bourne's wide influence and profound gifts of talent and dedication. As Thomas Allen Harris describes he was a mentor to generations of African American independent producers. Carol Maillard and Alexander Elisa sang a duet of Joe Hill.
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you or me
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead,"
"I never died," says he
"I never died," says he.

"In Salt Lake, Joe," says I to him,
Him standing by my bed,
"They framed you on a murder charge,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead,"
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead."

"The copper bosses killed you, Joe,
They shot you, Joe," says I.
"Takes more than guns to kill a man,"
Says Joe, "I didn't die,"
Says Joe, "I didn't die."

And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Joe says, "What they forgot to kill
Went on to organize,
Went on to organize."

"Joe Hill ain't dead," he says to me,
"Joe Hill ain't never died.
Wherever workers go on strike
Joe Hill is at their side,
Joe Hill is at their side."

"From San Diego up to Maine,
In every mine and mill,
Where workers strike and organize,"
Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill,"
Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill."

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you or me
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead,"
"I never died," says he
"I never died," says he.

Kathleen Cleaver spoke about how Saint Clair introduced her to the world of film and film festivals. He helped her organize the Black Panther Film Festival in Harlem. Melvin Van Peeples said Saint Clair had a PHD in Loving.

Church of Stop Shopping Confronts Gentrification