[stop-imf] UPDATE - protests and events at IMF/WB annual meetings

[Robert Weissman]

Lots happening in Washington, DC right now. If you're in town or near,
please be sure to join the protest on Saturday.

Details on the demonstration are below, followed by a calendar of events.

There'll be a high volume of messages over the next couple days, then
things will tail off to the usual level.

--
Robert Weissman



***************************
Mass IMF & World Bank Protest
SATURDAY, April 24
NOON
FRANKLIN SQUARE (14 & K)
Washington, DC
***************************
Mobilization for Global Justice
www.globalizethis.org
202.588.1529

____MEET @ NOON_______
At Franklin Square Park at (14th & K St.) where local and global voices
will join together to oppose the devastation wrought by these institutions
to healthcare and women=92s rights and to kick off the event.

___CACEROLAZO & MARCH_______     ***Bring your Pots & Pans***
In the style of Argentinean protest, bring your pots, pans, whistles,
drums, and noisemakers as we march to the doors of the profiteers of
global economic destruction.  On our way to the World Bank, we will visit
the homes of corporations that profit off the Bank=92s destructive policies=
.

___FESTIVAL OF RESISTANCE________
We will end our march back at Franklin Square Park and celebrate our
vision of another world=97free from corporate greed and the domination of
global capital.
Events to include:
-Music, Poetry & Spoken Word, and Drumming
-FREE FOOD
-Really, Really Free Market (be sure to bring something
 anything to trade
for goods, services, and food!)
-Dunk the IMF & World Bank
-Pin the Structural Adjustment on the Country
-The Unequal Tug of War

-----------------


*Thursday, April 22, 4-6 pm: Cry of the People, Cry of the
Earth: Will the World Bank & IMF Respond?  Vigil outside
IMF/WB, 18th & Pennsylvania, N.W.  Religious Working Group
on the World Bank and IMF.

*Thursday, April 22, 7:30 pm: Conference - Resisting
Market Fundamentalism: Retirement Planning for the IMF &
World Bank at 60 - National Baptist Memorial Church, 1501
Columbia Road, N.W. Opening plenary session. Conference
changes location for Friday.

*Friday, April 23, 9:30 am - 10 pm: Conference - Resisting
Market Fundamentalism: Retirement Planning for the IMF &
World Bank at 60 - New York Avenue Presbyterian Church,
1313 New York Ave., N.W.

*Saturday, April 24, 12 - 5 pm: Rally and march for global
justice, with festival of resistance.  Rally and festival
at Franklin Square (bounded by 14th, 13th, K, and I
Streets, N.W.).  March goes from Franklin Square to IMF/WB
and back to Franklin Square.

*Saturday, April 24, 7-10 pm:  Celebration of the 10th
anniversary of the 50 Years Is Enough Network and 80th
birthday year of Dennis Brutus. Josephine Butler Parks
Center, 2437 15th St., N.W.  Donation of $25 requested.

*Sunday, April 25, 12-6 pm: March for Women's Lives, The
Mall.

JOIN the Mobilization for Global Justice
**marching with the WOMEN OF COLOR contingent*****
Arts and Activism, Art Liberation Zone, Cultural WOrkers, Allies on
SUNDAY!!!
March for Women's Lives
www.marchforwomen.org

Rhythm WOrkers. Belly Dancers, DC Labor CHorus ,Sophie's Parlor, DAWN,other=
s
and GIANT Goddess PUPPETS and   Banners of course!!

Gathering time and location:
10 am
14th and Constitution!!! Look for the Giant GOddess Puppets.
(it is not clear exactly where we will be able to drop off and
assmeble the puppets, but as of now, we will try to get as close as we can
to 14th on the Mall!!!!)

MGJ/WAG: nbloch at igc.org
Rhythm WOrkers: crazyjavelina at yahoo.com
DC Labor chorus:  LSMOOT at cwa-union.org


--------------
WATER JUSTICE FILM FESTIVAL

Thursday, April 22: 7.30 pm.

Water Wars: Struggle in the   Holy Land =95   Iain Taylor  =95  1997

Could the war of the next century be over water rather than oil or
politics? Demand for this most basic of resources is outstripping supply
in some parts of the world and it is in these areas that the seeds of
future wars have already been sown. Struggle in the Holy Land focuses on
the apparent water inequalities between Palestinians and Israeli
settlers in the West Bank and Gaza.

AND

Thirsting for War =95  Christopher Mitchell     =95

Water, one of life's necessities, is becoming a source of conflict on a
global scale, much like oil. This film takes a comprehensive look at the
struggle for control of water in the Middle East, specifically in
Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Thirsting for War explores the political and
economic dimensions of the growing tension in the region with great
clarity. It is also sensitive to the personal dimension of these
problems, including interviews with the displaced and suffering.

@ Jack Morton Auditorium, George Washington University. 805 21st Street,
NW, corner of 21st and H Streets.

Saturday, April 24: 7.00 pm.

The Never Never Water=95  Alessandra Speciale   =95      2002

The =93water lords=94 have arrived in the Sahel as well. In Ougadougou,
Burkina Faso, the search for water has always been an exhausting chore.
In addition to the shortage of water there is now also the threat of
privatization. In this period of drought, people crowd around the wells,
waiting hours to fill a few buckets. Midway between reportage and
narrative story-telling, this documentary tells the story of Moussa, an
itinerant water seller in the suburbs of the capital. It is a
mesmerizing and paced tale of water justice at a very personal level.

* To be preceded by a reception in honor of Rudolf Amenga-Etego.

* Panel will include Amenga-Etego and writer/activist Maude Barlow.

Read about Mr.  Amenga-Etego in Time Magazine.

@ Carnegie Institution, 1530 P Street NW, corner of 16th and P Streets.

Tuesday, April 27: 7.00 pm.

Thirst =95 Alan Snitow and Deborah Kaufman =95  2004

This excellent new film elucidates the inherent drama of communities
fighting for control of their water. Thirst examines communities in
Bolivia, India and Stockton, California, facing contentious issues
surrounding the privatization of water, and skillfully places the debate
in the context of the 2003 World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan. Activists
claim that water is a human right, whereas corporations declare it a
commodity. $7

[** "THIRST" will have its national broadcast premiere on Tuesday, July
13 at 10pm on the 17th season of PBS's acclaimed "P.O.V." documentary
series. (Check local listings.)]

@ Visions Cinema, 1927 Florida Ave, NW. www.visionsdc.com.