By Amir Bagheri
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Adopted in 1948 and translated into more than 500 languages, which makes it the most translated document in the world. It has shaped many countries’ constitution, and it is one of the most used terms by politicians across the world.
It is often seen as a responsibility that governments should hold up to. But they don’t. Even the most “democratic” states fail at implementing these rights to the extent they should. We continuously fail women, children, refugees, minorities, and many other groups.
Perhaps we should stop looking at Human Rights as something our governments should uphold. We need to talk about these rights at a more grassroots level. We need to talk about them in our families, to our children, so they understand their rights and responsibilities. This way, we will implement behavioural change at a primary level, and there won’t be a need for external help.
In this issue, we wanted to use storytelling as a tool to dissect the discourses that come with human rights.
In this issue:
Poetry:
Wounded – Dineo Mya Serame
Guilt – Esraa Shaalan
Bell Hooks – Shameelah Khan
Essay:
You Can’t (Yet) Sit with Us: LGBTQI+ Edition – Nkateko Masinga
Music:
To Be Young, Gifted and Black (and female) – Kamogelo Matsoso
Column:
Persian Poetry: For Rosenbergs – Mehdi Bagheri
Book Review:
Jane Eyre – Melissa Fortuin
Film Review:
Aya – Texeira Murray
