Art as Resistance

TruthOut by Dahr Jamail | Sep. 7, 2009 (Special Report)
"Throughout history, culture and art have always been the celebration of freedom under oppression."

Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have tough truths to tell, and it has been well demonstrated that the establishment media does not want to broadcast these. Given the lack of an outlet for anti-war voices in the corporate media, many contemporary veterans and active-duty soldiers have embraced the arts as a tool for resistance, communication and healing. They have made use of a wide range of visual and performing arts - through theater, poetry, ... Full Story »

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Dwight Rousu
4.6
 by Dwight Rousu - Sep. 9, 2009

In writing about veterans dealing with atrocities and guilt from the invasion and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, Dahr Jamail creates a moving story himself. The reckless disregard of the personal effects of war on the part of the mainstream press finds a counterpoint here.

Recommended reading. Afghanistan lingers...

On the second day of that workshop, Cameron assembled a group of veterans and began making paper of the uniform he wore during the occupation by shredding, beating, and pulping it to form sheets of paper, and his friends loved it. That was the genesis of the Combat Paper Project.

A charcoal and watercolor piece titled "Do Not Stop … " represents the consequences of the orders given to drivers in convoys not to stop when children were on the road. The painting shows a soldier’s boot next to the body of a dead child.

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