Gunillocentrism – web diary of a freelance journalist

This was a truly charming weekend!

**Friday**
I was invited to participate in “Community Commons” – a workshop with grassroots activists from all around the world. They were sharing experiences from work they do in their local communities, as of for example poverty reduction, environmental work, and education.
More information here: Fordham and U.N. Team Up for Global Conference and here: UNDP - Equator Initiative.

People came from Peru, Moçambique, Rwanda, Nepal, India…and lots of other countries. It all took place in a huge tent on the campus. At one point, I sat in the shadow under a tree working (doing a telephone interview on UN Security Council reforms with a NYU academic) and felt happy just to be in that ambiance. (Shadows under trees = great office spaces.)

The whole idea was to canalize these activists’ and advocates’ opinions into the work with the Millennium Development Goals. Everybody, not the least me, should learn more about those! This is a start: UN Millennium Project: About our Goals. People from the World Bank and UNDP were there to listen.

No, I wasn’t going to write about it. As you might guess, it is notoriously difficult to pitch stories on things that have to do with poverty and the third world, whether or not it has a positive or a negative slant. (Yes, I am still very bitter about my Haiti experience, read about that here: Gunilla’s Haiti travelogue from November and here: Journalisten; click on “comments” to the right of article) I will try again this fall, with report journeys to Ghana, Liberia, and Haiti, but do not expect to much as of pitched stories.)

At Community Commons, I merely hoped to get a better feeling for the ongoing discussions on United Nations reforms, because just like newly elected General Assembly President Jan Eliasson says – reforms must be judged according to what they mean for people on the ground.
Also, it’s nice to take advantage of the fact that New York really is a city where people from the entire world get together. If I hadn’t been so lazy, I should have looked for people to make contacts with, perhaps in countries where I would like to travel.

So, there I was – amidst Massai women from Kenya, an environmental activist from the Pacific Cook Island (which, he said, has less inhabitants in the entire country than there are students at the Fordham University!), Maya Indian women from Guatemala, rosy American graduate students who want to change the world, and many others.

For many activists, it was probably their very first trip abroad, and I think they felt empowered and overwhelmed only by that.
From my studies at Columbia University (SIPA and Center for the Study of Human Rights) I also know that it means a lot for activists to know that there are people struggling for the same things as they do on the other side of the world. And the last years, they have been able to connect to each other much more easily and share experiences, not the least via Internet.

Then we went on to another – for me – completely unexpected adventure! A short walk from the Fordham campus, New York’s largest zoo is to be found: About the Bronx Zoo.
So, all of a sudden, I was in the middle of a rain forest, face to face with pretty amazing gorillas! You have to say hallo to this guy: Resident of the Congo Gorilla Forest
The Congo Gorilla Forest and the Butterfly Garden were open exclusively for the participants of Community Commons. The war in Congo, which must be devastating for resources to things such as natural parks and animal conservation, was barely mentioned in all of the information, but there were lots of things to learn, about rain forests and wild life research… I donated $10 for protection of rain forests in Gabon (!).

We then had a dinner party together, with “typical American food” (BBQ’d chicken, hamburgers, macaroni&cheese, salads). I was sitting next to some of the Massai women, straight from Kenya, all dressed up in their traditional clothes and jewelry – and after dinner they performed with an amazing song program. To be followed by a pan flute and guitar orchestra from Ecuador. A New York evening…

Then I went on to Williamsburg and hang out with my cool friend Karen for the rest of the evening. We went to an artsy performance in a gallery at Driggs Avenue, a bizarre thing with naked men wearing masks and dancing together. Well, we came too late for the actual performance - we saw no handsome men. Only the video, some lonely dancers and a drink bowl were left.
For those of you who missed my *legendary* article on Williamsburg in Swedish fashion and life style magazine Bibel (1/1999) you can read about the ‘hood here: Williamsburg.

**Saturday**
A lazy day, mostly spent with sleeping, hanging out with Karen and her cute dog Tilda, and hunting for someone to sublet my apartment.
Then in the evening we got a little more active and went to this cool place: Bauplatz, Williamsburg. If you’re in New York, go there! They will have activities weekend afternoons and evenings throughout the summer, and it’s a great way to check out the hipster scene in Williamsburg. Plus, their $4 street food was actually excellent.
All in all, Karen and I spent 24h together – fun! We ended the Saturday evening with splurging at Fada, a restaurant at Driggs and North 6th. Tuna tartar, clafoutis, grilled swordfish, grilled lamb steak, tiramisu – yummie! Outdoor seats, live orchestra, warm ambiance - highly recommended. All of a sudden [Swedish artist/friend] Madeleine Hatz was at the table next to us!

**Sunday**
I did _nothing_, other than receiving presumptive flat mates/subletters. People don’t realize how hard work it is to sublet an apartment! (Yes, I know it is hard work to find a place to rent as well.)