CS Ubuntu Newsletter March 2016

Update from the Board

Dear Ubuntu-ers,

Another month, another newsletter. And sit tight for this one, ‘cause we’ve got lots to tell!

February has been a busy month – on stage, but even more so behind the screen. You all got the opportunity to get clarification on all the things we do there, and why we do them, during our Winter General Assembly on 11 February – the minutes of which will be sent to all of you soon! Although we were with few, we had discussions aplenty, and both we and our members left the assembly more informed and inspired.

Inspired is what we felt earlier that week, too, when the Activities Committee took us to the Borderkitchen interview with war photographer Lynsey Addario at Humanity House. Listening and asking questions to Addario, who’s been in such bizarre and dangerous situations, because she felt that she needed to show the world what was going on… it reminded us why we do what we do, and why we study what we study.

Still, sometimes it’s nice to forget all that, and party like there’s no tomorrow. This is exactly what we and our members did on 23 February, when ww organized together with study associations VOCUS, PAP, Babel and Versatile a 'party around the world’.

If you couldn’t be there at the party, or any of the other things we’ve organized, you’ll have plenty opportunity to make up for that with our upcoming activities and during our lustrum week! Or, even better, during the all-new study trip to Dublin and Belfast! See below for more information on the study trip and what else we’ve planned, and keep an eye on our Facebook page and group.

Hoping to see you all soon!

Save the Date: Upcoming CS Ubuntu events

15 March 19:30, Movie and Munchies Part 2: Shok, Drift

It's time for another one of CS Ubuntu's movie nights! With the Oscar's just passed, we want to view together the Albanian/Kosovar production Shok (2015) - which was the first ever Albanian movie to be nominated for an Academy Award. It's bound to be good! We will bring drinks and snacks, as long as you just bring your happy selves! For updates on the event and its location, please stay up to date with the Facebook event page. See you then!

21 March 19:45, Meet the Professionals, Café 't Gras van de Buren, Lange Jansstraat 16

The Activities Committee invites you all to the annual Meet-the-Professionals evening! On Monday 21 March we have set up a speed-date session with professionals from different organizations. These professionals, ranging from Vluchtelingenwerk Nederland to Human Rights Watch and OneWorld will answer all your burning questions about studies, careers, internships and other professional development. Ending at around 21:30, there will be an opportunity for informal drinks (with our professionals) afterwards! For more information, check the Facebook event page.

23 March, Introductory lecture Study Trip to Belfast & Dublin
As you’ve all undoubtedly heard of by now, CS Ubuntu’s annual Study Trip will this year head for Belfast and Dublin! In preparation of this trip, the Study Trip Committee organizes several preparatory events, of which this lecture will be the first. An expert on the subject on Irish-British relations, to be announced later, will give a lecture that will hopefully provide us with a solid knowledge basis before leaving. Also good to know, is that you’re also welcome if you’re not coming on the trip, but are interested in the subject! The event will be free for members, and €2,- for non-members.
As not all details of the event are yet clear, please keep an eye on our Facebook page and group!

End of March, CS Ubuntu's and SVF Cercle's Lecture: The Paris Terror Attacks
2015 has been a challenging year to French, and in particular Parisian, society. The city of Paris got attacked twice: once in January, when the attacks were specifically aimed at satiric cartoon Charlie Hebdo, and once in November, when several community areas were targeted by terrorists. In this lecture, we will look further into the influence these terror attacks have had on France and Paris so far. In order to do so, SVF Cercle and CS Ubuntu jointly organize this lecture, where several experts will tell you more about these cases of terror and the backgrounds. Also, there will be room for questions and debate.

Due to some difficulties, the lecture will be postponed to the end of March. An exact date, time and place will follow on the Facebook event page, so please keep an eye on that if you are interested! For more info on the event, you can also send an e-mail to lecturescommittee.csubuntu@gmail.com.

Other activities that might be of interest to CS Ubuntu-members

07 March 17:00, Lecture Universiteit van Amsterdam, NIOD and AUP: Genocide. Studying the dark side of humans, Spui 25, Amsterdam
The 20th century has been called, not inaccurately, a century of genocide. Yet, the beginning of the 21st century has seen little change, with genocidal violence in Darfur, Congo, Sri Lanka, and Syria. Why is genocide so widespread and so difficult to stop, across societies that differ so much culturally, technologically, and politically? How has genocide research developed since the term was coined in the 1940s? And does the theory of genocide studies contribute to understanding modern mass atrocities? With Diana Oncioiu, Alex de Jong, Thijs Bouwknegt, Uğur Ümit Üngör and Ton Zwaan. The lecture will be held in English, and there will be no entrance fee. However, you do need to register it you want to attend. For more details and the registration link, click here.

12 March 16:00, Debate: The Nuclear Zero battle of the Marshall Islands, Humanity House, The Hague
In April 2015, the Republic of the Marshall Islands filed lawsuit against the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Israel, Pakistan and North-Korea – the world’s nine countries that possess nuclear weapons, for failing to comply with their obligations under international law to pursue negotiations for the worldwide elimination of nuclear weapons. Among other expert speakers, members of the legal team representing the Marshall Islands will be at Humanity House to share their personal stories as well as the impact these cases could have on global nuclear disarmament. The debate will be held in English, and entrance is free. For more information, please take a look at the event on the Humanity House website.

20 March 20:00, Freedom Lecture by Parvez Sharma, Het Nutshuis, The Hague
What does freedom mean to film producer Parvez Sharma, who is both Muslim and homosexual, and who receives death threats because of his work? Is it possible to reconcile freedom of religion with freedom of sexual orientation, or will there always be a tension between the two? In this Freedom Lecture, organized by the Humanity House, Parvez will be in Het Nutshuis in The Hague and tell more about his ground-breaking work, his personal motivations and his definition of freedom. This Q&A will be in English, and a ticket is €7,50 for students (€10,- regular ticket). If you want more info about this event, or about Parvez Sharma, please click here.

In the Spotlight!

The Spotlight of March will be given to one of our partners, a wonderful initiative that helps people who don't have a license to stay, and that even shares our name: het Ubuntu Huis!

History

Like CS Ubuntu, the Ubuntu Huis was founded in 2011 in Utrecht, and it started up in the same house at the Vleutenseweg where it is located now. Their main aim was, and still is, to be a place where homeless people and displaced people who now find themselves in Utrecht, have a place to go, to eat, to have fun and to work. The philosophy that the Ubuntu Huis wants to adhere to, is best described by themselves: ‘Ubuntu is a beautiful name for a house that aims to be a place of appreciation to everyone, especially to people that only seldom feel, or have acknowledged, their own human value. It will most likely not be possible to be 100% Ubuntu, participants will not always feel comfortable around each other and people actively involved will not always be able to keep harmony in the house. But the reason we have given the house this particular name, to keep reminding ourselves what our aim is, how we can be there for each other together, if that is what we choose for.’

Current work

Since its foundation, the Ubuntu Huis is a neighbourhood community that welcomes people who (have had to) deal with homelessness, poverty and isolation from social life. For them, the Ubuntu Huis provides for the opportunity to organize several inside and outside activities, ranging from cooking, classes in Dutch and cultural events like plays and music nights. Just recently, the Ubuntu Huis celebrated its first lustrum with such a play! Also, there is room for interesting conversations exploring all kinds of topics.

Highlight

Last month, the CS Ubuntu board paid a visit to the Ubuntu Huis during opening hours. This gave us a chance to see the work of the Ubuntu Huis as it happened. As we arrived just after a Dutch class, the living room was nice and busy. We played games of cards, but also had interesting conversations discussing Utrecht, studies, the journeys undertaken to get to the Netherlands, and the current situation of refugees. One thing that struck us there, was this quote from a man from Eritrea about his feelings concerning his current situation: ‘When I left Eritrea, I didn’t have any papers, but I thought I could get papers here and go to school. However, I found out that is not possible for me. Now I can hardly do anything. We refugees love this country, but this country does not love us.’

Website

The Ubuntu Huis do not have Facebook, but if you are interested in their work, please take a look at their website. It features all kinds of information about their past and present. Also, keep an eye on CS Ubuntu’s activities, as there might just be more collaboration with the Ubuntu Huis in the future!

Want to nominate a person, organization, website or anything else for 'In the Spotlight'? Please let us know by sending an e-mail to info@csubuntu.nl!

Food for Thought

Movies that Matter Film Festival, 18-26 March
From 18 to 26 March, the Movies that Matter will be held again in The Hague! Again this year, Movies that Matter promises us some very interesting movies from all over the world, focusing on human rights issues. For more information and tickets, please take a look at the Movies that Matter website. For a shortcut to the programme, click here.

Boom Chicago offer: free entry to comedy shows on Tuesday nights in March
Looking for a fun free night out? Bring your student card to Boom Chicago on Thursday nights in March for free tickets to their comedy show! Boom Chicago is an improvisation and sketch comedy theatre that has been in Amsterdam for 23 years. Shows work like this: you give the cast suggestions and they make up funny scenes on the spot. Doors open at 19:00 so come early to make sure you get your free ticket as it is first come, first serve. For more info on Boom Chicago and their March offer, check out their website.

The Siege Watch Project, by Pax and The Syrian Institute
PAX and The Syria Institute have cooperated in the Siege Watch Project. This project aims to provide the international community with up-to-date information on Syria’s besieged communities. Currently, there are over 1 million people suffering under siege in Syria. Russian airstrikes and the start of yet another winter have exacerbated this humanitarian crisis, making the need for a solution more critical than ever. The Siege Watch Project offers an interactive overview of current sieges, and details about the consequences of those sieges for the civilians in the area. To view the map, please click here.

Universiteit Utrecht's Dies Natalis: 1636 - 2016
On 26 March 2016, it will be 380 years ago that the Universiteit Utrecht was founded. To mark this 380^th anniversary, Create & Connect will be

a central theme of a month full of festivities. The anniversary speech will be held by Beatrice de Graaf, Professor of the History of International Relations & Global Governance. During the ceremony on 29 March, honorary doctorates will be awarded and the Lecturer Award and the Young Lecturer Award will be presented. The Alumnus of the Year will also be announced. Afterwards, the Executive Board will hold a reception in the University Hall. Click here to see more info on this Dies Natalis, and for the monthly programme, click here.

Heads up: CS Ubuntu's regular café!
Here’s a scoop for you as our sweet members: within our organization, we are busy getting ourselves a regular café! At the moment, we are discussing the possibility of a monthly drinks night, and drinks after events, at a regular pub, with hopefully some discount for you as our member, too! As we are still in the negotiating phase, we do not yet have many details yet, so stay in touch with us through Facebook, e-mail and this newsletter to follow our progress. Cheers!

Website & Next Newsletter
As you will most likely know, we have our own website! Check it out at www.csubuntu.nl.

Expect our next CS Ubuntu newsletter in your inbox in the first week of April. If you have any input, feedback or updates on interesting events, please let us know at info@csubuntu.nl. We love to hear from you! :)