A week earlier, the Global Team Summit (GTL) heard from two Nigerian religious leaders, the Islamic Iman Mohammed Ashafar, and his Christian counterpart, Pastor James Murye, who together have been mediating and working to end bloody outbreaks of violence between Christians and Moslems in the North of Nigeria.
These two men are remarkable emissaries of Peace who have had a real impact in these conflict zones like Kaduna and Jos even if the American media hasn't really covered their brave breakthroughs, or for that matter, still ignores the work of most youth activists here.
Think about how ACORN and its young organizers were demolished by irresponsible media publicity aided and abetted by politicians, including many Democrats who overreacted to false charges out of fear, The group which did so much to promote voter registration and fight foreclosures was forced to close.
After the Pastors spoke, I spoke to them about the FELA show on Broadway, as well as my own experience in helping to spring Fela from Prison in Nigeria in the mid 80's, They immediately asked me if they could go to see it, even as they admitted that had heard bad things about Fela.
They only had one night left in New York and I wasn't sure if I could score tickets on such short notice for an often sold-out hit show.
I called show producer Steve Hendel and told him about their dangerous work, and asked if he could get them in. He immediately said yes and also had them introduced from the stage because he wanted the show itself to contribute to peace in Fela's land. The cast was flattered by their interest.
They left the theater as converts despite their earlier cultural hesitations, "It was awesome, " said both of them, "Amazing!" Later, they told me that they would now reach out to young people and musicians in Nigeria to join their crusade for conflict resolution and mutual acceptance between Muslims and Christians.
If a Broadway show can inspire change in the real world, if Fela's example still can have that impact, you can see the power of culture in the process of change.
We can also learn some lessons too if we realize that politicians mostly follow rather than lead, and that the big media may be the last place to turn to if you want to know what is going on.
If you want change in the world, support the kids who are determined to make it happen.
New Dissector Danny Schechter is the editor of Mediachannel.org. His new film, Plunder, treats the financial crisis as a crime story (Plunder The Crime Of Our Time.) For more on We Are Family, See WeAreFamilyfoundation.org. Comments to Dissector@mediachannel.org
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
