Nina Simone Documentary, a Kickstarter Campaign

Filmaker, Jeff Lieberman

My brother Jeff and I not only look alike, we both have an interest in the arts. While I write books, Jeff makes films. His first film, Re-emerging: The Jews of Nigeria, was about a group of Igbo people in rural Nigeria who believe they are Jews. Through the internet they have learned about Jewish rituals and customs, learned Hebrew and built synagogues and communities. The film raises interesting questions about who is a Jew and who gets to define Judaism. The film has played at film festivals around the world and been well received by the press.

Now Jeff is working on a new project, a documentary about the life of singer Nina Simone. Nina Simone took to the piano to demand racial and gender equality over 50 years ago - a cry for freedom equally resonant today. I've watched an early draft of the film and I was spellbound with the power of Nina's singing and her lyrics. And her own life, from classical piano student in rural North Carolina, to jazz and style icon in the US and Europe, is a fascinating story.


Jeff has financed the film entirely on his own so far, but he needs funds to pay for the rights to the music, videos and pictures, funds that will ultimately go back to the artist who created them. He has a campaign on Kickstarter than you can check out and maybe you'll be inspired enough to donate. Click here for the link to Jeff's Kickstarter campaign.

Write For Rights

This week at school I wrote letters with some of my students for Amnesty International Write For Rights Day. Amnesty International is a non-governmental organisation focused on human rights. On December 10th each year people around the world write letters in support of people imprisoned for human rights violations.


My students and I chose to write on behalf of Raif Badawi who is imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for his blog criticizing religious figures. He has been sentenced to ten years in prison, a thousand lashes and a fine of a million riyals, about $290,000 CDN. He is also banned from travelling for ten years after his release, which means it could be many years before he sees his wife and children who live in Montreal.

Raif Badawai, imprisoned blogger

My students were very moved by the video Amnesty put together of Badawi's son, who wishes he could see his father. One of my students has a dad who has been away with the Canadian Military, so she knows what it feels like to be seperated from a parent, but of course her dad is coming back soon.

So after a donut snack, we sat down to write letters, in this case, to the King of Saudi Arabia. My students were a little freaked out to be writing to a King! We also wrote cards for Badawi's family in Montreal. For most of my students it was their first introduction to human rights abuses around the world. I was happy that this introduction wasn't only misery, but some successes too, as we read about several people Amnesty has helped free.

For Write for Rights, Amnesty puts together a package of several cases. My goal before Christmas is to write letters for as many as I can. I value my freedom and the freedom I have to write what I believe in both my books and my blog.