[Shef2venez] FW: Mon 14 March Venezuelan Women at LSE & UK tour dates

[Maria Vasquez]

>From: "Global Women's Strike" <womenstrike8m at server101.com>
>To: <womenstrike8m at server101.com>
>Subject: Mon 14 March Venezuelan Women at LSE & UK tour dates
>Date: Fri, 11 Mar 2005 22:12:19 -0000
>
>  Global Women’s Strike event for International Women’s Week
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>Venezuela: Creating a caring economy
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>Nora Castañeda
>
>President of the Women’s
>Development Bank
>(Banmujer)
>
>“To eliminate poverty we must give power to the poor.” President Hugo 
>Chavez
>“We believe that the economy must be at the service of human beings, not
>human beings at the service of the economy. And since 70% of those who live
>in conditions of poverty are women, economic change must start with women.
>“Micro credit is an excuse to empower women. We want to create an economy
>based on co-operation and mutual support, a caring economy. We are not
>building a bank. We are building a different way of life.
>“We women won our rights in the constitution. We won Article 88, which
>recognizes that housewives create added value and must be compensated with
>social security.”  Nora Castañeda
>
>Angélica Álvarez
>
>Promoter
>Co-ordinator for Banmujer in
>Bolívar state
>
>   _____
>
>
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>2005 – UN Year of Micro Credit
>
>Nora Castañeda and Angélica Álvarez European Tour March 2005
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>Monday 14 March, 8pm
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>London School of Economics
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>New Theatre, E171, East Building, Houghton Street, WC2
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>With Richard Gott, author In the Shadow of the Liberator  and Cuba: A New
>History
>Chaired by Selma James, Global Women’s Strike co-ordinator
>Sponsored by LSE Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! Society
>
>
>UK tour sponsors so far: Latin America Bureau; Leicester Social Forum;
>NATFHE (University and College Lecturers' Union); South London Cuba
>Solidarity Campaign; Sheffield Cuba Solidarity;  Peace and Human Rights
>Trust; David Raby (Institute of Latin American Studies,
>University of Liverpool).
>
>Please let us know if you would like to sponsor this tour.
>All proceeds will go to grassroots women in Venezuela working with 
>Banmujer.
>Tour contact: 020 7482 2496 womenstrike8m at server101.com
>   _____
>
>Other cities . . .
>Tuesday 15 – Edinburgh
>1.30-2.30 pm  Scottish Parliament, Room T22, Holyrood
>Hosted by Rosie Kane MSP
>5pm  Napier University, Merchiston Campus, Room B2
>Hosted by Napier University United Left Society
>
>Wednesday 16 – Manchester
>7.30pm  University of Manchester, Students' Union Building, MR1 (meeting
>room 1), Oxford Road, near Royal Infirmary.
>Hosted by University of Manchester Students' Union, Women's Collective,
>Latin American Society
>
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>Thursday 17 – Leeds
>
>1pm meeting at University of Leeds, Students Union building
>Hosted by University of Leeds Students’ Union
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>Thursday 17 – Sheffield
>7.30pm  St Matthew’s Church Rooms, Carver Street
>Co-sponsored by Sheffield Cuba Solidarity Campaign, South Yorkshire Women’s
>Development Trust, Sheffield Women’s Forum
>
>Friday 18 – Leicester
>Sponsored by Leicester Social Forum  (time and venue to be confirmed)
>   _____
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>
>The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is the world’s 5th largest oil
>exporter, yet the majority of people, mainly people of colour, live in
>poverty. They elected President Hugo Chávez to get the oil revenue back to
>tackle poverty, and passed a revolutionary constitution. In 2002 they
>defeated a US-backed coup and then an oil sabotage. In 2004, elections
>ratified Chavez in power and won 20 out of 22 states. Literacy, education,
>healthcare, housing, land rights, food security . . . have leapt forward.
>The users of Banmujer, housewives and mothers who form co-operatives and
>associations, have been key in every initiative.
>Defying US attempts to intervene and discredit this “participatory
>  democracy” based on grassroots self-activity, the Bolivarian revolution 
>is
>a beacon of hope for people everywhere who demand an end to the twin 
>terrors
>of poverty and war.
>
>Nora Castañeda, an economist committed to grassroots women, was appointed 
>by
>President Chávez to head Banmujer in response to women’s demands.
>Of African and Indigenous descent, and daughter of a low-income single
>mother, Ms. Castañeda is a remarkable spokeswoman for a revolution led
>largely by women.
>Angélica Alvarez, originally from Chile, fled to Venezuela after the 1973
>military coup against President Allende. As Banmujer’s
>promoter-co-ordinator, she provides crucial support and direction to the 
>Red
>Popular de Usuarias – the users’ autonomous organisation.
>The Global Women’s Strike demands a change in economic priorities and the
>return of military budgets to the community, beginning with women the first
>carers. Women in over 60 countries, and men who support our goal that
>society Invest in Caring Not Killing, take Strike action on/around 8 March,
>International Women’s Day.
>
>
>   _____
>
>  For other times, venues and videos “Venezuela - A 21st Century 
>Revolution”
>and “Enter the oil workers” both featuring Ms. Castañeda:
>womenstrike8m at server101.com <mailto:womenstrike8m at server101.com>  and
>www.globalwomenstrike.net <http://www.globalwomenstrike.net/>    Tel:
>0207-482 2496
>The Strike videos aim to make visible the different sectors active in this
>revolution, and how grassroots leadership, starting with women and people 
>of
>colour, works in practice.  A new video “Talking of power” will be 
>premiered
>on the tour.
>
>
>