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Activist Video Spotlight: United for Baha’i Rights

With the decreasing cost of video recording devices and editing software, along with free and effective distribution platforms like YouTube and Daily Motion, it makes sense for causes to start experimenting with ways to put their message in short video form. We’ve written before about how to make good activist video, and like to take the opportunity to point out good examples of activist video whenever we can.  Here’s another great example from the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights, a project of Mideast Youth.

If you watch the video, the first thing you’ll notice is that truly excellent design.  This video was clearly made by someone with professional skills.  However,  Mideast Youth is a volunteer organization, so this was likely created for free.   People with skills are still people and if you can inspire them to take action for your organization, you can get some amazing results.  (Mideast Youth is clearly very good at this).

The thing that first hits you about the design is the quality of the animation, but the messaging is just as good.  The video starts off by telling specifically how the human rights of Baha’is have been abused and illustrates each one on screen.  The video also focuses on the fact that Baha’is are Iranian, which is a good idea since Iran is very much in the news now and the Iran issue provides a “hook” for inserting Baha’i rights into the mainstream consciousness.  Finally, even though the video is about human rights abuses, it ends on a positive note, letting the viewer know that change is possible.  This “crisitunity” framing is very good for advocacy video: your help is needed because we are in a crisis, but there is an opportunity to change it, which is why your action will make a difference.  No matter how dire the issue, a potential supporter will not take action unless they believe their action will make a difference.

There are only two things I would change about the video.  First, I would give more background on what Baha’ism is (a religion founded in Persia in the 19th century which stresses the spiritual unity of people of different religions).  The video launches into the current human rights struggle without first identifying the group which is the victim of this abuse, and thus misses an opportunity for the viewer to more deeply connect with the Baha’i people.  Second, I would give a stronger call to action.  While the video does send viewers to the Baha’i Rights site at www.bahairights.org, a video is a great opportunity to inspire people to take a concrete action for your cause: like attend and event, sign up for a listserv, email or SMS a political representative, or at least “send this to a friend”.   Regardless, this is an excellent video that truly marks a new high point is grassroots video activism.

Action Alert: Unblock Yemen Day

What? Unblock Yemen Day
When? Friday, February 15
Where? on your own blog
How? (1) Cease blogging for a day and instead (2) post one of the following banners on your blog
Why? To protest the blocking of the independent news site YemenPortal.net and at least seven other sites, as well as the violent intimidation of YemenPortal.net editor Walid Al-Saqaf.
Who is organizing the action? Mideast Youth

Banners:

embed code: <a href=”http://digiactive.org/2008/02/11/action-alert-unblock-yemen-day/”><img style=”width: 180px; height: 60px;” src=” http://digiactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/unblock_yemen1.gif” /></a>

embed code: <a href=”http://digiactive.org/2008/02/11/action-alert-unblock-yemen-day/”><img style=”width: 180px; height: 200px;” src=”http://digiactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/unblock_yemen2.gif” /></a>

embed code: <a href=”http://digiactive.org/2008/02/11/action-alert-unblock-yemen-day/“><img style=”width: 522px; height: 157px;” src=” http://digiactive.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/unblock_yemen_large.gif” /></a>

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