Monday 18th May-

Can he do it? Obama and the movement for change

The election of Barack Obama brought huge excitement to Liverpool. People on both sides of the Atlantic are desperate for change from the politics of war and profit. WoW invites all our communities to consider and discuss the question of whether Obama can and will bring about real and lasting change.

Guest speakers:

Anthony Painter, political writer, commentator and activist, has two published works, Barack Obama: The Movement for Change and Viral Politics: Communication in the New Media Era. He was awarded the New Statesman Prize for Political Writing in 2003 and has been published in The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent and The New Statesman.

Dr Tony Sewell, a regular columnist for The Voice newspaper, is an Education adviser who has published widely on issues related to race, social justice and emotional and behaviourally difficult children. He is currently director of the charity, Generating Genius, which aims to promote the advancement of education in medicine and research science amongst children and young people from underrepresented backgrounds.

Councillor Anna Rothery, Liverpool’s only BME councillor, sits on the education and Skills Select Committee and is also a member of Liverpool City Council Planning Committee.  She has worked in community development for over 20 years, and is also the chair of Liverpool Black Leadership Forum  

Laurence Westgaph, a historian, journalist, presenter and broadcaster, has worked with BBC Television and Radio, Channel 4, The History Channel, Trinity Mirror Group newspapers, English Heritage and the National Trust. He is founder member of the Liverpool Black Leadership Forum.

6.30pm
Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre, 34 Princes Road, L8 1TH
Entry:  £4.00/£2.00 on the door

Tuesday 19th May

Palestine: Outsiders in their Homelands

The BBC was widely attacked for its alleged pro-Israeli bias during the recent bloody bombing and invasion of the Palestinian enclave in Gaza. Its
subsequent refusal to broadcast an appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee appeared to back up these claims. To explore these issues WoW presents a night of theatre and readings around the issues of Israel and Palestine and the invasion of Gaza, featuring:

Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza by acclaimed playwright Caryl Churchill. What do you tell a child when her government is trying to kill her?  What do you tell a child when her government is killing other children? Caryl Churchill’s controversial new play moves from Nazi-occupied Europe to contemporary Israel through the fears of generations of Jews for their children. 
Both Sides of the Story: a play by John Graham Davies (Beating Berlusconi).
Ghada Karmi reading from her memoir, In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story, described as an intimate narrative which reflects the author's personal experiences of displacement, loss and nostalgia against a backdrop of the major political events that have shaped the Middle East conflict.
Pankaj Mishra, award winning writer, novelist and visiting Fellow at University College, London, will join the evening’s participants for a panel discussion with the audience.

From the proceeds of this event a donation will be made to Medical Aid for Palestinians

7.30pm
The Bird Theatre, The Contemporary Urban Centre,
41 - 51 Greenland Street, Liverpool, L1 0BS
Tickets £6.00/£4.00 available from the
Philharmonic Hall Box office Tel: 0151 709 3789
For online booking visit www.writingonthewall.org.uk