Sometime last year, there was a story of a ‘standing man’ in Turkey; a man whose lone protest not only inspired many but also kindled worldwide curiosity and became a symbol of defiance to repressive rule. When the police detained a number of others who joined in for literally doing nothing, this act served to show some of the excesses in the use of state power.

One significant lesson which the story of the standing man teaches is that doing something in protest against an unpleasant situation, no matter how insignificant it may appear, can make an impact. Staring at the image of the founding father of Turkey did not unseat the government in Istanbul but it was enough to draw the eyes of the world, through the media, to a situation that required attention.

Sometimes it is that little thing that counts; that lone stand against oppression, that little advocacy on righting human wrongs, that little decision to bring about the change we desire to see in the world. The little which seems insignificant may be just about sufficient to withstand one of those wrongs on our continent.

However, the big question is: are we ready to do that little?
(Excerpt from the Editorial)

Download Issue No 9 - June 2014