News and Blog

The german non-profit organization /e-politik.de/ e.V. has released an animated video about human rights. Currently there are German, English, Spanish and french versions- an Arabic version and a version with chinese subtitles are coming soon. All clips are accessible on our YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/weareedeos) .The clips are licensed as Creative Commons and can be used, shared and embedded. If you like the clip, please circulate widely (i.e. Newsletter, Facebook). For more information about the project, please visit: http://edeos.org/en/project_wissenswerte.html

80PLUS1
A multimedia, virtual journey around Dhaka.

As a partner of  80+1 global project, Machizo did 80 days ‘live video exhibition’ and ‘multimedia blogging’ from Dhaka streets and marketplaces to Linz, collaboration with Ars Electronica, Austria. Details…

See it, film it and change it, with the motto Witness is working since on using the video and distribution as advocacy tools. By inspiring with the motto  Machizo and I have started the online video distribution since our inception in 2005.

Witness has published toolkit to help you to use video more effectively in  human rights and advocacy work.  It has designed for human rights  activists and advocates, filmmakers, journalists and citizen journalists  around the world.

Please watch the following video it will profoundly change your skill, motivations and view on production and filming coverage.

The workshop on ‘Digital Campaign’ of  Oxfam was held on 27 March, 2012, in Journalism and Training Research Initiative ( JATRI ) for the CSRL group members from different district of Bangladesh. It covered the social media, content management system, blogging and power of new media for grassroots development issues focus to climate change adaptation. Machizo team leader, Shahjahan Siraj was the main facilitator of the workshop.

Three of Machizo team members is representing in E-Asia , Dhaka Bangladesh. The three day long largest ICT4D event of Asia will be held from 1-3 December, 2011 with the slogan Realizing Digital Nation, is the annual   international Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for  development  event with the objective of reinforcing technology and  knowledge-centric growth  and needs of Asia vis-à-vis Bangladesh,  through capitalisation of market  economy and boosting human  development.

This event commemorates the 40th  birth anniversary of  Bangladesh and celebrates the progress of Digital Bangladesh  agenda of  the government. Digital Bangladesh by 2021 vision is a 21st-century   globalized-world form of a vision of equitable prosperity portrayed by  the founding  father of the nation 40 years ago. Since then, Bangladesh  has made significant  progress in human development index and ranks  third in the world.

‘Another South Asia Possible’ with this motto South Asia Social Forum held in Dhaka on 18-22 November, 2011. Machizo joined in this regional events and provided web design, photography, event video making services to the Forum.

Pot song and performance are getting popular worldwide as advocacy tools.

There are variations of understanding and opinion amongst the folk culture researchers on the origin of the term POT. However, the majorities are in the opinion that the term is derived from the Sanskrit word “pot’ or “relating to pot”. In general, Pot picture means any picture painted on paper or cloth. Many other have the view that the word is a derivative of Tamil word “Padam” meaning picture.

If we review the history of Pot or discuss on its ancient origin, we may say that man had started its language through pictures. The art of painting in this sub-continent is quite old. The ancient Indian poetical publications provide many instances of the use of pictures and Pot.

“Harshacharit” written by Ban Bhatta in the seventeenth century describes about the Jompot businessmen. King Harshabardhan himself saw a painter explaining a group of boys on Pot. In the eighth century, Bishaka Dutta in “Mudra Rakkhash” described about the Jompot. Furthermore, “Abhigyan Shakuntalam” and “Malobika Agnimitra” of Kali Das, “Uttar Ramcharit” of Bhababhuti and “Hari Bhakti Bilash” of Bhatta describes a number of Pot and proves that in the ancient India had the practice of using Pot and Pot songs throughout the sub-continent.

Rupantor’s Presentation (Bangladesh)

It is now difficult to get any direct evidential document or testimonial relics anywhere in Bangladesh. However, in many of the museums out of the country there are some pot are being preserved. Various types of pot have been transferred to England and Ireland during the period between 1700 and 1940 through various documents, publications, and punthi. Out of these, seven or eight attractive Pot is available in All Souls College of Oxford, John Rylands Library of Manchester and Chester Batty Library of Ireland are important. The pot painting available in Chester Batty Library is the oldest. This Pot is prepared based on Puran and Bhagabat and is 170 feet length but is of 2” in breadth. The pot is painted on fine Moslin cloth with local dyes. The Pot preserved in All Souls College is of 16th century while the one preserved in John Rylands Library is painted in 1780. The subjects are all from Puran used in these pot paintings.

Presentation in Laos ( Laos Version)

Once Pot was popular in all parts of Indian sub-continent. Pot is still being used in Gujrat. The Pot painters and Pot singers are used to move from village to village and earn their living on it.

There is no doubt about it that the Pot painters and singers were very much active during 12th and 13th century to 1950 in Bangladesh, even some of them were existing even after the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. The last evidence of use of Pot is found in the Sundarbans region. In the past, the Pot painters and singers used to earn for their livelihood one hand and on the other hand used to educate poor people on folk education. Some of the Pot of the then period may be mentioned here and these are Chandi Das, Manasha Pot, Shakti Pot, Dash Abatar Pot, Rash Lila Pot, Krishna Lila Pot, Jo Pot, Gazir Pot, Shib Pot, Chash Pot etc. In these pots based on Puran have given importance to not only Parbatti-Shiba-Manasha but also Radha-Krishna. Although these stories and characters are from Puran- Mohabharat and folk stories but in the hand of the painters all the characters appear as Bangalee. The Brindaban became Bangladesh, Ayodha became Bangladesh, the Koilash of Shib became Bangladesh, even Krishna-Radha, Gope-Gopies became Bangalee in the paintings by the Pot painters. The painter and singers used to present Shib-Parbatti, Radha-Krishna and the other in familial Bangalee form. As result of this, the rural audience used to become very much intimate with these Pot songs. They used to find rivers, canals, etc. as known and familial. So, the characters of the stories used to be focused to the audience as live as movie picture.

Presentation in China (Chinese Version)

The ancient Pot song and paintings have focused on Gods and Goddesses. Later alongside the Gods and Goddesses, there appeared the Peer and Gazi in the Pot. However, if we analyze the ancient Pot, we would find five specific characteristics in these Pot songs and paintings. These characteristics pertain to – 1) Puran, 2) Nature, 3) History, 4) Livelihood & 5) Jokes and cartoons.

Presentation by the Concern Worldwide

Note: Pot song and performance are now widely used in Bangladesh by Rupantor and Shushilon. The article has been written by Kazi Mizanur Rahman.

Whether you are longing to ditch daily deadlines or have just been  made redundant, there are a number of reasons to go freelance as a  journalist.

Start where you are

“There are a hundred million ways to get experience,” says freelance writer and editor  Norris .  Norris recommends working for free if necessary, starting a blog and  pitching people. If you’re already a staff journalist, Norris says consider  moonlighting before going full-time with freelancing.  “Pick up some clients while you’re still employed and work in the  evenings – you’ll be super busy for a few months but it’ll make it that  much less jarring when you finally make the leap.”

Get some basic gear, skills

The more skills and equipment you have, the more you can become a “one-man army,” says  multimedia journalist Sherwin Coelho .  “If you can write fluent copy but can’t take a decent photograph, it’s  no good. Similarly, if you can shoot but can’t edit, your work might as  well be given to someone else…”

Prove to clients you can do the work

Potential clients need to see real proof that you’re up to the job, says web designer and filmmaker Danny Fontaine .  That means constantly updating your portfolio and creating work better  than your competitors  – he adds.

Find a niche, or two

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