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"The 3rd Millennium" ~the theatrical component in the global delivery of "The 3rd Millennium":
“Is it a play with music? Or a musical in the style of a play? That's just one of the many points to wonder about in the new production from Marscom Television, The Fat Lady Sings. Drawing inspiration from Monty Python and referencing celebrities as diverse as Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King, The 3rd Millennium will have you hooked in one moment, laughing the next, confronted a moment later, and probably bewildered into the mix. A blend of comedy, drama, music and social commentary, The 3rd Millennium will definitely cater to all audiences." Brendan J. Raymond, Director and Actor.
By calling on living and dead celebrity activists, such as Bob Geldoff, Ray Charles, Elton John and Princess Diana, the sceptical students begin to realise that even the smallest victory is worthwhile. These ‘SOS’ calls to celebrities add a musical element to the production, using the compositions of musicians Saxon Docker and Jake Haines to convey the important message of Gen3M- that this generation will be heard, and no children will be left behind.
Currently the production is set to have a web series streamed globally, where the funds raised will go directly towards the assistance of disadvantaged children, as well as raising awareness of social injustices to bring about change in the future.
“I generally just feel good just being part of something that is genuinely trying to help people. It's awesome meeting other kids at different universities who just want to get involved, you know? Start making a difference now, instead of waiting until we're older and more established in our own lives,” says musician and actor Saxon Docker. “On another note this play is legitimately nuts! A weird concoction between crazy and clever, I'm not quite decided on which one it's leaning more towards just yet. Still, it's sincerity is inspiring.”
The 3rd Millennium will be performed for the first time in Sydney, Australia later this December at the Science Theatre University of NSW, December 14 to 18, 2015.
Josie, 14 years old, speaks out about domestic violence after losing her mother to suicide. SMH
World Events ~30 April 2015
There was excellent news for Nigeria yesterday as 200 girls and 93 women were rescued from a Boko Haram stronghold in the Sambisa forest, believed to be the group’s last stronghold against the African Union and Nigerian forces.
The girls, a handful of thousands kidnapped by the militants and believed to be sold into slavery, were allegedly used as human shields by the group before their rescue.Although not the internationally known Chibok Secondary School girls, the rescue provides hope to the North African peoples and will lead to further progress in eliminating the threat of Boko Haram and bringing our girls home.
We, Gen3M, demand to be heard.
Global Politics
Kidnapped schoolgirls - not forgotten 21 April, 2015
Three weeks ago on March 29, New South Welshmen were voting on who would lead their state for the next four years. The voting polls across the state were surrounded by sausage sizzles, cake stalls and supporters of all parties as some members of Gen3M were casting their first political votes.
Across the globe in Nigeria, their people were participating in one of the most important events in history: the 2015 election.After the postponing in February, in order to make way for African Union intervention with Boko Haram, there had been a serious tension between supporters of both parties as well as the ongoing militant threats. Following unfortunate events of violence, protest and malfunctioning polling stations, Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress defeated 15 year president Goodluck Jonathan of the People’s Democratic Party by 2.1 million votes.
"This is the first time in Nigeria that a sitting government will be voted out of power using purely democratic means," Lai Muhammed of the APC said, and he is correct.Buhari, who I discussed in January, is believed to be a non-corrupt leader whose military background shows him to be the best bet in defeating terrorist group Boko Haram, responsible for the kidnapping of Chibok schoolgirls as well as the displacement of over 800,000 children.
“There is no doubt that in tackling the insurgency we have a tough and urgent job to do. But I assure you that Boko Haram will soon know the strength of our collective will and commitment to rid this nation of terror, and bring back peace and normalcy to all the affected areas. We shall spare no effort until we defeat terrorism,” Buhari stated in his acceptance speech.
The ISIS pledged group, who today killed two soldiers in Borno State, is thought to be struggling to continue their occupation of the area due to both the Nigerian army and African Union forces. Boko Haram are currently in the Sambisa State Forest, one of the groups few remaining strongholds and last believed location of the 200 Chibok schoolgirls, troops are preparing to raid and eliminate the group in what may prove to be the most challenging campaign yet.
We, Gen3M, will not give up until the group is no longer a threat and the displaced children are returned to their homes.
We, Gen3M, demand to be heard.
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Nigeria ~
5 Feb 2015
Boko Haram militants are showing a large amount of activity in the weeks leading up to Nigeria’s federal election, raiding towns and villages, killing and kidnapping throughout Nigeria and Cameroon in order to expand and support their self-declared Islamic caliphate in the north of the country.
Despite the wreckage, there has been good news in the form of international assistance from not only the Chad military- who killed 200 militants in Gamboru on Tuesday- but the African Union’s troops as well.7500 troops from the African Union have formed a Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) against the terrorist group, who have killed thousands in their years violently controlling the north of Nigeria. The United nations are similarly offering assistance to eradicate the terrorist group, with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon supporting the AU’s action and hinting at further intervention if necessary.
"They have committed unspeakable brutality. Not a single country, even the regional countries, can handle this alone," Ki-Moon stated. "The United Nations is ready to fully co-operate with the African Union."
The acceptance of outside help is the first real effective move the Nigerian government has made against Boko Haram and brings hope of peace and for the safe return of hundreds of stolen children, including the Chibok schoolgirls.
I hope that this diplomatic move to eliminate the threat of Boko Haram will be successful, that it will right some of the injustices committed by the terrorist group, and that a minimal number of lives will be lost.
We, G
en3M, demand to be heard.
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The Nigerian schoolgirls remain captive ~ world leaders are remarkably silent ~ Jack Owen speaks out ~
The stories of courage and unity in recent terrorist events such as the Charlie Hebdo attack and the Sydney Siege are enough to warm the heart of any human being who witnessed the emotion and strength of the victims. Combined with the ‘#illridewithyou’ and ‘Je Suis Charlie’ campaigns of support, started and spread mostly through the acts of Gen3M, the world has seen an impressive demonstration of resilience in the face of evil.
Despite this, it saddens me to think that these events, with their low death tolls and swift resolutions, overshadow similar yet more deadly atrocities around the world simply due to their first world proximity. It seems we have forgotten the Nigerian terrorist organisation Boko Haram and the kidnapping of over 200 Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014 which caused a global uproar, birthing the hashtag #bringbackourgirls.The group, associated with Al Quaeda and Islamic State, have been extremely prominent in the Islamic northern states of Nigeria since 2002. There has been approximately seven thousand deaths related to the group and over three hundred thousand displaced peoples since 2009; yet the group continues to expand, only days ago raiding a Cameroonian village and kidnapping up to 50 children. These children, much like the students of the Chibok government school, will be raped, beaten and converted to follow an extremist view of Salafi Islam before being forced into marriages, combat, or trained to be suicide bombers.
This Valentine’s Day, 14th February 2015, Nigeria will be holding their national election where the votes will be hotly contested by the two main parties; The People’s Democratic Party and the All Progressive’s Congress.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP):
The PDP, led by southern Christian President Goodluck Jonathan, has been in power since 1999, a time marking the end of Nigeria’s Dictatorship past. In this time the PDP has encouraged religious freedom, economic liberalism as well as a health care system. This party has led Nigeria to become the largest economy in Africa, utilizing its massive population to support its neoliberal ideology.
Despite these positive aspects, the party has had a history of ignoring social issues and has a history of corruption in its recent years under Pres. Jonathan. These cases include the previous petroleum minister funding a $1.1b fake oil company in his name as well as the government working with the Christian Association of Nigeria to smuggle $9.3 million into South Africa, allegedly to purchase weapons.
Under this ruling Boko Haram has continued to grow and kill, as recently as last week the group took the lives of over 2000, levelling entire villages.
Many soldiers in the North, targeting the Islamist group, have complained that their budget allowance is being stolen by commanders, leading to a lack of supplies such as food and weapons vital in preventing the group.[i]
Goodluck Jonathan’s swearing in, an unpopular act in the eyes of Northern Nigerians in 2011, marked the beginning of Boko Haram becoming a globally recognised terrorist organisation- having been relatively quiet in previous years. Only hours after his presidency became official, the group launched a series of bombings in three towns in protest of Jonathan’s rule. During the remainder of the year over 800 people were killed in attacks disputing Jonathan’s presidency- yet despite these personal attacks, nothing seems to have been done to prevent this group’s actions.[i]
All Progressives Congress
The All Progressives Congress (APC), led by northern Muslim General Muhammadu Buhari, is the result of four major Nigerian opposition parties merging together in February 2013 with a common goal- to ‘fix’ the considered failings of the current government.
Muhammadu Buhari, 71, is an ex-military general who ruled the nation from 1983-1985, gaining his power through coup d’état. Lives were lost during this period, however, and due to there being a lack of global human rights laws there were many Nigerians detained and punished - sometimes with death - without a proper trial.
Being a strict Muslim, Buhari originally sympathised with the terrorist group, blaming the Christian militant presence in the north of the nation.Now I know what you’re thinking - this guy has dodgy written all over him, but this view changed. The sickening kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls that put the group into the public eye caused Buhari to take a very public stand against the militant group, stating that the group’s members were “…misguided persons masquerading as adherents of Islam.” Shortly after, the group made an attempt on the general’s life, killing 83 in a bomb attack. [i]
Despite a questionable history, Buhari is well known as being uncorrupted and a strong leader. Backed by a combination of 4 parties, I believe that the Nigerian public will gain a significantly stronger representation and the ethnic divide between north and south will weaken.
What can we, Gen3M, do about this?
[i]
NO RESCUE, NO VOTE FOR
CURRENT ADMINISTRATIONAs an individual who is quite liberal in his views and opinions, I shock myself by showing support for a party fronted by the leader of a military coup. But Nigeria, neighbouring countries and our generation are facing the imminent threat of an ever growing and increasingly more active group with no respect for what lives they take.
Following the failure of Goodluck Jonathan’s PDP administration to effectively deal with this threat, I believe that the military experience and strong will of Buhari will solve this immediate problem. Furthermore his Islamic faith and heritage will gain significant support from the northern population, driving them to feel highly represented and destroying the belief that the terrorists are, in fact, doing good.Is there a risk of Nigeria reverting to the military dictatorship it escaped in 1999? Or to the human right breaches of the 1980s?
In 2015, Nigeria, like every other sovereign state, is in the public eye for the world to see. There are global human rights laws the new regime will have to follow, international trading partners such as the USA in which the Nigerian economy relies on and as a member of the United Nations there are certain rules and regulations to follow.
These factors, as well as the multiple parties originally forming the APC having a vote on congress decisions, drive me to believe that this risk is low.Boko Haram needs to be stopped before more young girls are forced to wed and more young boys are involuntarily turned into soldiers, before more towns are destroyed and their evil spreads. The APC seems to be the only option in swiftly achieving this goal.
Gen3
M can assist by showing support for the destruction of Boko Haram and bringing them back into the spotlight. Make sure the two hundred missing schoolgirls are not forgotten and support the right decision when it comes to achieving this goal.We, G
en3M, demand to be heard.
Gen3M
Jack Owen, 2015.Any suggestions on voting out the current administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, while there's no results in regard to the missing schoolgirls, are greatly appreciated by the editorial staff.
[i] Aziken, Emmanuel (2014), Vanguard Nigeria: BUHARI TO BOKO HARAM: You’re bigots masquerading as Muslims,
[i] Sergie, M, Johnson, T (2014), Council on Foreign Relations Nigeria: Boko Haram
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