Beautiful Rising
Creative Resistance from the Global South
In the struggle for freedom and justice, organizers and activists have often turned to art, creativity, and humor. In this follow-up to the bestselling Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution, Beautiful Rising showcases some of the most innovative tactics used in struggles against autocracy and austerity across the Global South.
Based on face-to-face jam sessions held in Yangon, Amman, Harare, Dhaka, Kampala, and Oaxaca, Beautiful Rising includes stories of the Ugandan organizers who smuggled two yellow-painted pigs into parliament to protest corruption; the Burmese students’ 360-mile long march against undemocratic and overly centralized education reforms; the Lebanese “honk at parliament” campaign against politicians who had clung to power long after their term had expired; and much more.
More by this Author
Reviews
“Some of the most tactically imaginative ways people can turn the resources they have into the power they need to achieve the change they want.”
– Marshall Ganz, senior lecturer in public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government
“Beautiful Rising offers insights and lessons for creative resistance, making it a crucial resource for change-makers.”
– Archbishop Desmond Tutu
“Beyond a brilliantly innovative toolkit for making social change, you will find here a ‘deep structure’ of activist patterns and principles that can unite millions in creating a new world beyond capitalist sociopathy and strong man despotism. Read this optimistic book for hope in grim times.”
– Charles Derber, professor of sociology, Boston College
Contents
| Foreword | The Planetary Satyagraha Vandana Shiva |
| Introduction | Juman Abujbara, Andrew Boyd, Dave Mitchell, and Marcel Taminato |
| How to Read This Book | |
| Stories | |
| Battle of the Camel Loay Bakr (Egypt) |
|
| Boxing Gender Oppression Hope Chigudu (Kenya) |
|
| Burmese Students' Long March Joseph Wah (Myanmar) |
|
| Flower Speech Campaign Thinzar Shunlei Yi (Myanmar) |
|
| Hacking Apartheid Sophie Toupin (South Africa) |
|
| Honk at Parliament Hassan Tabikh (Lebanon) |
|
| Miniskirt March Angeline Makore (Zimbabwe) |
|
| Replacing Cops With Mimes Tomaz Capobianco (Colombia) |
|
| Schools of Struggle Carolina Munis and Marcel Taminato (Brazil) |
|
| Sign Language Sit-In Agness Chindimba (Zimbabwe) |
|
| Stolen Gas Campaign Samar Saeed (Jordan) |
|
| Stop Prawer Plan Nisreen Haj Ahmad (Palestine) |
|
| Stripping Power in Uganda Phil Wilmot (Uganda) |
|
| Welcome to Palestine Ribal Al-Kurdi (Palestine) |
|
| Yellow Pigs in Parliament Norman Tumuhimbise (Uganda) |
|
| Zapatista Caravan Sergio Beltrán and Abraham García Gárate (Mexico) |
|
| Tactics | |
| Civil Disobedience Søren Warburg |
|
| Divestment Hoda Baraka and Mahmoud Nawajaa |
|
| Jail Solidarity McDonald Lewanika |
|
| Music Video Emily Hong |
|
| Subversive Travel D. 'Alwan |
|
| Principles | |
| Activate International Mechanisms Ben Leather |
|
| Change a Name to Change the Game Hellenah Okiring |
|
| Change is the Only Constant Juman Abujbara |
|
| Seek Safety in Support Networks Ben Leather |
|
| Shame the Authorities By Doing Their Job Gui Bueno |
|
| Use Humor to Undermine Authority Elspeth Tilley |
|
| Would You Like Some Structure With Your Momentum? Mark Engler and Paul Engler |
|
| Theories | |
| Al Faza'a (A Surge of Solidarity) Safa' Al Jayoussi |
|
| Baltajiah (Thugs) Ahmad Kassawneh |
|
| "Democracy Promotion" George Katsiaficas |
|
| Feminism Rudo Chigudu |
|
| The Global South Vijay Prashad |
|
| Neoliberalism Firoze Manji |
|
| Postcolonialism Ram Bhat |
|
| The NGO-ization of Resistance Arundhati Roy |
|
| Methodologies | |
| Art of Hosting Megan Martin and Aerin Dunford |
|
| Pillars of Power Eric Stoner |
|
| Power Mapping Andrew Boyd |
|
| Public Narrative (Story of Self, Us, and Now) Nisreen Haj Ahmad |
|
| Smart Objectives Marcelo Marquesini |
|
| Spectrum of Allies Nadine Bloch |
|
| The Onion Tool Nils Amar Tegmo |
|
| Contributors | |
| Resources | |
| Index |
