Food and Human Rights forum at HRAFF

From 13 to 23 November 2008 the Human Rights Arts and Film Festival will be on here in Melbourne, following the success of last year's inaugural festival.


I volunteered at HRAFF last year and really enjoyed it: the team organised for some amazing films to be screened as part of the festival, followed by some really interesting discussion panels debating the human rights issues raised in the films.

This year, in addition to organising several film discussions and industry panels, "HRAFF's Community Forums continue the Festival's theme of presenting everyday human rights issues in an entertaining and accessible manner. The Festival's inaugural Community Forum series provide an opportunity to explore in-depth topics as Australian as sport and food, and how you too can incorporate human rights outcomes in your daily decisions!"

In my capacity as a food blogger and lawyer with an international law and human rights law research background, I have been asked to host a Community Forum called Bite into Rights: Food and Human Rights, which will discuss the ways in which the production and consumption of food is linked to human rights issues.

Two of the three guest speakers have been announced: Shanaka Fernando, the founder of the Lentil as Anything restaurants, who will be speaking about food and human rights in the context of education, training and personal responsibility, and Jeff Atkinson, Coordinator for Oxfam Australia's advocacy work on trade, agriculture and climate change. Jeff will be talking about food security, fair trade and equity.

If you are interested in hearing Shanaka and Jeff speak about these issues, and would also like to perhaps join in the discussion (I'll be opening the panel to audience Q&A for the last part of the forum), please come along! Details are as follows:

Bite into Rights: Food and Human Rights
3:00pm, Sunday 16 November 2008
Kino Cinemas
Gold coin donation (I think)

If you attend but are too shy to speak up in the forum, come up and say hi afterwards. :)


Even if you're not interested in attending the Community Forum, do check out the other events making up the Festival, such as the art exhibition and the film screenings. A great little trailer showing many of the films that will be screened can be viewed here.