Mad Pride 2006 Events to Include; Africa, Ireland, USA, Canada, France.
Colin Revell | 15.03.2006 12:03 | Culture | Education | Social Struggles | World
Mad Pride 2006 promises to be better than ever with plans underway for several events in Ireland, USA, Canada, France and even a Mad Pride celebration in Africa thanks to MindFreedom Ghana! Dan Taylor, who is the Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana based in Accra, Ghana, announced, "Our Theme for our Mad Pride event is 'Free Minds At Ease.'"
NEWS: human rights/mental health - please forward
http://www.MindFreedom.org - 12 March 2006
Mad Pride 2006 Events to Include; Africa, Ireland, USA, Canada, France.
Plan Your Mad Pride Event for 2006!
by Krista Erickson, Chair, MindFreedom MadPride Committee
Mad Pride 2006 promises to be better than ever with plans underway for several events in Ireland, USA, Canada, France and even a Mad Pride celebration in Africa thanks to MindFreedom Ghana!
Dan Taylor, who is the Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana based in Accra, Ghana, announced, "Our Theme for our Mad Pride event is 'Free Minds At Ease.'"
Dan explained that, "MindFreedom Ghana is poised to take Ghana and indeed Africa by storm in July 2006 to highlight the problems and human rights of users and survivors of the mental health system through street marches, drama, music festivals and symposia."
Dan said that bigotry against people diagnosed with psychiatric labels is common in Ghana: "Our friends and relations have long been stigmatized for living with or surviving psychosocial disabilities and so we MindFreedom Ghana will do what it takes to reverse this."
MindFreedom Ghana has joined the MindFreedom Mad Pride International Steering Committee. Dan hopes this will inspire other groups to participate this year. Dan said, "Let all MindFreedom Groups in the USA and other parts of the world join in this event to accentuate our cause in diverse forms!"
Mad Pride celebrates the creativity, strength and resilience of the human spirit. Mad Pride provides an opportunity to empower psychiatric survivors and raise public consciousness through various activities such as art, theatre, music, poetry, protests, vigils and more. This is the 6th year MindFreedom has helped promote Mad Pride events internationally.
Mad Pride helps to counteract some of the discrimination and prejudice often shown towards people who have experienced mental distress and difference. Mad Pride promotes the economic, social, environmental and cultural integration of users/survivors of psychiatry into the larger society. Observances of Mad Pride are often used to call attention to both past and current human rights violations in the mental health system.
Mad Pride can be celebrated anytime but is most often observed in the month of July, usually on or around July 14 -- Bastille Day. The 14th of July marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in Paris, France in 1789. For over the past two centuries, the storming of the Bastille has been a universal symbol of liberation. When the Bastille was stormed, two prisoners with psychiatric labels being detained solely for that reason were freed.
Mad Pride 2005 featured events in four nations including several theatre performances, the showing of a documentary film, mock screenings for "normality", a musical event, a vigil and a parade, among many other activities.
Nations with Mad Pride events in recent years have included:
** UK: Where Mad Pride started! In 2005 activists held a "bed push" for miles. They pushed a bed with a mannequin strapped on a road between cities to draw attention to psychiatric human rights abuse.
** France: Where psychiatric survivors place a bouquet of remembrance at the actual Bastille in Paris.
** Canada: Toronto has a "Psychiatric Survivor Day" with theater productions and much more. Vancouver has had an art show.
** USA: Mental Patients Liberation Alliance has held protests, several-day encampments and hunger strikes at the State Capitol in Albany. MindFreedom Oregon holds a musical and speaking event in the middle of each year's huge Oregon Country Fair. In Chicago, a MindFreedom contingent marched in the Disability Pride parade held each year in July.
For photos and reports of these and other past Mad Pride events please visit:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/madpride/index.shtml
Your planned Mad Pride event can be tiny or huge. You can hand out some brochures... or hold a whole musical event... But please let MindFreedom International know about any Mad Pride 2006 events you're planning so that we can help get out the word. Please send Mad Pride announcements and news to
office@mindfreedom.org.
Additionally, the MindFreedom board has now created an international Mad Pride Committee of MindFreedom members to help coordinate and publicize Mad Pride events. MindFreedom Ghana and poet John McCarthy of MindFreedom Ireland are providing liaisons for this International Mad Pride Committee. If you are a MindFreedom member who is interested in joining or supporting this committee please e-mail krista@intenex.net.
~~~~~~~~~
One easy way to do a Mad Pride event wherever you are!
"The real" Patch Adams has been a MindFreedom leader since 1992. One of Patch's clown troupes in Florence, Italy taught MindFreedom members some simple street theater that you can do to involve the public in Mad Pride. At the below link you may read a description of this street theater. There you may also download a coupon (MS Word file) that you may copy back-to-back, cut in two, and hand out. One version is for the USA. Another can be used anywhere internationally:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/madpride/screening.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~
Will Mad Pride 2006 be Sponsored by PharmAmorin?
The power of laughter in challenging psychiatric oppression is shown in this new satire from the popular humor publication _The Onion_ 6 March 2006:
"Wonder Drug Inspires Deep, Unwavering Love Of Pharmaceutical Companies
"NEW YORK—The Food and Drug Administration today approved the sale of the drug PharmAmorin, a prescription tablet developed by Pfizer to treat chronic distrust of large prescription-drug manufacturers.
"Pfizer executives characterized the FDA's approval as a 'godsend' for sufferers of independent-thinking-related mental-health disorders."
To read this whole article see: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/46032
~~~~~~~~~~
Show Your Mad Pride!
JOIN MindFreedom International today!
MindFreedom is a non-profit human rights group:
* Win human rights campaigns in mental health.
* End abuse by the psychiatric drug industry.
* Support the self-determination of psychiatric survivors.
* Promote safe and humane options in mental health.
MindFreedom International unites 100 sponsor and affiliate groups with individual members, and is accredited by the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with Consultative Roster Status.
MindFreedom is one of the very few totally independent groups in the mental health field with no funding from governments, drug companies, religions, corporations, or the mental health system.
JOIN, DONATE, or give GIFT MEMBERSHIPS to MindFreedom International today:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/join.shtml
For a MAD MARKET of books and other products to support human rights campaigns in mental health: http://www.madmarket.org
MindFreedom International
454 Willamette, Suite 216 - POB 11284
Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA
http://www.mindfreedom.org
e-mail: office@mindfreedom.org
~~~~~~~~~
* ACTION * ACTION * ACTION *
Please forward this news to all appropriate places on and off the Internet. Thank you!
http://www.MindFreedom.org - 12 March 2006 Mad Pride 2006 Events to Include; Africa, Ireland, USA, Canada, France.
Plan Your Mad Pride Event for 2006!
by Krista Erickson, Chair, MindFreedom MadPride Committee
Mad Pride 2006 promises to be better than ever with plans underway for several events in Ireland, USA, Canada, France and even a Mad Pride celebration in Africa thanks to MindFreedom Ghana!
Dan Taylor, who is the Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana based in Accra, Ghana, announced, "Our Theme for our Mad Pride event is 'Free Minds At Ease.'"
Dan explained that, "MindFreedom Ghana is poised to take Ghana and indeed Africa by storm in July 2006 to highlight the problems and human rights of users and survivors of the mental health system through street marches, drama, music festivals and symposia."
Dan said that bigotry against people diagnosed with psychiatric labels is common in Ghana: "Our friends and relations have long been stigmatized for living with or surviving psychosocial disabilities and so we MindFreedom Ghana will do what it takes to reverse this."
MindFreedom Ghana has joined the MindFreedom Mad Pride International Steering Committee. Dan hopes this will inspire other groups to participate this year. Dan said, "Let all MindFreedom Groups in the USA and other parts of the world join in this event to accentuate our cause in diverse forms!"
Mad Pride celebrates the creativity, strength and resilience of the human spirit. Mad Pride provides an opportunity to empower psychiatric survivors and raise public consciousness through various activities such as art, theatre, music, poetry, protests, vigils and more. This is the 6th year MindFreedom has helped promote Mad Pride events internationally.
Mad Pride helps to counteract some of the discrimination and prejudice often shown towards people who have experienced mental distress and difference. Mad Pride promotes the economic, social, environmental and cultural integration of users/survivors of psychiatry into the larger society. Observances of Mad Pride are often used to call attention to both past and current human rights violations in the mental health system.
Mad Pride can be celebrated anytime but is most often observed in the month of July, usually on or around July 14 -- Bastille Day. The 14th of July marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille in Paris, France in 1789. For over the past two centuries, the storming of the Bastille has been a universal symbol of liberation. When the Bastille was stormed, two prisoners with psychiatric labels being detained solely for that reason were freed.
Mad Pride 2005 featured events in four nations including several theatre performances, the showing of a documentary film, mock screenings for "normality", a musical event, a vigil and a parade, among many other activities.
Nations with Mad Pride events in recent years have included:
** UK: Where Mad Pride started! In 2005 activists held a "bed push" for miles. They pushed a bed with a mannequin strapped on a road between cities to draw attention to psychiatric human rights abuse.
** France: Where psychiatric survivors place a bouquet of remembrance at the actual Bastille in Paris.
** Canada: Toronto has a "Psychiatric Survivor Day" with theater productions and much more. Vancouver has had an art show.
** USA: Mental Patients Liberation Alliance has held protests, several-day encampments and hunger strikes at the State Capitol in Albany. MindFreedom Oregon holds a musical and speaking event in the middle of each year's huge Oregon Country Fair. In Chicago, a MindFreedom contingent marched in the Disability Pride parade held each year in July.
For photos and reports of these and other past Mad Pride events please visit:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/madpride/index.shtml Your planned Mad Pride event can be tiny or huge. You can hand out some brochures... or hold a whole musical event... But please let MindFreedom International know about any Mad Pride 2006 events you're planning so that we can help get out the word. Please send Mad Pride announcements and news to
office@mindfreedom.org. Additionally, the MindFreedom board has now created an international Mad Pride Committee of MindFreedom members to help coordinate and publicize Mad Pride events. MindFreedom Ghana and poet John McCarthy of MindFreedom Ireland are providing liaisons for this International Mad Pride Committee. If you are a MindFreedom member who is interested in joining or supporting this committee please e-mail
krista@intenex.net. ~~~~~~~~~
One easy way to do a Mad Pride event wherever you are!
"The real" Patch Adams has been a MindFreedom leader since 1992. One of Patch's clown troupes in Florence, Italy taught MindFreedom members some simple street theater that you can do to involve the public in Mad Pride. At the below link you may read a description of this street theater. There you may also download a coupon (MS Word file) that you may copy back-to-back, cut in two, and hand out. One version is for the USA. Another can be used anywhere internationally:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/mindfreedom/madpride/screening.shtml ~~~~~~~~~~
Will Mad Pride 2006 be Sponsored by PharmAmorin?
The power of laughter in challenging psychiatric oppression is shown in this new satire from the popular humor publication _The Onion_ 6 March 2006:
"Wonder Drug Inspires Deep, Unwavering Love Of Pharmaceutical Companies
"NEW YORK—The Food and Drug Administration today approved the sale of the drug PharmAmorin, a prescription tablet developed by Pfizer to treat chronic distrust of large prescription-drug manufacturers.
"Pfizer executives characterized the FDA's approval as a 'godsend' for sufferers of independent-thinking-related mental-health disorders."
To read this whole article see:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/46032 ~~~~~~~~~~
Show Your Mad Pride!
JOIN MindFreedom International today!
MindFreedom is a non-profit human rights group:
* Win human rights campaigns in mental health.
* End abuse by the psychiatric drug industry.
* Support the self-determination of psychiatric survivors.
* Promote safe and humane options in mental health.
MindFreedom International unites 100 sponsor and affiliate groups with individual members, and is accredited by the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with Consultative Roster Status.
MindFreedom is one of the very few totally independent groups in the mental health field with no funding from governments, drug companies, religions, corporations, or the mental health system.
JOIN, DONATE, or give GIFT MEMBERSHIPS to MindFreedom International today:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/join.shtml For a MAD MARKET of books and other products to support human rights campaigns in mental health:
http://www.madmarket.org MindFreedom International
454 Willamette, Suite 216 - POB 11284
Eugene, OR 97440-3484 USA
http://www.mindfreedom.org e-mail:
office@mindfreedom.org ~~~~~~~~~
* ACTION * ACTION * ACTION *
Please forward this news to all appropriate places on and off the Internet. Thank you!
Colin Revell
e-mail:
colrevs@hotmail.co.uk