As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela: Underground adventures in the arms & torture trade
It works! Stand-up comedian writes book and it’s as fast-paced and riveting as anything he does on stage. What makes this rude, funny, furious offering such a success is that Mark Thomas is no ordinary comic. He’s a fiendishly inspired political activist who gets stuck into the murkiest activities, in this case trading in arms and torture equipment. His purpose is to expose how shockingly easy it is to sell items like electric torture batons to the likes of Robert Mugabe, circumventing official government ‘codes of conduct’. Child’s play, quite literally, as a bunch of Oxfordshire schoolkids, equipped with a mobile phone and a few tips from the author, broker international deals. Thomas is angry – who isn’t when faced with egregious corporate greed and government hypocrisy? – but he is also warm, humane, surprising. He keeps finding himself liking the most unlikely people, even arms dealers. And he can’t help but see the ridiculous side of things, poking fun at all – including fellow activists and himself. A more pompous individual might not have shared with us some details – like his mum’s view of his activities, a perspective that puts him straight back into short pants.
This is, we are told, Mark Thomas’s first book. Now that part is hard to believe!
- Product information
- by Mark Thomas
- Publisher
- Ebury Press
- Product number
- ISBN 009190921 X
- Star rating
- Product link
- www.randomhouse.co.uk
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
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