Some Human Rights With Your Coffee?

[struggle4progress]

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/image/0,1587,1596582_1,00.jpg

A group of Istanbul women have taken to the city's men-only coffee houses to promote human rights reforms introduced by the government. At the same time, they're reviving a centuries-old tradition.

In Istanbul's traditional coffee houses, men drink coffee, play cards and backgammon, while exchanging gossip and chatting about soccer. For centuries, Turkish men have viewed the coffee house as a refuge to escape the trials of day-to-day life, including their wives -- as the cafés are strictly reserved for men. But this evening is different.

With the help of a megaphone to overcome the din of games and conversation, Aytan Gougun, 34, talks to the men about human rights. She is among a group of women visiting coffee houses across the city on a mission to explain new rights passed by parliament to meet demands from the European Union, whose ranks Turkey seeks to join.

Gougun informs the men that they have the right to a lawyer if arrested, and that police cannot search their homes without a court order. A video projected on the coffee house wall explains their right to insurance at work, how they can exercise their new rights and wider principles of citizenship and democracy. <snip>

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1596509,00.html

[NMMNG]

1. This is a great idea

It reminds me of an article I was just reading in an old copy of Utne Reader I found laying around the house. People were coming together and having "topic chats". There were basic ground rules (to keep personal and political differences from causing arguments) but other than that it was a free for all. I like the concept of coffee houses being utilized for more than just strangers catching a cup of joe. :donut: