On September 4th, Hurricane Felix struck the coastal region of Nicaragua, devastating communities and damaging basic infrastructure. BilwiVision, URACCAN, and the surrounding communities were hard hit by the hurricane.

In response to this event, the Toronto VIVA! group organized, "Resurgent Voices: a post-hurricane benefit for BilwiVision and autonomous media in Nicaragua" raising $700 to send to BilwiVision. The program included screenings of videos from The VIVA! Project, BilwiVision, The Story Project, and Regent Park Focus.

It was important that the event framed the costeños in general, and BilwiVision in particular, not as 'helpless victims' seeking charitable aid from the north, but rather as 'pro-active actors' seeing this latest crisis as an opportunity to reinforce the struggle for regional autonomy and to promote the dynamic grass-roots and participatory approach to local media, countering hierarchical dominant media practices.

The decision to involve the local autonomous media groups in Toronto also highlighted this aspect of community media and arts, and allowed us to make stronger links with two groups who are key partners in our Community Arts Practice (CAP) certificate program.

The event was MCed by Alberto Guevara, the CAP coordinator for the Faculty of Fine Arts, thus also strengthening our cross-faculty collaboration. Alberto is Nicaraguan, and was part of the cultural brigade during the revolution taking theatre to the Sandinista troops; he now teaches performance and theatre of the oppressed at York.

The event was co-sponsored by:

The VIVA! Project and Community Arts Practice Program (York University), Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLAC), The Story Project (Central Neighbourhood House), Transformative Learning Centre (OISE), Media Lab, Regent Park Focus and Casa Canadiense.

To read more information about the effects of Hurricane Felix check out: http://www.yorku.ca/cerlac/felix.htm