theBedouins : skateboard artivism

PUSH Tunisia

This year we will introduce young Tunisians to the positive side of skateboarding, specifically the attraction to creatively reevaluate your surroundings in a positive way. Although the emphasis will be about skateboarding there is also an important element of connecting African, Arab, and American cultures, inspiring those affected by conflict, and creating a sense of awareness of the current events happening in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.

We will be creating a documentary about our experiences which will capture the spirit of the Tunisian youth and provide a platform for their aspirations and hopes. The films' focus will be to unveil the various stories of each character and their participation and response to changes sweeping the region – with the underlying hope of creating inspiration and peace for future generations. More Info

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We are currently developing film projects in the other North African countries, Middle East, and India. We welcome any ideas on making these projects a reality.

PUSH Middle East
An evolution of our film Sour from a few years back. PUSH M.E. will invite skaters from all over the Middle East and step it up a few notches. STATUS: proposals for funding

Smile On Mumbai
Modeled after the Smile project started in Bangalore in 2005, Rise Up and theBedouins will initiate a skateboarding project in Mumbai – ‘Smile on Mumbai’ – to foster and promote the skateboarding scene in India’s largest city.

Upcoming event:
Yallah! Skateboard Artivism
Tunis, Tunisia 
November 2011  date TBA


Our most recent event tour was Kuli Wuli at the following venues:

Sept. 9th + 10th  
@ Reach & Teach, San Mateo, CA
www.reachandteach.com/peace
afternote:
Thanks to Everyone who joined us and to Reach & Teach for an awesome event!

Sept. 14th - 16th
@ Ross Ragland Theater, Klamath Falls, OR
www.rrtheater.org

Sept. 16th    6 pm
@ Klamath Falls Public Library

Invite Kuli Wuli to your area! peace@thebedouins.org


Yallah! Artivism for Peace
Official Launch Fundraiser

July and August 2010
@ EVO, Seattle Washington
www.evo.com

Check out the projects that inspired our organization:

SOUR a film about doing the things you love with people you're not supposed to like

Already familiar with images of war and destruction from the media, this project asks the real question….“What does an instrument of peace look like?” For one group of youth from the Middle East, the unlikely answer is a skateboard.

Sour is about a group of Israeli and Jordanian skaters, jumping borders and culture barriers to share a united passion for skating and life. It aims to capture an important viewpoint that the news reports miss by putting the camera into the hands of local teenagers with little or no prior experience in making a film. This very process helps us showcase acts of peaceful rebellion, community action, and outreach that unify people who would otherwise never meet. In essence, Sour is a film about doing the things you love with people you’re not supposed to like.

Filmed during the Lebanon-Israel war of 2006, Sour features a youthful ensemble of top Arab and Israeli skaters, including Idan “Aziz” Abra, Noam Beer, Tzahi Einat, Udi Hasson, Mohammed Kahil, Omar Nash, Saif Qaisi, Hamzeh Zahran, and Mohammed Zakaria.

Rent or Buy the film at Reframe.

Visit Sour’s website at sourcrew.com

Film Festivals and Awards for Sour: Best Content Award- Boston International Film Festival (2008); Official Selection- Bend Film (2007), Arab Film Festival Los Angeles and San Francisco (2007), Eilat International Film Festival (Israel, 2008), Shoot Me Film Festival (The Netherlands, 2009), and Proud2Be Moviegoers Series (UK, 2009)

SMILE a skate film about teaching skateboarding in the slums of Bangalore, India

Skateboarding was born in the streets by youth who wanted a different way to interpret their urban environment. It was their tool that defied convention and created a movement that had no rules, regulations, contests, or winners. With time this movement has flourished in some of the most unlikely places, transforming crowded cities with mazes of jumbled concrete into a skaters’ playground. Smile portrays this aspect of skateboarding, specifically the attraction to creatively reevaluate your surroundings in a positive way. This is the story of teaching skateboarding in one of the poorest slums of Bangalore, India. For six months Nathan volunteered at the Deepika School where he used the skateboard to foster creative expression and encourage personal growth among the children. Smile follows the challenges, joys, laughter, and tears of this epic journey.

Smile Book

theBedouins designed a forty page photo-journalism style book covering the Smile project. It includes excerpts and poems from Nathan’s journal as well as quotes from the children, alongside vivid color photographs.

One of the best ways to support our work is by purchasing our films which are available through Tribeca Film Institute.

Sour 2006
Smile 2005


If you would like to provide general support you can always write a check to theBedouins, P.O. Box 1450, Bend, OR 97709

theBedouins welcomes your contributions. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) and your contributions are tax-deductible. Thank you!

For media inquires please email peace@thebedouins.org

We believe that financial stability is derived from diversity and that maintaining a broad base of donors over time is the most responsible and fiscally prudent way to finance theBedouins. In our desire to best fulfill our mission, theBedouins aims to be supported by a broad base of donors for the following reasons: (1) We wish to be mission driven. We want to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said to those who need to be told, without fearing financial repercussions. (2) theBedouins believes that financial support from a wide variety of people, in a myriad of communities, is a good test for the validity of our work.

This page is under some serious construction...

In the meanwhile, one of the best ways to support our work is by purchasing our films which are available through Tribeca Film Institute.

Sour
Smile

Sponsor us

As we are just getting started, we need the generous financial support of sponsors. Sponsorship of a whole project or a specific aspect of what we do would be greatly appreciated.

Volunteer

Currently we are looking for artists to contribute to our creative process and ambassadors to help spread the word. Of course we welcome all volunteers so don’t hesitate to contact us with ideas on how you can help.

We are based in Bend, Oregon but our work will be found all over the world. Drop us your thoughts at peace@thebedouins.org

theBedouins
P.O. Box 1450
Bend, OR 97709
USA

541.977.2665

VISION

To contribute to the enhancement of world peace, with a commitment to inspire peaceful resolution of conflicts through human experiences that resonate across divides.

MISSION

Pushing skateboarding and street art as instruments of peace.

Specifically, we will develop creative projects for the youth that inspire humanity by blending skateboarding and arts with history, facts, and perspectives of real people living the conflicts. These educational projects will focus on conflict-ridden regions worldwide and will facilitate meaningful dialogue as well as encourage individuals to use their unique talents for peace.

Why ‘the Bedouins’?

Derived from the Arabic word, bedouins are a group of people who embrace a nomadic lifestyle in harmony with the land that they wander. Our name was inspired by the simple ideals of bedouins; the perseverance and resilience they approach life with, and their attraction to seek fresh perspectives and horizons.