(This study guide complements one-third of the Musicians in the War Zone program, which is 1 hour long and is only available in the full 1 hour format)
Produced: 2001

War Child Canada and MuchMusic created a program about human rights and war-affected children that would engage a youth audience and inspire them to action. 'Musicians in the War Zone,' is an hour long human rights special communicating the ravaging effects of war on youth globally, and exploring human rights issues through the eyes of youth and Canadian artists: The Rascalz in Sierra Leone, David Usher (Moist) at the Thai-Burmese border and Chantal Kreviazuk & Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) in Iraq.  This documentary aims to tell the story of the impact of war on young people, to inspire global action and help to  make change in support of war affected children.

 While in the field, the musicians acted as journalists and narrators,
connecting the television viewing audience with war-affected youth through  their questions, their concerns and their detailed exploration of the  impact of war on the lives of young people, who were often very candid  about their experiences. The combination of award winning, platinum recording artists and riveting footage from the field are guaranteed to be an effective teaching tool to captivate the youth/young adult audience and help inspire them to get involved.

For more information, and to get your class or school involved in War Child Canada's youth programs, please visit, www.warchild.ca or contact War Child Canada at (416) 971-7474. 

STUDY GUIDE FOR IRAQ

This video is part of a series developed by War Child Canada and MuchMusic called “Musicians in the War Zone.” 

The following questions and activities are based on the order in which information is presented in the video.  The activities included here cover three different types of questions and assignments: basic review questions on information that is presented in the video; questions which deal with issues or events requiring further research; and assignments which require personal reflection on the issues being explored.  You may wish to view the video, or sections of it, more than once. 
 
The activities included here are only suggestions.  You may wish to adapt these for the students in your class.  Some of the questions might be best addressed in small group discussions or in a form of classroom debate; you may wish to extend others to include a specific action or participation in a campaign.  Obviously, it is important to use those activities that best suit the students and the curriculum. 

Several scenes and interviews in the video contain images and information that may be disturbing for students. After viewing the video, it is recommended that students spend time on the first question, giving them the opportunity to record their immediate, personal responses to what they have seen and heard.  A discussion should follow this writing time, allowing students to express their emotional responses to the video before they continue with any other questions. 

1. Record your immediate responses to this video.  How do you feel after watching this video?   Why do you feel this way?  What scenes and images stand out after viewing it?     Why are these scenes and images especially powerful?

2. At the beginning of the video, we are given information about the political situation in Iraq.  In 1990, Suddam Hussein, leader of the military dictatorship in Iraq, sent his army to invade Kuwait.  In 1991, a UN coalition led by the United States, fought the Gulf War to free Kuwait from foreign occupation.

a) What is a military dictatorship?  How does this kind of government operate?

b) How long did this war last?  How many Iraqi soldiers were killed in the war?  How many American soldiers were killed?

c) One Iraqi woman, Zehra, describes what it was like to live through this war.  What does she remember about the attacks that came in the night?  How did the war affect her emotionally?  How did it affect her family?

3. Before the war began, in an effort to drive Iraq from Kuwait, the UN Security Council imposed “draconian” economic sanctions against Iraq.  When the sanctions failed to work, the UN coalition went to war.  Following the war, even though Hussein’s troops withdrew from Kuwait, the sanctions remained—and still do to this day.  These sanctions are the most severe ever imposed in our history. 

a) What does the term “economic sanction” mean?

b) What have the sanctions prohibited Iraq from importing?  Explain the reasons given for some of the restrictions.  What are some of the effects the sanctions have had on the Iraqi people?  What effect have the sanctions had on the cost of living and unemployment?

4.  Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace and Chantal Kreviazuk visit Iraq to learn about the effects of the sanctions on the children, especially in terms of health care and education.   We are told that the UN sanctions have a severe negative humanitarian impact.  Raine  says that “If you think about their future, these children are handcuffed.”

a) In what ways have the sanctions affected the health of the mothers and children, and the medical care that is available to them? 

b) According to UNICEF, how many children are dying per month because of the sanctions?  How many deaths occurred as a result of the war?

c)  Explain why Raine says that in terms of their future, these children are “handcuffed.” 

 5.  During their visit to a hospital in Karbola, Chantal and Raine are deeply affected by one little boy they meet.  When Dr. Ali is asked about the future for the people there he says “Where is the humanity?”

a) What is the condition of the boy’s health?  What treatment did he require?  Why was he unable to receive it?  Explain why this situation is difficult for Chantal and Raine to accept.

b) What does Dr. Ali believe the Iraqi people need in order to survive?  What would make  his recommendation possible?  Why is it not surprising that Dr. Ali asks where the humanity is?

c) Explain your reaction to the situation facing mothers and their children. How would you feel if you were one of the visitors to this hospital?  How would you feel if you, or someone you knew, were a patient? 

6. 
a)  Review the comments made by Zehra and the other students about education in Iraq.  Explain the ways in which the sanctions have affected education.  (Consider the items students no longer have access to, and how much they have to pay for books, if there are any to buy.)   How have the present hardships affected the students’ attitude towards learning?  How does their educational experience compare with your own? 

b)  Discuss the impact the sanctions are likely to have on the next generation.  What observations do Raine and Chantal make about the future for the young people of Iraq? 

7. 
a)  The bombs dropped during the war continue to have a devastating impact on the Iraqi people, and on the soldiers who were involved in the war.  What were these bombs coated with?  What health problems are the bombs suspected of causing?

b)  Investigate the reasons given for the continued bombing today.  Consult the website for the United Nations or the New Internationalist.  While we are told in the West that the bombs are targeting military zones, who are these bombs clearly affecting? 

8.  Because of the suffering of the Iraqi people, it easy to forget that the country is sitting on what is probably the world’s second-largest oil reserves in the world.   Because of the sanctions, however, Iraq has been prevented from selling its oil.  However, in May 1996, Iraq signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under Security Council Resolution 986, often referred to as the oil-for-food deal. Under this deal, Iraq was permitted to sell a limited amount of oil in exchange for food. 

a) How did this oil-for-food plan help the people? 

b) Although the Iraqi’s welcomed this plan, it is clear that it does have several limitations.  One serious limitation is the fact that the infrastructure and pipelines needed to pump the allocated oil continue to be bombed.  Investigate the food for oil program through the UN and NI websites, and explain the advantages and disadvantages of it for the Iraqi people.  

9.  Raine says that the only information he had about Iraq prior to this trip came from CNN.  

a) Using periodicals, websites and relevant CD Roms, research the mainstream media coverage that was given to the war against Iraq.  What kinds of stories and images made the news? 

b) Many people critical of the war described the coverage as “a deadly video game brought to you by Pentagon sources, defense contractors and quarantined reporters” (Lines in the Sand).  What does this quotation tell us about the way that news and information was managed and controlled?  What kinds of stories does it suggest were missing from the coverage?

c) What kind of coverage has been given to the UN sanctions, their devastating effects, and the daily bombing that continues by US and Britain? 

d) How do the images and information from this video compare with what we have received from mainstream news sources?  

e)  Summarize your findings.  What reasons can you offer for the coverage that we have and have not received?  What effect do you think mainstream news coverage has had on Western perceptions of the situation in Iraq?

10.  The UN sanctions have sparked a great deal of debate around the world.  Saddam Hussein is guilty of gross human rights abuses, yet the sanctions that are meant to weaken his regime have devastated the Iraqi people and left the regime intact.   

a) How did the UN justify keeping these severe economic sanctions in place following the war?  Check the UN website for information on the position of the UN Security Council.

b) The UN established conditions that the Iraqi government has to meet in order for the sanctions to be lifted.  What has Iraq done to comply with the conditions for lifting the sanctions?  Why do all the sanctions still remain?  Check websites for the United Nations and the New Internationalist for information. 

c) Investigate the reactions of human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to the sanctions and to Hussein’s leadership.  What recommendations are they making to the UN Security Council?  How has the UN responded? 

d) What campaigns have human rights groups undertaken to support the Iraqi people? 
What campaigns would you be willing to support?  Check the website for War Child Canada and the New Internationalist for a list of contact groups and suggested actions. 

e)  Summarize your findings on the controversy surrounding the UN sanctions. What is the main argument for maintaining the sanctions?  What is the main argument for eliminating the sanctions?  Based on your research, explain the recommendations that you would make to the UN regarding the sanctions and the situation in Iraq. 

11.  Research the culture and the history of Iraq, as well as the customs and traditions of the Muslim people.  Iraq is home to the city of Babylon and is thought to be the site of the biblical Garden of Eden.  What is the historical and biblical significance of these places? What are some of the customs and traditions that are observed by Muslims in Iraq?  Prepare a report on your findings to share with your peers.

12.  The songs “Surrounded” by Chantal Kreviazuk  and “In Repair” by Our Lady Peace  provide the soundtrack for this video.  Examine the lyrics of these songs.  How do they comment on the places Chantal and Raine visit and the situation of the Iraqi people?   

13.  This video is based on the conventions of documentary filmmaking.  How do the conventions of the documentary convey a sense of reality?  (Consider the use of on-camera testimonial footage, unscripted dialogue, use of real people, etc.)

14. 
a)  At several points in the video, there is a juxtaposition of images as the screen is divided into two or more sections.  In other places a single images fades into another.  Select one video sequence and examine it closely.  What effect is created through the presentation of the images in this sequence?  How do the images work with the text and music to convey a message about the situation in Iraq?  Are there certain elements that are more powerful for you than others?  Why?   Compare your interpretation of this sequence with that of your peers.  

b)  Examine the opening sequence.  How do the images, text, and audio components combine to convey a particular message or impression?  How is editing used effectively in this sequence? 

c) What impression is conveyed through the digital effects and the animated sequence that appear when we are reading about the effects of the bombing in Iraq?  How do the images work with the audio component and text to convey meaning? 

15. 
a)  Discuss the power of celebrities in drawing our attention to global issues and human rights.  Identify other examples in the media where celebrities have been used to highlight similar issues.  Explain whether or not you think their use is effective and/or appropriate.                            

b)  Some people are critical of the use of celebrities, claiming it takes attention away from the issue and puts the ‘spotlight’ on the celebrity.  How would you assess the role of the Chantal and Raine in this video?  Who or what is the focus of this video?  Who is telling the story of Iraq?   

16.   Towards the end of the video, Raine says that the experience has shown him that “Everybody back home needs some perspective.”   Missionaries and aid workers have often said that those who struggle for anything ‘better’ in the future can teach us a lot about finding happiness in our own lives.   Do you agree with Raine’s statement?  Has this video given you some perspective?  Write a personal reflection in which you explore the lessons  you can take away from this story of the Iraqi people. 

17.  “When we stand at the top of the heap we cannot see, feel or experience life at the bottom.  Those at the top feel no need for change or reform.  If we travel to a new viewing point, that of those at the bottom, we risk conversion.” Bob Holmes C.S.B.

“The more we know about one another, the more we come to realize we are not so different after all.”  Jordan’s King Hussein

Discuss the ways in which these statements apply to the experience of the musicians and to what we learn from this video.   Consider the new viewing point that is provided from meeting the Iraqi people and learning about their situation from them (rather than from a news report), visiting the hospital and visiting the school. What does King Hussein’s statement tell us about the importance of leaving the “top of the heap” and looking at things from a new perspective?  How can these experiences “convert us”?  Write a reflection in which you explore how these lessons can apply to our own experiences and interactions with others.

 RECOMMENDED INTERNET RESOURCES:

Corporate Watch:  www.corpwatch.org

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
www.fair.org

Human Rights Watch
www.hrw.org

Independent Media Centre (Indymedia)
www.indymedia.org

One World:  www.oneworld.org
-this site has links to over 100 partners, such as Amnesty International (www.amnesty.org) and The New Internationalist (www.newint.org)

United Nations
www.un.org

War Child Canada
www.warchild.ca

Written by: Carolyn Wilson
Carolyn Wilson is a teacher, author and President of the Association for Media Literacy in Ontario, Canada. Carolyn teaches Media Literacy and English at St. Michael Secondary School in Stratford, Ontario and is the co-author of the best selling text book, Mass Media and Popular Culture, Version 2.  She recently developed an interdisciplinary global education program that includes a billeting experience in the Dominican Republic and a volunteer placement with a local social service agency.  She has written about and given workshops on such topics as global studies and the media, corporate sponsorship in education, gender representation in the media and communications technology. 

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