[imc-baghdad] to IWPR from BAGHDAD

[Ramzi Kysia]

Hello,

I work with Voices in the Wilderness, a Chicago-based
advocacy group that's been operating in Iraq since
1996. Since the war ended, I've been working with a
group of (mainly) students from Baghdad University to
help them start their own newspaper. Nick Wood
suggested I get in touch with IWPR regarding the
project.

We published our first issue yesterday, and hope to
publish weekly from here on out. We have a website
(kindly donated through indymedia) at:
www.almuajaha.com but it's currently down - that
problem should be resolved shortly. If not, I'd be
happy to email you the articles from this first issue.

The project has gone wonderfully so far (especially
considering the lack of funding & logistical problems
here), but we do desperately need assistance - both
financially and in training.

I'm appending below the proposal we sent around as we
were starting this project last month. Please do get
in touch with me if you have any questions or would
like to pursue this further.

Warm Regards,
Ramzi Kysia
Voices in the Wilderness, Baghdad
http://www.vitw.org

Al-Muajaha Iraq Newspaper Development Project, a
Proposal

SUMMARY:
To provide training and resources to a group of young,
Iraqi journalists - unconnected with either the
previous Ba'athist regime, or with the successor
American government - in order to help them begin an
independent newspaper in Baghdad, called “Al-Muajaha,
the Iraqi Witness.” [Al-Muajaha can be translated
alternatively as, “The Facing,” “Face to Face,” and
"Confrontation"].

Depending to some extent on funding, Al-Muajaha will
be published weekly in a single issue with both Arabic
and English sections, as well as being available on
the web, again in both Arabic and English.


MISSION STATEMENT:
Al-Muajaha is an independent Iraqi newspaper,
representing all levels of Iraqi society. We aim to
help the world understand Iraq, and to help Iraq
understand the world. 

For decades, almost all governments in the world,
including our own, abused and terribly ignored the
basic humanity of the Iraqi people. Al-Muajaha aims to
provide an open forum for all Iraqis to freely debate
current issues, and in so doing educate themselves and
the world. We aim to support the legitimate desires of
the Iraqi people by providing a voice for them that
can reach the world, and we hope to promote
understanding of the fundamental equality of all
peoples and nations under both human and Divine law.


NEWSPAPER SECTIONS:
- News & Features (news & human interest stories), 2-4
pages.
- Arts & Culture (to include 2 poems by local poets),
1 page.
- Religion (inclusive of all faiths & sects in Iraq),
1 page.
- Community Announcements (open submissions policy),
1/2 page. 
- Opinion/Editorial (open submissions, as well as
solicited essays), 2 pages.


EQUIPMENT NEEDS
- 5 computers w/Arabic language support & keyboards
- 2 printers
- a Xerox machine
- a fax machine (once phone lines are back up)
- 2 phone lines
- a dedicated internet line (satellite modems to serve
until phones are up)
- 2 digital cameras
- 2 video cameras (for web reports)
- 2 file cabinets
- 5 desks/chairs
- a sofa & lounge chairs
- an air conditioner
- a fridge
- a generator (even when power comes up, it's likely
not going to be available at all times)

Satellite modems are $1300 each, plus $13/megabyte
(downloaded or uploaded), the other items comes to
$12K, by our estimate (purchasing it locally)


ADDITIONAL COSTS:
- Salaries: $50/month for 12 full-time staff, or
$7,200/year
- Rent: estimated $7-12K/year
- Transportation: est. $5K/year
- Food: est. $1K/year
- Office supplies: est. $1K/year
- Utilities: est. $1K/year
- Printing Costs: 18 cents - 30 cents per issue,
depending on the size of the run, and the local
economy (prices are in extreme fluctuation right now).
For a weekly run of 5,000 papers, at 24 cents a paper,
this comes to $1,200 per week, or $62,400 a year [We
are in the process of locating a more affordable
printer, but this is the cost for printing at this
time].


TOTAL COSTS FOR FIRST YEAR:
Estimated $99,100.


DECISION MAKING STRUCTURE:
Al-Muajaha will use a partial-consensus model for
reaching all decisions. After group discussion of
pending decisions, proposals will only move forward if
there is full consensus on them, or if no one decides
to block a decision.

All Iraqis are welcome to participate in all aspects
of this project. Pro-active efforts are being made to
assure equal representation of all levels of Iraqi
society, as well as equal representation based on
gender. 

Limiting factors for participation include a lack of
money available for salaries, and problems in
communication and transportation stemming from the
war. 


SPONSORING ORGANIZATION [this section written by
VitW]:
Voices in the Wilderness (VitW) is/was a grassroots
campaign, based in both Chicago and London, to end
sanctions against Iraq and stop the war. For almost 8
years, VitW brought delegations of Westerners to Iraq
in order to see first hand the effects of sanctions
and bombings on the Iraqi people. In our home
countries, VitW pressured policymakers through
advocacy and agitation in support of the Iraqi people.
 While many of the members of VitW come from the
Christian Left, VitW itself is a secular organization,
and VitW’s lead organizer of this project in Iraq is a
Muslim. 

Though VitW is helping to provide advice, training and
resources to this project, all decisions in the
project are being made by Iraqis. All research and all
writing is being done by Iraqis (although VitW is
sometimes providing advice in English-language
phrasing). Furthermore, if another organization with a
shared philosophy of openness and consensus, would
like to take over as the outside, sponsoring
organization of this project, VitW would be happy to
step aside as the lead, outside organizer. In any
case, this project is and must remain in the hands of
those Iraqis who wish to make it a reality.

More information on Voices in the Wilderness is
available at: http://www.vitw.org



Sincerely,
The founding members of Al-Muajaha:
Haider Hamza
Yassar Farouk
Mohammed Al-Jubaili
Salaam Al-Jubouri
Khalid Jarrar
Majid Jarrar
Waleed Rabi'a Al-Merza
Hamsa Mohammad
Hekmat Mohammad
Hosni Mohammad
Salaam Al-Onaibi

 [for Voices in the Wilderness: Ramzi Kysia]


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