An evening of discussion with

Damian Platt, Jessica Galeria, and Crystallee Crain

exploring the subject of

CULTURE IS OUR WEAPON:

Making Music and Changing Lives in Rio De Janerio

by Patrick Neate & Damian Platt

published by Penguin Paperback Originals

with a special musical guest

In the heart of Brazil's favelas, or shantytowns, a vicious war is raging. Drug Dealers show violence and poverty in the neighborhoods they control like warlords, and the residents are quickly running out of options. But the people are fighting back – and they are doing it with art.

AfroReggae is a movement that uses music and culture to provide hope and opportunity to young people and is taking the favelas back – one song at a time.

Powerful and moving, CULTURE IS OUR WEAPON is an unforgettable look at Rio, its people, and this extraordinary group. What emerges is a colorful portrait of resistance, ethnic diversity, social inequality, and the timeless power of music in a society of fascinating, often heart rendering extremes.

Grupo Cultural Afro Reggae is a Brazilian cultural group forged out of the police massacre of 21 people in their local community in 1993. They have gone on to establish an international profile for their pioneering work in taking young people out of the drug/gang culture of Rio de Janeiro's favelas (shantytowns) and harnessing the ingenuity and creativity of their communities to provide positive alternatives for young people.

Damian Platt was born in Nairobi and grew up in West London. From the age of fifteen onwards he traveled widely around Europe. He reached Brazil for the first time in 1994 and was a Brazil Campaigner for Amnesty International between 1997 and 2005, where he researched human rights in the USA, Colombia, Haiti and Brazil among other countries. Between 2006 and 2008 he was the Coordinator for International Partnerships at the cultural group AfroReggae in Rio de Janeiro. He is currently involved in a number of cultural projects in Rio, including the setting up of a cultural centre in Providência, the first officially recognized favela in Brazil.

Jessica Galeria works in the nonprofit sector focusing on human rights, development, and women's issues. She is the Development & Communications Officer for Operation Access, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that helps people
without health insurance access donated surgical care. In addition, she volunteers with Upwardly Global, mentoring work-authorized immigrants
and asylums to restart careers in their fields in the United States. She
also serves on the Grants Committee of Spark, a foundation making small
grants to empower women and girls. She has also worked with Human Rights Watch and Viva Rio in Brazil.

Crystallee Crain is a native of Flint, Michigan. She recently relocated to Oakland, CA to work on issues of violence with youth ages 15-18. Currently she is the director of Heal the Streets, which is a leadership training program for youth in Oakland who want to take a proactive, political and advocacy driven approach to promoting non-violence. She has been working, volunteering and promoting peace, equality and justice on a number of fronts for the past 10 years. Through journalism, teaching and political advocacy Ms. Crain has made personal and professional contributions to creating a just society. .