This weekend I had the pleasure to attend the first national NGO Gathering for Kosovar environmental NGOs. The real pleasures came at the beginning and the end. Petr Holub, an anti-nuclear activist from way back with Hnuti Duha (Friends of the Earth Czech Republic), and one of the founding members of the International Energy Brigades gave the kick off motivational speech. The International Energy Brigades  were founded as a response to the proposal to build the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic. Volunteer brigades went to all the villages surrounding the proposed site and insulated windows and installed energy efficient light bulbs, proving decisively that simple energy conservation measures negate the need for more energy production, especially production from sources that are as flawed and dangerous as nuclear power. The IEBs now operate in Bulgaria, Georgia, Hungary, Macedonia, Slovakia and Ukraine. I remember like a dream taking part in the 2-week blockade of Temelin in the summer of 1997. I remember being shit-scared not so much of the certain arrest, but helping to push down the gate and clomping through towards gate 11  in my hiking boots, barely avoiding security and wondering if I would be shot. The guards had the authority to shoot because the fuel rods had just been delivered to the site. It was at this point that I realized that yes, I was passionate enough about the environment to lay my life down for it.  One of the successes Petr can now point to is that the he has been hired to run a new directorate on renewable energy within the Ministry of Environment. 

The end of the day featured a concert by The Durgas, who play a fusion of rock/folk/reggae music. The Durgas are committed to bringing a unifying musical experience to challenged communities around the world. In 2003 they were the first band to play in Mitrovica, Kosovo since the Balkan wars, as part of the ongoing United Nations peace and reunification initiative. In 2004 they took part in the XV International AIDS/HIV Conference in Bangkok, Thailand and performed in AIDS hospitals and orphanages. In 2007 they toured throughout Asia, playing to children of migrant workers in Mumbai, India, in Sri Lanka to families displaced by the tsunami, in Thailand at the Saphan Jai festival, and for Burmese refugees in camps along the Thai border. They have witnessed firsthand the profound effects that live performances can bring about in people, across barriers of land and language. Their experiences abroad have led them to start their own foundation, Music In Action.

The Durgas, through their different projects, concerts and foundations like Rock and Renew epitomize the activist-musician, and inspire musicians and artists around the world to get active in their communities to promote environmental and social justice issues. It is hard to say exactly where The Durgas are based, but some do live off and on in Hungary, and you can catch them occasionally at Corvin Teto and other venues - don't miss them on August 1st at the Godor Club.