PAST ISSUES
ISSUE No.1 WATER
In our premier issue we start with the source of all life: water. The Water Issue travels to the ends of the earth and beyond - from Central Africa, to Sweden, to the Palestinian Territories, and even into Outer Space. A movie producer takes a break from the high stress world of Hollywood to learn to surf - a 1 week vacation turns into 1 year as she becomes a student of water the "greatest teacher I have ever known" - Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau share the Legacy of their grandfather's love for the ocean - the obsession with bottled water falls under scrutiny...and more.
Location: Mindanao Island, Southern Philippines - The situation for rural, novice, amateur miners here is dangerous and grave. Mining is a way of life in the rainforest highlands of Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines. Much like fishing or farming is passed down from generation to generation, mining is a familial trade here. However, fathers routinely die young due to their highly unsafe mining practices adhering to no modern or standard techniques. The young men in this photo are brothers. One is still under the age of 18. They pick up axes, crobars, or sometimes simply their hands and strike away at rocks. They then grind the rocks down and simply blend the mixture with mercury which dissolves away impurities and reveals gold or silver. The process is done using their hands. The mercury then seeps in and day by day, week by week, leads to disease and death at an early age.
Flag # 1 : Southern Philippines
Back in 2008 Red Flag Magazine was just an idea. As the pieces came together and the vision took a more structured shape there was till one last detail missing: A title. I sourced titles from friends and colleagues, but nothing seemed to fit. Name after name filed in and several even made it all the way to GoDaddy where they were finally rejected once it was discovered that someone else had come up with the same brilliant title and purchased every version of its web domain.
A few days after finally giving the title search a rest I went to sleep and awoke with the vision of a red flag waving on the beach in front of a lifeguard station. I grew up on the beach and admit I am a beach bum at heart, but this vision was too strong to shake. The idea of a life guard – a guardian of life – staking a flag in the sand every morning to send out a warning to all those intending to jump into the vast sea was exactly the type of work this organization would be committed to.
That day our symbol became the red triangular pennant flag. The red flag is not only raised at the beach, but also on land by forest rangers to warn of potential fire hazards. On a racing sailboat a red flag is called the “protest flag” and it’s raised to alert the judges of any false maneuvers. The red flag has historically been a symbol of revolution, radicalism, activism and change. In daily conversation we refer to “red flags” in every facet of life from business to personal relationships.
Our flag is now called the “Activate Flag”. It is the symbol of our organization and the symbol of our work. The magazine began with a personal mission: to start something that matters. Our red flag has the word “Activate”printed across the center and like a play button coaxes people to start something to0.
With the Activate Project we have sent our symbolic flag around the world to “activate” issues that need to be seen and heard – issues that need to be addressed with action. This is an international photo campaign that engages the voices of people who care in every nation. In each photo you will see an individual or group holding up our Activate flag in the name of an issue important to them or an issue important to that region.
Each flag has been numbered and its journey will be tracked – documenting how many hands the flag passes through and how many places it has stopped along the way. We also invite our readers to become part of the journey. If there is an issue you care about that you feel needs to be known we want you to send us a photo holding up the Activate Flag. You can purchase one of ours by emailing info@redflagmagazine.org or we also encourage you to make your own. On the Activate Project page we will have a pdf file you can print to make one out of paper.
This is an ongoing project that will allow us to continue our mission of raising red flags on a global scale. Keep checking back in on the Activate Project page for updates and new photos. If you send in a photo it will definitely be featured on our Activate Project page and possibly our homepage too.
Sincerely,
Nicole Davis
Founder, Red Flag Magazine