Fight for Justice in Bhopal!
What You Can Do to Build Public Awareness
This list includes a lot of great ideas for street theater to accompany your tabling efforts that will draw people to your table. Suggestions come from Students for Bhopal, and their website has a more exhaustive list.- HAND OUT “BHOPAL WATER”
Concoct a nasty brew of foul-tasting ingredients and hand it out on a silver platter. Dress up as a waiter and approach people on your college green. Invite them to try the “Bhopal water” but insist that they sign a liability waiver in case of injury or death. Educate yourself beforehand about the toxins found in actual Bhopal water.
- HOST A FILM OR VIDEO SCREENING
A dozen short documentaries about the Bhopal disaster are available. Show them on your campus or throw a house party, and follow up the screening with a discussion about what people can do. Contact corpaction@aiusa.org to see what’s available.
- HOST THE BHOPAL PHOTO EXHIBIT
"We are not Flowers, We are Flames!", a powerful exhibition of photographs by Raghu Rai and Maude Dorr, is touring the United States and available for exhibition on your campus. Learn more »
- CONFRONT DOW BOARD MEMBERS
If a Dow Board member lives nearby or has close ties with your community, they should be told—repeatedly and creatively—that Dow needs to take responsibility. See if you can arrange a private meeting with them, present them with a list of demands, a sample of Bhopal water, or a photo of a Bhopal victim. Hold a protest outside their house if they refuse to meet with you, and invite the media. For Board addresses, contact corpaction@aiusa.org.
- PLAN A “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!” RACE
Organize a short race to dramatize and re-create the disaster. Begin with a gas “leak” (perhaps outside a Dow building) and urge the runners dash for safety. Dress up as the Grim Reaper, catch people as they flee, and give them death certificates at the end. Award the “survivors” (the winners) with “metals” symbolizing the continuing mercury and lead contamination that burdens the people of Bhopal. More ideas »
- DESIGN A BHOPAL MEMORIAL
The memorial could resemble the Vietnam Memorial (with a list of names) or it could be more symbolic (like a dry ice “gas leak” surrounded by a swathe of body outlines in chalk, a pile of body bags, or a funeral procession).
- RENAME CAMPUS ‘DOW’ BUILDINGS
If there’s a Dow building on your campus, rename it! Invite the media to your ceremony and tell them that Dow’s money isn’t welcome at your school so long as they neglect their responsibilities in Bhopal.
- PRESENT DOW WITH AN “AWARD”
Give Dow an “award” for its infamous legacy in Bhopal. The award can be as fancy as a plaque or as easy as a paper certificate. Or, present a Pinocchio nose to congratulate Dow on their lie-ability. Give the award to a Dow representative or the Dow Grim Reaper. Send the actual award and photos to Dow. - PUT DOW ON TRIAL
Hold a tribunal and review the evidence. Invite law students, Dow representatives and the mock trial group. Stage it on your college green and make it open to the public. Notify the media and Dow of the verdict.
- PROTEST DOW’S RECRUITMENT
Organize students that will publicly refuse to give their resumes to Dow. Pretend to be a Dow recruiter, offering students jobs in exchange for their consciences. Flier or protest at career fairs.
- PERFORM THE PLAY BHOPAL
Bhopal, first performed at the Teesri Duniya Theatre in Montreal in November 2001, “tells the story of how complex forces struggled to bury the truth, expose it, or shape it to the needs of self-interest, and how an unspeakable disaster ended all speculation. Learn more »
- HOST A SPEAKER, TEACH-IN, PANEL DISCUSSION OR DEBATE
Invite a speaker from the Bhopal campaign to come and discuss the disaster, its aftermath, and the ongoing struggle for justice. Invite your friends, classmates, professors, and community members to attend or participate. More Bhopal speaker suggestions »
- SUMMON THE “DOW GRIM REAPER”
Dress up as the Dow Grim Reaper and “collect” the members of your student body. Hand out “death slips” to your victims. Learn more »
- DELIVER BLOODY HANDPRINTS
Build a toxic waste drum out of chicken wire and paper mache (if you can’t find a real one), paint it white (red for Dow’s symbol) and then plant it in a major thoroughfare. As people pass through, you can ask them to leave their bloody handprints in red fingerpaint. Send photos to Dow or send the real thing.
Send questions and requests to corpaction@aiusa.org.
