Alexandra Sicotte-            Lévesque

Documentary: "When Silence is Golden" - Executive Summary - Full Report (Film Sypnosis) - Press Release - Trailer: "When Silence is Golden" on Youtube - Website: www.when-silence-is-golden.org (forthcoming:   November 2007) - A copy of the documentary can be acquired for non-   commercial purposes through CinéFête

Bio

Alexandra is the Co-founder of Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) since 2002. She is currently a Radio Producer with the BBC World Service in London, UK. Until recently she was working with the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) as a Radio Producer where she was helping set up the country's first independent radio station. In 2001, she worked in Cote d'Ivoire assisting the country's Ministry of Justice to report to the UN on its human rights obligations. Her experience in Cote d'Ivoire led her to the idea to found Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), an NGO dedicated to increasing the quality and quantity of human rights reporting in the local African media. She has also been involved with Article 19 - The Global Campaign for Free Expression and the BBC World Service. Her articles have appeared in a number of publications in Canada and the UK.

Alexandra has a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College, USA (2000) and a Masters of Science in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK (2005). Her research paper: "When Silence is Golden - Mining and Human Rights: Canadian Interests, Government Policies and Civil Society Responses in Ghana" received a distinction. She speaks a number of languages including French (native speaker), English, Spanish and Kiswahili.

Issue of Investigation

As a 2006 recipient of the Gordon Global Fellowship, Alexandra examined the extent to which Canadian trade and aid policies in Ghana specifically, and in Africa generally, are coherent with Canada's proclaimed commitment to promoting democratic governance and human rights in Africa. She focused on Canada's responsibilities towards communities affected by Canadian mining interests in Ghana.