This is My Heart

Dark Red ©2011 Art Lionse

This is My Heart

This is my heart. It is a good heart.
Bones and a membrane of mist and fire
are the woven cover.
When we make love in the flower world
my heart is close enough to sing
to yours in a language that has no use
for clumsy human words.

waiting..©2011 Art Lionse

My head is a good head, but it is a hard head
and it whirs inside with a swarm of worries.
What is the source of this singing, it asks
and if there is a source why can't I see it
right here, right now
as real as these hands hammering
the world together
with nails and sinew?

The Windmill ©2011 Art Lionse

This is my soul. It is a good soul.
It tells me, "come here forgetful one."
And we sit together with a lilt of small winds
who rattle the scrub oak.
We cook a little something
to eat: a rabbit, some sofkey
then a sip of something sweet
for memory.

Red sun ©2011 Art Lionse

This is my song. It is a good song.
It walked forever the border of fire and water
climbed ribs of desire to my lips to sing to you.
Its new wings quiver with
vulnerability.

 Umb(r)ella © 2011 Art Lionse

Come lie next to me, says my heart.
Put your head here.
It is a good thing, says my soul.

~ Joy Harjo ~

(A Map to the Next World)

 

About the Photographer:

Art Lionse Hails from the South of France. You may find his other work on  his homepage at 1xcom and fotoblur.com.

 

Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1951. Her books of poetry include How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems (W.W. Norton & Co., 2002); A Map to the Next World: Poems (2000); The Woman Who Fell From the Sky (1994), which received the Oklahoma Book Arts Award; In Mad Love and War (1990), which received an American Book Award and the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Award; Secrets from the Center of the World (1989); She Had Some Horses (1983); and What Moon Drove Me to This? (1979). She also performs her poetry and plays saxophone with her band, Poetic Justice. Her many honors include The American Indian Distinguished Achievement in the Arts Award, the Josephine Miles Poetry Award, the Mountains and Plains Booksellers Award, the William Carlos Williams Award, and fellowships from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Witter Bynner Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Hawaii.

Postcards from Paradise: I See You

”Contemplating You” © Andre du Plessis with kind permission

Photographer’s Note: I photographed Lena where she is sitting on the ground immediately outside the front door of her house. Dalina, her mom, asked me to do some portraits of Lena, as they have none. Here the late afternoon light and gentle breeze assisted me.

Waiting in Line

When you listen you reach
into dark corners and
pull out your wonders.
When you listen your
ideas come in and out
like they were waiting in line.

“It’s All About the Rain” © Andre du Plessis with kind permission

Your ears don’t always listen.
It can be your brain, your
fingers, your toes.
You can listen anywhere.
Your mind might not want to go.
If you can listen you can find
answers to questions you didn’t know.
If you have listened, truly
listened, you don’t find your
self alone.

~ Nick Penna, fifth grade ~

(In Poetic Medicine by John Fox)

 

About the Photographer:

Andre du Plessis hails originally from central South Africa and currently resides in the U.K.  (London) where he works in private practice as a Physician with a unique Anesthesiology Specialty. His great love for photography began when he was a young boy of five, and has remained with him steadily since. The great motivator for his photographic adventures is never knowing where they will lead him.  When asked about the spontaneity of his “Street Shoots”  with regard to his South African series he responded in this way:

“In general, my subjects are people I do not know; in essence they are strangers to me at first. My objective is that the images I take of these people become something that transcends this void, and perhaps bridges any distance between us.”

~Andre du Plessis (bio)

 

For More Postcards From Paradise, Please visit recuerda mi corazon. There you will find more beautiful places to visit and enjoy.

Some Say You’re Lucky

Rita at the Shebeen © Andre du Plessis with kind permission

Some say you're lucky

If nothing shatters it.

But then you wouldn't

Understand poems or songs.

You'd never know

Beauty comes from loss.

It's deep inside every person:

A tear tinier

Than a pearl or thorn.

It's one of the places

Where the beloved is born.

~ Gregory Orr ~

 

South African Shebeens~

In South Africa and Zimbabwe, shebeens are most often located in black townships as an alternative to pubs and bars, where under apartheid and the Rhodesian era, black Africans could not enter a pub or bar reserved for whites.
Originally, shebeens were operated illegally, selling homebrewed and home-distilled alcohol and providing patrons with a place to meet and discuss political and social issues. Often, patrons and owners were arrested by the police, though the shebeens were frequently reopened because of their importance in unifying the community and providing a safe place for discussion. During the apartheid era shebeens became a crucial meeting place for activists, some attracting working class activists and community members, while others attracted lawyers, doctors and musicians.
Shebeens also provided music and dancing, allowing patrons to express themselves culturally, which helped give rise and support the musical genre 'kwaito'. Currently, shebeens are legal in South Africa and have become an integral part of South African urban culture, serving commercial beers as well as 'umqombothi', a traditional African beer made from maize and sorghum. Shebeens still form an important part of today's social scene. In contemporary South Africa, they serve a function similar to juke joints for African Americans in the rural south. They represent a sense of community, identity, and belonging.
Today, they appeal to South Africa's youth, and are mostly owned by men. Shebeens are bouncing back as South Africans try to preserve some of their cultural heritage. (Wikipedia)

Linked to Share the Joy Thursday with Meri’s Musings*

About the Photographer: 

Andre du Plessis  hails originally from central South Africa and currently resides in the U.K.  (London) where he works in private practice as a Physician with a unique Anesthesiology Specialty. His great love for photography began when he was a young boy of five, and has remained with him steadily since. The great motivator for his photographic adventures is never knowing where they will lead him.  When asked about the spontaneity of his “Street Shoots”  with regard to his South African series he responded in this way:

“In general, my subjects are people I do not know; in essence they are strangers to me at first. My objective is that the images I take of these people become something that transcends this void, and perhaps bridges any distance between us.  When I look at these photos afterwards, although these people might be strangers, I want the photo to express that I feel a kinship, an understanding, and that respect for one another is tangible. In my South African series, very few of my subjects are wealthy; they do not have the goodies that you or I might have.  However, I want the person in front of the lens to be captured in the wholesomeness of who they feel they are. Their environment is captured merely as an addition to complete the canvas.”

~Taken from Andre du Plessis’s Bio. with permission.

Haiku My Heart: Reflection

Reflection by Miles Morgan with kind permission

Water Carves Through Stone

Silken Vein of Liquid Light

A World Shaped by Dreams

~Noelle Renee

 

Darkness by Nicolas Evariste

Poverty and Struggle are Twin siblings with Despair and Lost Hope; these have been with us since time immemorial. They are, in many respects, foundational to cultural relationships in which there exist the “Haves and the Have-nots.

One Group lives with little to nothing so that the Other Group, more fortunate, by birth or by virtue of Political Aggression may live with Entitlement. The dysfunctional nature of  the United States ongoing relationship with Mexico may be perceived in this way.

This old photograph is part of Mexican Americans' history in Nebraska. Here, a visiting nurse poses with Mexican children in 1922. (Library of Congress)

But History is Not graven in Stone and Every

So Often things Change for the Better~

If Water can cut a path through rock,  shifting the course of its luminous thread, its one, bright dream~

What other changes will follow?

Can the course of a Life be changed if a pattern of thought is shifted?

 Will the thinker or the person

whose life is transformed by that thought

ever be the same again?

Chiapas girl photo by Al Borrelli used with kind permission

For now and ever after, each one

is inextricably intertwined with the other

in a dance of compassionate cooperation

and human transformation.

Waiting by Art Lionse with kind permission

I cannot fly or make something appear in my hand,

I cannot make the heavens open or the earth tremble,

I can live with myself, and I am amazed at myself, my love,

my beauty,

I am taken by my failures, astounded by my fears,

I am stubborn and childish,

in the midst of this wreckage of life they incurred,

I practice being myself,

and I have found parts of myself never dreamed of by me,

they were goaded out from under rocks in my heart

when the walls were built higher,

when the water was turned off and the windows painted black.

I followed these signs

like an old tracker and followed the tracks deep into myself,

followed the blood-spotted path,

deeper into dangerous regions, and found so many parts of myself,

who taught me water is not everything,

and gave me new eyes to see through walls,

and when they spoke, sunlight came out of their mouths,

and I was laughing at me with them,

we laughed like children and made pacts to always be loyal,

who understands me when I say this is beautiful?

~Excerpt from Jimmy Baca’s “Who Understands Me But Me”

If you want to go to a place where water carves rock and dreams become reality; where possibility mixed with love and generosity leaps beyond the boundaries and limitations of the “haves and the “have nots'” to create an amazing, cooperative melting pot of artistic expression for the purpose of raising a crumbling roof over the heads of deserving and wonderful children, then go to Rebecca’s blog. There, you will find a Gallery of Hope filled with the handiwork of 27 AMAZING ARTISTS whose work is beyond compare. Each shrine has been created with love, compassion and the intention that each child connected to Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots would have the opportunity to go to school, perhaps for the first time.

Won’t you travel over to Rebecca’s blog, register at the Gallery of Hope and Feast your eyes on the beauty that awaits you there? You will be so glad that you did. The button below will also lead you to the post for the Auction benefit. The auction began on Sunday, June 5, 2011 and ends Sunday June 12, 2011 at 6 pm. Thank you.

Que tu corazón sea bendito por su amabilidad!

~Noelle Renee

“Dancing” by Rebecca Brooks taken in Oaxaca, Mexico

Change Your thinking, Change Your Actions, Change a Life.

 

Auction to Benefit Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots at Recuerda mi Corazon

Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots

Photo via Silver Planet

Jodi Bauman first visited Oaxaca (Pronunciation: \wä-ˈhä-kä\), Mexico on vacation. She was charmed by the city’s intricate architecture and the dramatic landscape, but disturbed to see young children, clearly living in poverty, selling trinkets and candy in the streets day and night.

Jodi feared that these children would never be able to break out of poverty’s vicious cycle without an education. Wanting to do something, Jodi started by sponsoring individual children, helping them enroll in school and paying for school supplies and uniforms. She persuaded others to do the same, and in 1996, the Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots child sponsorship program was created.

Jodie moved to Oaxaca and chartered a sister organization, El Centro de Esperanza Infantil (the Center of Hope for Children). In addition to their child sponsorship program, the Center also has a children’s soup kitchen and a volunteer nurse.

If you have ever wondered how you can make a real impact on a child’s life and future, there is a way. Please read on.

Currently, the program is looking to make physical improvements to its facilities so that it can continue to serve the many children that it helps each day. Right now, the roof of the main building is in danger of falling in and other improvements need to be made as well to serve the more than 600 children who are now served by the center. This letter from the organization’s  President explains in the most compassionate way, the situation at hand for these children and how deeply meaningful your help would be. In tandem with this explanation is the promotion of Rebecca Brooks’ Benefit Auction on Recuerda mi Corazon, to help Raise money to Raise The Roof! Please visit her blog and her Gallery of Hope and Make a Bid for your Support Today. The auction ends Sunday, June 12, at 6pm.

Dear Friends:

I write to ask for your support in “raising the roof” – literally and figuratively – on a building in Oaxaca, Mexico.  This building is home to a vitally important resource: El Centro de Esperanza Infantil.  The 2,500 square-foot building houses a program that enables hundreds of impoverished children in Oaxaca to attend school.

The U.S.-based organization that funds the Centro de Esperanza Infantil, or CEI, is called Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots.  It was founded in the late-1990’s by an extraordinary American couple who, while vacationing in Oaxaca, were troubled by the number of children they saw begging in the streets during the day instead of attending school.  When they began to ask why, they learned that while education was free, the Mexican system requires children to provide their own books, uniforms and other supplies.  They were determined to help fund these expenses – child by child – and since then, that vision has been realized through a sponsorship program and through the establishment of CEI.

When it was first purchased in 2000, CEI was a large, crumbling colonial structure that had no interior walls and a pile of debris in its center.  It has now been renovated room by room, and today it is a cheerful and lively center with a library, a lunchroom, a nurse’s office, a computer center and several administrative offices.  A sunny central patio is the hub of the center, constantly full of children doing their homework, working with volunteer tutors or just playing with friends. 

CEI has literally changed the lives of the children who have been able to complete their education and have moved out of dire poverty.  Now, more than ten years since it first opened, the building’s roof is in danger of falling – and we’re looking for funds to “raise the roof” and make improvements to the building necessary to serve even more children.  Please help us maintain this safe space for the  nearly 600 children who are currently served by the organization, and contribute anything you can to our “Raise the Roof” campaign for 2011.

My sincerest thanks,

W. David Slaymaker, President

________________________________________________________________

SHRINE BENEFIT: Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots

Rebecca, of recuerda mi corazon, is the host for a Shrine Auction to Benefit Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots. As you can see from reading the testimony above Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots is a well -established nonprofit  whose goal is to make sure that children who normally have no opportunity to have an education finally have that chance because of generous people like you reading this right now. Twenty-Seven Amazing Artists whose skill, generosity and love knows no bounds have come together to offer their best work ~ work that carries with it the future of children and the compassion of strangers that will soon become friends. Won’t you travel over to Rebecca’s blog, register at the Gallery of Hope and Feast your eyes on the beauty that awaits you there. You will be so glad that you did. The button below will also lead you to the post for the Auction benefit. The auction began on Sunday, June 5, 2011 and ends Sunday June 12, 2011 at 6 pm. Thank you.

Que tu corazón sea bendito por su amabilidad!

~Noelle Renee

Click on this link and it will take you to the Auction post. Thank you!

Shrine Auction Benefit for Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots at Recuerda mi Corazon!

an old postcard photo taken in Oaxaca Mexico shows a girl carrying both a baby and a basket.

Otomi Indian Mother Postcard
This postcard was mailed from Mexico to the US in 1947. The photo was taken by well known Mexican photographer Luis Marquez and is titled "Madre Indigena. Otomi Indian Mother."

an old postcard photo of a Zapotec mother and child at the ruins of Mitla Oaxaca. The costumes are totally unlike those worn at Mitla today

Inditas. Old undated postcard from Mexico titled Inditas shows a small indigenous girl carrying a smaller sibling
Oaxaca Gathering Cochineal
In this detail from one of the murals located in the Museo del Palacio in Oaxaca Mexico, two women gather cochineal insects from a nopal cactus. The woman in the front is wearing a half gourd on her head. In her basket is a large black pottery olla. This places the scene near San Bartolo Coyotepec, where the barro negro is made. Cochineal insects were one of the five animals that were domesticated by ancient peoples of Mexico. The tiny insects are dried, then crushed, and their powdered remains are mixed with lime juice and water and used to dye textiles in Oaxaca.

__________________________________________________________________________

SHRINE BENEFIT: Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots

Rebecca, of recuerda mi corazon, is the host for a Shrine Auction to Benefit Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots, a well -established nonprofit  whose goal is to make sure that children who normally have no opportunity to have an education finally have that chance. Twenty-Seven Amazing Artists whose skill, generosity and love knows no bounds have come together to offer their best work ~ work that carries with it the future of children and the compassion of strangers that will become friends. Won’t you travel over to Rebecca’s blog, register at the Gallery of Hope and Feast your eyes on the beauty that awaits you there. You will be so glad that you did. The button below will also lead you to the post for the Auction benefit. The auction began on Sunday, June 5, 2011 and ends Sunday June 12, 2011 at 6 pm. Thank you.

Que tu corazón sea bendito por su amabilidad!

~Noelle Renee

Postcards From Paradise: Remember, I Love You

Mexican Children ‘70’s  by William Mahan with kind permission

I Am Offering this Poem

BY JIMMY SANTIAGO BACA

I am offering this poem to you,

since I have nothing else to give.

Keep it like a warm coat

when winter comes to cover you,

or like a pair of thick socks

the cold cannot bite through,

                         I love you,

I have nothing else to give you,

so it is a pot full of yellow corn

to warm your belly in winter,

it is a scarf for your head, to wear

over your hair, to tie up around your face,

                         I love you,

Keep it, treasure this as you would

if you were lost, needing direction,

in the wilderness life becomes when mature;

and in the corner of your drawer,

tucked away like a cabin or hogan

in dense trees, come knocking,

and I will answer, give you directions,

and let you warm yourself by this fire,

rest by this fire, and make you feel safe

                         I love you,

It’s all I have to give,

and all anyone needs to live,

and to go on living inside,

when the world outside

no longer cares if you live or die;

remember,

                         I love you.

Jimmy Santiago Baca, “I Am Offering this Poem” from Immigrants in Our Own Land and Selected Early Poems. Copyright © 1990 by Jimmy Santiago Baca. Source: Immigrants in Our Own Land and Selected Early Poems (New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1990)
I have used this poem in a previous post, but it seemed most appropriate here considering Jimmy Baca’s own childhood history, which you may read about by clicking on the link Here.

History  of Ipoderac
On June 27th a group of three women: Maria Elena Landa Abrego, Maria Elena Calderón de Gomez, and Consuelo Compeán viuda de Bárcena, that had worked with inmates as volunteers, decided to found Ipoderac as a support alternative for children and youth that had suffered from social exclusion.
With great will and after much effort, they managed to acquire the land where the institution stands these days and to start the construction of the first house. Nowadays Ipoderac  counts six houses, each one with capacity to host twelve children, two volunteers and a resident educator; as part of the work formation model: a herd of goats, a cheese dairy, a workshop for the production of soap, a carpentry, a greenhouse to produce tomatoes and land for the production of vegetables for self consumption; additionally there is a computer lab, an educative psychology workshop a psychological therapy room and a general kitchen plus a soccer field and a basketball court.
*Please click on links to learn more about Ipoderac.

Interview with Socially Excluded children at IPODERAC 2008

Here is a very immediate and direct way that you can help the children of Mexico while purchasing a beautiful work of art that will always carry a greater significance .

Please click on this button to go to recuerda mi corazon’s post for the Oaxaca Street Children Grassroots Shrine Auction hosted by Rebecca Brooks and click on the “gallery of Hope” to see the wonderful shrines being sold to benefit an education for deeply impoverished children in Mexico who, through your support, will be able to attend school for the first time!

For More Postcards from Paradise please visit Rebecca’s blog. Beauty is truth and truth, beauty.

Smile?

Smile? by Mohammad Reza Momeni  with kind permission

WE HAVE NOT COME TO TAKE PRISONERS

We have not come here to take prisoners,
But to surrender ever more deeply
To freedom and joy.

We have not come into this exquisite world
To hold ourselves hostage from love.

Run my dear,
From anything
That may not strengthen
Your precious budding wings.

Run like hell my dear,
From anyone likely
To put a sharp knife
Into the sacred, tender vision
Of your beautiful heart.

We have a duty to befriend
Those aspects of obedience
That stand outside of our house
And shout to our reason
"O please, O please,
Come out and play."

For we have not come here to take prisoners
Or to confine our wondrous spirits,

But to experience ever and ever more deeply
Our divine courage, freedom and
Light!

~ Hafiz ~

(The Gift ~ versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)

 

About the Photographer: Mohammad Reza Momeni hails from Islamic Republic of Esfahan, Iran. His images convey a depth of feeling and experience rarely seen in portraits of children. You may find more of his wonderful work on 1x.com.

The DCI movement                    
Defence for Children International (DCI) is an independent non-governmental organisation that has been promoting and protecting children’s rights on a global, regional, national and local level for 32 years.
DCI is represented through its national sections and associated members in 40 countries worldwide. Its International Secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
The DCI movement was founded in 1979, the International Year of the Child, at a time when few international structures were dedicated to a rights-based approach in addressing the many challenges facing the world’s children.
DCI was at the forefront in the drafting process and international lobby for the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its work continues to be embedded in these fundamental principles. In 2009, DCI celebrated its 30th anniversary: a birthday it shares with the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
This highlighted DCI’s historical role as a leading advocate for the adoption of the Convention and one of the first organisations to work from the concept of children’s human rights.
http://www.defenceforchildren.org/
DCI and The Issue of Child Labour ^{http://missionfreeiran.org/2010/05/28/end-child-labor/ (a site I discovered).}
Child labour and access to education is a serious concern in a number of the countries in which DCI works. DCI believes that any initiatives to end child labour must address its root causes, such as poverty, and must emphasise the right to education.
In 2007, DCI launched a Campaign for Inclusive Education to address the issue entitled “No Kids Without Education: We Can all Make a Difference”.
The goal of the Campaign for Inclusive Education is to guarantee that 100% of school-aged working children and adolescents effectively exercise their right to a complete and quality education.
To learn more about the Campaign for Inclusive Education, please see the following resources:
• DCI Child Labour Newsletter (EN / FR / SP)
• How Youth Can Make a Difference
• How Children Can Make a Difference
• How Teachers Can Make a Difference
• How Governments Can Make a Difference
• How Parents and Communities Can Make a Difference
In January 2001, DCI’s International Secretariat created a Child Labour Desk, with the aim of reinforcing DCI's action on the prevention and elimination of child labour, especially in its most hazardous forms, and strengthening DCI’s efforts to protect all working children.
The programme (which was completed in 2006) had the following objectives:

• Through the promotion of education, reduce the numbers of children involved in the worst forms of child labour, and those who are working below the minimum age of employment;

• Mainstream child labour and child rights standards into all national and international policies, and influence the formulation and implementation of policies concerning children and their families;

• Promote the participation of children in awareness-raising on issues concerning children’s rights and child labour.

Participating national sections, including DCI-Cameroon, DCI-Togo, DCI-Paraguay and DCI-Ecuador met with teachers in schools to set guidelines and evaluation criteria for child-rights friendly and inclusive school environments for working children.
For more information about the programme, please contact: info@dnicostarica.org
What we do
At the global level, the DCI movement is united in its commitment to working for children’s rights in juvenile justice. DCI works to protect, defend and advocate for the rights of children and young people in conflict with the law.
DCI national sections develop and implement programmes in response to the needs of children in their countries. In addition to juvenile justice, some of these include:
•    Child labour
•    Violence against children
•    Children in Armed Conflict
•    Sexual abuse and exploitation
•    Child trafficking
•    Access to education
•    Migration
•    Child participation
DCI in Action
DCI uses the following strategies to promote and protect child rights:

• Direct Intervention

DCI provides direct assistance and support to children in need. Many DCI national sections run socio-legal defence centres which represent children in conflict with the law and take on cases where children are being imprisoned without cause. Other DCI sections provide support and rehabilitation services to child workers and victims of trafficking.

• Advocacy and lobby

DCI advocates at national and international level for the development of policies and practices which are in the best interests of the child. This involves lobbying States to adopt national policies which reflect the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and urging the Human Rights Council and other UN bodies to take action against gross violations of children’s rights.

• Research and monitoring

DCI researches and monitors the practical application of children’s rights according to international standards and reports on abuses and violations. DCI also researches pressing concerns in children’s rights, offering recommendations and mobilising resources for further action.

• Training and capacity building

DCI provides training to members of the community on the UN Convention on the Rights of the child, including strategies for promoting children’s human rights. DCI also works with police officers, judges and other professionals to train them in guaranteeing the rights of children in juvenile justice systems. In the area of child labour, some DCI national sections train employers and teachers on methods for ensuring that child workers have access to a quality education.
Donate
DCI needs your support to continue to research, document, advocate and ACT.
Defence for Children International relies on the generous donations of individuals and organisations to continue its work to promote and protect the rights of children around the world.
There are a number of different options to secure your donation:
http://www.defenceforchildren.org/donate-now.html
* all information on DCI above was taken directly from DCI website.

Post 9/11 Healing between Two Mothers Who Found Forgiveness, Friendship and Peace

For Our World, a poem written on 9/11 by Mattie Stepanek age 11

in CONSCIOUSNESS

For Our World

We need to stop.
Just stop.
Stop for a moment.
Before anybody
Says or does anything
That may hurt anyone else.
We need to be silent.
Just silent.
Silent for a moment.
Before we forever lose
The blessing of songs
That grow in our hearts.
We need to notice.
Just notice.
Notice for a moment.
Before the future slips away
Into ashes and dust of humility.
Stop, be silent, and notice.
In so many ways, we are the same.
Our differences are unique treasures.
We have, we are, a mosaic of gifts
To nurture, to offer, to accept.
We need to be.
Just be.
Be for a moment.
Kind and gentle, innocent and trusting,
Like children and lambs,
Never judging or vengeful
Like the judging and vengeful.
And now, let us pray,
Differently, yet together,
Before there is no earth, no life,
No chance for peace.

September 11, 2001

© Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek 1990 -2004
from Hope Through Heartsongs, Hyperion, 2002

Mattie Stepanek was 11 years old when he wrote this poem on the day of 9-11.
Sadly he passed away in 2004 after a long battle with Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy.
You can learn more about his brief, amazing, inspiring life at his website:

http://www.mattieonline.com/

The short film you are about to see is an amazing testimony of forgiveness and a friendship forged between two women whose relationship might normally be one of great enmity. Their story is a miracle of peace and the product of two mothering hearts. Please Watch!

Film found on http://www.facebook.com/pages/CommonDreamsorg/32109457015

A Dream Of Trees: “The Seed is Here. It will only Grow.”

 

Tree tops © Ajven with kind permission (Ajven is from Nove Zamky, Slovakia)

A DREAM OF TREES

There is a thing in me that dreamed of trees,
A quiet house, some green and modest acres
A little way from every troubling town,
A little way from factories, schools, laments.
I would have time, I thought, and time to spare,
With only streams and birds for company,
To build out of my life a few wild stanzas.
And then it came to me, that so was death,
A little way away from everywhere.

There is a thing in me still dreams of trees.
But let it go. Homesick for moderation,
Half the world's artists shrink or fall away.
If any find solution, let him tell it.
Meanwhile I bend my heart toward lamentation
Where, as the times implore our true involvement,
The blades of every crisis point the way.

I would it were not so, but so it is.
Who ever made music of a mild day?

~Mary Oliver

(linked to haiku my heart ~recuerda mi corazon)

04.05.11 - 12:12 PM

Freedom Theater: "The Seed Is Here. It Will Only Grow."

by Abby Zimet

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2011/04/05-0

We mourn the murder of Juliano Mer-Khamis, 52, Israeli actor, director and rights activist killed by masked gunmen outside the theater he founded in the Jenin refugee camp as a bridge to peace. The son of a Jewish mother and Arab father, he was a symbol of resistance who believed in the "fire" of thought, art and the written word. More here, here and here.

Great Sower of Seeds

Bright, Young Trees Nourished by Love

Face Harsh Winds of Change.

~Noelle Renee 4.28.11

Note from Noelle:  This film features some of the theater’s actors and plays and a discussion of its history. Juliano Mer Khamis talks about his reasons for starting the theater in a very personal way. It is one of the best films that I have seen to date on the theater.

• To Donate Directly to the Freedom Theater in US Dollars Please Use the following Fiscal Sponsor Link for:
• The Friends of Jenin Freedom Theater and Grassroots International, two groups that share common values of supporting global justice, human rights and social change, including  in the Occupied Palestinian Territories

https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5123/t/4123/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=417

HURRIYYA! And PEACE!

Noelle Renee

For More Haiku My Heart Posts Please see Recuerda Mi Corazon where true hearts take flight!

The Freedom Theater in Jenin: Empowering Children Through the Arts

 

Photo by Tarek

Our duty, as men and women, is to proceed as if limits to our ability did not exist. We are collaborators in creation.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

About Us

The Freedom Theatre - a theatre and cultural centre in Jenin Refugee Camp - is developing the only professional venue for theatre and multimedia in the north of the West Bank in Occupied Palestine. Since it opened its doors in 2006, the organisation continues to grow, develop and expand, enabling the young generation in the area to develop new and important skills which will allow them to build a better future for themselves and for their society.

Empowering Children And Youth

Having grown up amidst a violent military occupation, the young generation in the Jenin area struggle with ongoing fears, depression and trauma. At the same time, few opportunities exist for these youngsters to find positive and creative outlets for their emotions which can allow them to develop a healthy and meaningful sense of themselves and their surroundings.

The Freedom Theatre therefore offers children, youth and young adults in the Jenin area a safe space in which they are free to express themselves, to explore their creativity and emotions through culture and arts. It provides them with opportunities to develop the skills, self-knowledge and confidence which can empower them to challenge present realities and to speak out in their own society and beyond.

Creating Change

The benefits of cultural activities nevertheless go far beyond the individual. Having endured the hardships of an ongoing, violent military occupation, Palestine today is a shattered society and the population struggles with increasing isolation, fragmentation and disillusion. Countering these trends, The Freedom Theatre believes that theatre and the arts have a crucial role to play in building up a free and healthy society.

By encouraging freedom of expression and respect for individual rights, cultural activities break taboos, stimulate cooperation and enhance understanding of the other. Both for artist and audience, the creative process consists of imagining alternatives, rearranging reality and accepting new ways of life. In societies that reward obedience over initiative and following rules over experimentation, this is radical. In theatre it can also be magical.

Care And Learning

The vision of The Freedom Theatre builds upon a unique project, Care and Learning, run by Arna Mer Khamis in Jenin Camp during the First Intifada. Her work was documented in the film Arna's Children , directed by Juliano Mer Khamis - Arna's son who is today the General Director of The Freedom Theatre.

Arna's project focused on using theatre and arts to address children's immediate trauma, chronic fears and depression - all results of a violent Occupation. At the same time, the fierce and energetic humanity of this woman, who was born to a Jewish family and who had chosen to live and work among the Palestinians, challenged the children with possibilities for an alternative reality. The Stone Theatre, which was built as part of Arna's project, was destroyed in the Israeli invasion of the camp in 2002.

 

 

Juliano Mer Khamis was murdered in front of the Freedom theater in Jenin on April 4th, 2011 after many death threats for his good work. The work of the Freedom Theater will continue with your help.

Our Mission

The Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theatre, Inc., was established in 2006 in New York to help support The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp in the West Bank, Palestine. We provide financial and logistic support to The Freedom Theatre by:

• raising funds for the ongoing operational expenses of The Freedom Theatre.
• helping finance The Freedom Theatre’s expansion plans, including a new building to house the theatre, new programs and additional staff.
• establishing relationships for The Freedom Theatre in the United States.
• hosting children and others involved in the theater during their travels in the U.S.
• arranging for outside productions to stage performances at The Freedom Theatre.
• building alliances with actors, artists, educators and others.

Letter To The People Of The Jenin Refugee Camp

We would like to introduce ourselves. We are the Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theater, a group of individuals in the United States who have come together to support the excellent work of the Freedom Theater. Our members come from many walks of life and many religions; we are Christians, Muslims, and Jews, united in our efforts to do what we can to spread awareness about the Jenin Refugee Camp and act as a means for individuals and institutions in the United States to help rebuild and maintain the Freedom Theater.
Our involvement with the Freedom Theater began in 2006, when we had a chance to meet Juliano Mer Khamis and hear him discuss his film “Arna’s Children.” We had all seen the film previously and had been deeply affected by it. All of us are veteran human rights activists and long-time supporters of the Palestinian people, but rarely have we been so moved. After meeting Juliano and hearing more about the efforts to rebuild the Theater, we decided to do our small part for this essential project. Each of us has been supporting the Palestinian people for years or even decades, but in all those years we had seldom been given the chance for involvement in such a wonderful endeavor.
These past seven years have seen a growing outrage among supporters of Palestine in the United States and around the world, accompanied by an even greater amazement at the strength and courage of the Palestinian people. Such outrage and amazement has engendered a growing determination to do more in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their resistance to the Occupation and their insistence on leading normal lives under brutal conditions.
As Juliano told us when we met him, the Freedom Theater is part of that resistance and determination. We therefore have been working to build a small but effective organization here to carry on various activities in support of your and Juliano’s work, including fundraising and awareness-building.
We see our organization as more than a project, however—we see it as a relationship with the people of Jenin. Several of us have already visited the Jenin Refugee Camp; many of you have met them. Others will follow. As we continue with our work, we look forward to seeing this relationship grow and develop. We have each seen something special in the Freedom Theater and in the people of the Jenin Refugee camp, and we intend to maintain our relationship with you for many years to come.
In solidarity,
The Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theater

Board Of Directors

• Constancia Dinky Romilly, President
• Inea Busnaq, Vice President
• Dorothy Zellner, Treasurer
• Mahmoud Bitar
• Kathleen Chalfant
• Felice Gelman
• Yoram Gelman
• Ismail Khalidi
• Liz Magnes
• Jen Marlowe
• Josh Perlstein
• Ann Petter
• Mariam C. Said
• Terry Weber

Advisers

• Maya Angelou
• Issa Mikel
• Yoav Elinevsky
• Kathy Engel
• Eve Ensler
• Danny Glover
• Suheir Hammad
• Abdeen Jabara
• Miriam Margolyes
• Vanessa Redgrave
• Jean Stein
• Lubna Hammad

Contact Us

Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theatre
P.O. Box 592, Tarrytown, New York 10591
Contact: Constancia Dinky Romilly
Tel: 917 991 5653
Email: friends@thefreedomtheatre.org

Support Our Friends

If you would like to play an active role in fundraising and networking for The Freedom Theatre or make a donation to one of our friends and partners worldwide, please contact one of our official Friendship Associations or partners.

• Friends of The Jenin Freedom Theatre, United States

• Email: friends@thefreedomtheatre.org
• To Donate Directly to the Freedom Theater in US Dollars Please Use the following Fiscal Sponsor Link:

https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5123/t/4123/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=417

Peace!

Noelle Renee