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Monday, 18 March 2019

IN THE SHADOWS OF WAR - THE RETURN FROM SYRIA

THE RETURN FROM SYRIA

PALESTINIAN WOMEN TELL THEIR STORIES

Tyre seen from Rashidieh seaside

This is my second blog article in a mini series I have called “In the shadows of war”, mainly about Palestinians in Lebanon. Today I will share some stories from meetings with Palestinian women during my visits to Rashidieh and El Buss refugee camps, including the stories about Salma and “Sarah” and their return from Syria to Lebanon, just after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. (For the records; I find the expression “civil war” rather imprecise or misleading due to the deep involvement in the war from numerous countries in the Middle East as well as the US, Russia, EU countries and China.).

More than anywhere else outside the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinians in Lebanon have been facing war and armed conflicts repeatedly since the first Israel – Arab war in 1947 -49. From 2011, when the so-called “Arab-spring” had spread to Syria, starting an uprising that soon escalated to the worst armed conflict in the Middle East since the Iraq – Iranian war in the eighties. And once again thousands of Palestinian families, who had been refugees for four generations, were forced to leave their homes and flee for their lives, some for the second or third time, as soldiers, arms and bombs were reaching their neighbourhoods.

IN THE SHADOWS OF WAR

Beirut, Lebanon and the Palestinians

The modern, Beirut Down Town and the marina with million dollar luxury yachts.

From the back seat of the taxi on the way from Rafic Hariri airport a little south of Beirut, I see the evening sun pushing its last rays through the clouds as it sinks into the Mediterranean. Thoughts and emotions mingle with unclear expectations of meeting with a city and a country, which at the first time I came here, more than 36 years ago, lay in ruins while the civil war were still raging. At that time I came to Beirut crossing the sea from Limassol in Cyprus with the cargo boat "Lucky Hope", which by no means lived up to its name, but struggled with engine trouble during much of the crossing and left us drifting in the wind for a couple of days before the ship-engineer finally brought the engine back to life.

Arriving in Beirut, we were met by a city and a country at war. The ports were besieged and controlled by the Falangists (strongly right-wing, Christian Maronites). The Falangists and other militia groups had divided the city between them and there were checkpoints, and barricades everywhere and the beautiful Beirut harbour promenade street were virtually abandoned and surrounded by bombed-out buildings.

I came to the city at the beginning of November, a month and a half after the massacres in the refugee camps Sabra and Shatila where more than 2,000 (the numbers still vary depending on sources) people were massacred by the Falangists, with Israeli support. I visited the camps where traces of fighting were still visible. A week later, after driving trough the Bekaa valley at night, with Israeli and Druze grenades passing over our heads, I met survivors from the massacres, who had fled to Syria and the Yarmouk camp outside Damascus. The stories about the carnage and meeting with people who had lost their whole family were heartbreaking.

Refugee camp in Damascus for Palestinians who had fled from Sabra and Shatila i 1982

VENEZUELA MIGRANTS - A QUESTION OF SURVIVAL

"CHAOS, TOTAL CHAOS - WE HAD TO LEAVE TO SURVIVE"

For years now we´ve received frequent news from the growing financial crises and collapse of the Venezuelan civil society. Inflation is sky high and has reached a level not seen since Germany´s financial collapse in the early 1920´s. People are struggling to find or pay for their daily needs. Transportation and public services works only partly, hospitals and health clinics are lacking supplies and qualified staff and criminal gangs are a constant threat in many towns and cities.

Reading news feeds and watching people on television arriving at their first Colombian destination, exhausted after walking for days to reach the the Colombian border is one thing. To be there, and to see all the people sleeping in the parks and on side walks, and to hear their stories is definitely something else.

THE MEDELLIN TRANSFORMATION

A multi-level success story to learn from

Sometimes I feel almost ashamed and quite ignorant, coming to a new country, or a new city, just to discover that my previous knowledge has been totally inadequate. Arriving in Medellin, Colombia, this was definitely the case. I knew from my travel preparations and a bit of research that the city was pretty safe and the drug-war was something of the past. Little did I know however, that Medellin had been named the world's most innovative city in a competition organised by the non-profit “Urban Land Institute”.

The Institute compiled a list of 200 cities based on eight criteria ranging from culture and livability to education and infrastructure and said Medellin, once a stronghold for Pablo Escobar and the drug cartels, had seen one of the most remarkable urban transitions in modern history. Exploring the city today it`s hard to imagine this once was the worlds most dangerous city, where 6000 people were murdered annually from 1990 to 1993.

MY FIRST TEN DAYS IN COLOMBIA

The distance from my home country Norway to Colombia is considerable, not only in kilometres but even more so when it comes to culture, politics, how people organize their daily life as well as all kinds of practical activities, transportation etc. It´s a pretty steep learning curve, but thanks to nice helpful people who always seems to be there when I need them, I manage to get around quite well and step by step acquire new knowledge about this fascinating country.

So far I´ve experienced colourful historic Cartagena, Tourist destination Santa Marta and my first morning walk here in Medellin where I arrived late yesterday afternoon. The first ten days has been a mixed bag in many ways, and I have to add it´s impossible to stay untouched by many of the things I´ve seen.

A LATIN AMERICA ROUND TRIP IN FALL 2018

Again, it was time to leave the colourful Norwegian autumn while heavy, rainy October clouds lay heavily above Oslo and the weather forecast alerted the first sleet showers. As always, I´m leaving family and friends with mixed feelings, but keep telling myself this time it is only for a couple of months.

The trip goes to Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica and possibly El Salvador. And like in the past, it will be a mix of adventure and more serious activities such as visits to NGOs working with Venezuelan refugees and for protection and conservation of rain forest. If you like to join me on the trip you are welcome follow me here on this blog, on smugmug:

https://terjesphoto.smugmug.com/ and on my Instagram and facebook accounts.

Carnival in Sciacca, Sicily 2018

Carnevale di Sciacca 2018

Not long after I started my research to increase my knowledge and understanding of Sicily`s past and present, I discovered that the Island`s carnivals was a "must see" event.

Carnivals are in fact not only a significant Sicilian tradition but more or less happening all over Italy. February in Italy means that just about every city on the Peninsula is invaded with masks, confetti, colors and lights that make for a very exciting and unique atmosphere: it’s Carnival! It is a party with ancient roots, and today has become a folkloristic rite in which traditions and fun work together to bring enormous life to this unique celebration.

The origins of the Carnival date back to the Roman Saturnalia festival that rang in the new year. The actual term "carnevale" however derives from the Latin "carnem levare" for "take away the meat. The term indicated the banquet held the last day before the period of abstinence from meat, i.e. the Christian Lent. Carnival, according to the Roman Catholic Liturgical Calendar, is set for between Epiphany (January 6th) and the start of Lent.

Initially a feast characterised by enjoyment of food, drink and sensual pleasures, and granted as a temporary escape for the lower classes – an opportunity to upend and subvert norms, especially in the way of social order – through the arc of time Carnival spread throughout the world and took on different shapes and nuances. From north to south, Italy marks Carnival with long standing traditions that are internationally-known, and that attract thousands of visitors from around the world this time every year.

The most famous Italian carnival around the world is for sure the carnival in Venice which I had the pleasure of visiting back in 2014. You can see some pictures here:

https://terjelillehaug.smugmug.com/Venice/

This time however, a fabulous carnival is taking place right on my doorstep in my Sicilian hometown Sciacca. As you may already know Sciacca is Sicily`s second largest fishing port, and also famous for it`s ceramic art, which can be seen in shops all over town, on walls, decorated stairs and in piazzas.

The Carnival however, may be less famous, but is still one of Sicily`s most colourful and entertaining. Its` also much more than just five days of music, street parades beautiful dresses, masks and entertainment. In fact the carnival is culture in it`s deepest sense, engaging lots of people all through the year, with the comprehensive preparations taking place from October trough the carnival days from 8 to 13 February (this year). To the people of Sciacca the carnival is creating pride and identity. Every time I had the chance to respond to someone asking me what I thought about the carnival, and I could give my complements, I got a spontaneous smile and a proud look their eyes.

The carnival preparations include lots of different activities. An event like creates extensive administrative tasks, logistics and planning to organise the whole, five days program, packed with parades and performances in streets and piazzas. The whole thing is really a puzzle when you consider the town is more or less being turned upside down for five days and receiving thousands of visitors, who needs to be accommodated and provided with all kinds of services.

From December to the opening of the carnival I had the pleasure to visit and follow some of the of the preparations more closely, and getting more detailed information and insight in how the major activities are organised, funded and all the efforts, skills and engagement it takes to make it such an marvellous "Festa".

Adding to the fact that the carnival is a cultural event creating a sense of pride and identity, I would argue it is also a political, as well as a significant educational and social project. I`ll try to explain;

The main attractions and core activities in the carnival are built around the eight huge carts with colourful moving sculptures/figures made by steel, paper, fibreglass and other materials and the dancing groups linked to each cart, and all organised in a so called "Associazione", which is a team or a project that Includes everything from fund raising to every aspect of the creative, technical and practical process. The political part is both the obvious fact that several of the carts have a title and an expression with a political, satirical message, with caricatures raising rhetorical questions linked to political conflicts, problems or challenges, in the local society or on the national or international arena. One cart is pointing at the local authorities inability to keep the fantastic thermal bath "Sciacca terme" open for several years due to lack of funds and with another part pointing at insufficient service and quality at the local hospital. Other carts are pointing at pollution and threats to the environment and conflicts at the international arena and between the US and North Korea. One Cart which I was watching more closely through the preparations had the title "È se Forse Tempo Perso" which means something like "If maybe the time is lost", expressed through the story from "Alice in wonderland", and explained by the team members as a metaphor for a time where there is to much uncertainty about the future, education and work opportunities for the young and politicians that gives lot`s of promises but rarely deliver as they say. And with hundreds of youth and young adults participating in the preparation process, in practise, this becomes a piece of modern, political awareness building as well as a set of workshops and training camps in teamwork and creative activities. Carnival preparations is also about enjoying friendship with something serious and meaningful to do together and to have a welcomed alternative to the normal "hanging out" in the streets and cafe`s. Almost everyone I talked with who were joining in as team members with the carts and in the dancing groups, where clear that the best part of the carnival for them were the months of preparations, rather than the five days of the carnival itself.

To give a glimpse into the preparation process and the five days of carnival celebrations, I think pictures and some video clips will tell the story a better than words, so please have a look at some more pictures and a video below. My "SmugMug" gallery with even more pictures can be found here:

https://terjelillehaug.smugmug.com/Sciacca-Carnival-in-Sicily-2018/

… and a short video on YouTube here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5FFMmXlKp4&t=95s

Enjoy, make a comment and share if you like it !

The dancing group for the cart «E se Fosse Tempo Perso». The training for the carnival starts in October and continues til the opening of the Carnival 8 February. 140 young dancers are engaged in this dancing group making a great performance

Salvatore Pumilia (left) and Michelle Raso (right) are choreographers for the dancing group «E se Fosse Tempo Perso». In the middle is team member Rosella Montagnino.

One of the cart figures in an early stage. Lots of paper and glue...

To build the cart figures many different technical skills has to be combined. The skeletons of the figures are made of steel, so lots of welding is needed.