NOV.29 DEAD VILLAGE AND GREY SUFFERING-PICASSO
Picasso's painting of Guernica(Click for Zoom able) shows that war had caused for just one single tiny village. This occurs during the Spanish Civil War when General Franco bombed the village and killed any survivors from the bomb. The village burned for 3 days and by then sixteen hundred people are dead. Franco bombed the village to break the spirit of resistance of democracy. To the left, you can see a bull standing behind a distressed mother holding her dead child. The horse in the center is stabbed with a spear and the light bulb in the sun above symbolize how technology(bombs and guns) can have a horrendous effect on society. Technology now still has a horrendous effect, like atomic bombs and cyberbullying that leads to suicide. In the dark(right) is a woman screaming and trying to reach for the freedom. The grey color of the painting represents gloom, suffering, death and depress.
The torch near the sun connects with Prometheus torch of knowledge and capability of thought and freedom. As you can see, the torch is being taken away from the villagers and the afflicted man near the woman in the dark is unsuccessfully trying to get it back. The reason I chose this particular oil painting by Lois Dodd is that it represents the burning of the village and the destruction as the 2 houses begins to disintegrate as the fire continues. War has scarred many notables, such as Fatmire Feka(Kosovo), Arn Chorn Pond(Cambodia) and Aung San Suu Kyi(Burma Protests). Fatmire Feka's village has also been burnt like Guernica and she felt that she lost everything. The main idea or theme Piccaso is trying to communicate is the terrible effects and destruction of war.
NOV. 26 RELIGION VIOLENCE AND NOTABLES-EBOO PATEL
Eboo Patel is the founder of the Interfaith Youth Core organization that connects young people around the world, like Ben Quito's organization.(See bottom) He strongly beliefs in Democracy and diversity. It all started 15 years ago when he decided to go to the university gym to play some basketball. Patel saw three games going on, white, black and Asian. He realized that he had given up his Indian culture to join the white/American which means he lost a vital part of his identity.
During his speech, (Part 1 and Part 2) Patel told his audience that he felt 1990 was the decade of religious conflict. He also noticed that all the notables and heroes have faith, like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. Another thing he noticed is in previous era, young people are notables and in this era, the young people turn to religious violence. Patel promotes the idea that all the religions teach you the same values, like non-violence and love. The reason I chose this picture is that it represents faith and that you are never alone. It also means we have to take leap of faith courageously. Faith lack is an important issue in the 21st century according to Eboo Patel which is why he started the Interfaith Youth Core organization.
NOV. 24 HIP-HOPING TO PEACE IN BURMA
NOV. 12 FATMIRE FEKA, THE WOMAN WHO ACHIEVED PEACE BY FORGIVING.
Picasso's painting of Guernica(Click for Zoom able) shows that war had caused for just one single tiny village. This occurs during the Spanish Civil War when General Franco bombed the village and killed any survivors from the bomb. The village burned for 3 days and by then sixteen hundred people are dead. Franco bombed the village to break the spirit of resistance of democracy. To the left, you can see a bull standing behind a distressed mother holding her dead child. The horse in the center is stabbed with a spear and the light bulb in the sun above symbolize how technology(bombs and guns) can have a horrendous effect on society. Technology now still has a horrendous effect, like atomic bombs and cyberbullying that leads to suicide. In the dark(right) is a woman screaming and trying to reach for the freedom. The grey color of the painting represents gloom, suffering, death and depress.
The torch near the sun connects with Prometheus torch of knowledge and capability of thought and freedom. As you can see, the torch is being taken away from the villagers and the afflicted man near the woman in the dark is unsuccessfully trying to get it back. The reason I chose this particular oil painting by Lois Dodd is that it represents the burning of the village and the destruction as the 2 houses begins to disintegrate as the fire continues. War has scarred many notables, such as Fatmire Feka(Kosovo), Arn Chorn Pond(Cambodia) and Aung San Suu Kyi(Burma Protests). Fatmire Feka's village has also been burnt like Guernica and she felt that she lost everything. The main idea or theme Piccaso is trying to communicate is the terrible effects and destruction of war.
NOV. 26 RELIGION VIOLENCE AND NOTABLES-EBOO PATEL
During his speech, (Part 1 and Part 2) Patel told his audience that he felt 1990 was the decade of religious conflict. He also noticed that all the notables and heroes have faith, like Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela. Another thing he noticed is in previous era, young people are notables and in this era, the young people turn to religious violence. Patel promotes the idea that all the religions teach you the same values, like non-violence and love. The reason I chose this picture is that it represents faith and that you are never alone. It also means we have to take leap of faith courageously. Faith lack is an important issue in the 21st century according to Eboo Patel which is why he started the Interfaith Youth Core organization.
NOV. 24 HIP-HOPING TO PEACE IN BURMA
This painting by Picasso called the Three musicians shows the goal Thxa Soa and his hip hop group is trying to achieve. Thxa Soa's songs shows the unfairness of the tyrannic government indirectly, so everyone in Burma would try to work to peace. At one of their concerts, there are spiked bars in front of the stage to prevent people from hurting the group. The most songs made are banned by the Government because they represent freedom in Burma and how Burma should be free of the military-like government. In the article, the writer wrote that everything in Burma is watched and controlled. There was a free and fair poll scheduled for all of Burma, then it was cancelled suddenly by the government saying it was a sham.
Thxa Soa believe that music can express ideas and thoughts to all. Thxa Soa met The guardian secretly knowing that meeting with foreign journalist are dangerous like what happened to Aung San Suu Kyi. During the end of the article, Thxa Soa exclaimed that he would not leave Burma because he believes that his voice in Burma is important. By combining traditional Burmese music with hip hop, the military government bans traditional music mixed with any other types.
Thxa Soa is like Aung San Suu Kyi because they both believe that their voices should be heard and everyone in Burma has a right to vote and elect. They stood up against the unfair and have a strong sense of justice. The military government has prevented them from succeeding their goal completely but Thxa Soa and Aung San Suu Kyi still believe that they will prevail someday. They are heroes because they went against the flow and did the right thing. Going against the flow connected with John from The Blokes, at first he went with the flow and kept his head down. Then John made friends with Hashim from Kosovo and went against the flow and stood up for himself and Hashim.
NOV. 12 FATMIRE FEKA, THE WOMAN WHO ACHIEVED PEACE BY FORGIVING.
Fatmire Feka is one of the 1,000 women of Peace around the globe despite of the fact that she is a victim from the war in Kosovo. She and other numerous children have seen stuff that no child should ever see or experience in their childhood. Fatmire was only 11 years old when the war started in Kosovo. In 2002, she started a club, Kids for Peace, that teaches kids about peace and hating people isn't right. Ever since, the clubs have increased around the globe to 16. The war has passed but still left it's mark on history and Fatmire. She and her family suffered daily of loss and Fatmire Feka felt before the war that god was crying tears of pain for them. They escaped the town with 4 other families in a trailer before the soldier attacked the village and they stopped at the garbage dump. Fatmine said she could hear screams of pain during the night and she was frightened with all the other children, thinking that they wouldn't survive.
3 weeks later, they decided to get out of Kosovo. They heard that a bus that will take them out if they pay a price. Fatmire's family decided to risk it, but her uncle wanted to go to their cousins. They decided they would split up, uncle and her brother and sister would go tracking and herself and the rest of the family would go on the bus. Fatmire saw the last of her brother and sister that day. There are a total of 12 buses and the ride went on for 5 hours until during a checkpoint. They were caught and sent back to the garbage dump. When they came back, they discovered that all their food and other belongings are stolen. Her mother wanted to go back to the village and get some chicken and other things they had left behind, but the news of their burned down village reached them. Fatmire thought things couldn't get worse when the her uncle appeared with shots in shoulder and head. He couldn't remember what happened to her sister and brother.
After 10 years she accepts that they are lost forever and hope that they rest in peace. As the years of sorrow and pain passed, Fatmire decided to forgive. Forgiveness is not to be taken lightly and takes time. One of the reasons I chose to add this painting of Peace and war is to show the binary oposite in Fatmie Feka's life and another reason is that after she witnessed war, Feka decided to work for peace which is at the other side. She also said that forgiveness is about letting the bitterness go because bitterness can and will destroy. The truth has to be spoken and forgiveness is not to be forced. However, Fatmire has not completed her journey to forgiveness becuase she never found the dead bodies of her siblings and never knew who done it. Fatmire Feka is a hero to all, because she has done the almost impossible thing. Forgive.
3 weeks later, they decided to get out of Kosovo. They heard that a bus that will take them out if they pay a price. Fatmire's family decided to risk it, but her uncle wanted to go to their cousins. They decided they would split up, uncle and her brother and sister would go tracking and herself and the rest of the family would go on the bus. Fatmire saw the last of her brother and sister that day. There are a total of 12 buses and the ride went on for 5 hours until during a checkpoint. They were caught and sent back to the garbage dump. When they came back, they discovered that all their food and other belongings are stolen. Her mother wanted to go back to the village and get some chicken and other things they had left behind, but the news of their burned down village reached them. Fatmire thought things couldn't get worse when the her uncle appeared with shots in shoulder and head. He couldn't remember what happened to her sister and brother.
After 10 years she accepts that they are lost forever and hope that they rest in peace. As the years of sorrow and pain passed, Fatmire decided to forgive. Forgiveness is not to be taken lightly and takes time. One of the reasons I chose to add this painting of Peace and war is to show the binary oposite in Fatmie Feka's life and another reason is that after she witnessed war, Feka decided to work for peace which is at the other side. She also said that forgiveness is about letting the bitterness go because bitterness can and will destroy. The truth has to be spoken and forgiveness is not to be forced. However, Fatmire has not completed her journey to forgiveness becuase she never found the dead bodies of her siblings and never knew who done it. Fatmire Feka is a hero to all, because she has done the almost impossible thing. Forgive.
Oct. 1 VOICE OF GLOBAL YOUTH
Ben Quinto is the founder of Global Youth Action Network which is a Network that connects people around the globe to discuss global problems. I first learned about Ben Quinto at http://www.tedxteen.com/ 'Wired for change' He was the Associate Director of ONE DAY foundation and youth in action. One day foundation was founded by a group of high school students in January 1994 and their mission was to create 24 hours or 1 day of world peace and provide a place for young people where their voices can be heard. Ben Quinto made young people's voice heard in the world and he is considered a hero to the lives he had changed. Being a hero doesn't mean he/she will have to fight, a hero can use peace to become the hero. He stood up because he believed that he should help others. Ben Quinto did that because he faced the same difficulties when he was a child. He also stood up because of justice, he believed that everyone including children should have a voice as it was in the universal declaration of human rights(http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/take-action/petition.html). Ben Quinto also has strong leadership, so he can do the things he believed in.
Read more at: http://gyan.tigweb.org// (Global Youth Action Network)
Sources: http://www.unicef.org/magic/bank/casepics/gyan.gif
