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UBUNTU ~ “I am because we are.”

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Nadira Cotticollan (Dreaming through Twilight) from Kannur, India shared this with us on Facebook. I’m just in love with the idea of it. Wouldn’t it be a joy if people the world over adopted this phrase and philosophy?  How civilized (and more practical) this value is than our Western individuality and winner-takes-all values. Something to think about, especially in the light of current events and history.

The Xhosa (pronounced with a click for the “X” and then “hosa”) are a Bantu people (related to Swazi and Zulu) from South Africa. I know this because I was “introduced” to them by a visiting priest many years ago.  From him I know that the Xhosa – like many peoples around the world – are suffering the social fallout that results from colonialism, segregation/apartheid and corporate greed. Their society is rife with poverty and nutritional deficiencies, crime and broken families. Shame on us.

I am because we are. xo

Let us remember that.

This illustration may be copyrighted.  I’ve been unable to find its origin.

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Music, Language of the Soul: the second in a series from Imen Benyoub on music in the context of war and occupation

Poet, writer and artist, Imen Benyoub is from Guelma, Algeria and currently lives in East Jerusalem. She shares with us on The Bardo Group blog a series of stories and insights on music in war and occupation. This month she writes about Palestinian Musician Ramzi Aburadwan, his pursuit of music and his success in bringing it to the children of occupation. It’s a story with a lot of heart, soul and generosity … read on … it’s worth your time …

The BeZine

The first post in this series is HERE.
10423604_519811371480762_878196538_nMusic, the language of the soul
The cultural Intifada*…From stones to musical instruments.
The story of Ramzi Abu Radwan.

They impressed the world
And all they had in their hands were stones
They lit like lanterns, and came like messengers
From “children of the stones” Nizar Quabbani (1923-1998), Syrian poet and publisher

The first Intifada is the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation that started on December 1987 in Jabalia** refugee camp and spread throughout the rest of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It lasted six years until the signing of Oslo Accords in 1993.

It was an unarmed, spontaneous yet exploding uprising, men with their faces covered with keffiyehs***, women and children with nothing but stones, slingshots and Molotov cocktails faced tanks and live ammunition of well-trained, heavily equipped Israeli soldiers.

10423556_519811321480767_1963506964_aOne of those children, a kid…

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