Ally Gil Friend points us at 10,000 Kites, an activist art initiative to fly 10,000 kites along both sides the 500 kilometer long security barrier dividing Israel and the West Bank on April 27, 2005. Even if the people on either side of the wall can't see each other, they--and the world--will see them flying kites for peace, dreaming together of a bright future.
Above and beyond the current conflict, where the wall separating Israel from the West Bank stretches ominously over more than 500 kilometers of territorial strife, is 500 kilometers of limitless sky, where 10,000 kites will fly in Spring 2005, spreading messages of peace.
(more...)
Palestinians and Israelis have been doggedly building small bridges of cooperation and collaboration during the past several years of violence and political impasse. A few that keep my hopes up on the days that the news is bad:
Israel's Ramat Gan Safari sent three lions, an ibex and two zebras to the Palestinian Kalkilya Zoo last September--Kalkilya has had steady support from Israeli zoo professionals even at the worst moments of the intifada.
All For Peace radio has been jointly run by Israelis and Palestinians for almost a year, broadcasting in Arabic, English and Hebrew, creating a "sane voice, which invites its listeners to become part of an involved group of citizens who are not willing to forgo a better future."
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, the Palestine Red Crescent Society and Médecins du Monde-France are jointly studying the barrier's impacts on the Palestinian health care system, and engaging 14 leading Palestinian and Israeli artists to produce a booklet of artwork about the issues.
Um is it just me or does the idea of flying 10000 kites along a border with a zillion worried soldiers looking for attacks sound a tad... INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: wintermane on February 22, 2005 9:02 PM
It's just you :-)
Posted by: Zaid Hassan on February 23, 2005 3:57 AM
worldchanging was founded on the idea that real solutions already exist for building the future we want. it's just a matter of grabbing hold and getting moving.
