USA: "Reconciliatory" artwork prepared by 135 Palestinians and Israelis showcases at the World Bank

Record ID: 396826

  • Title: USA: "Reconciliatory" artwork prepared by 135 Palestinians and Israelis showcases at the World Bank
  • Date: 3rd May 2007
  • Summary: (MER-1) WASHINGTON D.C. UNITED STATES (MAY 1, 2007) (REUTERS) WIDE OF EXHIBIT CERAMIC PLATES ON TABLE
  • Embargoed: 18th May 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: International Relations,Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVAEA8DVLKAGTVHK2P9MKJIHQO95
  • Story Text: An art exhibition opens at the World Bank in Washington D.C., showcasing the work of 135 Palestinian and Israeli artists. Organisers from the 'Parents Circle' group, which spearheaded the event and which brings together family members of Palestinians and Israelis killed in the conflict, say they're hoping to use art instead of hostility to bridge the gaps between the two sides.

    A unique kind of art exhibition is being shown at the World Bank headquarters in Washington D.C. this week, and started attracting visitors even before its formal opening to the public on Wednesday (May 2). The exhibition, called "Offering Reconciliation", is prepared by 135 Israeli and Palestinian artists. Each artist used a large-sized ceramic bowls, named the "Bowl of Reconciliation," as his or her starting point. The artists, sculptors and photographers then created their interpretation of reconciliation, with each embarking on a personal journey of the reconciliation narrative of coexistence, pain, loss, fracture and fusion.
    The exhibit was organised by the Parents Circle, a group that includes over 500 bereaved people, Israelis and Palestinians, who have all lost family members in the conflict.
    Instead of harbouring anger and revenge, members say they work for understanding and reconciliation. They teach in schools, develop programmes for the media, and participate in community forums.
    Robi Damelin is an Israeli mother whose son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper and who has committed her life to launching intensive dialogue and reconciliation initiatives through media and education.
    "I think I joined the Parents Circle because it was a framework where I could make a difference, at least I thought that would be the framework where both Palestinians and Israelis could work together on a much more -- I don't want to call it equal because it's not that -- it's that we share the same pain and so the trust is built up much better, because I just have to look at the eyes of a Palestinian mother and I know what she is feeling and she knows what I am feeling and we understand the consequence of the madness," Damelin said.
    Ali Abu Awad is also part of the Parents Circle. He is a Palestinian who was active in resisting the Israeli occupation during the first intifada and was arrested for his political activities and served four years in jail.
    Abu Awad was shot by an Israeli settler and was hospitalised in Saudi Arabia where he received the news that his brother Youssef had been killed.
    Youssef had been shot by an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint at the entrance to their village. Abu Awad says revenge was not an option.
    "The first thing you think about is what to do with this pain. What to do. First of all, I was not born to kill, to take revenge, to avenge the killing. Youssef to me was worth all the Israelis. So even if I killed them all, I wouldn't feel good. because Youssef meant the world to me," Abu Awad said.
    He and other members of his family then joined the Bereaved Families Forum where they are active in spreading a message of reconciliation and non-violence to Palestinians and Israelis.
    The project encompasses an exhibition and a catalogue. All revenues will be used to finance the ongoing educational activities in Israeli and Palestinian schools.
    The exhibit which first started near Boston last month will then travel to Los Angeles, Seattle, New York and Chicago. An eight-month auction for the 135 exhibit works is due to be launched online. Organisers say that all the money raised will go to help fund education and reconciliation efforts.
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