Background information

After Thomas Economacos and Maya Fischer had attended the Kids’ Guernica International Festival in Ubud, Bali 2005, they brought back with them the wish by all, including Takuya Kaneda, Asit Poddar, etc., to come to Greece the next time.

Involvement of Poiein kai Prattein

Once this message was conveyed to POIEIN KAI PRATTEIN, Anna Arvanitaki as president and Hatto Fischer as coordinator undertook efforts to find the necessary political support. To Poiein kai Prattein belong as well Thomas Economacos who is especially skilled, pedagogically speaking, to work with children. He is designer for lighting for all kinds of performances, and therefore in charge of the set-up of exhibitions. Maria Capari, Marine biologist and working at the Institute for Sustainable Development, and her daughter participated already when the mural of Poiein kai Prattein, 'the War is over' was painted in 2005, and then taken by Thomas Economacos and Maya Fischer to Ubud, Bali.

Anna Arvanitaki

Hatto Fischer

Thomas Economacos

Stella with her mother Maria Capari

Even when initiated by an organization of Civil Society, all community actions need political support, so as to have a proper framework in place, both financially and structurally speaking.

Mural of Kastelli, Crete

Thanks to various contacts to local authorities due to European projects POIEIN KAI PRATTEIN has undertaken, the mayor of Kastelli in Crete, Emmanuel Smyrnaski was approached.

Nicolas Spetsidids and Mayor Emmanuel Smyrnaski

He recognized immediately the value of this action for children while including international guests, all of which would be connected with Kids' Guernica which originated in Japan 1995.

Ms. Kaneda

Takuya Kaneda

Sachi Kaneda

Tadashi Nishihira

Keiko Hoshino together with Sachi and Ms. Kaneda

Asit Poddar

There would come as well poets, among them the poetess Katerina Anghelaki Rooke who he knew personally. Her godfather had been Katzanzakis, the famous writer who had made as well a report for the Greek government about what devastation Crete had suffered during Second World War.

Katerina Anghelaki Rooke

The other poets were Dostena Laverge from Strasbourg / Bulgaria who speaks aside from her own native language and French as well fluently Greek.

Dostena Laverge

The poetry readings would be organized by Socrates Kabouropoulos from EKEVI, the National Book Centre.

Socrates Kabouropoulos - reading his translation of Paula Meehan

The mayor was also aware that Spyros Mercouris, the brother of former Minister of Culture, Melina Mercouri, would accompany the Kids’ Guernica action to underline the importance of art education for children.

Spyros Mercouris

From Chicago would come Stacy Koumbis and who brought this special mural in red with her. Given her interest in making a link between Kastelli, Crete and the Greek diaspora in Chicago, she donated the mural to Kastelli.

Stacy Koumbis

Fatema Nawaz brought two murals: the Kabul, Afghanistan and the German one with the title 'Imprison war'. She was in Ubud, Bali when the Kids' Guernica exhibition took place there in 2005 and thus made her first contact with this idea of letting children paint collectively a mural on a canvas the same size as Picasso's Guernica. Once back in Kabul, she initiated this action, and followed up a second one, once she had moved to Germany to take up a teaching post there.

Fatema Nawaz

Jan Brüggemeier brought the mural done by children of the Planjenaschool in Weimar. Jan was coordinator of the www.heritageradio.net created within the framework of the Interreg III B CADSES project HERMES.

Jan Brüggemeier

Jan Brüggermeier was accompanied by Alexandra Gaul, photographer who would untertake a photo documentation of the Kids' Guernica action in Kastelli.

Then, Socrates Kabouropoulos invited a friend from Paris and who could create interactions with children by starting out with Pantomime.

Marie Brandt from Paris

Johanna, teacher in Athens

Marcus Kanouras from Chios

Once this contact was established, the Development Agency of Kastelli and its director, Nicholas Spetsidis, was requested by the mayor to get to work.

Nicholas Spetsidis with president of Women's Association and local citizen

Support was solicited from the school directly besides the Municipal building as well as from the Women’s Association of Kastelli.

Women's Association of Kastelli

Since it was decided to let the exhibition coincide with Greek Easter, that is April 20 – 24, 2006, it meant linking Kids' Guernica related events with the celebration of Resurrection as celebrated in Crete.

Women of Kastelli decorating eggs

Resurrection celebrations happen Friday and Saturday nights - with photos by Alexandra Gaul

Marie Briant and Dostena Laverge

Sunday - Greek Easter

The guy who brought the fire for the roasting of the lamb came by tractor Sunday morning to make sure the guests would have a good taste of Greek Easter.

The girls supplied everyone with drinks

Citizens from Kastelli joined in as well

oli mazi - altogether at Taverna

From a viewpoint of involving future generations in a peace making effort, Kids’ Guernica in Kastelli meant for the exhibition consisting of 15 murals from all over the world (Afghanistan, Nepal, Japan, USA, Germany, Greece, New Zealand etc.), to let first of all the children and youth of Kastelli make their own contribution. They painted a mural which depicted elements of the Minoan culture and what they associate with the Greek wish for peace: 'Ireni'.

Mural of Kastelli, Crete 2006

Text: Hatto Fischer 2006 (updated 29.7.2013)

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