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"Enough! We want to live." Tripoli, Lebanon 2007

                

                "Enough. We want to live."              Tripoli, Lebanon 2007

Coordinated by Iman Mourad-Nouri

 

History:

I am grateful for the chance to reproduce some of the events and ideas that shaped the creation of the painting: "Enough! We want to live" in Tripoli Lebanon.

At the chore of my heart are the words of Ghandi who said that “real education consists in drawing the best out of yourself."

It is always a challenge. When asked to do such a peace mural, I was a busy mother who worked at the same time in Beirut. That meant commuting five hours a day due to broken bridges and other obstacles resulting out of the Israeli attacks in summer 2006.

.Poiein kai Prattein invited Lebanon to participate at the Kids' Guernica Int'l event in Chios 2007. I was honored to be the coordinator of the action because of the simple incident that I am a mother who allowed her two daughters to paint on their bedroom walls during the horrible June war of 2006.  We couldn't go out so the painting on walls was the response of our feelings to be trapped in our home. Meanwhile a more sacred peace movement was going on and mobilizing everyone around the world: the Kids' Guernica Int'l movement co-ordinated by Mr. Takuya Kaneda in Japan.

Lebanese children and youth are the survivors of a horrible war; in their hearts and minds are the memories of all people who suffered and are still suffering until now from permanent war in the global world! I felt the urge to connect.

The Chios event took place from 4th until 7th of May 2007

Since we received the canvas on 5th of April 2007, the time pressure was great and to complete the mural on time quite stressful; nevertheless Mr. Hatto Fisher's motto, “to use that little extra effort that can make all the difference between giving up and still trying” inspired me.

The action plan was prepared with a lot of love, courage and cooperation. We had to overcome many obstacles and still persevere.

There was arranged a meeting with Mrs Houda Namle and Dr. Rami Finge, president and member of the Rotary Club Tripoli EL-Maarad. They looked up the mission of the Kids' Guernica movement and understood that it intends to extend art education by initiating bottom-up actions based on collaborative work as part of informal learning processes. At the board meeting of Rotari Maarad the decision was taken immediately to instruct Mrs May Mounla Chmaytaly to provide us with all the tools, paints, video tapes, and to help with regards to all the publicity needed. It was decided to connect the project with a book fair exhibition as it could smooth the progress of the project.

The decision as to which schools and children were to be included, that was a difficult one again due to time pressure, but the preparation of the list of participants' names and their invitations was efficiently done. Students who were selected came from the Universal School of Lebanon (USL Koura), Antonin Int'l school (El mina),  Rawdat EL Fayhaa school (Tripoli),  French Lycee (Koura),Lebanese University(Kobbe) and the Children Care Association (Tripoli Municipality).

Fortunately art is appreciated in our town: Four art educators gave their time and opinion in a preliminary workshop. Following the advices of Mr Thomas Economacos the children tried to feel peace within themselves. They imagined peace and afterwards sketched their first drafts on papers. Later on we all gathered to assess themes, colors and measurement of the scripts at hand done innocently but truthfully and willingly by those talented young geniuses.

The windy weather condition forced us to move from the book fair exhibition where the painting took birth to Antonin Int'l School's playground. The permission for that was granted graciously by Priest Gabi Assaf; his respect for the arts had led him to open his school for community art activities every Saturday and which my daughter Miriam used to attend to enrich her expressive talent. The calmer, cleaner and more peaceful surrounding of the school added something to the insights of the creative children. These senses for a peaceful atmosphere for those who gathered around the canvas after some had gone through very difficulties times made them all the more aware what are some of the obstacles to peace. Accordingly they responded by giving to their thoughts and feelings space, color usage, etc…

The resolution to conflicts as painted onto the canvas was much easier than the time it takes for our politicians to gather around one table (as they have to take a plane to QATAR to meet together). A simple reason behind all of it is that children are truthful and innocent. They are blessed with an innate human quality: dignity. We adults should preserve this attribute and nourish it to provide an ideal community. Peace within ourselves first, but as well we need peace in our country, peace with our neighbors, and more so a peaceful healthy environment and a peaceful society in which our kids can grow up by integrating themselves in a responsible way to secure their lives. A healthy life is based on believing in Freedom. It is brought about by staying independent, respecting the lives of others and acting in solidarity to all human beings. It is a matter of retaining an open dialogue with others in order to bring about progressive changes towards a better, indeed just society.

The expressive symbol at the middle with the divided girl (Dead and Alive girl) drawn by Miriam and her friend Ryan Moukaddem(USL students) naturally divided the painting into two themes: "Peace and war ". The entire painting was conceived by the eyes and hands of our children.

On one full long day called by Mrs Therese Le Cid "The harmony day" the children painted, sang and endured for 10 consecutive hours as if inspired by a heavenly power. It gave them the energy to sustain the long time and thereby they proved their love and dedication respect to the mission of painting a peace mural. They felt that this responsibility was in their hands and despite their school obligations due their final exams being close at hand. Their smile became a symbol of peace and a greeting message to connect with all Kids’ Guernica participants around the world. They all sang proudly under an old tree in the playground the national anthem to celebrate the end of the long day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Awareness campaign

The first appearance  "Enough! We want to live" was at the book fair exhibition in Tripoli on 29 April 2007. For 72 hours there took place a vigilance of peace awareness.  There Ryan and my daughter Miriam read their poems as inspired by the "divided girl"!

Tickets for Greece for me and Miriam were provided thanks to the solidarity of the Japanese delegation and Mrs. Anna Arvanitaki (president of Poiein kai Prattein)

Peace connection

In Chios people listening to Lebanese songs by children voice while Iman Mourad spoke in Greek to the public gathered in the square where the Kids’ Guernica exhibition of 18 peace murals was held. Miriam read her poems at a book store where a literary discussion took place about the topic ‘religion and art’ with representatives from Japan, Greece and USA, including the American writer George Crane. Chios meant as well, visits to schools and writing together with others all kinds of peace messages, including the Arabic word for peace. This was done on a wall and on a banner. Many photos were taken together with Greek children in the Platia. It was a special touch when under an OLD PEACEFUL GREEN TREE they wore when posing for the photos the traditional Lebanese TARBOUCH for boys and TARTOUR for girls. These are simple symbols to connect Tripoli in Lebanon with Chios in Greece. The Kids’ Guernica exhibition in Chios gathered people from all the world and included a large delegation of 30 Japanese Kids’ Guernica members from Japan

ON-Going path towards peace

Finally, I am proud to announce the start of a new peace mural for this summer in 2009. It shall take place during the implementation of a peace project in Tripoli under the title: "Empowerment through Integration ". It shall be initiated by Maysa Mourad and her visually- impaired friend Sara Minkara. Both are students at Wellesley College in the USA. It is hoped but equally inspired those once again innocent hands of visually-impaired and sighted children will draw a new mural to be called:  "TOGETHER! Let's see and live in Peace!"


PS. When Mrs Hillary Clinton in her surprise visit to Baghdad said people have ‘enough’ of war and violence, we realized that the theme of our peace mural had finally made its way up to the highest echelons of power where those with an eye on clear messages took up that word ‘enough’.

I hope that the theme of the new painting will bring the world closer to peace by giving the word "Together" a new and vibrant meaning for all people.

Iman Nouri Mourad

 

 

CV

Lebanese, married, mother of two daughters (ages 12 and 18), lives in Tripoli, Lebanon but works as business developer in Beirut. Studied at LaVerne, Athens, Greece (1977 – 82) where she received an MBA in Management and Business Administration, when returning to Lebanon she continued business consultancy at the Euro-Lebanese Center for Industrial Maintenance. Recently she has been engaged in the alignment of HR with organizational strategy (March 2007), Strategic Planning Human Resources Management (April 2007) and Franchise Engineering and Crisis Management. She aims to pursue a challenging business career in a multinational secured environment, in particular in the marketing and sales field and of course in the social entrepreneurship field.

Besides that she has become in 2007 the initiator and coordinator of the Kids’ Guernica peace mural from Lebanon with the title “Enough. We want to live!” She wants to continue the collaborative global work of the Kid’s Guernica in order to spread the peace consciousness among people in the world.

Life and Career Objective

To continue the collaborative global work of the Kid’s Guernica mission to spread the peace consciousness among people in the world.

To pursue a challenging business career in a multinational secured environment; my educational background, life, professional experience, willingness, and commitment are my sole motivational aims for success in the marketing and sales field and of course in the social entrepreneurship field

Personal Data

Maiden name:    Iman Mamdouh Nouri

Nationality:        Lebanese

Marital Status:  Married (2 daughters ages 12 and 18)

Address:            Atiba Street, El-Jamal Building

Tripoli, Lebanon

Email:               imannouri@hotmail.com

Education:

- MBA in Management and Business administration.

Work title

Business developer

Training and Seminars:

 

Highlights of qualifications and skills:

 

 

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