Below is an article published today online about the freelance project I am working on: Promoting Gender Equality Among Youths in Lebanon Using Photovoice. I was really pleased when I read this article today. It is rewarding that local media puts an effort to disseminate creative work conducted by the local civil society!
مشروع "تمكين المرأة" يطلق انشطة "صوت الصورة" في 20 قرية وبلدة
يطلق مشروع "تمكين المرأة: العمل السلمي للأمن والاستقرار" أنشطة "صوت الصورة" في 20 قرية وبلدة يعمل بها المشروع، تحضيرا لليوم العالمي للمرأة في 8 آذار المقبل. ويهدف النشاط الى "تدريب شبان وشابات من البلدات المستهدفة على تقنية التصوير وكيفية استخدام الصورة للتعبير عن احاسيسهم وآرائهم حول المساواة والعدالة الجندرية والتمييز وربط هذه الآراء بالواقع الذي يعيشون فيه". وسيقام معرض للصور الناتجة عن هذا النشاط خلال الاسبوع الأول من آذار في حضور المصورين والمصورات الشبان واللجان النسائية وممثلين عن البلديات في المناطق وجمعيات المجتمع المدني والمنظمات الدولية. وبدأ النشاط الاسبوع الفائت في مدينة بنت جبيل وبلدات الكفير ودير ميماس وعين حرشا وبيت لهيا وبكيفا وتنورة والعقبة، بمشاركة ممثلات عن اللجان النسائية للمشروع. ونظم مشروع "تمكين المرأة: العمل السلمي للأمن والاستقرار" السبت الماضي "لقاء توعية عن آلام الظهر عند المرأة في بلدة القنطرة العكارية بمشاركة الدكتورة جنان اسطا والأخصائية الفيزيائية فرح صادق. تبعت المحاضرة حلقة حوار وأسئلة. وفي سبعل في الشمال نظم المشروع السبت الماضي ايضا لقاء عرض فيه اتفاقية "القضاء على جميع أشكال التمييز ضد المرأة" وشريطا مصورا يحمل عنوان "المرأة العربية والنزاعات المسلحة". لخصت خلاله المديرة التنفيذية للهيئة الوطنية لشؤون المرأة اللبنانية، جمانة مفرج، نص الاتفاقية والتحفظات التي قدمها لبنان، وركزت على "أهمية الوعي بالقوانين المعدلة لتفعيل تطبيقها".
originally posted on: http://www.lebanonfiles.com/news_desc.php?id=77698
The sweet smell of Sex Enters through every hole in my body Right through my soul And the feeling I get Of tranquility and euphoria Puts my body in a state of trance Until you are gone And then all I have left Is a mere repulsive smell of Sex
I came to work today, deciding to keep silent. I spoke no words, for four hours. It is interesting how people look at you when you are silent. When they talk and you just nod, or smile. And in their minds they go like “what is wrong with me? Why is she not talking to me? What have I done? … or maybe she is the freak!” I could read those thoughts; in their eyes, in their smiles and insecure gazes.
I do not do this to be special.
I do not do this to draw attention to me.
Attention is there.
I am not.
I choose to live in a world of silence … a world in which no one exists but me. No thoughts can be heard but my own. No explanations have to be given. No excuses are necessary. Living in my own mind; with my own thoughts. Looking at people through the eyes of silence. Breaking the wall of words with my stare. Not caring what they think or how they react.
I have been having these thoughts lately – about masks and mirrors – about humans, and our abilities to hide from who we are – about our need to hide from who we are – because in reality, who we are is cruel – who we are is greedy – who we are is evil – And so, we put on the mask of beauty – we hide from mirrors – we avoid mirrors – mirrors that show our inner self – and who else can show you your inner self but the other – and then, you start running away from the other – or pushing the other away.
We put on the mask… of ignorance – we live in denial – we give ourselves reasons to celebrate atrocities – but why do we hide? – how long will we hide? – what are we afraid of? – is denial the only way out? – is escaping the only way out?
Why do we always stick to the illusion of reality and never get even close to reality itself?
Parable:
The world was created, and God was sending everyday new things to the world. One day he sent Beauty and Ugliness to the world. It is a long journey from paradise to the earth – the moment they arrived it was early morning, the sun was just rising. They landed near a lake and both decided to have a bath because their bodies, their clothes, were so full of dust.
Not knowing the ways of the world – they are so new – they take their clothes off; utterly naked, they jump into the cool water of the lake. The sun is rising, people start coming. Ugliness plays a tick – when Beauty goes swimming far away into the lake, Ugliness comes up on the bank, puts the garments of Beauty, and escapes. By the time Beauty becomes aware that “People are arriving and I am naked”, and she looks around … her clothes are gone! Ugliness is gone and Beauty is standing naked in the sun, and the crowd is coming closer. Finding no other way, she puts on the clothes of Ugliness and goes in search for Ugliness so that the clothes can be changed.
The story says she is still looking…but Ugliness is cunning, and goes on escaping. Ugliness is still in the clothes of Beauty, masked as Beauty, and Beauty is moving in the clothes of Ugliness …
People confide in me there deepest secrets Their darkest sins Their most perverted fantasies Their sickest behaviors
And I lay here … In my mind Waiting for the day When I will confide in you Their darkest sins Their most perverted fantasies Their sickest behaviors
My mind can tolerate no more … It is out of space It is out of colors It is striped with agony, misery, envy … mental and bodily distractions. Sickness. Deception. Perversion. Illusions.
… Seeking solace Wanting no more … to be the sins’ keeper
"pig correspondence", A New Collection of Poems
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Here at Lulu our Nickel Hole Press have just published *pig correspondence*,
a book of poems from a few years ago. This will be on Amazon in a few
weeks. ...
Where to?
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I have changed so much from the person I used to be, something I had
always known and felt for the past few years. What has changed is that I
have nothing...
Not Dead...
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I've decided that, after a near two-year hiatus from this blog, that it is
post-time to update. Here are some new publishings this year:
Otoliths
Gutter...
Crunked
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Crunked Poetry by Jack Henry 113 pages $17.50 Epic Rites Press, 2011
“Crunked was not written. Not even close, not even for a second. Crunked
was ripped fr...
You Are Thinking
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you are thinking
of all those you loved
and how they all went away.
bombs hit beside you
buildings crash
hell seems only a minute away.
and life is a roller ...