[Dialogue] Art as Prophetic Action: 10,000 kites

[LAURELCG@aol.com]

Forwarded by Jann McGuire

Last June, an artist in Israel/Palestine saw a small boy flying a red kite.  
>From that briefly glimpsed image, a wonderful project has been born.  Israeli 
& Palestinian children and adults are currently making 10,000 kites 
[actually, 
it's up to 20,000] painted with messages of peace to fly April 27 in hundreds 
of locations on both sides of the barrier [variously called "security fence" 
and "apartheid wall"] being constructed to separate them.  This project is 
sponsored by The Association for Art in the Community and Cross-Cultural 
Dialogue, established in 1998 by Israeli and Palestinian educators to 
encourage 
dialogue through mutual artistic creations.  

The spectacle on the 17th will be lovely, but the deepest peace-making is 
probably in the process.  People have found that they don't have to agree on 
politics--or even on their opinions about the wall itself--in order to 
participate 
in the kite-making and the peaceful intent.  Conversations are beginning!  
Liberty Hill Foundation (U.S. partner of the Association for AC&CCD) has 
helped 
the ripples spread even more widely.  In Los Angeles, for example, warring 
groups of African American and Latino youth who had previously refused to sit 
down together have joined in this project to construct and fly kites for 
Israeli/Palestinian peace!

In Charlottesville, VA, the local Tikkun community & the Center for Peace and 
Justice sponsored an introductory evening last weekend -- with information on 
the role of kites in Middle Eastern culture and great food, music & dancing. 
(Circles, circles!)  We'll gather again for kite-making April 10.  Since my 
husband & I will be traveling on the "official" C'ville kite-flying day of 
May 
1, we plan to take our kites with us & fly them in North Carolina. Maybe we 
can 
start some conversations there. :) 

It's art as prophetic action -- and celebration & fun!  I hope you'll think 
about joining in.  Please visit http://www.10000kites.org/ for photos from 
Israel/Palestine & more information.

Blessings,
Margery