By: Rebecca Muller
Greensboro, NC. “This is the war that people are trying to forget before it’s over.” This statement, made by Peter Lems – (AFSC program director for education and advocacy on Iraq and Afghanistan) during his talk on the human cost of war in Afghanistan as part of the Windows and Mirrors traveling mural exhibition – is a reminder that the war in Afghanistan continues to have an effect on the lives of every day people, both in the United States and in Afghanistan.
Starlet Tetteh, intern at AFSC, felt that Lems’ presentation on the Economic Cost of War impacted her because it helped her to understand the reality of the lives of Afghanistan youth. One of her favorite murals was the one titled, “I am your sister, you are my brother”.
“I try to live my life and have interactions with other people keeping in mind that they are family so that really spoke to me”, she said.
Tetteh also enjoyed speaking with muralist and artist Ann Northrup, who painted the “Mountain Kites” mural. “Speaking with Ann made that picture have a stronger impact on me ….she wanted people to want to protect that child when they saw the picture. She made it one of the happier pictures. That one really touched me,” she said.
She believes that the murals encourage people to think about politics and foreign policies in a more humane way and allowing them to come to their own conclusions. As a volunteer, Tetteh helped out with several Windows and Mirrors events and also worked with Wake Forest student Mojeeb Nazeri. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan he came to the United States one month before September 11, 2001.
Although Megan Fair, Windows and Mirrors program coordinator for Greensboro, enjoyed all of the programs her favorite event was the opening night event. “It was exciting to see so many people there in the space – it eased my fears because I was nervous that people wouldn’t show up.” Fair also enjoyed meeting the many other people who put energy and time into the project as well as Hannah Swenson, one of the Guilford College students who led the project.
Fair especially enjoyed working on the youth program that was done soon after the opening. “It was really powerful to hear feedback from the youth and to hear how passionate they were about the issues – to know that Windows and Mirrors could have such an influence on how someone viewed the world for possibly the rest of their life”, she said.
Jessica Langley, who was in charge of volunteer recruitment for the Windows and Mirrors Exhibit, found that the Windows and Mirrors exhibit was a reminder of how many millions of people are affected by the war. “For me it kind of gave an account to see how dangerous and treacherous war can be.” She felt particularly affected by the murals that contained images of children. “When you think of children you think of innocence and not having a childhood because of war – they’re losing parents and siblings and they don’t really get to experience a childhood,” Langley said.
Julie Bauer, who volunteered with the set-up of the mural exhibit and the greeting, especially enjoyed meeting members of the Greensboro Muslim community at the Islamophobia dinner and speech. “I knew that they had faced discrimination in this country since September 11, but I never realized how extreme and wide-spread it was, or that it continues now, almost ten years later”, Bauer said.
She felt that hearing their stories firsthand made the experiences all the more personal. “I learned much about Islam as a peaceful religion. It made me think that the barriers that we put between us by culture, religion, and nationality are more arbitrary than real”, she said.
The mural “Almost Impossible to Spear It”, by Laura Swan, was a personal favorite of Bauer’s. A collaboration between the artists and a group of 5th and 6th grade students is covered in reflections on peace written by students. “I love the colors and the way that it presents both an inward reflection and an outward view on the effects of the war. It amazes me that children seem to understand what adults refuse to even see. Most of all, I love the sense of hope that this mural evokes,” Bauer said.
She believes that the war is often ignored because it is occurring so far away and that the Windows and Mirrors exhibit enabled us to see what life is like in Afghanistan and gave people a different perspective. “The Windows and Mirrors exhibit gives everyone who sees it a change to reflect and the opportunity to act,” she said.
Bauer believes that the exhibit is especially important because it makes the war all the more real and personal. “It creates the need to act and is a reminder that things must change.”
No comments:
Post a Comment