Peace.
Steve.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Boluchaura Beauty
These pictures are of Boluchaura Mission in northern Netrakona District of Bangladesh. They were taken while on a two day visit with a volunteer from France.
Peace.
Steve.
Peace.
Steve.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Creativity and Vision
I have just finished reading a powerful book discussing the art of Peacemaking called The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace by John Paul Lederach (2005). This book takes an academic approach to the usefulness of artistic and creative processes in the building of peace. It involved a large variety of useful concepts that merit thought and application. But there were two specifically that grabbed me as important in the field of social change, especially in the setting I am in.
The first concept I would like to mention that struck me as powerfully important in viewing the ways in which we as foreigners, with certain goals in mind, approach our work. Our goal should be to avoid "tunnel-vision" (118) at all costs. The word of choice here was "serindipity" (114), a word I will not use because of its complex nature, but the idea was to constantly expect the unexpected. To look peripherally at a problem while maintaining a fixed goal in mind. For me, this equates to understanding the goal, and realizing that the best way to reach that goal is the route that I cannot plan for. In my context this could take many forms, none of which I could explain for precisely the reason they are important... because I have yet to understand them. What is important is that I remember as the "expert" in my context, is that there are hundreds of ways to promote peace, and I must always be ready to listen and step out of the tunnel to find them.
The second idea I wish to share is best described with a quote. "The challenge of the artful connection is how to respect what we create, nurture love for what we do, and bring beauty to what we build, even in the simplest tasks. ...To nurture the artist however does not require becoming whom we are not. The opposite is true. It requires what we pay attention to what already lies within us, within our capacity" (162). This paragraph describing the artist brought me to the heart of what creativity means in the search for peace and justice. Creativity comes from being who we are, but paying attention to the little things about each of us that draws us together. We must allow ourselves to be artists, to be creative in our search for peace; in that creativity we find the unexpected, the new way forward. We are all artists and we can all be peacebuilders, so long as we are not tied down to the formalities of mediation and training methods. Here in Bangladesh this is a risk we run. In trying to develop mediation capabilities in village settings to use in place of the current arbitration system; we risk limiting problem solving to mediation if we do not adequately look for ways to bring out the mediative artists in the community. Those willing to look for a new way, a creative solution, are the real peacebuilders in the community and we need to build this capacity along with any other formal mediation strategies.
As we travel through this river delta of life, there is not one path, but many. Each one is different, yet similarly directed to the sea. In peacebuilding we must not look for the "right" path but for the most scenic and beautiful path to the sea, for that path is the "right" path.
Peace.
Steve.
The first concept I would like to mention that struck me as powerfully important in viewing the ways in which we as foreigners, with certain goals in mind, approach our work. Our goal should be to avoid "tunnel-vision" (118) at all costs. The word of choice here was "serindipity" (114), a word I will not use because of its complex nature, but the idea was to constantly expect the unexpected. To look peripherally at a problem while maintaining a fixed goal in mind. For me, this equates to understanding the goal, and realizing that the best way to reach that goal is the route that I cannot plan for. In my context this could take many forms, none of which I could explain for precisely the reason they are important... because I have yet to understand them. What is important is that I remember as the "expert" in my context, is that there are hundreds of ways to promote peace, and I must always be ready to listen and step out of the tunnel to find them.
The second idea I wish to share is best described with a quote. "The challenge of the artful connection is how to respect what we create, nurture love for what we do, and bring beauty to what we build, even in the simplest tasks. ...To nurture the artist however does not require becoming whom we are not. The opposite is true. It requires what we pay attention to what already lies within us, within our capacity" (162). This paragraph describing the artist brought me to the heart of what creativity means in the search for peace and justice. Creativity comes from being who we are, but paying attention to the little things about each of us that draws us together. We must allow ourselves to be artists, to be creative in our search for peace; in that creativity we find the unexpected, the new way forward. We are all artists and we can all be peacebuilders, so long as we are not tied down to the formalities of mediation and training methods. Here in Bangladesh this is a risk we run. In trying to develop mediation capabilities in village settings to use in place of the current arbitration system; we risk limiting problem solving to mediation if we do not adequately look for ways to bring out the mediative artists in the community. Those willing to look for a new way, a creative solution, are the real peacebuilders in the community and we need to build this capacity along with any other formal mediation strategies.
As we travel through this river delta of life, there is not one path, but many. Each one is different, yet similarly directed to the sea. In peacebuilding we must not look for the "right" path but for the most scenic and beautiful path to the sea, for that path is the "right" path.
Peace.
Steve.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Rice, Rice, Rice
Question: What is your favourite food?
Answer: Rice, plain white rice.
I was surprised the first time I heard this response to the question of favourite food. But months later, I see more and more how important rice is to Bangladeshis. I will not make any judgments on whether or not this is a good obsession or not, but I will suffice to say that it does not involve a balanced diet.
I have heard some interesting comments about the rice here in Bangladesh. One was that curry here is only a way to make the rice go down faster. Instead of looking for the curry with some flavour, they just want the rice; the curry is just a method for eating rice. Another comment I hear often is, Bangladeshis cannot go to bed without a full stomach of rice, or they will not sleep. Therefore any Bangladeshi who goes out for fast food or Mexican food, will inevitably follow it up with a plate of rice before going to bed. The importance of rice here will never cease to amaze me!
This love Bangladeshis have of rice can prove to be a problem when crops are lost due to floods and hurricanes. The most often heard complaint I hear these days is "What is with the price of rice? I can't even afford to feed my family!" The price of rice alone, determines the poverty level of many people in this country. But mostly for the very poor. I read stories here of families living in slums eating vegetable peelings from rich neighbourhoods. They used to eat these vegetable peelings with their rice, but with the price of rice as high as it is, they can't even afford the staple food!
So I have eaten lots of rice here. And I am sure that I will continue to do so, everyone remember the importance of rice next time you pop some Rice Krispies in your mouth.
Paz.
Steve.
Answer: Rice, plain white rice.
I was surprised the first time I heard this response to the question of favourite food. But months later, I see more and more how important rice is to Bangladeshis. I will not make any judgments on whether or not this is a good obsession or not, but I will suffice to say that it does not involve a balanced diet.
I have heard some interesting comments about the rice here in Bangladesh. One was that curry here is only a way to make the rice go down faster. Instead of looking for the curry with some flavour, they just want the rice; the curry is just a method for eating rice. Another comment I hear often is, Bangladeshis cannot go to bed without a full stomach of rice, or they will not sleep. Therefore any Bangladeshi who goes out for fast food or Mexican food, will inevitably follow it up with a plate of rice before going to bed. The importance of rice here will never cease to amaze me!
This love Bangladeshis have of rice can prove to be a problem when crops are lost due to floods and hurricanes. The most often heard complaint I hear these days is "What is with the price of rice? I can't even afford to feed my family!" The price of rice alone, determines the poverty level of many people in this country. But mostly for the very poor. I read stories here of families living in slums eating vegetable peelings from rich neighbourhoods. They used to eat these vegetable peelings with their rice, but with the price of rice as high as it is, they can't even afford the staple food!
So I have eaten lots of rice here. And I am sure that I will continue to do so, everyone remember the importance of rice next time you pop some Rice Krispies in your mouth.
Paz.
Steve.
An Explosion Waiting to Happen
To say I could see it coming would be a lie, but neither does it surprise me. Today while walking to my house I heard an explosion. It shook the neighbourhood and left me feeling very uneasy. As I continued on to find a rickshaw to take me here I saw a crowd around the welding shop. I didn't need to ask what had happened, I knew that a spark had ignited one of the many barrels of fuel littering the shop and had exploded. I discovered that two people had been inside the shop and there was a great deal of blood outside the entrance.
The background. This shop was a talking point among foreigners I have worked with at Taize. It clearly demonstrated the lack of safety precautions or foresight involved with such a dangerous profession. It was a welding shop, and I see many like it. There are large barrels of fuel sitting beside hot machinery. Noone wears eye protection and often the welding is done outside on the street, creating not only a hazard for employees but also for those of us walking by. Many time I have heard, "This would never be acceptable in...!" whichever country they were from. The pain and loss that will result from this occupational "accident" are unknown to me. Did anyone die? Will they be able to work in the future or be handicapped? Will anything change? One thing I do know is that this brought to mind an idea of poverty and riches I have not put much thought into before.
We in the rich world are constantly decrying the poverty that is caused by sweatshops. Large corporations paying very little to make a profit. Bangladesh is a country with many sweatshops, and I have had brief opportunities to peek inside some. Then I walk down the streets and through the slums, and I wonder what the fuss is about? We are projecting our desire for riches and wealth onto others and forcing them into poverty, yes that is true. But when we decry the situation of the sweatshops, what should our focus be? I am in favour of what some people would call sweatshops! I do not consider them sweatshops, I consider them factories; these are well lit, relatively safe environments where women are paid less than a dollar a day to work. This sounds terrible, and I do not disagree entirely, but what these women have is safety.
Large factories have unions, large factories have the worker base to look out for each other. Small shops, paying slightly more, have nothing. These shops are accidents waiting to happen. The concept of workplace safety is foreign in this country, but something in the sweatshops is better than nothing on the streets. Perhaps working for a shop on the street, you will make a little bit more money. You will be richer than those poor folks in the sweatshops... that is until you are nearly killed or even die in an "accident" which is by no means an accident it is an explosion waiting to happen.
I hope this invites you to think about what the poor need. Do they need money? Yes they need money for food and clothing. But what good does that extra money do them if they are dead? That is the unfortunate reality, and it doesn't happen everyday, but you never know when it will. Let us work together to develop safer, happier socities throughout the world.
Peace.
Steve.
The background. This shop was a talking point among foreigners I have worked with at Taize. It clearly demonstrated the lack of safety precautions or foresight involved with such a dangerous profession. It was a welding shop, and I see many like it. There are large barrels of fuel sitting beside hot machinery. Noone wears eye protection and often the welding is done outside on the street, creating not only a hazard for employees but also for those of us walking by. Many time I have heard, "This would never be acceptable in...!" whichever country they were from. The pain and loss that will result from this occupational "accident" are unknown to me. Did anyone die? Will they be able to work in the future or be handicapped? Will anything change? One thing I do know is that this brought to mind an idea of poverty and riches I have not put much thought into before.
We in the rich world are constantly decrying the poverty that is caused by sweatshops. Large corporations paying very little to make a profit. Bangladesh is a country with many sweatshops, and I have had brief opportunities to peek inside some. Then I walk down the streets and through the slums, and I wonder what the fuss is about? We are projecting our desire for riches and wealth onto others and forcing them into poverty, yes that is true. But when we decry the situation of the sweatshops, what should our focus be? I am in favour of what some people would call sweatshops! I do not consider them sweatshops, I consider them factories; these are well lit, relatively safe environments where women are paid less than a dollar a day to work. This sounds terrible, and I do not disagree entirely, but what these women have is safety.
Large factories have unions, large factories have the worker base to look out for each other. Small shops, paying slightly more, have nothing. These shops are accidents waiting to happen. The concept of workplace safety is foreign in this country, but something in the sweatshops is better than nothing on the streets. Perhaps working for a shop on the street, you will make a little bit more money. You will be richer than those poor folks in the sweatshops... that is until you are nearly killed or even die in an "accident" which is by no means an accident it is an explosion waiting to happen.
I hope this invites you to think about what the poor need. Do they need money? Yes they need money for food and clothing. But what good does that extra money do them if they are dead? That is the unfortunate reality, and it doesn't happen everyday, but you never know when it will. Let us work together to develop safer, happier socities throughout the world.
Peace.
Steve.
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