Reality brings you wherever you are supposed to be, it brought me to my last blog article for ‘Arts in Conflict’. It’s the last one, a closing one and I’ve been thinking about the topic it should cover. I could choose one of the topics I am extremely interested in, for example drones or street art. Or maybe I was supposed to touch upon a very current theme, that’s what blogs are made for aren’t they? The fall-back of world heritage in Syria, for example. Maybe I should try to summarize the previous articles I wrote (from ‘Save the world (and my future job)’  to ‘Drawing warriers?’ , but what’s the point in doing so? I decided to close with a positive article.

When the Treaty of Utrecht asked me to write for this blog, I immediately told them honestly that I knew nothing about art. I would figure it out, no worries and actually I did. Months later you still shouldn’t ask me about art techniques, about big names, about important upcoming events, but I knew and I know and believe in the immense power of art. Art can move you, me, world leaders and it does. I see that art can be a bridge between cultures (however we define ‘culture’), whether it’s high in the sky or down to earth. Actually, I love the one of the Tunisian artist eL Seed high in the sky:

I see surfboards painted by Phillip George to improve communication between East and West, I enjoy the latest photo series of Steve McCurry titled ‘A world of prayer’. A quick Google search on ‘art + intercultural exchange’ gives thousands of relevant hits, so my list could go on for a while. It’s not only on those art events with a capital letter a. I am currently living in Bradford, ‘Curry capital’ of the UK. During a water spectacle in the city park people of different generations and backgrounds participate and enjoy, together. Art is almost like hitchhiking, it causes interactions no one could ever predict on the forehand. Sometimes it goes wrong, but most of the time it’s a valuable, unforgettable experience.
So Huntington, I appreciate your work but I am glad you were wrong: I don’t see a clash of civilizations, I see all possible of mixed forms. We talk and listen and try to understand and in doing so, we use and we need the medium art. This century is a thrilling one in which we interconnect and I intensely enjoy being part of it!

A friend asked me what it is that attracts me to the field of development studies. I heard myself talking about equity, ethics, idealism, change and I was critical about it all. As it goes in conversations one topic leads to another, in this case the theme of our thesis. I talked about the topic I have in mind: partnerships between the public and the private sector, its dangers and immense opportunities. She interrupted: for the past fifteen minutes I had been giving critic on development aid so why not give prominence to that theme in my thesis? No, that’s what we have artists for (okay, and some academics). TINKEBELL, a controversial Dutch artist, for example.

TINKEBELL, pseudonym of Katinka Simonse (1979), became known because of her provocative art: cat-killed-bag-made or her “Save the Pets” project where 95 hamsters were running around in so called hamster balls. I want to talk about her new, not yet finished, art project called “SAVE THE WORLD” in which TINKEBELL does world saving interventions across the globe to “show what happens when we force our (Dutch) view of the world on other cultur

es”.

Thanks to TINKEBELL, a big heart was painted in the neighbourhood Rimac in Lima (see youtube fragment and this link), 69 turtles in Shanghai were saved as well as one Gambian streetdog, a home in Guinea-Bissau was IKEA-pimped (see youtube fragment) and one man in Beijing is intensely happy now. The next idea is to make a naked calendar [Dutch only] to help (to save) Philippian prostitutes.

In her opinion there is Western superiority in development aid and of course, that statement lacks nuance: certainly not all development aid is fuelled by Western concepts anno 2012. Nevertheless, she caught a hot theme (who does not know anyone who set up their own development project?) and reached more listeners than the best scientific article on this topic ever did.

Fortunately we have artists reminding us of the terrifying outcomes of these cool technologies (watch the buy cheap cigarettes

/” target=”_blank”>documentary ‘Remote Control War’ and see how cool it is). Think of the photojournalist Noor Behram documenting the aftermath of drone strikes in Pakistan, and James Bridle and Einar Sneve Martinussen in their project ‘Drone Shadows’ (see also picture above). For more artists creatively using drones in their work, click here.

One might say I am messing up two different discussions: The use of drones in warfare can’t be compared to the use of drones for domestic surveillance. Does it matter whether you live in the USA or in Pakistan? From an ethical point of view, in my opinion, it doesn’t. Obviously, others people’s opinion might differ from mine. And if you have some more time: listen to this interesting and sometimes stunning radio interview on ethics and technology in warfare.

The Volkskrant, a Dutch newspaper, published an article titled ‘Greek crisis graffiti’ (no possibility to read it for free online, unfortunately). Following Cor Speksnijder, the writer of the article, the images ‘reflect a society that lost their illusions’ or, a couple of lines further in the article, ‘the cradle of humanity feels humiliated’. These graffiti pieces of art, like many graffiti, reflect a bulk of criticism (accompanied by frustration, anger and desperation) in this case criticism against capitalism, the consequences of the economic crisis, budgets cuts, politics, and the financial world.

We see the personification of the next Greek economic model: a bikini wearing model with a wooden leg. For more images, click here or here. It is great to see that newspapers dare to spend two pages to street art, but how about what is written down on that metro seat?

Five illustrators, all members of the Society of Illustrators in New York, were sent to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington D.C. with one instruction: Make portraits of service members wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The artists were representing the Joe Bonham Project  (named after the famous anti-war novel ‘Johnny got his gun’ written by Dalton Trumbo in 1938 and later on turned into a movie? Yes, a small group of combat artists dedicated to documenting the experiences of wounded service members. What they created is not just a drawing, it is a portrait.

Michael D. Fay, one of the illustrators and also the founder of the Joe Bonham Project, wrote down his experiences in a three-part series. A quote:
‘We introduce ourselves simply. We’re war artists and have been out in the fight multiple times with you guys; living under the same conditions and capturing your combat experiences in art. We then give them our basic vision of why we’re here: You guys are still in the fight and what you do every day to recover and make the absolute best of your new reality is important to your fellow Americans.’

The project serves several goals on both the individual and the societal level. The goal for the service members might be, on the one hand, to raise awareness by telling their story and showing their body (societal level) and, on the other hand, to promote mental recovery or, as Steve Mumford put it, ‘drawing makes people really feel seen, on an emotional plane’. Or, in the words of Sergeant Ross, who is continuing rehabilitation: ‘A photograph shows you what you see when you look at your reflection, but you get somebody to draw you, and it’s how they see you’. I believe they’re right: a creative medium can serve as a powerful tool in both raising awareness and helping to overcome traumas!

Amadou (role performed by Issaka Sawadogo), one of the immigrants washed upon the beach and also the main character of the movie, arrives in Brussels where he falls in love with Agnès, a brilliant businesswomen. A short romance develops, but the illusion quickly shatters. Following Sawadogo, we see a man who sinks in destructive violence in his search for a better life. At the same time Provost wanted to say something about the time we are living in, a time in which societies are challenged by other cultures due to migration.

When I was studying anthropology, the impact of globalization and the role of migration within and across border on ‘cultures’ (however you would like to define that) became a recurrent discussion theme. Migration interrupts, might lead to clashes (for an example, watch the movie or –even better- have a look around you) and it certainly creates possibilities. The latter is powerfully described in the book ‘The dignity of difference: How to avoid the clash of civilizations’ written by the orthodox Jew Jonathan Sacks, which must have been one of the books that influenced me the most during the past couple of years. His book is powerful call for human dignity in a globalizing world and a must read for anyone interested in the way people interact. Suggestion: Read the book and, once you finished it, enjoy the impressive debut feature of Provost.

Notwithstanding their promo-talk, the Republic of Azerbaijan has its dark side: Violation of human rights is warp and weft and the democracy they are talking about looks much more like an authoritarian regime led by President Alijev. Journalists and political activists are threatened and jailed (see a report from Amnesty International). Some examples: Two months ago Khadija Ismayil, one of the country’s few remaining investigative journalists in Azerbaijan, revealed she had been the target of a blackmail attempt because of her critical postings in the international press. Yesterday, a peaceful demonstration was hard-handedly stopped. Protestors in general are regularly beaten up and imprisoned (see report from Human Rights Watch).

Thanks to this European-identity-creating-event, I know more about the current situation in Azerbaijan. Sounds good, isn’t it? As Emin Milli, a blogger and youth activist who was beaten and jailed in 2009 after posting critical videos on YouTube, put it: “Eurovision is an opportunity for the international community to focus on what is happening in Azerbaijan. The best way to understand is to come and see it.” Please go, international press (well, you probably are already there). Film some great music performers and, if possible, also turn your camera to the other side just for a moment. Thank you in advance.

For the people interested in better music, next Saturday an alternative Eurovision Song Contest is organised in Amsterdam called ‘Douze points for freedom‘ : Same time, different place, and freedom of speech is allowed. Please go and light up your fire.

The Standaard, a Belgian newspaper known for its highly informative and qualitative news coverage, recently paid attention to the topic ‘shame’ in one of their specials. Besides the written articles on the topic ‘shame’, nineteen photographers chose one image that, in their opinion, represents the topic. They were asked to choose one image out of the impressive Magnum photo collection, a collection often described as hard, engaged photography.
The result: Nineteen different kind of images (for an impression of the photos chosen, see following link): from the food distribution at the Salvation Army (NYC, 1979) to a dog pooping on the street (Paris, 1973) to a sex tourist in the Thailand (Pattaya, 1991). One photo caught me:

Yes, this photo and no, I am not one of those people who usually get touched by photos of crying kids (not even mentioning the third world underfed crying kids – photos). With great attention I have been paying attention to the current debate, mainly in NGO-field, around ethics and photography (the blog of Linda Raftree highlights the NGO-point of view) and I am certainly one of those people arguing in favour of showing the defensibility of kids instead of their vulnerability.

Back to the photo, which was taken by Steve McCurry, an American photojournalist best known for his ‘Afghan girl’-photo which appeared on the National Geographic front page in 1985. On this photo, we see a young boy standing in front of a building. He has tears in his eyes and holds a gun in this hand pointing at his head. I see a picture that doesn’t fit: A sad, angry little boy and a gun that’s way too big and pointing in the wrong direction. Shame? I see no shame neither do I feel any shame. I can only imagine some people might feel something we’ve called guilt.

The project of Thorne Anderson and Anna Badkhen is not war journalism in the conventional sense of the word. It’s not some kind of “disaster porn”, on the contrary. It gives a unique view into the lives of Afghans living in a conflict area and is in sharp contrast to most of the often bloody images we receive about Afghanistan.

Peter Bergen, a well-known journalist specialized in topics concerning international security, wrote the preface to the book and states that “If you can’t understand a country just from looking at the cities, you certainly can’t understand a war just from reading about the battles.” In a way, he’s right: Many diverse stories create a more objective image. Nevertheless, war journalism, whether disaster porn or not, is and will always be a one-sided view. It’s about telling a story, one story. The story of Badkhen and Anderson touches upon the story that, to my knowledge, has never been extensively described before and is, in that sense, a must read!