Memories of Kastelli, Crete 2006

POIEIN KAI PRATTEIN and the Municipality of Kastelli

organized

at the time of RESURRECTION

the Kids' Guernica Exhibition and many other activities,

including Poetry Reading, Dancing, Workshops and

tours through the exhibition along the 'peace path'
in Kastelli, Creta

April 20 - 23, 2006

Peace Path

Going along such a peace path was a wonderful feeling. Children becoming giants who follow their own footsteps. It connected the peace tree to the entrance where the opening ceremony as well as the workshops took place. It stands for a simple message, namely to attain peace you have to go the whole distance, and still look beyond to discover new horizons. For peace is never self understood while the figure of peace can quickly disappear once clouds darken the sky.

The exhibition of Kids' Guernica murals

Banner for the exhibition in Kastelli, April 20 - 23, 2006

Unforgetable is the impact these huge murals have once unfolded, laid out on the ground and then put up. The school yard of Kastelli was a most appropriate space for the exhibition. Some breathtaking views remain in memory especially when looking beyond and seeing the mountain range behind.

Young child in front of the mural 'The war is over'

The child in front of the left corner of "War is over" mural can pose the question but how will the messages of these murals transpose themselves upon the younger generations? Equally this figure behind the child in the photo above, and in the corner of the mural 'The war is over' by a sixteen year old, forecasts a serious shadow upon the future. Much more attentivity needs to be given when such signs appear as they indicate something deeply in trouble with the self and the world. It should not be glossed over by an atmosphere of mere celebration, or pretence to have done already something for peace by letting these murals be painted.

Remembering the school yard and the exhibition

Next to that school yard, in not too far a distance, is an airport. At that time, in 2006, it was used solely for military purposes. Since then a discussion has raged whether or not this should become the major airport for Iraklion. There are many pro and con arguments as to what this would do to Kastelli and surrounding area. Like always, those in favour think of benefiting from new economic activities, while those against foresee that a much greater damage shall be done not only to the environment but quality of life. Crete is a major tourist destination but judging by what has happened in Iraklion, the criterion of sustainable development is not even worse mentioning, as it has been flaunted and violated in so many ways. Critical is, therefore, a way to link cultural actions with these communities in a way that critical reflection about sustainability shall be made possible not merely immediately but also as a part of a learning process. The latter is called 'cultural adaptation'. It raises a series of questions and can be reflected on hand of what determines the local agenda of Kastelli.

Final departure from Athens

After the Easter weekend, all guests from Athens and abroad returned from Iraklion in Crete to Piraeus by ship, and once in Athens, the delegation of guests from abroad departed to return back home, that is in Japan and India.

Asit Poddar (India), Tadashi Nishihira (Japan), Takuya Kaneda (Int’l coordinator, Japan) Sachi Kaneda (Japan) Mrs. Kaneda (Nepal), Keiko Hoshino (Japan)

Follow-up:

As this was the first contact between Poiein kai Prattein (Hatto Fischer, Anna Arvanitaki, Thomas Economacos, Maria Capari, Socrates Kabouropoulos) and Kids' Guernica in Japan (Takuya Kaneda), it opened up an entire sequence of events, actions, workshops, exhibitions etc. in an effort to contribute to a world wide peace process.

Further sources of information:

http://www.kids-guernica.org/KGFiles/NS-GreeceEX2006-3-E.html

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Memories of Kastelli, Crete 2006