Currently viewing the tag: "Morocco"

Outlawed in Pakistan

On By
Outlawed in Pakistan Documentary about rape and law

outlawedinpakistanI’m two films in at my annual visit to the incredible Full Frame Documentary Festival in Durham, North Carolina – and wow, this is proving to be an outstanding year for documentaries!  I rarely stop at the festival to write immediately after seeing a film, but “Outlawed in Pakistan” warrants it.  On a gray day in Durham, this film seriously socked me in the gut and woke me up.

With the recent news of more gang rapes in New Delhi (India), Ohio (USA) and most recently, in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), this timing of this film raises the subject about how we, as societies, are allowing women to be raped and then forcing them to fight for justice with difficult legal battles, at times, under impossible situations.

This is the case for Kainat, a 13 year old Pakinstani girl, who accuses four men of gang raping her.  With the support of her immediate family, she speaks out about this violent crime and files a court case against her accusers, aiming simply for “justice”.  In a tribal justice system, Kainat is “outlawed” by the village elders.  They attempt to silence her with money and are infuriated that her elder brother has not killed her for her accusations and “impurity”.  And if that is all horrific enough for you, here is the trailer to give you a sense of how difficult and emotional, but NECESSARY, this film was to watch:

YouTube Preview Image

If you were in the audience of this film today at Full Frame, you’d have heard the audible gasp and sniffling when it was revealed that her brother was murdered. I think you may have also heard my heart drop on to the floor and crack in a million pieces when Kainat is forced to make a living of $2 – $3 US dollars per day as a seamstress because she can no longer go to school. Or when she blames herself for her education, family  and life being “destroyed.”

Thankfully, organizations like War Against Rape, are doing tremendous work to educate and empower women and societies around this subject.  They remind us all that it is never the fault of a woman when she is raped and that she did nothing to provoke it.  EVER.  In Kainat’s case, they also provided pro bono legal representation.

This is a film that should be shown in schools – ages fourteen and older are appropriate in my estimation - as it provides insight into the trauma of rape, the search for justice, how legal systems vary around the world, the role of family/support across cultures, and the power of a young woman’s voice. Perhaps that is what I am most moved by – Kainat’s incredible strength and wisdom (as well as innocence).  Her family, despite social pressure from all sides, is entirely dedicated to her seeking justice, despite the personal sacrifices that they must bear in the attempts. This is very much a film about using your voice as a woman and as a citizen, even when the journey is all but impossible and the outcome is all but desirable.

Interestingly, this film was paired with another excellent documentary, “Camera/Woman“, which shows the difficult life of a divorced woman in Morocco. camera/woman documentary Morocco Unlike Kainat, her family is not supportive of her choice of work as a camera operator at weddings because it keeps her out late at night and people “are talking”.  The contrast of two women’s families reactions to culturally taboo subjects are jarring and educational, and these films can easily be woven into a lesson plan for courses in women’s studies, anthropology, sociology, gender studies, cultural studies and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 




Ramadan Begins: Newlyweds

On By

And so begins Melibee’s first Ramadan guest blog post series!  Today’s post is by a friend – let’s call her Michelle – who met and fell in love with a Muslim Moroccan man – let’s call him Yassine.  To kick off this series, we have decided to not focus on who she and her husband are, but rather their story of Ramadan.  Enjoy!

Tomorrow begins my first Ramadan married to my husband. Well, no. I’m not quite sure—different sources say different things. Tomorrow may be the first day of the month of Ramadan, or it might be the next day. It depends on the moon, and the local mosque will be posting exactly when Ramadan starts. Until then, I don’t really know if tomorrow will start the month of fasting, or the next day. It might go against my American attitude to not know, but it’s one of the beautiful things about life that Morocco has taught me to accept and appreciate: letting go of control.

But it’s hard sometimes.

As a non-Muslim woman who is married to a fantastic man who will be fasting (abstaining from all food, drink, cigarettes, obscene language, and sexual contact) from sunrise to sunset for thirty days, I’ve been nervous about what it’s going to be like in the US. It’s his first Ramadan here, and his first Ramadan outside a fairly large community of Muslims.

Though I love Islam and have the utmost respect for the religion and its followers, I hate to admit that I’ve almost been dreading Ramadan because it’s such a lifestyle change and such an unknown. I constantly find myself thinking about the negative aspects of it: dealing with hungry and sometimes grumpy people, or people who are going through caffeine or nicotine withdrawal, changing schedules drastically, and not even being able to touch my husband other than an accidental bump or brush until sundown.

I worry that our approximations of the foods that typically are used to break the fast–  red harrira soup, shining briouats stuffed with shrimp or beef and vermicelli noodles, or tagine stews consumed at midnight or later—won’t match up to his mother’s cooking, and he’ll feel more homesick than ever before. I worry that I will have a bad attitude at times and not support him in this expression of his faith.

It’d be easier if we were still in Morocco. After four years there, I learned to love many elements of Ramadan and look forward to it there.

I loved experiencing moments like the night that I stood at the Place des Nations Unies in downtown Casablanca—the intersection of five major thoroughfares right outside the old medina—and was shocked at the silence. Usually, the honking of horns, the exhaust fumes, and the sheer mass of cars and people is overwhelming. However, it was absolutely silent, and it was eerie. It’s almost the equivalent of Times Square completely deserted at 7:30 at night. The reason for the silence? The athnan, or call to prayer, had just finished, and everyone had gone home for iftar—the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan.

Iftar is one of the most striking and beautiful moments for me. Sitting in a friend or neighbor’s home, breaking the fast with warm milk and a sweet sticky date, watching the same Ramadan television specials that most of the country is watching, eating a similar meal to everyone else, and knowing that it’s just the beginning of what can be an invigorating night— it all makes me feel a part of something bigger than myself. Even as a non-Muslim, I felt so warmly welcomed and accepted through people’s hospitality and the privilege of sharing with families during these nights that was really one of my favorite parts of living in Morocco.

My friends talk about going to the mosque and praying at night, after iftar, shoulder to shoulder with their friends, neighbors, family, strangers and praying and listening and meditating, sometimes for hours. I wonder what that might feel like. I wonder what it’s like on the Night of Qadr to stay in a mosque all night, praying until sunrise with others. I wish there were something that tangibly intense and powerful in my own faith.

For those who don’t pray all night, or who are lucky enough to be able to have a late night without worrying about early morning work schedules, streets that are usually deserted by 10:30 pm become lively and invigorating sometimes until 2 or 3 am. You can barely make your way through major markets: old people, young people, children, families, friends all come out for shopping, eating, drinking tea or thick fruit juices, or just for a nice stroll.

There’s something to be said about the atmosphere shared by a nation and beyond. The knowing looks during the day when your throat is parched and you just want that drink of water, or the resolution that comes from feeling like faith moves you past that point of cravings. The talk shared by an entire nation no matter social class or geographical location the next day about the Ramadan TV specials…or walking past stands with piles of sesame-coated chebeykia pastries dripping with honey on the streets, circular pancakes that fall apart in spaghetti-like strands called raziza, and piles of fruit for juice. It’s invigorating. It’s so communal and feels like more of a shared experience than I’ve ever felt in the US.

But I don’t know what to expect here, at home.

Part of me wanted to encourage my husband to visit his family in Morocco for the month. We could kill a few birds with one stone, and I could continue my life uninterrupted, other than missing my traveling husband. But it didn’t work out. Ramadan is here, and so are the two of us.

Luckily, I have had a few “practice” nights over the last week. My husband fasted a few days before Ramadan, so there’s been a few nights already that at 8:30 pm, we’re eating dates, drinking tea or milk, and breaking his fast together.

The other day, we spent a few hours after work shopping for food and cooking together in the kitchen. I learned more about Islam than I had known before as I observed him doing things I hadn’t seen before.  He made a fantastic shrimp and tomato tagine, and we tag-teamed it on some delicious seafood briouats. They almost tasted like his mother’s.

Another night when we broke his fast together, we sat around the television for a few minutes after eating, and then he looked at me. “Let’s go for a walk.”

We walked for hours, doubling our “typical” route, talking about our childhoods and stories that illustrate how different our childhoods and upbringings are, but how somehow we work well together. It was a glorious night as we got home, giggling, at midnight.

It’s been easier than I thought, and I love learning more about him, his faith, and where he comes from. It’s a change, for sure, but I’m excited to see how this Ramadan goes for us. And, ultimately, I’m glad he didn’t go to Morocco, but that we’ll be able to experience this special, spiritual time together, learning, growing, and sharing.




Demystifying the Other: Tools for International Educators

On By

 

I had the pleasure of presenting at NCAIE this past week with Carrie Wagner, Author of Village Wisdom and Bonnie Parker, Study Abroad Director from UNCA.

We crafted a session that was meant to be more interactive and less power point driven, as we all have had near death experiences caused by “too much powerpoint”!

Our session was described as follows:  “Muslim”, “Israeli”, “African”, and “American” – the labels that we use to describe others come with heavy baggage and a tremendous burden. This session will provide resources that can be used in community programming and/or as part of the curriculum to create dialogue that will aid in demystifying and humanizing “the other.”

Note: The “other” in our training meant a person or culture that one did not have first hand experience with, or one that generated stereotypes due to limited first hand experience. It was meant to acknowledge that we each have limited understanding of certain people, places and cultures in this world, and as a result, we often relate to them through stereotypes. These stereotypes create a disconnect between us and “them.

That’s a lot to tackle in 75 minutes, right?  Here was our approach:

Icebreaker: This was designed to create dialogue about “the other” and to help identify our own “others” or that of our students/community. We talked about the importance of setting up a trusting environment before doing this exercise. We had four different photos and asked people to go to the one that intrigued them.  Participants were then asked to write down words that came to mind as a result of viewing the image and to discuss the image and the words. For example, a photo of two young people sitting on the side of a street with a musical instrument garnered words such as “poor” and “talented.”  Then we briefly heard from each group – why did they choose those words?

1st Exercise: We worked in small groups and each read a specific section from Carrie Wagner’s book “Village Wisdom.” The groups each identified which phase of the cultural adjustment the section of the book related to and then discussed how that particular phase contributed to how the sojourner perceived “the other.”

2nd Exercise: We watched a 12 minute clip from the film “Crossing Borders.” In this scene, the students (American and Moroccan) visit the Sidi Moumen slum and met with local Moroccan youth who live there. The film clip illustrated the several layers of “the other” – the Americans experiencing a Muslim country for the first time and a slum for the first time, the Moroccan students meeting their fellow countrymen who live in a slum, which was a new experience for them as locals.  We discussed how “the other” can be people in our own society or people half way around the world, and that often changes over time.

We also spoke about how these two educational tools can be used in schools – for example:

- Instead of a common read, have a common film experience and weave it into the curriculum.  Assess the change in world view as a result of this experience, using a tool like the BEVI.

- Use these tools in orientation, pre-departure and re-entry meetings.

- Weave these tools into an interdisciplinary course.  Push the boundaries of what the items on the list were originally intended for!

- Use these tools for STAFF training and retreats.  We need to be inspired too!

- Create a book/film club and invite students and larger community to participate.

Bonnie, Carrie and I prepared a “toolkit” that is meant to be a living document that we can always update.  What resources would you want to share for those interested in exploring “the other” further?  How can the resource be used?

Free Download: Demystifying the Other Toolkit (PDF, 53.5kb)

Training at NCAIE was very rewarding.  I love to interact with my colleagues and I always learn from each group. I hope that this little training module will inspire you to demystify “the other” on your campus and in your community.




The Transformative Power of Intercultural Experiences

On By

 

Today’s guest post is written by Arnd Wächter from Crossing Borders Education.  Arnd writes about the transformative power of international experiences and he offers a glimpse into his personal experience on the subject. Arnd is one of the most fascinating people that I’ve met on this international education journey; we have talked for hours about how meeting people from other parts of the world and hearing different perspectives have shaped us. Arnd has not only become a friend to me and my family, but is also a part of Melibee Global’s international speakers series. He can be booked to present his film, Crossing Borders, and is scheduled to be in the US from mid-March through mid-April 2011, so reach out if you are interested.  (His film is also available for screening in other parts of the world.)

As an educator, I believe that intercultural experiences have an important role to play in a world situation that is – to say the least – very confusing. This year, 2011, marks a decade since the tragic events of September 11. Today’s undergraduate college students were eight to twelve years old in 2001 and consequently have spent their intellectually formative years with post-9/11 media coverage, little of which addressed the need for intercultural understanding. I believe that we have the demanding opportunity to support this  generation of students and future leaders to deeper understand the major challenges of cross-cultural conflicts and to develop the capabilities, commitment and grit to address them.

Personal experiences that are transformative are often the driving force behind the passions in our lives.  I would love to share a glimpse of mine. I was born in communist East Germany and grew up next to the Berlin Wall. Sometimes my brother and I climbed trees to see boats going by on the river on the other side of the wall. We watched people having barbecue in their gardens but were never able to go there. I was 19 years old when the wall came tumbling down. At that time and in the following years, I experienced drastically in my own story the reality of the Anais Nin’s statement: “We see the world not as it is, but as we are.”

When traveling the world, I realized with amazement how much my images of history, countries and current affairs have been shaped by the context I had lived in. Intercultural experiences became one of the key teachers for my personal development and for learning about other cultures and people. My fascination grew about the process of what happens to our perception and awareness when we enter another culture with appreciation and open senses. I sensed that the world can look entirely different from a different cultural perspective when I am engaging openly in deep dialogue with people of other cultures. And I realized in these conversations that I am learning as much about the “Other” as I am learning about myself.

In the following years, I became passionate about intercultural immersion experiences and backpacked on tiny budgets across the world – often choosing solo trips in order to intensify the intercultural impact. These personal travel experiences became the vibrant background for my passion to create cross-cultural immersion programs, activities and films, which encourage, support and challenge university students to cross borders internally and externally. I would love to share a few of my observations on these activities:

Student Experiences on the Morocco Exchange programs of our organization triggered often very different responses of American students when they stayed at Moroccan family homes and interacted personally with Moroccan students. American students from a more liberal background were often surprised about the positive experiences they had. Some of them identified themselves as being very literate with critical thinking skills and were then surprised finding out how much they had been affected by images of Muslims in the US media.

Conservative students who traveled with us often had to process the shock of experiencing openness, hospitality and warmth in Morocco in sharp contrast to the hostile view their entire families held of the region. I remember a student sharing with me: “My parents and grandparents are not talking to me at the moment. They are evangelical Christians and are deeply upset with me that I am visiting a Muslim country.” After a while she added with a quiet voice: “They consider this religion as evil.”

Over the past years I saw in my own story and in the story of students that experiences themselves are the best teacher to confront existing preconceptions. It is a defining and creative moment when students encounter for themselves something that is in contrast to their accustomed perception, because it empowers them to discover themselves first hand and enhances critical thinking skills. It is powerful to experience hospitality in a Muslim country and then to reflect on: How come we hear so much about the reality of terrorism while hearing very little about the reality and beauty of the other culture? How come we saw post 9/11 on US media images of a small group of 10-20  Muslims celebrating, creating an image as if the entire Muslim world was celebrating? How come we saw these images repeated over and over again? How come we did not see 60,000 Iranians holding a Peace Vigil for the victims of 9/11? How come we did not see the images of over 1 million Moroccans demonstrating against the use of violence in the name of their faith after the bombing in Casablanca in which no American was hurt?

These are moments in which I have a lot of compassion with my students. I remember how much inner work it was after the Communist system imploded to come to terms with my entire education being incomplete or a distorted image. To change such perception does not happen in one conversation it needs eye opening experiences and time to reflect and process.

What I truly love about American students is the quality to get emotionally involved and care about issues and people. I noticed that most students who traveled with us knew very little about the region. I also experienced that the majority really cared from the moment they connected to a person or an issue on a personal level. It is a quality I deeply appreciate in the American culture.

The Educators Role: My experience is that most of the time we do not need to tell students what to think or do. We only need to encourage and support them to step into experiences that are challenging and widening. I experienced many times that the goodness within students takes over and makes them choose their next chapters of learning themselves by going into volunteer work, study abroad or long term services such as the Peace Corps. I experienced that students can discover their passion and task in this world where they are connected to their own power. So I would like to close with a quote that I love sharing with students when they ask “So what can I do?”, a quote which became key to my personal process of growing ideas and visions into creative realities.

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs.

Ask yourself what makes you come alive

and then go and do that.

Because what the world needs

is people who have come alive.”

H. T. Whitman

About the Author: Arnd received his school education in Communist East Germany. As a conscientious objector to military service, he was not allowed to study at university and became a carpenter. After the fall of the Berlin Wall he started to travel the world beyond Eastern Europe and was able to study abroad in London. There he completed his MA in Religious Studies and Post Graduate Certificate of Education. Since 1996 he has worked and lived in the UK, Japan, Australia, the US, Spain and Morocco and traveled extensively on six continents. The impact these journeys had on him personally made him aware of the transformative power of cross-cultural interactions. Being on a visit to Morocco during the build-up to the US intervention in Iraq, he was deeply moved by personal conversations with Moroccans. This inspired him to create an educational NGO that by now has taken over 3600 American students on programs to interact with Moroccan families, students, professors, Peace Corps volunteers, and Fulbright scholars on a personal level. In 2007-2009 he produced and directed the feature documentary “Crossing Borders”as a cross cultural tool to initiate dialogue between students in the Western and Muslim worlds. The film was selected at 12 international film festivals and won several awards.






“Crossing Borders” Film Screening Schedule in the US, Fall 2010

On By

I’m delighted to share that Arnd Wächter will be screening his award winning documentary, Crossing Borders, at several NAFSA regional conferences this fall.  There will also be a scholarship fundraiser in Washington DC.

Here is the 3 minute trailer:

If you would like more information about Arnd and this film, please see these postings:

An Update on Crossing Borders Film

Interview with Arnd Wächter, Director/Producer of Crossing Borders Film

Introduction to Crossing Borders Film (original post)

Here is the schedule, so mark your calendar:

* October 26, 2010 at 2 pm:  Screening of the film at NAFSA Region 3 in New Orleans.

* October 26, 2010 at 4 pm:  Presentation about using film in international education at NAFSA Region 3 in New Orleans.

* November 4, 2010 at 6:30 pm:  Screening of the film at NAFSA Region 5 in Detroit.

* November 7, 2010 at 5 pm:  Screening of the film at 5 pm at NAFSA Region 10 in New Brunswick.  Please note that this is the day of pre-conference workshops, so if you want to see the free screening and meet Arnd, you should plan to arrive a bit early if you are not attending a pre-conference workshop. (Trust me, the film is spectacular and Arnd’s story about the making of the film and what was happening behind the scenes are well worth arriving a day early!)

* November 9, 2010 at 6 pm:  Special Screening to raise scholarship funds for FEA.  Reception at 6 pm, screening at 7 pm. at George Washington University, DC.

* November 10, 2010 at 6 pm: Screening of the film at NAFSA Region 11 in Providence.

* November 11, 2010 at 3:45 pm: Screening of the film at NAFSA Region 8 in Richmond.

* November 12, 2010 at 9 am: Presentation about using film in international education at NAFSA Region 8 in Richmond.

If you’d like to book a screening on your campus or in your community, here is more information on how to do so!

Map of Morocco





Video Interview with Arnd Wächter, Director of “Crossing Borders” Film

On By

Missy Gluckmann, Founder of Melibee Global with Arnd Wächter, Founder of Crossing Borders Education

I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Arnd Wächter while at a recent meeting at the Institute of International Education.  You may recall that I had arranged for Arnd to screen his film, “Crossing Borders“, in early April at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU). While in the U.S., Arnd traveled to Washington DC for several meetings to discuss the film with organizations and schools.

His meeting at IIE, on his final day in the U.S., conveniently coincided with a training that I was attending.  I managed to steal him for a few minutes to hear more about his vision for Crossing Borders. I was particularly inspired to do so after seeing the response of students at WCSU. Several students who attended the screening wrote “extra credit” papers for one of the Political Science classes.  The professor of the course felt it was important to share them with me as the students commented very candidly on their own stereotypes of the Muslim world. One wrote about how ashamed he felt after seeing this film because he realized that he made assumptions about these people without any facts.

As you have read in my other postings, “Crossing Borders” is a must see film.  To learn more about the film and Arnd Wächter, please enjoy this 10 minute interview (and many thanks to Digital Strategy Works for shooting and editing this interview on such short notice)





“Crossing Borders” – A Must See Documentary

On By

This posting must begin with the recognition that the Yankees were playing last night (and ultimately won) the World Series last night.  Now keep in mind, that I do realize that it is incredibly ethnocentric for the US to call the North American baseball series a “World Event”.  However, I was born and raised in NY and have not missed a World Series Yankee game in my life.  So last night, while at the NAFSA conference, I debated whether to slip away from the TV to watch a 72 minute documentary about 4 Moroccan and 4 American students who spend a week traveling together.  Boy am I glad that I did.

The film “Crossing Borders” by Arnd Wachter is POWERFUL.  I cried and I laughed.  It moved me to my core and reminded me why I usually cannot believe that someone pays me to create opportunities for dialogue across cultures, for better understanding across people and nations, and for the joy of watching students see the world through different lenses.  As my friend and colleague James Leck, from Boston University, often says, ”international educators are the quiet revolutionaries.”  This film reminds me that there is nothing more true or important than the work that we do.

“Crossing Borders” is a documentary that follows 4 Moroccan and 4 American University students as they travel together in Morocco and in the process of discovering “The Other”, they discover themselves.   This film is the brainchild of Director Arnd Wachter, who was raised in East Germany.  It was his response to the events of 9/11 and the Iraq war – when we all asked ourselves the impossible question – how can I deal with living in a world with such violence and hatred? What can I do to change this?  How can I make sure that I am not sitting by silently?

One of the challenges of being in international education is you often don’t get to experience, first hand, those “a-ha” moments that the students experience when they are in their host country.  We know that they are happening, constantly, but we usually hear about them when they return, or if we’re lucky, via an email or skype conversation.  What is remarkable about this film is that we witness 8 young people from 2 markedly different cultures experience those “a-ha” moments about each other as if we are sitting side by side with them.  They bravely address 9/11, the media, stereotypes, dignity and respect, wealth and poverty, religion, their commonalities, ignorance, loneliness, family and so much more in such an incredibly honest and  humorous way. Wachter does a magnificent job of representing the Moroccan culture.  The transitions he uses between scenes, editing of 70 hours to a mere 72 minutes while effectively getting the message to the viewer, along with the quotes that he strategically places throughout the  film, are nothing short of masterful.

That Wachter is anxious to bring the film to campuses around the world is particularly exciting.  This film will be a very effective tool to create dialogue about religions and how they can better understand each other and create opportunities to dispell myths and work together.   Wachter will provide materials about intercultural tension prior to each campus screening, will present the film and answer questions and will assist in the facilitation of dialogue about religion and culture.  I cannot think of a more appropriate time in our history to advocate for this film to be seen.

After the screening, while wiping away tears, I thanked Wachter for his deeply meaningful, witty and educational film.  I did not regret missing the final game of the World Series – as I watched something much more genious than Matsui’s 6 RBIs!  Needless to say, I committed to spreading the word about this film. My hope is that you will do your part in helping to educate others about the opportunity to experience how these youth, with nothing but 7 days to spend together, were able to break down the supposed “clash of civilizations” between Islam and the West.

Please enjoy the trailer of the film and I look forward to your comments:

http://crossingbordersfilm.org/