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Directors' Word

• 2005 Directors' Word
• 2004 Directors' Word

"You too must mingle my friends since the earth And the sky are mingled just for you and me."
-Rumi

Dear Peace lovers, Ahlan Wa Sahlan , Shalom and Welcome to Peace Camp Canada 2007.

I am a Palestinian–Israeli from the old city of Acre / Acco in the western Galilee. The city of Acre is famous for a couple of things including very good hummus and the Ottoman walls around the city that even Napoleon Bonaparte could not penetrate. Acre is also famous for being a mixed city where Jews and Arabs are living peacefully side by side.

My philosophy of life and of conflict and reconciliation is grounded in a very simple law of cause and effect. I believe that everything we think, say, and do is a cause, which has an effect. I believe that peace within oneself and between others is the highest human value and that we must always move forward with this intention to make causes for peace. We can not address injustice and express loss, without creating understanding of the ways in which we are all connected.

In theatre, which is a reflection of life, every action has a reaction--acting is reacting to the ‘other’. As soon as I discovered my voice as an artist I began to use theatre as a tool for exploring the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis. In 1996 I started working with the Acco Theatre Centre, which is well-known as a place where Arab and Jewish artists work and create together. We reflect on the extremes and absurdities of reality by exploring the stories of our own lives and experiences. In this way the artists and actors create open dialogue and understanding by finding and portraying the humanity in every story, without trying to find a solution.

Two years ago, I brought this theatre technique to Peace Camp Canada where I directed the theatre program for 20 Palestinian and Israeli youth. This was an amazing experience for me and for all of the campers. Within the theatre workshops there are opportunities to tell our stories, listen and empathize with each other, and address injustices. By switching ‘roles’ and getting into our ‘characters’ we were able to focus on our commonalities, better explore our differences, and even poke a bit of fun at ourselves. The stage became a bridge to understanding one another better and deepening the dialogue without judgment.

I am really looking forward to serving as both the Palestinian Director as well as the Theatre Director this year at Peace Camp Canada. I am very excited to meet all of the brave campers who will be engaging in this amazing process of growth, transformation, understanding, and peace building.

L’Shalom, Salaam, Peace Peace in the Middle East!

Ibrahim Miari
Co-Director Peace Camp Canada

Dear Friends,

We might not be able to change the politics of the Middle East at this moment, but we can change people, and we can start right now.

I can understand the frustration in the region, because I have experienced it myself throughout my lifetime, but whether you believe in peace or not, the reality we must face will not disappear or change unless we change it. Peace is our only option if we want a better future for Palestinians and Israelis alike. Together we will rise, and together we will fall. We have no other choice but peace.

I became more aware of the lack of dialogue, and thus the need for dialogue only five years ago once leaving the Middle East. During my years spent in Canada, I was able to capture a clearer picture of what was happening in my homeland, and simultaneously analyze why we were unable to reach a solution.

Dialogue is a form of communication. It is no magic spell, nor is it a solution to our conflict and misfortune. But it IS something we are lacking in the region, and the absence of dialogue is a catalyst for misconceptions, stigmas, animosity, and hatred.

Peace Camp Canada offers a forum for dialogue in which Palestinian and Israeli youth can interact and communicate both socially and politically for the first time. By allowing human connections to build during PCC, we are instilling trust in the younger generation, trust that is unfortunately lacking within Israeli and Palestinian societies. Our hope is that the transformations in PCC will have a ripple effect in slowly reshaping communities in the region.

And so, I would like to welcome you to Peace Camp Canada 2007, and invite you to join us on this exciting journey towards peace.

Sincerely,
Michelle Divon