A son of a Nazi and a Jewish boy embrace

Koenraad is the youngest child of a Flemish family that turned pro Hitler after the first world war. He is a great artist, draws and sculpts and plays the piano. On the window in the early 1940's they had a sign 'Juden raus'. Although the piano teacher was allowed in, teaching him a minuet. Koenraad couldn't live with the guilt he felt for the pain his family had caused and started telling his story on stage, showing the drawings he did about the subject. About a year ago Sacha Rangoni asked him whether he would tell his story for a major Jewish organization. Koenraad immediately agreed. He had read something about a boy who 11 years old had jumped from a train and suspected that one of is brothers had guarded the Kazerne Dosin from where this boy and his family had been deported.

Simon, the youngest child of a Jewish family was on the train of the 20st convoy to a death camp: 30 wagons, 1600 people were on the train. Of course nobody expected to be gassed. They were told they had to work in Germany. This was the only convoy the Belgian resistance tried to stop: they saved 17 people. And also Simon. The door of their wagon had been pried open and his mother brought him to the door waiting till the train was slowing down and ordered him to jump. He was 11 years old and all alone. He too plays the piano, yet loved Jazz. Running away he kept humming, hearing in his head In the mood by Glen Miller.

Both men, in their eighties met and embraced. Simon told us: Kids don't understand war. They were crushed by it and they are all victims. Children in wars are not responsible!

Soon their common book, yes they became friends, will be brought out. "L'enfant du 20ième convoy". These men in their great humanity showed how we can heal each other and made me think about forgiveness, pardon and the power to heal this holds. At the end both men played for us and received a standing applause. David, president of PEN-Flanders did another great job. We cannot do enough to oppose fascism.

Tahar Ben Jelloun and Isabelle Durant-Passaporta/ Pen

The ice cold, snowy day started early, setting up a stand, the yearbooks of PEN-Flanders and the badges for the authors laid out. The first activity I listened to an interesting discussion about post-colonialism by Tahar Ben Jelloun, an author you absolutely must read. He also is a smart and thoughtful man. He started out by reading from his book L'Etincelle stating that the Arab spring engendered the ultimate defeat of the Islamists. The West however sees it differently, feeling that the countries after chasing off their dictators are overrun by the extreme factions of Islam. These last days however, once again revolts and demonstrations took people to the streets in Egypt, pitting  the popular revolt against the Islamists. 25  offices of these groups have been attacked since the people feel there is no real democracy with them and when they are in power they don't do a decent job of governing. The populations of countries who have lived  for 40 years under the same oppressive ruling family, don't know what democracy means and don't know how to vote. There was also no free press, no political parties nor trade unions. Basically countries like Libya were ruled by a tribal system. As a consequence, new dictators gain power and since they stopped the migration streams from their country a lot of western leader lived in a strange complicity with them. And what does Europe do? Isabelle Durant is clear: there is no European foreign policy. In an ideal world there would be a code for arms deals. She spoke with passion about the Salafists taking over the different revolutions with the squashing of all freedom and blatant racism and antisemitism, leading to more fear in Israel. We also see the growing Russian influence in the region, for instance in Cyprus and Syria, and how President Obama, in his visit to Israel, chose power over morals: Palestine is an occupied country and in parts even colonized. We should remember religion does not equal politics. An interesting debate with a lot food for thought.

Shedding Skinns - Four Sioux Poets

My two friends from the Leonard Peltier chapter gave me ‘Shedding skins’ a poetry book by four Sioux poets. The book is introduced and edited by Adrian C. Louis. After reading their poetry a couple of times I know I am charmed by the authors different approaches whereas the subject matter of the four poets seems similar. Trevino L. Brings Plenty, Steve Pacheco, Joel Waters and Luke Warm Water deal with the realities of reservation life and of being an urban Indian. Notwithstanding the comparable experiences and circumstances on reservations of the northern Plains or the cities they roamed or lived in, they have each found their own voice. Their different life experiences, development and style, even when referring to the same external circumstances and situations lead to a common thread and attitude of ‘survival’. You’ll find classical elements of native American poetry like humor and raw honesty. The writing skills of these four poets are abundantly clear, some veer a bit more to the academic, others incorporate elements of slam poetry and performance art.

Trevinio L. Brings Plenty starts out with a fun poem about white prejudices: spirituality, beautiful hair, tell me a sacred story, connection to the earth... So the reader warned. He writes about too young alcoholic mothers, the destroyed hope of the new generation, living off of the city. He sees reality as it is, sees what it does to the people and is not judgmental when people can’t escape from their situation of poverty.

Steve Pacheco starts out with a return to the reservation of a soldier in his fatigues. Diabetes is another all too familiar subject. Discovering that it runs in the family because of the commodity cheese, and the rest of government issued fat, preservatives and salt. His description of prairie winters in the house has a wry humor. He knows the littered streets of cities with loners and bastards. Great stuff.

Joel Waters titles speak for them self: Devil’s Playground, The Outhouse, Wannabe. The poems that haunts me are Cherry and The Cigarette Burns... Beautiful in it’s horror of rape and ridicule and the aftermath of that.

Luke Warm Water is maybe the most critical of the four poets. In his poetry we hear and feel the kids in ‘the backseat of a rusted nest one-eyed Chevy’ He must have felt the pain of the loss of many people whatever the reasons: sickness, alcoholism, suicide. This all thanks to 'Welfare Bliss’

The book is an important and good read.

Brussels Griffons - Vee

Vee was the daughter of Tootsie: both Brussels Griffons. At one time I also had a Belgian Griffon which are black: Mugs. Now the line of these griffons came to an end. Toots and Vee were great companions and well traveled. Vee was kind and well behaved and a mighty security team... Thanks you Vee for your loyal friendship.

Sequenza: afterthoughts

With a book title like Sequenza it was to be expected that the presentation would equal a musical orgy for the crowd of lovers of Marleen de Crée's poetry. Of course we had the symbolic empty chair for Liu Xiaobo, Nobel laureate for Literature still in a Chinese jail. Such a symbolic gesture is something we try to do for different writers when they are in prison for using their freedom of expression. The surprise for me was Vlad Weverbergh in the moving, masterly way he performed Sequenza IXa by Berio. Not easy music, but listening made easy by the clarinetist. Marleen and I read her formidable poetry: she in Dutch and I in English. Frank De Vos, our den Hopsack troubadour, offered a moving new song: Waving at 12b, conceived in the room his mother was slowly leaving this world in. The friends and fans of Marleen were a great audience, listened very attentively and afterwards even spoke about the differences between languages, loyalty to the original, rhythms... And then the party started and a good time was had by all. Yesterday the first poem of the book, today the last in both languages:

over de bruggen schuift
de schaduw voor ons uit.
wij kunnen hem niet horen.
hij snijdt tot op het been.
we slaan de armen om het kind.
het hinkelt in de sterren
als waren wij nog niet geboren.
we leggen onze stemmen neer
voor het licht de ogen sluit.
onder de bruggen stroomt het lied,
slingert het in zachte plooien,
zingt, huivert en fluistert weer
in schaduwen die ons niet
toebehoren. daar zijn we samen
daar gingen we heen.
* 

over  the bridges glides

the shadow before us.

we cannot hear it.

it cuts to the bone.

we put our arms around the child.

it plays hopscotch in the stars

as if we hadn’t been born yet.

we lay down our voices

before the light closes the eyes.

under bridges flows the song,

meanders in soft folds,

sings, shivers and whispers again

in shadows which don’t belong

to us. there we are together

that is where we were going.

Before the book presentation of Sequenza tonight

In the days, even weeks, leading up to a book presentation I feel restless, insecure, full of joyful anticipation, a bit crushed, really prepared and at the same time unprepared... In short a whole bag of mixed emotions. It must be a bit the way chimps in research labs feel. The good news is that a group of chimps has been relocated to "Chimp Haven" seeing the sky for the first, seeing the others chimps without bars and being able to touch each other. Soon they exhibit the natural behavior patterns of chimps living in the wild... If you like poetry and music come by in den Hopsack tonight. And I promise, no monkey business just warm and interesting times.
Here the first poem of Sequenza
If you want to hear the Dutch read by Marleen de Crée you'll have to be there tonight.

-->

I tell you, Plinius, it is September

poets turn in the tide.

fruit ripens on warm walls,

don’t forget: these are the last hours

of summer. warmth, nothing can happen still.

it are the quiet days of the year,

because more patiently all is carried

in multiples of the last gestation.

September knows what fondness means

and love draws shadows of wax.

I say: once prudence was calculated  

by the outline of a water glass.

the grapes, Plinius, the last trestles

of what a poet’s summer was.

Sequenza - Marleen de Crée

Marleen de Crée needs no introduction in Belgium. She is one of our well known poets and has quite an oeuvre to her name. Next Friday, March 15, in den Hopsack in Antwerp her bilingual book Sequenza will be presented. It will be an interesting and varied evening. Expect video poems, reading in two languages: the Dutch original and the English translation. There will be music. The title of this book of poetry refers to composer Luciano Berio and for those who don't know technically what a Sequenza is, Vlad Weverbergh will perform that evening Sequenza IXa on the clarinet. Frank De Vos will be the troubadour with two songs and will read one poem in Dutch. Intro by Annmarie Sauer.

The presentation starts at 8.30 in Den Hopsack is in the old part of town: Grote Pieter Pot straat 24, Antwerp 2000.
It will be a worthwhile, even a memorable evening.

Sequenza ISBN 9783842341449
world internet books

  

World Futures Studies Federation Award

I am proud to share this message in which my daughter is given an award:

Dear WFSF Members and Friends,

I am very happy to bring you some wonderful news.

As you know we have just celebrated International Women's Day around the globe.

This day has been celebrated now for over 100 years and marks the incredible contribution of women to the end of political oppression, slavery, and inhumanities of all kinds, and in all parts of the world.

It is remarkable to consider that even in the United States of America, women did not have the right to vote 100 years ago (not until 1920).
And that in Saudi Arabia, women still do not have the right to vote today (it is mooted for 2015).

In order to mark the important contribution of women futurists to the development of futures studies,
I have decided to create a new annual award - to be called the "WFSF President's Outstanding Woman Futurist Award".
In future, this award will be announced on International Women's Day each year.

"WFSF President's Outstanding Woman Futurist Award"
This award will recognise achievements in such areas as:
Advancement of futures thinking in the least developed countries;
Advancement of humanitarian causes through the concepts and methods of futures studies;
Advancement of the rights of women through the concepts and methods of futures studies;
Advancement of the rights of young people through the concepts and methods of futures studies;
Advancement of the philosophies, theories, methods and practices that strengthen and enrich the field of futures studies.
Inaugural "WFSF President's Outstanding Woman Futurist: 2013" - Dr. Maya VAN LEEMPUT

I wish to name Maya VAN LEEMPUT, from Antwerp, Belgium, as my Inaugural "WFSF President's Outstanding Woman Futurist: 2013" in honour of her outstanding work in 2012 and 2013 with young people in Katanga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While I acknowledge that Maya has done a lot of incredible work over the last few years, particularly in her area of positive multi-media futures, I am particularly impressed by her involvement in this recent project with young people in the Congo.
I also want to honour both Maya's courage in undertaking this work, and her humility in not drawing attention to herself as she does her work.

As you may know, this project is part of the WFSF successful application for UNESCO Participation Project 2012-2013 funding. The successful WFSF-UNESCO project is called the World Futures Learning Lab (LEALA). The project aims to develop and deliver blended (live and on-line) courses in world futures thinking and practice. It is directed to a diverse global audience, focusing especially on the needs of Africa, youth and the needs of developing countries.

About Maya
Maya van Leemput is a professional futurist who combines research and consultancy with a creative multi-media practice. Her Ph.D. research at the University of Westminster “Visions of the Future on Television. A Content Analysis and Production Study of Representations of the Future on British Television in the Mid- Nineties.” was completed in 02001. Maya collaborates with visual artist Bram Goots on Agence Future (AF), a long-term independent project to explore images of the futures through conversation and experiment. With a project based practice she nurtures a collection of images of the futures. Past projects include Iris Futures (VUB-IRSIB) and O58 (MAS|Erfgoedcel Antwerpen). In 2010 Maya finished a documentary about Belgium entitled Toekomst(EN)-Avenir(S), broadcast on both the Flemish and French-language Belgian national channels. In 2011 she worked on a participative television series in the French cité la Villeneuve (Grenoble). Currently Maya is working on Maono, a project for exploring the futures of North-South relations during a field trip in Katanga with young adults from Belgium and the DRCongo. She is also producing a series of future oriented interviews for the Maisons des Cultures of Molenbeek. Further clients include the King Baudouin Foundation, Instituut Samenleving en Technologie, EPTA, EC DG Information Society & Media, the Museum of Conemporary Art of Antwerp (MhkA), Prospekta, CultuurNet and COST.

About Maya's futures work with young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The part of the WFSF-UNESCO project, LEALA, that Maya has co-designed and is responsible for will involve the following outcomes:
1.     Contribute to futures capacity in the South and in Africa in particular, with grass-roots futures work and education of the highest standard;
2.     Offer young adults future oriented education and an opening and direct connection to the world-wide futures community;
3.     Deploy a digital learning platform that does not exclude African participation (overcoming technical challenges and limited internet-access in some regions);
4.     Develop an internationally oriented (language, worldview, sources) collection of educational materials and opportunities for exchange that is relevant and of immediate use in Africa and the wider world.

Please see the attached Vimeo link to a short Video (edited by Maya) produced as an outcome of the Congo project last year:
http://vimeo.com/50851169

Congratulations, Maya, for being the first recipient of this new WFSF Award!
You are a great inspiration to other young women coming into the futures field.
Dear WFSF Members and Friends,

I am very happy to bring you some wonderful news.

As you know we have just celebrated International Women's Day around the globe.

This day has been celebrated now for over 100 years and marks the incredible contribution of women to the end of political oppression, slavery,
and inhumanities of all kinds, and in all parts of the world.

It is remarkable to consider that even in the United States of America, women did not have the right to vote 100 years ago (not until 1920).
And that in Saudi Arabia, women still do not have the right to vote today (it is mooted for 2015).

In order to mark the important contribution of women futurists to the development of futures studies,
I have decided to create a new annual award - to be called the "WFSF President's Outstanding Woman Futurist Award".
In future, this award will be announced on International Women's Day each year.

"WFSF President's Outstanding Woman Futurist Award"
This award will recognise achievements in such areas as:
Advancement of futures thinking in the least developed countries;
Advancement of humanitarian causes through the concepts and methods of futures studies;
Advancement of the rights of women through the concepts and methods of futures studies;
Advancement of the rights of young people through the concepts and methods of futures studies;
Advancement of the philosophies, theories, methods and practices that strengthen and enrich the field of futures studies.
Inaugural "WFSF President's Outstanding Woman Futurist: 2013" - Dr. Maya VAN LEEMPUT

I wish to name Maya VAN LEEMPUT, from Antwerp, Belgium, as my Inaugural "WFSF President's Outstanding Woman Futurist: 2013"
in honour of her outstanding work in 2012 and 2013 with young people in Katanga, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

While I acknowledge that Maya has done a lot of incredible work over the last few years, particularly in her area of positive multi-media futures,
I am particularly impressed by her involvement in this recent project with young people in the Congo.
I also want to honour both Maya's courage in undertaking this work, and her humility in not drawing attention to herself as she does her work.

As you may know, this project is part of the WFSF successful application for UNESCO Participation Project 2012-2013 funding. The successful WFSF-UNESCO project is called the World Futures Learning Lab (LEALA). The project aims to develop and deliver blended (live and on-line) courses in world futures thinking and practice. It is directed to a diverse global audience, focusing especially on the needs of Africa, youth and the needs of developing countries.

About Maya
Maya van Leemput is a professional futurist who combines research and consultancy with a creative multi-media practice. Her Ph.D. research at the University of Westminster “Visions of the Future on Television. A Content Analysis and Production Study of Representations of the Future on British Television in the Mid- Nineties.” was completed in 02001. Maya collaborates with visual artist Bram Goots on Agence Future (AF), a long-term independent project to explore images of the futures through conversation and experiment. With a project based practice she nurtures a collection of images of the futures. Past projects include Iris Futures (VUB-IRSIB) and O58 (MAS|Erfgoedcel Antwerpen). In 2010 Maya finished a documentary about Belgium entitled Toekomst(EN)-Avenir(S), broadcast on both the Flmish and French-language Belgian national channels. In 2011 she worked on a participative television series in the French cité la Villeneuve (Grenoble). Currently Maya is working on Maono, a project for exploring the futures of North-South relations during a field trip in Katanga with young adults from Belgium and the DRCongo. She is also producing a series of future oriented interviews for the Maisons des Cultures of Molenbeek. Further clients include the King Baudouin Foundation, Instituut Samenleving en Technologie, EPTA, EC DG Information Society & Media, the Museum of Conemporary Art of Antwerp (MhkA), Prospekta, CultuurNet and COST.

About Maya's futures work with young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The part of the WFSF-UNESCO project, LEALA, that Maya has co-designed and is responsible for will involve the following outcomes:
1.     Contribute to futures capacity in the South and in Africa in particular, with grass-roots futures work and education of the highest standard;
2.     Offer young adults future oriented education and an opening and direct connection to the world-wide futures community;
3.     Deploy a digital learning platform that does not exclude African participation (overcoming technical challenges and limited internet-access in some regions);
4.     Develop an internationally oriented (language, worldview, sources) collection of educational materials and opportunities for exchange that is relevant and of immediate use in Africa and the wider world.

Please see the attached Vimeo link to a short Video (edited by Maya) produced as an outcome of the Congo project last year:
http://vimeo.com/50851169

Congratulations, Maya, for being the first recipient of this new WFSF Award!
You are a great inspiration to other young women coming into the futures field.

Dr. Jennifer M. GIDLEY
President, World Futures Studies Federation (UNESCO Partner)

Reactions on Indian Country Today

My two blogs about the sales of Hopi Katsinam was picked up by Indian Country Today

under the title: 71 Hopi and Zuni Masks to be Auctioned in Paris. A lot of people  comented on their post. I just copied and pasted the comments.

ICTMN Staff

March 07, 2013

On April 12, a collection of 71 Hopi and Zuni masks will be auctioned by Neret-Minet at the Druout Richelieu gallery and auction house in Paris, France. The array of katsinam masks was amassed by a collector over the course of 30 years, and date to the late 19th and early 20th century, according to the description at Druout.com (a translated version can be found at ArtDaily.org).

"The idea that a people would dedicate so much time and energy to the rise of celestial bodies fascinated our collector," reads the auction's description. "In his collection, the CROW MOTHER mask, Angwusnasomtaqa in the Hopi language, held pride of place, and he had to wait over 20 years to attend the Powamu rituals in early February, the only time the mother of all the Katsinam appears in the village. By his own admission, you have to see the masks in dances to fully appreciate them."

The text goes on to describe ten other masks being auctioned.

Not everyone is thrilled about the auction. In a post at Muddy Roads & Dusty Trails, a blogger describes the Hopi as "horrified."

"Under American law [the masks] should be repatriated to the Hopi Nation," the blogger writes. "The auction house knows this, from their good description of the pieces on can easily deduct that they know about the power of these friends but prefer the power of cash and carry. Katsinam should never be sold on the auction block. The sadness on Hopi is immeasurable. The art stolen under the Nazi regime is also in the process of being returned to their original owners families. Let the same rule be applied."

POST A COMMENT

14 Comments

Very Traditional

This is a very sad and disappointing event to hear about! Any kind of ceremonial or religious Native artifact needs to be returned to their decsendants not only here in the states but from around the world. We need to form an organization where we have people looking out for objects being sold or auctioned off like this case and use the power and knowledge that the Great Spirit gave us to bring our ancestors and implements home where they belong. "The Spirits are not happy, neither am I."

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Thu, 03/07/2013 - 19:11

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indianmedicine

It is so interesting that NAI Culture has recognized "ET's", influencing this World;when conventional Science denied any "Life Force" off this Planet. Through the "Art & Ceremony", NAI have taught their Generations of the vast Celestial Bodies that are just now being recognized and told to the General Public and Science's that NAI have always called "The Great Mystery of The Creator". Conventional European Thought publicly denied the existence of Extra Terrestrial Life, Beings, and Space Travel - where NAI in their Art captured the very essence of what the European Mind denied; and Secret Societies taught in their "Schools of Thought". Look at the Anasazi Ancient One's and their Legacy Painted on Canyon Walls - which includes ET existence, visitation, and interface with "The People".

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Thu, 03/07/2013 - 20:24

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margarita fox

It is my understanding that many "friends" were stolen from the Kiva at First Mesa approximately thirty years ago -- interesting that this "collector" began accumulating them "thirty years ago". Unless the collector is Native American he would not have been permitted to see the dances on the Mesa at any time. These should be returned to the Hopi. They carry a power that helps all mankind and can destroy those who hoard them.

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 01:32

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proud indian

first our land now our religion and beliefs... its just plain disgusting!!

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 06:10

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A random Navajo

Man this is what I call a double standard, the French get all of their art stolen by the Nazi's back, yet the Hopi who are Indigenous Americans can't even get there sacred objects back even though according to law it is theirs. It is almost disgusting to see that for a people whom respect human rights that they cannot respect our rights as a people.

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 09:30

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Joe Abodeely

I have been the CEO of the Arizona Military Museum for a third of a century. Arizona's rich and colorful history was forged by the militaries of the Spanish, the Mexicans, and the U.S. Before them were the various Indian cultures dating from prehistoric times. Those great Indian cultures and artifacts were lost through history, but some have survived and should all be honored and kept among the original peoples' descendants. These masks should be returned to the Hopi people. I am not a tree hugger nor a naive idealist. I am a retired Army Colonel who served his country in Vietnam as a combat infantry unit commander. I love my country and iits history which includes that of the Native American Indian.

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 09:31

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Anonymous

I am Hopi and I can speak on behalf of my fellow Hopi Sinom, that this is terrible! We do not sell these as these are very sacred to us. This outrages me as an individual. So very sad.

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 14:13

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Zuni Pueblo

This is very sad that we do not know that collecters all over the world can collect this like this and auction them off. This is wrong!!!

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 14:56

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Zuni Pueblo

This is very sad that we do not know that collecters all over the world can collect this like this and auction them off. This is wrong!!!

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 14:56

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maktima

this is very heart breaking but just know that the persons who will possess these sacred beings will be dealt with by the katsina spirit itself. they don't know how powerful these katsinas are but they will know later on in life.

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 15:24

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Anonymous

Hopi would never give their tradition away let alone sell them. The katsinams need to be return to the Hopi land as well as the Hopi people.

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 16:02

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Thieves

They need to return those masks ASAP....

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 16:35

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Anonymous

This is a complete outrage! Something must be done to keep our most sacred possessions just that-sacred! This is exactly why outsiders are not allowed at out cermonies, if these are sold this would be a blaitent disrespectful action to my Hopi people. These must be returned immediately! These artifacts are products of centuries old ceremonies done every year to pray for the Earth & the well being of our people. Our name means the Peaceful People & for this to be done to us gives me a feeling of great disgust.

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 16:37

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Never lost but ...

I am appalled!! No respect for any kind of property or the Hopi self preservation. The person who didn't have any idea what they were doing and obviosly still doesn't, will only be sent to his own doom. We are all sad, and will pray for their safe return home.

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Fri, 03/08/2013 - 16:48

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/03/07/71-hopi-and-zuni-masks-be-auctioned-paris-148061

70 Hopi Katsinam friends in auction - continued...

Yesterday I explained a bit why these Friends should not be auctioned off but returned to the Hopi Nation.

One should be aware that the items to be auctioned by Néret-Minet are religious artifacts, cultural property and considered by the Hopi people to be stolen goods. As I explained yesterday these objects have a deep spiritual meaning and are extremely important to the continuation of Hopi religion. The well-being of the Hopi people depends also on them in the long run. If someone years ago has bought these items then  one should be aware that whomever had those items in custody sa only the caretaker of those items and not the owner. That person had no legal authority to sell them. These Katsinam masks are community property as well as cultural property. By law and custom these items are not mere old religious paraphernalia. The spirit of the beings they represent is contained in them. Translated from Hopi language, they are Friends and can never be personal property. I am convinced that American law, if not international law protect just this kind of items. When a few weeks ago catholic items were robbed from a church in Hungary, there followed an outcry that these old object are not art objects, but items used in religious ceremonies. It is truly important that these Hopi Friends be returned home to the Hopi religious societies that have always been and still are responsible for the welfare and care-taking of these Masks and other objects. I hope the auction house well engage in a dialog with the Hopis so that these Friends can be repatriated to the appropriate Hopi religious society. I only now begin to understand what it means to have a structured worldview with different societies and clans each fulfilling a function within the whole of Hopi and the world according to a strict calendar where time and space is linked and thus forms the religious ceremonial cycle.  And don’t think it is all sullen and serious….  Hopi like to laugh and talk and joke.  In Hopi culture there are no medicine men. Hopi have healers, often specializing in broken bones or broken spirits… To mend broken spirits the communal ceremonies are important and for that all the Katsinam need to come home. I add a declaration of the Hopi Nation:
          "Pursuant to ARTICLE VI –POWERS OF THE TRIBAL COUNCIL, SECTION 1, (k) CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF THE HOPI TRIBE, the Hopi Tribe/Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, of Arizona, USA, strongly opposes any sale of Hopi religious objects, described by your auction house as “70 Katsinam masks of the Hopi Indians of Arizona…”.  These Katsina friends are sacred objects and objects of cultural patrimony held under religious custody by the Hopi people:
                "It is our position that these sacred objects should have never left the jurisdiction of the Hopi Tribe.  Also, no Hopi has any right or authority to transfer and sell these items currently in your possession as they are considered cultural patrimony.
                "Religious objects such as these, have no commercial value.  It is our position that no one, other than a Hopi tribal member, has a right to possess these ceremonial objects.
                "You are urgently asked to take these item off your auction and inform your clients that the Hopi tribe does not approve of them being auctioned off.  Rather, we urge you and your clients to make immediate contact with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office to begin respectful discussions to return them back to the tribe.
                "You may also know that the country of France, was among the first nations to sign the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Rights.  Your auction house needs to respect this important international recognition of indigenous and Hopi rights.
                "Thank you for your consideration of our position on this matter.”

                Leigh J, Kuwanwisiwma, Director, Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, Hopi Tribe

Hopi "Friends" for sale: seventy Hopi Katsinam

My real life Hopi friends are horrified. Seventy Hopi Katsinam will be sold in auction in France. The horror is that these Katsinam are irreplaceable and that with the loss of each Katsinam, the ceremony is also lost. Some are valuable, but that is not the issue for the Hopi. For their world to remain in a delicate balance, they must perform at the right time and place the relevant ceremony with the right Katsinam. Some ceremonies can no longer be performed because the Katsinam representing the spirit or specific force or power has been stolen or is lost to them. The sale of seventy Katsinam, offered at Néret-Minet (Maison Drouot in Paris) is a painful loss, yes a disaster. These helpers, these seventy friends should be brought home. Under American law they should be repatriated to the Hopi Nation. The auction house knows this, from their good description of the pieces on can easily deduct that they know about the power of these friends but prefer the power of cash and carry. Katsinam should never be sold on the auction block. The sadness on Hopi is immeasurable. The art stolen under the Nazi regime is also in the process of being returned to their original owners families. Let the same rule be applied: return these sacred Katsinam to the Hopi nation. Do take action:
The sale is on April 12, 2013.
The people handling the sale for Néret-Minet are:

Cabinet Geneste

M. Eric GENESTE

31bis rue du Faubourg Montmartre

75009 PARIS

Tèl: 06.72.74.71.42

Email: erics@wanadoo.fr

Antifascist reflections I

Seeing last night a TV item about the Flemish National Sing-along in Antwerp I felt my stomach tighten. I saw the usual suspects from nva and it's unloved mayor sitting brotherly side by side with the Vlaams Belang (former Flemish Block. Looking at the images I saw faces of people I have spoken with and realized how insidious nationalism can be. Good five-thousand people opened thousandfold their throat in unison. If it were mere folklore, I might not feel so uncomfortable with it. Yet this singing is a political signal:" Flemish independence is no luxury" What? It foolishness, a luxury we cannot afford. In Kenya today there are elections and there too are two ethnic, linguistic groups. Last elections 1300 people died in the uproar. In Belgium it are not the people who die, but the state which is slaughtered. After the last general elections, you'll remember over 555 day's of negotiations were needed to find a livable compromise. If however Flanders would be independent, we would have an outbreak of pestilent nationalism. The flags and banner-waving, the strange uniforms reminiscent of a certain WWII faction, I saw it all on TV.

What about working together, being an open society, inclusive and working for peace and a clean environment having friends who speak other languages, even languages one doesn't understand, broadens the mind. Antwerp is great city, being taken down by a faction of the Flemish ruling class, but with these people I can only imagine dystopian futures...

Schubert for docters without borders

Christopher Stokes, the General Director of Doctors without Borders - an international and independent medical and humanitarian organization - held a moving introduction about their work in Syria. They help people in life threatening situations in case of armed conflicts, epidemics or natural disasters. They are neutral and have no ties to political, economic or governmental authorities. 89 % of their funds comes from private donors. This was the third edition of a fund raiser organized by Les Lux. They invited Lucas Blondeel on the piano, German Judith Ermert on the cello and bas-bariton Werner Van Mechelen. Songs, a sonata, impromptus on the piano, all that was offered in the gorgeous baroque Amuz church with excellent acoustics. I must compliment the organizers Aly Talen, Inez Vanoverschelde and Frank De Vos with a job well done. German romantic music with lyrics by Mayerhofen and Goethe was soothing to the soul and might bring hope and help to many people in need.

The first hospitals Doctors without Borders build for the Syrian refugees was in a  cave, a farmhouse and near the Turkish border where by then five refugee camps had sprung up. By now 70.000 people have died, hospitals are created in cellars and every one needing medical assistance is helped. It was a beautiful evening and drinking a glass of champaign for a good cause was a novel way of advocacy to me.

Juli Zeh - Hilde Keteleer

I don't know why I deserved a present by Hilde, but there it was 'Nullzeit' by German author Juli Zeh. Hilde Keteleer translated this book into Dutch and knowing her quality I am sure she did a great job. Hilde will interview Juli Zeh on May 2nd at 1 pm in the Permeke Library in Antwerp. Nullzeit is zero-time in diving. This novel is an ingenious construction with a seemingly simple enough story. A dysfunctional couple travels to a faraway island to learn how to dive as a preparation for the leading role in a movie. The novel interweaves information about diving, descriptions of the volcanic island and the inner life of the main characters. One could say that 'Water' is the main character getting the best and the worst out of the human protagonists. The psychological crime novel is craftily constructed: changing narrative positions Most of it as told by Sven (the diving instructor) yet the interspersed by diary fragments by Jola, the rich actress hoping for a role. The reason for this construction becomes clear in the lasts pages of the book. The underwater descriptions are really pleasant to read and instructive just as the description of The Dorset, a famed painstakingly restored sailboat. The relationship between Jola and Theo are bordering on the sadistic and/or masochistic.

Sven is kind of forlorn in this and his girlfriend Antje is the no-nonsense element at the end regretting her choices. There is a nice fluidity to the book, in the writing and the elaborate construction which one sees only at the very end. I am always glad to learn something new. I didn't know this German author and thank Hilde for her present.