Tag: refugee

Brussels’ Afghans Flee Taliban

~ michelvanderburg

Brussels’ Afghans Flee Taliban | 20210821 | Afghan refugee interview* by Kristen Cattell (USA) & Michel van der Burg (Holland) at the ‘Afghan camp’ inside the Béguinage Church in Brussels, Belgium – March 17, 2014 .

*One Afghan gentleman – who asked to remain anonymous – told us about his journey to Brussels. Interview anonymized by reconstruction using a disguised voice-over and visual and auditory imagery (organ Félix Snyers) captured March-April 2014 in the Church of Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage in Brussels.

“When you are working with America or other organizations in Afghanistan the Taliban is a big problem. I was with the forces in Kandahar Province for one year. This was a big, big company in Kandahar. After one year the Taliban send some letters to my family saying, ‘Your son is working for the enemy.’ And they said, ‘He will come and he will work with us.’ Then I went to my home. And after the Taliban found out about me, I came to Iran, then I went to Europe, and this country.”

NL vertaling – translation dutch :

“Als je voor Amerika of andere organisaties in Afghanistan werkt, is de Taliban een groot probleem. Ik was een jaar bij de strijdkrachten in de provincie Kandahar. Dit was een groot, groot bedrijf in Kandahar. Na een jaar stuurden de Taliban enkele brieven naar mijn familie waarin ze zeiden: ‘Uw zoon werkt voor de vijand.’ En ze zeiden: ‘Hij moet bij ons komen werken.’ Ik ging naar huis. En toen de Taliban van mij wist, ging ik naar Iran, en vertrok vandaar naar Europa, en dit land.”

Reportage by Kristen Cattell (USA) & Michel van der Burg (Holland).
Remastered 2nd edition of film first published in 2015 (Béguinage shadows | 20151115).
Brussels’ Afghans Flee Taliban | 20210821 | michelvanderburg•com

TAGS #1Memo #michelvanderburg #BeguinageProject #houseofcompassionbrussels #Beguinage #church #Afghan #camp #refugee #tent #shelter #interview #Taliban #Belgium #Brussels #KristenCattell #asylum #undocumented #sanspapier #diversity #rights

LINKS More about the Beguinage Project here http://bit.ly/1HZguvY and here https://michelvanderburg.com/?s=Beguinage

Image The Other

~ michelvanderburg


Image The Other ~
Expo ‘The Image of the Other’ filmed March 18, 2014 in the Brussels Bequinage church.

Imaging the Other , Imagining Danger. How are “others” depicted? Are stereotypes necessary or dangerous? Does the comparison with contemporary cartoons hold up?

Quote :
“The Image of the Other wants to dwell on the image of the ‘Other’ : ‘the Black’, ‘the Jew’ , ‘the Turk’ , ‘the Heretic’. Examples from the Flemish and Dutch religious art from around 1450 – 1750 reflects this perception.

In art , the ‘Other’ is often stereotyped. Works of medieval or renaissance now give us the impression of being racist or discriminatory. But what about our newspapers and advertisements” Are they doing so much better?

The way in which the ‘Other’ is imagined should better not be underestimated as this could lead to serious consequences. For example, certain stereotypical views remain for decades and these biases can be part of our overall imaging. This process can even develop into structural racism. In that sense, there is a certain danger in the images of the other from the past. So we are quite critical of the thousands of images that we see every day.” — Quote from the installation ‘DE ANDERE VERBEELD / VERBEELD GEVAAR’ (The Image of the Other / Imaginary Danger) by ORBIT.

With this exhibition ORBIT wants to critically analyze our view of “the other”, past and present. ORBIT not only wants to dwell on the portrayal of ‘the other’ in Christian art, but also wants to dwell on today’s portrayal in the media. How are “others” depicted? Are stereotypes necessary or dangerous?

Thanks to Karen Wyckmans , Heritage Project Coordinator | Project “De Andere Verbeeld” (The Image of the Other) | ORBIT – http://www.orbitvzw.be . More info at site https://deandereverbeeld.wordpress.com .
Thanks also to priest Daniel Alliët – host of both the expo and the concurrent Afghan Refugee Camp (March 2014) in the Brussels Beguinage Church (Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage – Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste au Grand Béguinage ) – now House of Compassion – http://www.houseofcompassion.brussels .
In the background sound of the Afghan Refugee Camp and the Béguinage church pipe organ played during music lessons by Félix Snyers and student.
From the Beguinage Project by Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland).
Film : Image The Other | 20200801 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media

Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church

~ michelvanderburg


Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church ~ In March 2014 Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland) traveled to Brussels, Belgium to meet a group of Afghans living inside an old Catholic church – the church of Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage (Beguinage Church). At the time, nearly one hundred Afghan refugees had set up camp within the walls of the seventeenth century compound. We made a reportage and interviewed several people including Samir Hamdard (Ahmad Samir Hamdard) .
Samir the tireless activist of peace, justice and solidarity, was the spokesperson for the afghan refugees in Belgium – he died following a terrible fire accident that happened today a year ago (July 2019).

We thank Samir Hamdard and the other Afghan refugee friends who welcomed us and gave the interviews (note : full report of the other interviews in a follow-up later). Special thanks to Isabelle Marchal and others whose works were on display in the church and are shown in this film. Félix Snyers on the Béguinage church pipe organ.

Special thanks also to priest Daniel Alliët – host of the camp – who when retiring in 2019 started a new life for the church as House of Compassion – officially March 21 , 2020 – @houseofcompassionbrussels – http://www.houseofcompassion.brussels .

More about the Beguinage Project here http://bit.ly/1HZguvY and here https://michelvanderburg.com/?s=Beguinage

Reportage by Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland) | Beguinage Project .
Film : Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church | 20200729 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media

Ahead of Time, The Extraordinary Journey of Ruth Gruber

~ michelvanderburg

Virtual Film and Discussion: Ahead of Time, The Extraordinary Journey of Ruth Gruber
June 7 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

This prize-winning film documents the life of RUTH GRUBER (1911-2016), an American photojournalist and author who defied tradition in a career that spanned more than seven decades. The New York Times called her “a fearless chronicler of the Jewish struggle.”
She escorted Holocaust refugees to America in 1944, covered the Nuremberg trials in 1946 and documented the Haganah ship EXODUS 1947. Her relationships with world leaders including ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, HARRY TRUMAN, and DAVID BEN GURION gave her a front-row seat to history.
The film captures the drama of her long and extraordinary life as she lent her camera lens – and her heart – to refugees of war. An inspiring story of a life well-lived!

*** PLEASE NOTE: This film is being shown for a limited time only as part of the SOUSA MENDES FOUNDATION’s stay-at-home film-and-discussion series during the COVID period. To register for the discussion on Sunday, June 7 with Executive Producer PATTI KENNER and Eleanor Roosevelt biographer and friend of Ruth Gruber DR. BLANCHE WIESEN-COOK go to:
sousamendesfoundation.org/event/virtual-film-and-discussion-ahead-of-time-the-extraordinary-journey-of-ruth-gruber/

US – PLEASE NOTE: Registration will close on Thursday, June 4 at 10 p.m. US Eastern Time.
EUROPE PLEASE NOTE : Registration closes in 3 hours –CET June 5 at 4 AM Central European time

Virtual tour JR: Chronicles in Brooklyn Museum

~ michelvanderburg

Virtual tour JR: Chronicles in Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn Museum video wall JR: Chronicles. Reportage October 2019 as part of our Beguinage Project Series by Kristen Cattell & Michel van der Burg | miracles.media

Join the Brooklyn Museum virtual tour of JR: Chronicles …
the first major exhibition in North America of works by the French-born artist JR. Working at the intersections of photography, social engagement, and street art, JR often collaborates with communities by making portraits and wheat pasting them in nearby public spaces. See how JR has expanded the meaning of public art through his ambitious projects that give visibility and agency to a broad spectrum of people around the world.
Created by Sharon Matt Atkins, Director of Exhibitions and Strategic Initiatives, and Drew Sawyer, Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Curator, Photography, Brooklyn Museum. Tune in next Sunday for another tour of the Brooklyn Museum galleries!

Visit Virtual Tour Here  :

https://brooklynmuseum.tumblr.com/post/617029712489906176/join-us-for-a-virtual-tour-of-jr-chronicles-the

Virtual Video Wall Tour

A virtual video wall tour focusing on our project presentation there was published by Kristen Cattell and me , as : “JR: New York Show – Afghan Refugees Inside Out Belgium”
… a Brooklyn Museum reportage made October 2019 by Kristen Cattell as part of our Beguinage Project Series. Film : JR: New York Show – Afghan Refugees Inside Out Belgium (20200206) by Kristen Cattell & Michel van der Burg | miracles.media . Link https://wp.me/p14gqN-nqs

Video ~ JR: New York Show – Afghan Refugees Inside Out Belgium

Transport XX ~ Additional Brussels 2009 Footage

~ michelvanderburg

Transport XX ~ Additional Brussels 2009 Footage .
For this film I have chosen footage of my February 2009 video recordings that has not been used before in the making of the short film “TRANSPORT XX – installation Brussels” (and later productions based on that film) – works published online before since Apr 19, 2009 at my web site(s), and collected in this 1st post : https://michelvanderburg.com/2009/04/19/transport-xx-installation-brussels/

The TRANSPORT XX installation in Brussels was organised from 27 January to 15 March 2009 by the BELvue Museum in collaboration with the JMDR / Dossin Barracks (Kazerne Dossin – more info below).
The photographic portraits were displayed outside in the Royal park in Brussels (opposite the Royal Palace). In this way passers-by were confronted with 1,200 faces of the victims.
This event commemorated the release of Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland) on 27 January 1945.

Made possible by: Project “Give them a Face” – Kazerne Dossin: Memorial, Museum and Documentation Centre on the Holocaust and Human Rights (Mechelen, BE); and the National State Archives of Belgium. Ministry of Justice, Public Safety Office, Foreigner’s Police, individual files. Film : 20200228 Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media

Action Principles

~ michelvanderburg

Action Principles
Agir pour la Paix (Act for Peace) teaching practical action principles to Afghan refugees living in the Béguinage church in Brussels, Belgium, March 2014. Beguinage Project Reports – Kristen Cattell & Michel van der Burg. Film : Action Principles (20200216) Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com