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AEI-Open Windows Visitors
Dutch Youth
Group Visit
On Thursday, May 1st,
2008, a group of Dutch youth came for a visit to
the Arab Educational Institute (AEI-Open
Windows)/ Youth House to meet with the AEI
youth. This visit is considered a follow-up to
a photo diary exchange between Dutch and
Palestinian youths about their daily life
reality through photos.
The group was warmly
received by the AEI administration at the Youth
House where the youths' activities take place.
The group were keen to learn about the daily
life reality of the Palestinian youths, thus,
AEI used different ways to communicate the daily
life realities. First of all, the Dutch group
watched a drama performance by the AEI
preparatory group (13 – 15 years old) entitled
"Saint George and the Dragon". This drama simply
talks about a group of peasants from Bethlehem
area who are plowing their yards. Although their
life is not easy, however, they enjoy it very
much, because they consider their land as their
homes and source of food and survival.
Suddenly, a dragon (an
inspiration to articulate the Wall) attacks them
and the peasants become so terrified that they
cannot breathe because they can't move freely.
However, the dragon started to demolish their
houses and expropriate their lands.
The drama showed that
the peasants feel lonely, powerless and
hopeless. They thought that there is nothing
else to do but to pray to God and ask him to
send his soldier St. George (Al Khader) the
protector of the weak.
Al Khader appears on a
donkey, holding an olive branch. He fights the
dragon and was, eventually, able to defeat it,
and to bring back the joy to the peasants.
Later the group watched
a documentary film about the Wall at Rachel's
Tomb, which is a symbolic action by the
inhabitants of Bethlehem next to Rachel's Tomb.
Two American volunteers (Nicky and Leo) produced
this documentary. Afterwards, the larger group
(Dutch and Palestinian) was divided into five
small mixed groups, in which, the members
discussed their daily life realities, hopes and
fears of the future, but the most important
thing is that they talked about how they can
influence the situation they are living in.
The meeting was very
interesting and successful, because first of
all, the youths of the AEI were able to express
themselves. Secondly, despite the meeting was
short, both groups enjoyed interacting with one
another. Finally, the Dutch and the Palestinian
leaders realized the importance of having more
future encounters.
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