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AN AMERICAN IN MARRAKECHA Journey of Discovery
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4/24/2008 PROJECT ART!Children's Art Project
of
Marrakech
Sponsored by
ONCE UPON A TIME ON PLANET EARTH
The traditional arts and crafts of every country tell a unique and powerful story of the culture that created them. When those arts and crafts are lost, a large part of the culture is lost as well. Therefore, it is with great enthusiasm that we announce the creation of THE CHILDREN'S ART PROJECT OF MARRAKECH, to encourage and promote the traditional arts and crafts of Morocco, as part of the ONCE UPON A TIME ON PLANET EARTH mission to create positive change through education and dialogue.
There are many children in the villages and communities around Marrakech that come from disadvantaged families with little money, and are unable to buy even the most basic school supplies. Some parents are barely able to make a living, while the richest families send their children to private schools.
THE CHILDREN'S ART PROJECT of MARRAKECH will soon begin accepting donations of ART SUPPLIES (i.e. paint sets, drawing paper, easels, colored pencils, coloring books, crayons, paint brushes, etc. No monetary donations can be accepted...yet).
Each participating school will host an art contest and choose the top 10 submissions for the final round of competition. The winner of each competition will be awarded New Art Supplies (given through donations) to encourage and promote their interest in the traditional arts of Morocco. The finalists and the winner of each contest will be photographed along with their submitted artwork, and then displayed here on this webspace for people around the world to see. Through this project we will hopefully encourage the students of Morocco to become interested in pursuing a career in the traditional arts of their country, and to share their incredible culture with the world.
OUR FIRST DONATION Thanks to the generosity of SANDRA JURKIEWICZ of ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND USA
THE CHILDREN'S ART PROJECT of MARRAKECH will also be accepting donations of school supplies (i.e. writing paper, pencils, pens, chalk, etc. everything you would buy a child for the first day of school), to be distributed to the schools of disadvantaged communities in and around the City of Marrakech. For more information on where to send your gifts, please write to ronmodro@littlebookofman.org
11/11/2007 ONCE UPON A TIME ON PLANET EARTHDATE and TIME chosen for 2008! ONCE UPON A TIME ON PLANET EARTH SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 at 8:46 AM
Visit the official website at http://www.littlebookofman.org to sign up for our next international photographic event! Guidelines have changed, and there will be stricter rules for particpation. Please contact the founder for details. The number of photographers will be limited to 40 participants with no more than 2 from each country, so sign up today to save your spot in this ongoing international photographic project! Become a part of history!
WE'RE FEATURED in POLISH EXPRESS MAGAZINE
11/2/2007 ONCE UPON A TIME ON PLANET EARTH
ONCE UPON A TIME ON PLANET EARTH A Global Photographic Project by Ron Modro WE'RE FEATURED! in
THE WORLDLY - An ambitious, international project seeks to capture single moments of time around the world. Click HERE to see the November Issue
9/30/2007 AMERICANS AGAINST WAR - THE BIG DEBATEAMERICANS AGAINST THE WAR!
THE BIG DEBATE!
PART 2
This is the second in a series of videos documenting the American Anti-War Movement in France. LEAVE A VIDEO RESPONSE with your thoughts and reactions to the protests (Answer the questions posted in the video! Do you support the movement? Are you against the movement? All video comments are welcome)... let's get the DEBATE STARTED!
Spread the word...tell your friends to come to YouTube and get involved in the debate! 9/13/2007 LIFE IN MOROCCO: RAMADANAMERICANS AGAINST THE WAR!
THE BIG DEBATE!
This is the first in a series of videos documenting the American Anti-War Movement in France. LEAVE A VIDEO RESPONSE with your thoughts and reactions to the protests (Answer the questions posted in the video! Do you support the movement? Are you against the movement? All video comments are welcome)... let's get the DEBATE STARTED!
Spread the word...tell your friends to come to YouTube and get involved in the debate! (click on "ONCE UPON A TIME ON PLANET EARTH" to learn more)
LIFE IN MOROCCO
A Journey of Discovery
9/1/2007 PHOTO PROJECT UNVEILED (for more information click project title)
August 6, 2007 at 8:15 AM in Paris, France. I awoke this dreary Monday morning, still not knowing what my photo would be. I had thought about it for months, but to no avail. At 7:00 AM, I left my apartment and began walking the streets of Paris hoping to find an inspiration, as a light rain began to fall. While I walked, the motto of France; “Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite,” kept running through my mind.
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” are principals that are dear to every human being on this planet, but are denied to so many, whether they are Black, White, Asian, Indian, American, European, African, Christian, Jewish or Muslim, etc…they have been denied to one group or another throughout the course of human history. How many wars have been fought in the name of religion in the long history of humanity? How many wars have been fought over the belief that one group is more superior to another? How many people have died for the cause of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” or the lack thereof, thoughout time? On this rainy morning, I found myself standing on an island in the middle of the Seine River, in the heart of this beautiful city. Standing face to face with the very symbol of my own country’s struggle, for these same principals…The Statue of Liberty, which was a gift to the United States of America from the people of France in 1886, as a gesture of goodwill between our peoples. I sat there at the feet of this incredible model of Peace and Justice, remembering the history of the world. It was frightening to think of the numbers of people who have died in the past 150 years alone, in the name of power and control. In the United States, 618,000 men died during the Civil War, from 1860 to 1865, in order to secure the the rights and freedoms we hold dear. During World War II, more than 50 million people died for the cause of freedom, 6 million Jews deliberately murdered, 5 million others slaughtered for the sake of supremacy over humanity. An estimated 80,000 people were killed in a single blast of an Atomic Bomb, designed purely for destruction. Some 60,000 more people perished from its after-effects. However, this was not enough, again, 3 days after Hiroshima, another bomb was dropped on the City of Nagasaki where an additional 73, 884 people were killed in a momentary flash of light, 17,358 more from radiation poisoning…and the list goes on. Is this the cause of “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity?” Brother fighting brother, country fighting country, nations killing nations, have we not learned from the lessons of history? Here I sat, at the feet of the beacon of liberty and freedom, and I thought of the poem enscribed at her feet…
The New Colossus Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Emma Lazarus
I took a few test shots of the statue, then looked around the serene setting I found myself in, and there, across the Seine, on the far banks of the river, I saw the tired, poor and huddled mass of “Diego,” sleeping. I gathered my camera pack and headed across the bridge. It was now 8:00 AM; I had only 15 minutes to get my shot. I reached my destination with a few minutes to spare and woke the sleeping Diego. I explained, in my broken French, what I was doing there and asked if he would allow me to take his photograph…he agreed. While we waited for the time of the photo shoot, Diego explained his story to me… Diego is from Germany, born to Spanish parents who left Spain during the fall of the “FRANCO REGIME.” After the war, life was very difficult for Diego’s family in Germany. When he became an adult, he left for France to begin a new life, trying to make a living with what little resources he had at his disposal. Now, some 30 years later, he found himself living under a bridge in the heart of one of the most beautiful cities on earth; his view from his living space…the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower, on the waterfront near a busy freeway. His life as a homeless person has been hard, being chased from one location to another by the police, to keep him from becoming a nuisance to the population of the city. This quiet and reserved man, who was willing to sit and chat with me, a complete stranger, seemed to be a respectable human being in a very bad situation. My heart went out to him. I had stumbled upon the perfect subject for my photo, lying in the shadow of “Lady Liberty.” At 8:15 AM, Diego sat up and looked across the river to the Statue of Liberty, and the distant look of despair, mingled with the twinkle of hope, entered his eyes, searching for an answer to his situtation, hoping for a resolution to a life of hardship. It was then that I snapped my photo.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these the homeless, tempest-tost to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” This is the legacy of humankind; “Love thy Neighbor as thy self, for if you do unto one, you do unto mankind.” Ron Modro Paris, France
AND WHAT INSPIRED THIS PROJECT 7/17/2007 IN LOVING MEMORYIt is with great sadness that I must announce the passing of my
Father-In-Law,
Mr. Louis Morin on July 15, 2007
Mr. Morin was 95 years old and was witness to the most tumultuous periods of the 20th Century.
WWI and WWII
The following entry is a reposting in his honor, recounting his years as a witness to history.
LOUIS MORIN
1912 - 2007
The Ghosts of War
Bretagne, France
"There is nothing more chilling than to walk amongst the ghosts of the past."
When I started writing this blog nearly 2 years ago, I did so with the desire to seek new cultures and new customs through the eyes of an inexperienced traveler, while moving forward into my new life, and to share those experiences with you.
However, since my arrival in France, I have learned that in order to look forward to the future, it is important to look to the past. The mistakes of our forefathers are numerous, and unfortunately, we have been destined to follow in their footsteps.
Upon arriving in Europe, I began searching through international message boards (online) hoping to find information on living abroad, but what I found there was disturbing beyond belief. The level of hateful and intolerant nationalism, and racism I discovered was something I had never really experienced "FIRSTHAND" even though I had worked in Human Rights Education for more than 6 years, teaching the history of war and the effects of hatred. What disturbed me the most..........is that it was coming from my own countryman.
Please don't misunderstand dear reader, as I am sure I will receive many negative comments, I am a PROUD AMERICAN and I believe in the Freedom of Speech, but most of the postings I found were just ill-informed rantings.
Many were downright childish, like renaming "FRENCH FRIES" to "FREEDOM FRIES." Other comments were outright bigotry and hatred of cultures these people obviously knew nothing about, with comments like: "All French are ass-f***king faggots (Usually mispelled "fagits")," "All Ni**ers are uneducated, violent criminals," "All Muslims are terrorists, and the Middle East should be NUKED" as well as numerous references to the "Dirty Jews." These dear reader are just the mild comments. I would be censored by the editors of MSN if I were to publish the other comments I found.
I became fearful that this was the beginning of a new era of intolerance that would once again lead us down the path of destruction.
I had to ask myself, and now I am asking you:
"HAVE WE FORGOTTEN THE LESSONS OF THE PAST?"
With all of this in mind, I took a trip with Michel to see his parents in Bretagne (Brittany), France. What I found there affected me more than I could have ever imagined.
Michel's parents, Louis and Josephine (pictured above), are delightful people. "Josephine" is 90 years old and is from a line of nobility that descends from the time of Napoleon (hence the name Josephine). She is a lovely woman with a sharp wit and a strong character. I found her to be warm and giving, as well as opinionated. But, at 90 years of age, she has earned that right. The world she grew up in was a very different place from the world we live in today.
'Louis" was a treasure. At ninety-five years old, he was energetic and alert. What I found most interesting about Louis was the history he had witnessed, and that he generously chose to share it with me.
Born in 1912, he grew up in Bretagne, and by 1914 he had watched as the world descended into the darkest period mankind had ever known. He watched as neighbors and friends died at the hands of the invading German forces, as they took over the land of his birth and dragged the world to the depths of hell never before imagined. However, even after the horrors he had witnessed, he was warm and loving beyond explanation.
World War I ended in 1918, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. I have walked the halls of that historic palace, and stood on the very spot where one of the worst wars man has ever known came to an end (I recommend a trip to Versailles to everyone). It was the "WAR TO END ALL WARS" .........or so they believed.
But, the ghosts of man's past are easily forgotten. Less than a generation later, the world would once again stand on the precipice of hell. Descending further than man has ever known.
Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Regime came to power in 1933, and by 1940 had taken control over most of Europe by threat and intimidation, promising to wage a war on a scale never before seen. For a battle weary Europe, the thought of another war was incomprehensible.
Most of Europe fell to Nazi control without much of a struggle. Countries like France and Poland appeared to be weak and unable to defend themselves. But, it was people like Louis who were the true heroes of the war.
At the beginning of World War II, with the memory of THE GREAT WAR still fresh in his mind, Louis and many others joined the Underground (French) Resisitance movement. He was living behind enemy lines, working to free his country from a terror never known to mankind. Through sabotage and espionage, they were able to strike a terrible blow to the Nazi War Machine with the help of the Jewish Resistance, and the Communist Resistance, which led to the ultimate invasion by the Allied Forces of America, Great Britain, Russia, Canada, Australia, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Belgium and yes, France. Without the help of the resistance movements, "The Allied Forces" might have failed in their attempt to liberate Europe.
French resistance groups known as the "Maquis" operated in the rural mountainous regions of Brittany and southern France, harassing Vichy France Milice and German occupation troops.
The Maquis aided the escape of downed Allied airmen, Jews and others pursued by the Vichy and German Authorities.
The resistance movements successfully destroyed water towers, and telephone lines, as well as roads and railways, all in preperation of the Allied invasion. Captured Maquis faced torture, being shot, or being deported to Nazi concentration camps, where very few survived.
During the Allied invasion, the Maquis and other groups played a major role in delaying the German mobilisation. As the Allies advanced, the French Resistance rose against the Nazi occupation forces and their garrisons. Some Maquis groups took no prisoners and German soldiers often preferred to surrender to Allied soldiers rather than face the wrath of the Maquis.
I hate to admit it, but unfortunately, more than a few young Americans (and some not so young) are under the impression that the United States liberated Europe all by itself. This has led to a belief by some, that America is "SUPERIOR" to all other nations.
It was that kind of thinking in Germany that led us into two World Wars. The Nazis believed they were a race of super-humans destined to rule the world, by force if necessary. This thinking is not unlike many of the postings I've read, which have been written by Americans.
Again, I am a proud American and these postings made me angry that we were being portrayed in this way. So, I felt I needed to answer these postings in an educated and creative way.
HOW HAVE SO MANY COME TO THIS KIND OF THINKING?
It is a sad testament to the education of our youth that they have been taught to believe they are SUPERIOR to all other nations, when they themselves are the descendants of those very nations.
Everyone in America, with the exception of Native Americans (this is a subject for another article), came from somewhere else. Therefore, when we preach hatred for the people of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Israel, etc. we really hate ourselves, because they are us, and we are them. One Planet........One World........One People.
I apologize dear reader for climbing onto my soap-box. But, after meeting Louis and hearing his perspective about the war as a behind the lines veteran, and with what I have read in these postings, and as an educator of WWII history, and after seeing the monuments to our violent past, I can come to only one conclusion......that, "Somewhere in the middle, lies the truth."
Since I have found myself in the very place where so much of World War I and World War II were fought, I went on a trip through history. Michel took me to the beaches of Bretagne where the Nazis built countless bunkers and gun turrets during the occupation of France. It was a chilling experience to walk amongst the rubble of the past, and to feel the desolation that war can bring.
The people of this beautiful countryside still remember the horrors brought by war, and the horrible mistakes that were made. It is a history that haunts them everyday.
People want to point fingers and say: 'They did this!" or 'They did that!"
The truth is, we are all guilty of these crimes and until we "as a world" are able to admit these mistakes, we are destined to repeat them.
The short video essay currently on this site, was shot when Michel and I explored the ruins of a Nazi stronghold on the shores of Bretagne, France on Christmas Eve, 2005. It is a chilling reminder of the costs of waging war.
Rest In Peace Dear Louis
Your Legacy is not Forgotten 6/7/2007 HOUSE UPDATE!MOROCCAN RAP
Awesome song and video
"DON'T TOUCH MY COUNTRY"
message of anti-terror in Morocco
HOUSE UPDATE!
Hey Everyone,
Sorry I have been away for so long. Lots going on in this part of the world, but I wanted to give all of you an update on the house. DAR SOLITA (Solita's House) is finally finished! <happy dance>
I have included some photos of the final product! I will be back soon to give a complete update! I hope everyone is well.
P. S.
The new website for ONCE UPON A TIME ON PLANET EARTH will be up and running very soon. Still working out the bugs! http://www.littlebookofman.org
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