The Art of Coexistence S t u d e n t s 6 4C o u n t r i e s 1000Q u e s t i o n s New Voices in Johannesburg: A Nerve Center in Northern Ireland: Melody and/or Cacophony? Can Music Bring Down the Walls of Derry? Darnisa Amante ’06 Patrick Raymond ’05 Ice Breakers in Sri Lanka: How Do Modern MIssionaries in Cambodia: When Grassroots Workshops Stop a Civil War? Does Activism Become the New Imperialism? Lisa Kim ’06 Joshua Russell ’06 Picasso in Phnom Penh: Can Western Artist Proof in South Africa: When Art Help Heal a Nation? Does Optimism Silence Memory? Dan Ludevig ’06 Amy Schiller ’06 The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life Brandeis University The Art of Coexistence 2004 Ethics and Coexistence Student Fellows The International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life Brandeis University Table of Contents Introduction 4 Daniel Terris Artist Proof Studio, Johannesburg, South Africa 6 New Voices in Johannesburg: Melody and/or Cacophony? Darnisa Amante ’06 AHIMSA, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka 18 Ice Breakers in Sri Lanka: How Do Grassroots Workshops Stop a Civil War? Lisa Kim ’06 Reyum Arts Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 28 Picasso in Phnom Penh: Can Western Arts Help Heal a Nation? Daniel Ludevig ’06 The Nerve Centre, Derry, Northern Ireland 40 A Nerve Centre in Northern Ireland: Can Music Bring Down the Walls of Derry? Patrick Raymond ’05 Womyn’s Agenda for Change, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 50 Modern Missionaries in Cambodia: When Does Activism Become the New Imperialism? Joshua Russell ’06 Artist Proof Studio, Johannesburg, South Africa 72 Artist Proof in South Africa: When Does Optimism Silence Memory? Amy Schiller ’06 International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life 5 Introduction Daniel Terris, Director International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life Over the past seven years, more than 40 Brandeis University In the fall 2004 seminar, which I led, the student fellows undergraduates have served as Ethics and Coexistence Student studied and practiced the art of documentary writing. Beginning Fellows. Chosen during the fall of their sophomore or junior with Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains (the text year in a competitive process, Fellows participate in a three- used for the 2004 Brecher New Student Forum at Brandeis), Opart program. In the spring term, they enroll in PAX 186a, the fellows considered the challenges that any outsider has in “Introduction to Coexistence,” in which they study the theory bringing a community to life through writing. The Art and and practice of work to improve relations between people Science of Portraiture, by Sara Lawrence Lightfoot and Jessica in divided societies. In the summer, students work for 8-10 Hoffman Davis, provided an empathetic but rigorous model, weeks in a non-governmental organization (NGO), where which students adapted and discarded according to their they have the opportunity to learn “in the field” about preferences and circumstances. Most of all, the fellows wrote how practitioners address coexistence issues. Students have and re-wrote, commenting on each other’s writing and searching undertaken internships in Sri Lanka, Serbia, Northern Ireland, for the delicate balance between clear-headed observation and Guatemala, Tanzania, Israel, South Africa, Ecuador, and personal reflection. Cambodia, among other countries. In the fall, students return The portraits published here bring to life organizations in to campus and take a readings course, where they have the Cambodia, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and Sri Lanka that, opportunity to integrate their academic and practical learning in very different ways, address the difficult issues of coexistence, in the coexistence field. justice, and social change. They also highlight the complex This publication, The Art of Coexistence, is the work of dimensions of idealism, when it comes into contact with the 2004 Ethics and Coexistence Student Fellows. This year’s surprising realities. Each narrative shows how experience has fellowship program focused especially on the ways that the transformed a college student’s worldview. Sometimes they have arts can play a prominent role in the work of coexistence, and had to curb unwarranted optimism, but at other times they have most of the students’ internships reflected this emphasis. In this generated new sources of action and hope through the inspiring endeavor, they were ably led by Cynthia Cohen, the instructor example of seasoned practitioners. of PAX 186a, who is leading a multi-year international Special thanks to Marci McPhee, assistant director of the exploration of art and reconciliation. Students had the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life. Without benefit of meeting and in some cases working directly with Marci’s patient, careful work as a liaison to the internship sites, a practitioners from five countries who were brought to Brandeis mentor to the students, and a steady hand at our home base, the under the auspices of another fellowship program, the Brandeis Ethics and Coexistence Student Fellowship program would never International Fellows. get off the ground. International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life 5 Artist Proof Studio, Johannesburg, South Africa New Voices in Johannesburg: Melody and/or Cacophony? Darnisa Amante ’06 Prologue: Welcome seen with different colored passports of red, green, and yellow, From the side of the petite windows placed over the wings, the but none of those black hands held a blue passport embossed landscape of the country lying below was not only visible, but with gold eagles, none but mine. It suddenly seemed as if all the also quite exquisite: completely flat brown land with spurts of milling had stopped, people who had previously been dragging green and dust. Then, from the horizon, the city came into along suitcases and children, were looking in my direction, Fview and skyscrapers began to emerge. It is a city built upon wondering why I, a black woman, had a U.S. passport. A the backs of miners and revolutionized over the past 10 years passport of a country of opportunity, a country that they believed by a democratic fervor—and extreme desire for change from held all of the answers, answers that a South African passport its former regime towards betterment. In a sense, it is a city could not provide. Needless to say, it made me uncomfortable. I that represents the gradual creation of a place where the slogan didn’t know how to respond. Unable to meet their questioning “proud to be South African,” does not seem both preposterous eyes, I simply picked up my own luggage and headed towards and hypocritical; rather it looks towards the prospect of progress customs and the outer doors of the Johannesburg International and opportunity. A voice from the intercom above announced in Airport. English, Afrikaans, and Sestho: “Welcome, Welkom, Lebogega to Johannesburg.” Looking at my reflection in the airplane window, I could I: Johannesburg: I Live on the Other Side of Injustice not help but think about what lay before me. There I was, a black woman, 20 years old, from Brooklyn traveling to South “You know, Darnisa, life is about a journey. And sometimes Africa—a place that my ancestors are “said to hail from”—to you never know where that journey is going to take you and work in a local organization aimed at black empowerment for why some roads take people one way and you another. But you nine weeks. I was going to Artist Proof Studio (APS) to work always have to question it…” with not only well-known South African artist, Kim Berman, - Stompie Selibe but also with Stompie Selibe, another artist and coexistence “Gandhi Square! Next Stop Gandhi Square” could be heard from practitioner. But the stakes were high. the man sitting in the driver’s seat. He wore no uniform, the There were no protective walls of Brandeis University, and distinction between him and the other passengers was made only no reassuring talks from friends and professors. I was landing by his tight grip on the lever of the door. It’s a firm grasp that in Africa, truly alone and independent for the first time, with clearly states that he’s a cut above the rest. He makes the choices a clean/anonymous slate. No one knew of my past and my and no one can take that right from him. He can choose when involvement in the Brandeis Black Student Organization, and when not to announce the stops, and when to open the door Student Union, or even the Ethics Center. There were no that continually creaks and sometimes has to be closed manually crowning achievements bearing my name. I could only be by standing on the concave bottom step. It’s a double-decker, identified by the images that I portrayed, by the color of my skin, plastered with adverts on the side proclaiming that you’re only and by my relationships with others—just as Darnisa Amante. half human if you rape a woman, as well as selling Yebo Gogo Stepping off the plane in Johannesburg, the entire airport cell phones, and Grandpa medicines for headaches. But those was abuzz with travelers milling about. Black hands could be factors go unnoticed by many. This is a mandatory ride to and 6 The Art of Coexistence/Ethics and Coexistence Student Fellows International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life 7 from work, not one of observations. The bus whips to the right, mini-taxis. I know that they are really crowded and a lot of everyone leans and I stumble into my seat. times the drivers don’t have licenses but I don’t have a choice. It’s a windy scenic tour, from the large houses, green You squeeze yourself through the doors because you have to.