21 março 2012

construir pontes



Este vídeo, de uma canção israelita interpretada à maneira persa, numa sala em Teerão, aparece no site Israel loves Iran.
--- Israel loves Iran?!
Comecemos pelo princípio, por Ronny Edry e Michal Tamir, um casal israelita, que há meia dúzia de dias fizeram um cartaz com uma mensagem simples e clara:


Depois juntaram ao cartaz fotografias deles, e puseram no facebook:




 Outros seguiram-lhes o exemplo:









E em breve começaram a chegar respostas do Irão, e reacções do mundo inteiro.





Neste site conta-se a história com todos os detalhes. E é algo tão inesperado e belo que vou copiar algumas partes para aqui:


It's impossible to count the hundreds of posters that have been shared on Facebook and the thousands of messages that have been exchanged between Israelis and Iranians in just the last few days. This past weekend, as I sat with the couple, messages and friend requests from all over the world streamed in to their inbox, dozens every half hour.
"This is a message by the people to the people," Ronny explained to me. "We don't want war. No matter what the governments are saying, on both sides, we are against it, since we will be the ones fighting it.... I think it is important that we raise our voices."
Raising your voice is easier these days, especially via social media. "We can undercut the middle man, the politicians," Ronny said. "I'm not addressing Ahmadinejad. Today we can reach Iran and they can reach us."
Nevertheless, both Michal and Ronny are still amazed that their message got to "the other side" so quickly. Michal is calling it the fall of the second Berlin Wall. "We're breaking borders and states of mind, breaking out of this cage called 'Israel.'"
"We physically can't go" to Iran, she added, "but our message of love is there, faster than any ambassador."

The direct message of love at the bottom of the posters, moreover, was meant to be pointed. Ronny and Michal are mindful that the first step to war is the demonization and dehumanization of the other side. "The message is human beings loving each other, as human beings," Michal explained to me. "Iranians see all these Israeli faces and say, 'Hey, that's what an Israeli looks like!'"
"Everyone's against war, and for peace," Ronny and Michal said, feeding off each other's energy, often finishing each other's sentences. "It's much harder to say 'I love you.' Think about it -- it's the hardest thing for a human being to say...it's the fear of rejection, of looking like a fool. But they really do love us back."
The letter Ronny attached to his original online poster spelled out this simple, powerful idea: "For there to be a war between us, first we must be afraid of each other, we must hate. I'm not afraid of you, I don't hate you. I don't even know you. No Iranian ever did me no harm. I never even met an Iranian.... Just one in Paris in a museum. Nice dude."


Ronny and Michal are acutely aware of the risks taken by their new Iranian friends. The couple has received messages explaining the political and security dangers of communicating with Israelis, especially for those living in Iran. While the majority of communications have come from Iranians in exile, which is hardly free of danger, others are emanating from inside the country. The fact that many Iranians are reaching out at grave personal risk gives Michal, Ronny, and the Israelis on the other side added motivation -- to continue speaking out, to continue spreading the message.

4 comentários:

Paulo disse...

Muito bonito, pois. Inch'Allah.

Gi disse...

É bonito, sim. Mas é mais fácil Israel amar o Irão, e vice-versa, que os israelitas amarem os palestinianos e vice-versa.
Essa é a paz de que mais precisamos, o amor e o perdão que de facto fazem falta para que todos os outros perdões e todas as outras pazes sejam possíveis.

Helena Araújo disse...

Gi,
é verdade: os povos do Irão e de Israel só são inimigos para efeitos de propaganda. Entre os israelitas e os palestinianos há um dificílimo quotidiano. E mesmo assim já há inúmeros casos de pontes. A gente é que não sabe de muitas delas.
É um trabalho difícil, de parte a parte, mas tem sido feito.

Fiquei a pensar nessas palavras tão difícies: amor e perdão. Será possível? Não estaremos a pedir demais? Eu já me dava por muito satisfeita com coexistência pacífica...

Gi disse...

Helena, entre palestinianos e israelitas há muita dor e muita morte. Provavelmente haverá poucas famílias que não chorem alguém morto ou estropiado pelo outro lado. Por isso é que o perdão é difícil e é fundamental, e sem ele não vejo coexistência possível.