I few weeks ago I came across the website of Hanne Bang, an artist from Denmark.
She is working on a project called "In a war someone has to die"
Hanne says: "A couple of years ago I happened to zap by a TV program, in which a journalist was interviewing a professional African soldier. To the soldiers great disappointment he was out of work at the moment – because there was no war in his region.
The interviewer asked the soldier if he was afraid of dying, and the soldier said: “No I am not afraid of dying. Are you afraid of dying?” The interviewer answered: “Yes I am afraid of dying”. Then the soldier said, without any sentimentality: “In a war someone has to die”.
This little dialogue, and the words “In a war someone has to die”, returned back to me over and over again. Of course I knew that in wars people die, but suddenly I saw the essence and the reality of it very clearly."
She then goes on to invite people to participate in a project inspired by these harsh words:
"I am going to find women from all over the world. Many women from each country.
I would like to invite you to embroider/sew the text "In a war someone has to die" on a handkerchief. The text has to be in your own language. You may supplement with a symbol ore something else if you want to.
The handkerchiefs (hopefully 200-300 pieces) will eventually be sewn together into a great wall blanket. One universal voice. A commentary on the war and an act of solidarity to all those who must send husbands, fathers, sons, daughters and sisters into war.
In a war where someone has to die."
This is my contribution. Written in Afrikaans.
If you want to be part of this project visit Hanne's website for more information.
Sjoe, Ansie. Ek het hiervan gelees. Jou bydrae is baie mooi.
ReplyDeleteThank you for bringing awareness to this moving project. Amazing how those 7 little words sound so haunting when stated as a concern rather than a fact.
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