Tuesday, May 16, 2017

A Palestinian Gardener Abroad

Luxembourg and Belgium

by Mazin Qumsiyeh - qumsiyeh.org


May 16, 2017

Colleagues and friends; I really do not like to leave Palestine even for short travels abroad but it is important to take the message especially to new audiences and build a world-wide movement for peace, justice, and sustainability. So here I am in Luxembourg and Belgium. Below are public lectures I am giving, (those nearby are invited).

There are also many other non-public events such as speaking to academics about collaboration, visiting natural history museums and botanical gardens, networking etc.

For example yesterday I had a nice visit to a cooperative organic farm (www.terra-coop.lu), a community garden, and dinner at a home with activists planning future events.

Meanwhile, staff and volunteers at the museum and the garden are doing well and work moves on. We had nice celebration with the Canadian representative of an end of a project on sustainability. We progress in two other funded projects and dozens of unfunded projects relating to biodiversity, environmental conservation, sustainability, and preserving cultural and natural heritage.

Every day whether in Palestine or abroad, I am reminded of how kind and decent human beings can be because I am surrounded by those types of people. People who genuinely care for the planet we live in and all those who share it. Surely we are far more numerous than those minorities that care only for their own short-term needs. The greedy are unfortunately in powerful positions in the media and politics and the common decent people are left to be "the opposition".

But we do organize and struggle and survive even against difficult odds. We believe "intentional communities" of caring human beings are the key to long term survival. The stakes are very high (no less than our future as a species). Indeed we may learn to live together as fellow human beings or perish together as fools.

16 May at 20:00 Haus vun der Natur. Kockelscheuer. 5, route de Luxembourg
L-1899 Kockelscheuer Parking: P&R Kockelscheuer Transport public: Ligne 18,
Kockelscheuer, Patinoire

18 May at 18:00 Conférence Lycée Michel Lucius + verre amitié. L’écologie
dans une situation d’occupation

21 May 12:00 brunch palestinien14:00 conférence-débat sur la résistance
palestinienne Marcinelle (Charleroi) rue de la Vieille Place, 67, 6001
Marcinelle.
Organisation : Plate-forme Charleroi-Palestine

Stay Human and come visit us in Palestine


Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor and (volunteer) Director
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://palestinenature.org
Join me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/mazin.qumsiyeh.9

HumanRights newsletter
http://lists.qumsiyeh.org/listinfo/humanrights

No comments: