Workshop in Terra Mirim, Brazil
November,2001
Apprender com Naturaleza'at Terra Mirim
November,2001
Apprender com Naturaleza'at Terra Mirim
Mynuska - the teacher of the children - opens the project the first day with a PEACE song, which we all sing and dance together several times.
Forca da PAZ Power of PEACE
Cresca sempre sempre mais Growing always always more
Que reine a PAZ What reins the PAZ
E acabem as fronteiras And dissolves the borders
Mi mi ru mi My PEACE
We talk about PEACE. The children are shy at first to speak out loud, the hide but slowly slowly they participate. They mention feliz, (happiness), alegria (happiness), felicidade (congratulations), naturaleza (nature), sem briga (no fighting), respeitar otras pessoas (to respect other people), amor (love), nao
violenca (no violence), harmonia (harmony), union (union), amor em coracoes (love in our hearts). At the end she asks every child to write down what PEACE means to them. The next day they will read this to one another, after they have dreamed about the PEACE.
Before we start to talk this second day, Minuska asks the children to express different animals, like a snake, a chicken and also a tree, a happy tree. It was beautiful to see how the children expressed themselves, crawling around the floor as a snake, laughing laughing. We sit in a circle on the ground and they all read their story out loud to each other. The most common words used are:
AMOR E ALEGRIA (love and happiness)
It is time to start painting this second day of the project. Gayatri, who leads the workshop, first loosens up the children by some exercises. We dance and run around on the verandah and let creativity come. When she says PARA !! (stop), everybody stops and says the color which first comes to mind. Everybody receives a paper and this particular color and starts to paint PEACE. After some time the colors are changed, this happens several times so that colorful pictures arise. Most children paint hearts, flowers and other things of the nature. After finishing some girls put on music and dance for Gayatri and Monique, who helps Gayatri organizing the workshop.
The third day is more or less the same as the second. The main difference is that we paint on a bigger paper to get used to the size of the painting we are going to make. And by doing so we take away their fears. At the end we visit Casa da Sol, one of Terra Mirim's temples, to look at the painting which is spread out on the ground. GRANDE GRANDE (huge, big) the children shout out GRANDE GRANDE or are speechless. We walk and run around the painting until Gayatri says stop than we stop and touch the painting and express where we want to paint tomorrow. Hugo eyes shine with enthusiasm when he says here, and indicates a 1 meter wide stretch the whole 8 meters long in the middle of the painting. We all laugh lovingly. We ask the children again to dream about the painting.
The fourth day we start to paint BIG. Gayatri and Monique have prepared 30 different colors which are all waiting to be used. Gayatri helps the children to find a space. She distributes some of the paintings we made yesterday as examples what to paint where. It is a miracle, a joy to see the children work. They are so fast. The first is already finished with his animal when the last has not yet started. Fast and concentrated, not doubting, thinking what where, just doing. A joy and also a great lesson for some grown ups. The children can take any of the colors and when necessary other mixtures are made. We paint for about two hours when the basic figures are ready. WOW, two hours only. We close the work with our PEACE song and a loud yell. To come back the next morning.
The last day we have put the painting outside in the temple of the air. So we can breathe freely and enjoy the direct sunlight. Today the background and the small details will be painted. The children work again concentrated and fast, asking for new colors every time and for guidance where to paint next. Gayatri helps the children to find empty spaces and inspires them. A colorful whole comes alive. At a certain point the children explode. The painting looked almost finished but they continue, continue to paint. At the end of the fifth day we can look at our creation. The painting is finished.
Later when the painting hangs and we look at it we see a colorful whole, animals, flowers, hearts. It is very remarkable that no humans are on the painting. Nature is the main theme of the colorful picture joined by a church and a castle.
When we contemplate on the painting we see some object which are large, absolutely not fitting in the space which was left between other objects. They break the balance. But contemplation teaches us -- that although we are disturbed by the unbalance, this is life. LIFE!! It was an organic process in which every child gave all, a 100%. No plan, no bigger plan which tried to control or steer the children's. No barriers or blocks where present, the children were free to express and when that happens, it explodes.
Is it beautiful?
Is it beautiful?
It is free !!
It is free !!
AMOR E ALEGRIA E NATURALEZA DA PAZ
LOVE AND HAPPINESS OF PEACE AND NATURE
Participant children:
Ednalva Moreno dos Santos, Eliandra Moreno dos Santos, Maria das Dores de Jesus, Joseane Lopes Simoes, Wenis Wilson de Jesus dos Santos, Hugo de Jesus dos Santos, Edivana de Jesus dos Santos, Edivana Lopez da Conceicao, Edileuza Lopez da Conceicao, Cleocimone da Silva Santos, Rafel Menezes dos Santos, Artur Battiste Torquato, Raiza Barros Couto
Thr project was guided by:
Gayatri Paula Prugger, Mynuska Izenildes Bernardino di Lima, Monique Arkesteijn
The project was made in:
Fundacao Terra Mirim
Ba 093, Km 07, Simoes Filho ? Bahia Brasil
Cep 43 700 000
Caixa Postal 29
E-mail terramirim@terramirim.org.br
Site: www.terramirim.org.br