Tonight, as I was cooking dinner, I browsed my list of podcasts and chose CBC Ideas. I clicked today's show, and was surprised to hear the voice of my friend, Jean Paul Samputu. Jean Paul Samputu is the man who gives me the most hope of anyone in the world that forgiveness is humanly possible, even after the most vicious atrocities.
Jean Paul is Rwandan, and tragically, he lost numerous members...
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I saw two films at the Jayu Human Rights Film Festival today, both first-person accounts from eloquent boys. Faridullah's Day Off was a touching account of a young boy from Afghanistan who dreams of going to school, instead of the brick factory, when the muezzen's call to prayer awakens the family each day. Rising in the darkness, the whole family - from the 5-year-old daughter to the father -...
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After visiting the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, which closed at noon, I had no itinerary. I started walking down the hill.
“Lady, lady!” A stranger was calling me from a car.
“Yes?” I answered.
“Abraham said you needed a tour guide.” Abraham was the Kenyan security guard at Baha’i Gardens I’d been speaking with about his faith.
“Actually, I do. What do you suggest?”
Chaim gets out a map and...
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On my friend’s recommendation, on my first evening in Tel Aviv, I walked through Jaffa port. Alighting at the clock tower, the street bustled with open air restaurants, kiosks, groups of teenagers, wandering couples. The sight and sound of the sea attracted my eye. I went to investigate, and capture the light with my camera.
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I hoped I'd sleep for 24 hours after my 24 hour overnight flight, but I awoke suddenly and finally after 8 hours. I opened the curtains to my first view of Tel Aviv in daylight. The bright sun reflected brilliantly off the white buildings. I craned my neck to peek west from my north-facing window and saw the Mediterranean sea.
I'd so anticipated this...
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On my second day in Israel, I sought my own peace. My plan was to meditate at Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, renowned for its beauty. A Baha’i friend described to me years ago in Toronto; today I can finally see it.
With ample time, I adventurously decide to travel by bus and train. While I feel illiterate in this land of signs that I can’t even decipher the letters of, friendly Israelis explain that...
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At 11 PM I board the first plane and settle into my seat. I'm on my way to Israel. I have been anticipating this trip for years, yet planned it in two weeks when a break in my hectic work schedule emerged. I'm excited, nervous, and prayerful that God will make the connections that I didn't have time to. Only my first 2 nights are booked to recover from jet lag in Tel Aviv; it will take me 24...
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One month ago, Michael Brown was shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri. That an unarmed black teenager was killed by a police officer charged to keep the peace is a tragedy. That tanks and tear gas were used to quell protests against the shooting in the democratic United States of America is a travesty.
Listening to radio and TV reports, I felt as though I was living through the civil rights movement...
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We've heard a lot in the news recently about the unaccompanied migrant children from Latin America, who feel so threatened by gangs and violence at home that they make the treacherous journey to seek safety and asylum in the United States. The conditions that these children face at home is tragic; no one, let alone children, should face such day-to-day violence that they feel safer fleeing from...
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Nadine Gordimer, South African author and human rights defender, died yesterday, at age 90. A prolific writer, Gordimer published over 30 books, as well as short stories depicting the consequences of apartheid and alienation. Gordimer was a member of the African National Congress, fought for Nelson Mandela's release, and once it was realised, the two became good friends.
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