July 19, 2008 Osama Community Center

Iraqi, Palestinian, Jordanian women learning English at the Osama Community Center in Amman, Jordan.

Iraqi children playing at the Osama Community Center in Amman, Jordan

Today I went to the Osama Community Center (OCC) in the Al Muhata'ah refugee camp near the Ragadan bus station in Amman. Here I met volunteers from Taiwan, England and Germany teaching English to Iraqis, Palestinians and Jordanians. The Osama Community Center is sponsored by World Vision and is run by a British woman married to an Iraqi priest and Mr. Osama, the sheriff as he refers to himself with a great huge smile, leasing the building.

It’s now the summer session with limited classes: Monday to Thursday 9-12pm childrens’ classes, Sunday and Thursday night 6-8pm adults classes. In the adult classes I saw only women, it was explained that in the summer the men are too tired to come to class after working menial jobs in 39 degrees heat! I can’t say as I blame them! I found that all rooms were full of motivated students using their time to learn as much English as possible so they will be ready for life in America, Canada, or Australia. I offered my services but unfortunately there were no new classes and summer school finishes at the end of July, so instead I helped out by buying a new white board and markers.

What I liked best about the Osama Community Center is that it offers classes to all nationalities favoring no particular ethic group, gender, age, or religion. Christian, Muslim, Iraqi, Palestinian, Jordanian are all able to study for free. Drawing from my previous experience in the Middle East I find this absolutely necessary because giving preferences could lead to problems within the camp and draw negative attention from the Jordanian government. Most of the teachers and administration are Christian and affiliated with the Al Nami Church which is located nearby. The Al Nami Church is run by Iraqi Christians, mostly Assyrian and Chaldean. LINK Mr Osama invited me to attend the Sunday service and I have decided to attend.

July 18 Al Muhata'ah Refugee Camp

A view of a window in Al Muhat'ah refugee camp, just a 10 minute taxi ride from the center of Amman, Jordan.

Assan and his wife joking as they show their UNHCR registration papers.

I arrived in Amman the 14th of July and after much acclimatization and fact-finding I decided it was time to meet the Iraqi refugees. Mohammed, a police and security officer who I met at the Taj hotel, came as my translator. We went to the Al Muhata'ah Refugee Camp, a 10-minute taxi ride from the center of the old city of Amman. Originally a Palestinian refugee camp it now houses several hundred Iraqi refugees. The camp is similar to those in the West Bank, cramped living quarters, narrow winding streets, over populated, poor and unkempt, yet because its been home to refugees for more than 40 years there is a cross section of dilapidated and prosperous housing. The feeling I got from the Palestinians I met was that most everyone gets along and the Iraqis have been welcomed into the camp.

We went to the home of Assan Hamudi, a 23 years old Shia Iraqi refugee from Al Karmia, ( the district of Bagdad where Saddam Hussein was executed.) and his 18 year old Sunni wife Rusel Adan. They met in Amman and have been married for one year. Assan looks at his wife with a smile and tell me, “see Sunni and Shia can get along.”

Assan has been a refugee in Jordan for 4 years and Rusel for 9. Assan nonchalantly tells me of how he joined the Mehdi army when he was 19 but left after only 2 months because he was scared and appalled at the killing and destruction. He was scared of the Al Madi army, Al Qaeda, the Sunnis the Shias the Americans of everyone. He saw over 400 dead in the aftermath of the bombing of the Ashara Mosque. Then a couple months later his uncle who worked for the Americans was kidnapped by unknown terrorists and cut into pieces. It was the fear of insecurity and horror of the situation in Iraq that made Assan leave Baghdad for Amman.

Assan and Rusel are both registered with the UNHCR as refugees but have no residency or working visa. King Abdullah recognizes the plight of the refugees and at first allowed Iraqis to cross the border as guests. But due to the shear amount coming (up to 750,000 last year) the border is now closed. In January of 2008 King Abdullah granted a limited immunity for Iraqis who had overstayed their “guest” visa. He made into law that if they wanted to stay they had to register with the UNHCR and get a guest visa. If they could not pay, they would be given a period of a month to do so. Many have tried this but were not accepted and left for Syrai. In Jordan if any Iraqi is caught working they will be arrested and immediately deported to Iraq. Rusel told me about her mother who worked illegally in a sewing factory to support her family. Her mother was caught one year ago and deported to Iraq. Her father is still in Jordan.

“I am just happy to be alive, its better to stay here and be safe, no mujahdeen. Fear of kidnapping is very real, and it’s not just the terrorists it’s criminals. It’s Shia, it’s Sunni it’s everyone and everywhere, you never know when you leave your home if you will come back. Okay I have little hope and wait daily to immigrate anywhere but at least I am safe and my wife is safe and we can go and meet friends and talk,’ says Assan with his beautiful young wife smiling at his side.
As I was leaving the Hamudi home, Diad, a friend of Assans came for a visit. Diad told me a bit of his story. Diad escaped Iraqi 1 year ago with his younger brother. His mother was killed when heavily armed masked criminals entered a bus, stole the passengers’ money then shot everyone. Some of the passengers survived but his mother did not. Roughly 1 year later his father left their apartment one morning and never returned. Diad visibly shaken told me he doesn’t know if his father is alive or dead, his body was never found, and he was never heard from again.

Diad

Diad is also registered with the UNHCR and like all other Iraqis waits for the phone call either asking him to come for his interview or telling him he has been given asylum. Unfortunately, Diad is risking deportation and separation from his younger brother by working odd jobs. Diad tells me he has to, he has no option, he only gets a few Jordanian Dinar from the UNHCR, its not enough to pay his rent or food for his brother or himself. His biggest fear now is that he will be separated from his younger brother either by deportation or if both of them are not sponsored together by immigration. “I can’t go without my brother,” he says, “he is the only family I have left.”

Hidden In Plain Sight at BLISS in Taipei, Taiwan May 25th

Photos by Tewfic El-Sawy

I am pleased to announce that we are holding our 2nd event and photo exhibition benefit for Iraqi and Palestinian Refugees at Bliss in Taipei on May 25th.

Tewfic El-Sawy a freelance photographer who specializes in documenting endangered cultures and traditional life ways of Asia, Latin America and Africa has contributed 6 photos to Hidden In Plain Sight.

Tewfic El-Sawy images,
articles and photo features have been published in various magazines, and featured by
some of the largest adventure travel companies in the United States and Great Britain.
He's passionate about documentary-travel photography and frequently produces his work in
the form of multimedia stories, merging still photography and ambient sound (generally
recorded live while photographing), and musical soundtracks.

His interest in photographing cultural ceremonies and tribal rituals has resulted in
documentary coverage of the Maha Kumbh Mela & Pushkar Camel Fair of India; the
2,000-year-old performance-ritual of Theyyam in Kerala; Timket festivals in Ethiopia;
Hindu festivals in Bali, the ritualistic dances of the Advisasis of Chhattisgarh, the
Tantric-based dances of Bhutan and the violent exorcisms practiced in various Sufi
shrines of India. He also organizes and leads photo-expeditions to South and South East
Asia.

Please visit Tewfics website and blogs:
http://www.tesimages.com/
http://thetravelphotographer.blogspot.com/

WITNESS TO CONFLICT

I am pleased to announce a new photo exhibition featuring amongst others Palestinian Photojournalists from the Occupied West Bank at the National Taiwan University from May 5-13. The exhibit is separate from Hidden In Plain Sight "Benefit for Iraqi and Palestinian Refugees." Also please note that on Sunday May 25th the benefit and event will take place at BLISS in Taipei. More updates on that in a week.

Hidden In Plain Sight Event and Exhibition

March 15 - 29th at the River Bar and Gallery in Chung Li, Taiwan

I would like to invite everyone to "Hidden In Plain Sight Photo Exhibition and Event" marking the 5th year of the war for black gold in Iraq. We are going to raise money to help Iraqi and Palestinian Refugees. To date there are roughly 2,000,000 Internally displaced Iraqis, 750,000 Iraqi Refugees in Jordan, 1,200,000 in Syria, 350,000 in Lebanon, 10,000 in Egypt, and 20,000 in Turkey. Yes and even about 1000 in America!

For Press Inquiries, please contact:
Kloie Picot
Tel: 0910878917. Email: oneshotmore@kloie.com
For Chinese enquiries:
Eddie
Tel. 0917276761 Email: yungsheng1108@yahoo.com.tw

Press Release

“HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT” Event & Exhibition
A Benefit for Iraqi and Palestinian Refugees

– Kloie Picot, a Canadian photographer and filmmaker living in Taiwan, is organizing “HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT” Event & Exhibition, to benefit Iraqi and Palestinian Refugees. The event will feature an exhibition and silent auction of photographs by internationally-renowned photojournalists, live music, and films about the conflict in Iraq and Palestine. It opens on 15 March and runs until Saturday 19th, the 5th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, at the River Bar and Restaurant in Chung Li.

While the war in Iraq has generated a new flood of refugees fleeing the conflict, Palestinians have lived as refugees both inside and outside of Palestine for over 50 years. This event will bring attention to and raise funds for Iraqi and Palestinian refugees from these conflicts.

All proceeds will go to CROSSING LINES, a nonprofit to be established in the Middle East by Kloie Picot, the driving force behind the event. Her aim is to establish a mobile Community Learning Center, with classes offered in subjects like English, Film, Photography and Clothing Design. One proposed class will help refugee women make and sell simple yet practical accessories such as shopping bags with unique Iraqi and Palestinian embroidery designs.

“Through this project, I hope to help people who have been displaced by conflict, to get access to materials and skills so as to become self-sustaining”, says Picot. “But perhaps more importantly, it can help them find a voice and express themselves, even find dignity and a reason to live again.”

Picot stressed that all the artists and musicians contributing to the event have volunteered their talents and time. “Even proceeds from the drinks sold at the River on Saturday night, will go directly to helping to Iraqi and Palestinian Refugees,” says Kloie. “So by having a good time in Taiwan, we can help displaced people.”

Event Program:
March 15th at 9pm will begin a Photo Exhibition and Auction of limited edition photographs donated by internationally-renowned photojournalists such as Lisa Hogben, David Bathgate, Laura El-Tantawy, Katharina Hesse, Susetta Bozzi, James Chance and others. The photographs will be on display for 2 weeks from March 15-29th, and are for sale by silent auction.

Entertainment for the opening night begins at 10pm with The Anglers member Tyler Daiken, Hip Hop bands Foreign Affairs and T.H.C., Comedians Kurt Penny, Matt Goding, and Thomas Levene, as well as a performance by the Asmah Belly Dancers from Taipei.

Upstairs in the restaurant will be a screening of Picot’s own award-winning documentary film, Shots That Bind - Palestinian photojournalists in Nablus.

Prizes
Also on opening night a raffle will be held with prizes ranging from artwork from local artists, Corel Digital Media software, MP3 players, a chance to participate in a photo workshop by Kloie - who will share what she learned from her mentors James Nachtwey and David Allan Harvey - and a 80GB iPod Classic. A donation of NT$200 ensures patrons entry at the door and a ticket to win raffle prizes.

Film Screenings
Each night leading to the 19th, films will be shown at the River Restaurant from 9:30-11:30pm. Titles include Iraq in Fragments and Gaza Strip by James Longley, Operation Filmmaker by Live Schreiber, and Jenin Jenin by Mohamed Bakri.

Anniversary Ceremony 19th March
To observe the start of the war in Iraq 5 years ago, a special program will be presented on the 19th. This will include a screening of James Longley’s film Iraq before the War, and a performance by the well-known South African Experimental musician and composer André van Rensburg, playing Middle-Eastern-inspired music. A candle-lighting ceremony will conclude the evening, which promises to be a moving experience for all who oppose the war or who simply have something to say about it.

“When I was teaching documentary filmmaking to a group of young Palestinians in Nablus, Palestinian Territories, I saw that this gave them a purpose, and instead of joining Palestinian militant factions, they joined my workshops and channeled their energy into something positive,” says Kloie. “When I tell of my experiences living with and documenting refugees in the Middle East and Afghanistan, many people in Taiwan have said they would like to make a difference, and many have already volunteered to come and spend time among the refugees, sharing their practical or artistic talents. “

The River Bar and Restaurant is located in Chung Li, Taoyuan County, at Da Tong Rd 18. Telephone: 0927555025.
Donations can be made and raffle tickets bought at the restaurant. For more information, contact Kloie Picot at email: oneshotmore@kloie.com

About Kloie Picot:
Kloie Picot is a Canadian-born videographer and journalist and has been covering the people and events in the Middle East for 6 years. Her film Shots That Bind, about the lives and work of Palestinian photojournalists and cameramen in Nablus, Occupied West Bank, won the Best Cinematography (Documentary) Award at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival in 2006.
Ms. Picot is currently based in Taiwan, from where she travels to countries like Sri Lanka, Banda Ache, and Afghanistan to document social issues caused by conflict. For more on Ms Picot and her work, visit her website at www.kloie.com.