Sunday, July 30, 2006

qana / beirut

kana / beirut
2000 years ago, in qana, jesus transformed water into wine.

today, in qana, the israeli air force transformed kids into ashes.

today, in beirut, i am not able to transform this page into a drawing.

46 comments:

  1. Continue drawing; your work is fantastic and everything must come an end eventually... Even the atrocities that you have to witness right now.
    Stay Strong!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am so sorry Mazen for the atrocities committed by the Israelis...I feel somehow responsible for my taxes helped pay for the rockets..I am thankful that Pope Benedict has called for the cease-fire (though a "day late and a dollar short".

    ReplyDelete
  3. israelis are not catholics.. do you think they would listen to the pope? if so, why?

    ReplyDelete
  4. ayri bil pope
    ayri bil israelis
    ayri bi your taxes


    very expressive piece mazen.
    it "illustrates" your(and our) state of mind very well.

    alla yistor,

    ah,

    ayri bi allah kamen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mazen: it is uplifting that amidst the murder and destruction you depict there is an artist who stubbornly refuses to be anything less. Please continue your meaningful work. I hope it inspires (shames?) others who haven't yet been able to engage creatively with the violent time in which we live.

    ReplyDelete
  6. the recent drawings are right on the edge of what it must be like to be in a war - sad angry and then right up against it. I honestly don't know how you deal with it.
    In solidarity
    P

    ReplyDelete
  7. Marhaba!

    VERY nice work! my husband sent me the link to your minimalistic improvisation, i was impressed and have posted links to you through my blog.

    hope you are fine!

    regards,
    elektra dekker

    ReplyDelete
  8. I can´t say anything, I have no words. Even if I am very far from your country in kilometres not in my feelings. Please, keep on, as far as you can with your blog.
    Here, we are reading and posting your blog, and writing and signing against genocide, the sad thing is some people are saying we are anti-semitic people.
    From Argentina

    ReplyDelete
  9. no words.
    no tears.
    only sorrow
    empty
    aching
    sorrow.

    i. . .
    oh
    what's
    the
    use?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mazen - keep on drawings no matter what. Everyone in this life has a role to perform, so keep on what you are doing.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I wish you strength and courage to continue drawing. I join my voice with all those raging with anger: STOP the bombing - STOP the killing!

    Athena from Athens, Greece

    ReplyDelete
  12. Israel used to be a terrorist state and will always be like this. They are cowards, they kill civilians, they are just a nation of bastards.

    ReplyDelete
  13. The bastards are the Hezballah terror masters who put military material in civilian areas HOPING that civilains will get killed. The sad fact is: Israel cares more about civilian Muslim casualties than the Muslims care about civilian Muslim casualties.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tarek, this is not a political blog, but I can't resists answering.
    Hezbollah are using kids and civillians as shields. In fact they hope and happy for such incidents, as it may stop Israel.
    They did not allow the poor civillians to evacuate the villiges after Israel had warned it will bomb them.
    What a shame.
    My heart is with the poor innocent victims.

    ReplyDelete
  15. it was jesus 2000 years ago
    themessage of love , now the israels with the message of blod
    keep on

    ReplyDelete
  16. hello mazen,

    first: i think, your blog is/ was great for me until now.
    but what i find strange more and more, sorry, are these many comments from people like me, sitting in very comfortable places, saying "continue" and "stay strong" and..... i don t think, that it is possible to be strong enough to transforme for very long time such a cruel , stupid and horeful thing like this war into art.
    this(like) war is ugly, degusting, overstupid, unsensitiv in the highest possible way, missing any human logig. art is sensitive , intelligent, breezing, fragile, living.....
    this war is physically "stonger" like people, because, when a bomb is falling, people cant survive. but because (this) war and politics seems to missing totally any kind of intelligence and humanity, i don t think, it is possible to stop or influence at this point anymore with art, which is ....(upon)
    people, involved in these politics, don t read blogs possibly, and are possibly more touched by money and "power"than by people and art.
    so, one reason to stop and to leave the situation, could be beside the security of you, but also the possibility to let survive your art. i think, because the art is so strong, and in its beeing totally contrary of war and murder,it /the possibility to make art just can resignate into that shit, from this point on.
    my opinion is: don t stay, leave, your blog is and will stay a great documentary ....

    soon,
    annette

    ReplyDelete
  17. ...with"shit", i mean the war, not the art of course...!...

    a

    ReplyDelete
  18. Qana 1996-Dedeux.

    How many times must a person walk down that road?

    U.S now reeling from international condemnation, pressures Israel to a cease fire.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sad times.
    There was a song I heared in a club in Libanon.
    track name: Metal featuring Garry.
    http://www.myspace.com/afrikahiphop
    This should not be any advertising for Afrika Bambaataa. I just have to post this.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Sorry Mazen,

    I'm new to this blogging, so I posted in the wrong place before I think - I wanted to share with you a song I made this week called "RED MUD". You can hear it at:

    http://www.myspace.com/fredkinbom

    It should be on my blog as well.

    Thank you for your powerful expressions. Thanks for sharing and surely making more people aware of things.

    Peace,

    Fred.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I heard today of this terrible, terrible massacre. I extend my sympathies, as a stranger, in Australia, to you all. What else can I say?

    ReplyDelete
  22. I agree with dag (1:20 am). War is hell, but there will be a special place in hell for Hizbollah who hides behind women and children, hoping the Israelis will strike. I am no great friend of Israel, but I am sad that there is no more outrage against the instigators of this present violence. I sympathise with your sorrow and feelings of powerlessness. It must be terrible to witness. Please continue to keep the rest of the world informed.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Each day that passes, the last shreds of those memories of innocence die. There is nothing one can say, nothing one can do, but mourn the brutality of humanity. I sit here in shame, filled with anger, and anguish. There is no excuse, no justification for these acts.

    The pictures I have seen, of the children, cradled as adults carried them off from the very tombs that was their sheltering from the shelling. The lives I know nearby that forever will bleed deep in their souls over the violence never leave me.

    If there was a way for all this, all this hate/pain/sorrow/death to end by letting the very last breath leave my body – leaving the dead empty husk that I feel I have become – I would gladly accept it.

    There is no excuse one can give, nor passing of blame. This is horror, this is the evil that we have become. Worse of all are those like me, who are unable to do anything because we are unwilling/unable to stand up to our government and stand on the side of the human beings we for some reason identify as separate from us. You are our brother, yet we spit in your face. We refer to the ‘Justice’ of the actions, the actions of murder.

    We are guilty, but we are not punished.

    We need to know shame, for we have none.

    We need to find hope – but there is none.

    I cannot say keep drawing, keep up with your art, your hope for a better moment in the future.
    I can only mourn with you, and know even though I mourn with you as a brother; I feel deep shame for where I am, who I am, and what my country helped do to your people. What new horrors will my country support? What new nightmare will we both wake up to tomorrow?

    If we meet Mazen, in a better world (one that is not touched by these waking nightmares), may we be friends and remember that we are brothers in the heart. Even though as I write this I feel that, I am an empty vessel that can never fill the void that is welling up in your soul as each new day brings these things upon you.

    I wish the world to stop revolving, just for a moment that we wake up and stop the madness.
    If you find hope, let it be with a friend.

    ReplyDelete
  24. islam accounts for over 90% of international conflicts...

    ...bottom line...

    no islam=better world

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi tizna,
    It's very sad that I'm getting to admire your work and your "great Arabic skills" more and more in such circumstances.
    You are a great inspiration for the real "moukawameh", us, the future of Lebanon or whatever's going to be left of it.
    Derziyet enna7ss

    ReplyDelete
  26. Dear Mazen,
    My name is Wahid,i do live in Rotterdam,where we are trying to do something about the situation(we try to gather donations,organize movie nights with lebanese movies,give flyers to explain situation,put pro lebanese banners....)and i transformed my site for the lebanese actual cause....
    So i wonder,is it possible to put on my site www.squatdeluxe.com ,some of the material i find on your site ?
    pleaswe let me know: weedkali@hotmail.com
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  27. thank you illusion of progress, finally someone who talks sense, heart and future.
    it is sad to see people still surrender to the primal urge of supporting blindly one party or the other; people who find some blood cheaper than another, some lives more meaningful than others. wake up.

    ReplyDelete
  28. The acts of the Israelis are a shame for humanity.

    ReplyDelete
  29. At some point in the future we will experience something new and liberating - a huge silence where there was the sound of people shouting "IT WAS HIS/HERS/THEIR FAULT". And then the sound of people accepting responsibilty for what they do and what they fail to do.
    Like a good trumpeter, I won't hold my breath.
    P

    ReplyDelete
  30. I am an argentine jew.
    I hate Israeli blody policy.
    I need your words and your drawing.

    ReplyDelete
  31. "The Jewish bandits are despicable cowards who hide behind women and children." - SS-Gruppenführer Jürgen Stroop on the resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto, 1943.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hey man, just hugs from Argentina.
    Not much to say given the circumstances, except this:
    Last night I watched a TV show from my own country where representatives of the israeli and lebanese communities in Argentina (that is: argentinians who are either jewish or muslims) discussed the conflict. Their statements were at times so rigid (taking sides too strongly when they spoke about war, pointing fingers) that my family was compelled to express their sorrow. Everyone spoke and it kindda came up like this:
    1 “If it was up to this guys, war would never cease”
    2 “Shoot!... it is up to guys like these!”
    3 “The people who suffers... the kids... the sorrow”
    Nevertheless, people are thinking of you here on the other side of the world and... well I wish that was something. We hug you.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Much, much admiration for your ability to express yourself so eloquently given the hateful circumstances. I, for one, have ben profoundly moved by your words, drawings and music.
    Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Great drawings! A friend of mine said he preferred the bombs to the trumpet in your piece ... oh well.

    http://www.truemarch14.com/Site/Blog/977CF8B2-EDD6-4695-99AB-A6DC90A9121B.html


    http://www.truemarch14.com/Site/Blog/16B64D6A-D150-4E43-AB34-EBE8CE6832AE.html

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'm sure you will, but just in case, I'll encourage you to please keep drawing Mazen...the mere fact that you've been able to thus far is an inspiration to many folks around the globe.

    There's an article on Modern Art Notes today about art created during conflict that touches on its importance.

    ...have faith...and keep drawing

    ReplyDelete
  36. My heart i with you I cry tears for you all words are useless, we must feel collective shame for standing by, as a Jew I deplore this violence

    ReplyDelete
  37. Children of Qana...
    Please forgive us all, for letting this massacre to happen.
    I pray Allah every day...i just want this war to end.
    The only thing i was able to draw was a picture of myself crying...
    Forgive us all...

    Shirin from Lebanon
    http://shirin-from-lebanon.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  38. I feel small. I am in awe of your strength and perseverance. Your drawings moved me to tears. As an artist myself I have great respect for your work. May you survive this horrible, horrible time and may we all find peace.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Hi Mazen
    I don´t have a computer at home so I´m only connected when I´m at work. I never care about having a computer at home. But this weekend I miss you so much that I went to cyber to see what you have post. I was wondering about you & your family both saturday & sunday.
    I don´t watch TV so you are the one who is telling what´s happening.

    Here in Argentina we went to Israel´s Embassy to show our disagreement although is useless we need to feel that we are not so far away, that war it´s a bad thing everywere and everywere it´s our place.

    I love what you are doing.

    kiss, hug & love

    ReplyDelete
  40. my grief, like that of many others throughout the world is with you.

    so is my admiration for you,my frustration, and anger at what zionists are doing to humanity.

    but if you can still manage to draw, to write, and to express yourself, it means that they have not won.

    you have a friend in new york.

    ReplyDelete
  41. take care Mazen (of your art too)

    ReplyDelete
  42. we are all together really: only the sad 'world leaders' stand alone with their dusty indifference.

    peace and love from London

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hay razón en decir q el mundo no se acabará sino será la humanidad la q se extinga, somos nosotros quienes nos dirigimos hacia la muerte, pero me pregunto, q pasa por la mente de aquellos líderes al seguir con su necedad de una guerra en lugar de abrir un diálogo con el contrario?, ellos no son los q pelean, ellos mandan pero no sufren en carne propia los estallidos de las bombas, la sangre de la gente, el fuego de las armas y quien les dice q eso es lo q quiere un pueblo? es injusto, pero mas injusto es ver q en una guerra de "hombres" sean los niños y mujeres quienes mueran.

    Love and peace brothers

    ReplyDelete