Tag: hope

Hope on the horizon – the movie (+de)

Hope on the horizon: The short experimental film Healing in Babalmé has been officially selected for screening at the Dawson City International Short Film Festival 2013.

DCISFFlogo

Healing in Babalmé – A story of hope from a marginalized place tells the story of a humanitarian worker’s lived experiences during a malnutrition crisis in Chad, where a pastoralist community on the edge of the Sahara desert mobilizes its own resources to overcome effects of marginalization. This short experimental documentary is a witness to the power of supportive non-intervention and true community development.

für eine deutsche Übersetzung klicke hier: Hoffnung in Babalmé
I am pleased to announce, that my creative spirits have persisted, thanks to the encouragement of Celia and others, to revise and re-edit the animated audio-visual presentation based on my experiences in Chad. I still feel blessed that I have been able to witness the events that inspired me to write the story. They are still a source of hope for me. The events illustrate for me that there is “that of God in everyone”: People with nothing can make a difference if we don’t crush their individual and collective agency with might and paternalistic intentions.

The 2013 Dawson City International Short Film Festival will be another venue to share the message of hope with a wider audience.

You can enjoy the preview in this YouTube version anytime by clicking the arrow button:

Dedicated to the people of Babalmé and the North Kanem/Chad Continue reading “Hope on the horizon – the movie (+de)” →

Verdichten (+en)

Bergahorn, allein auf weiter Flur [in der Nähe des Kraftortes Heiligkreuz] - A solitary Great (or Sycamore) Maple tree [near Heiligkreuz, a place of strength].
Bergahorn, allein auf weiter Flur [in der Nähe des Kraftortes Heiligkreuz] – A solitary Great (or Sycamore) Maple tree [near Heiligkreuz, a place of strength in Switzerland].

Heute möchte ich ein Gebet mit dir teilen, das in poetischer Weise beschreibt woher einige meiner Gedanken stammen die die Grundlage sind für viele meiner Blogeinträge. Es gibt mir Kraft, diesen Weg weiter zu gehen.

Gott,
lege Worte mir in den Mund,
die über das hinaus reichen, was erreichbar ist.
Die über das hinaus denken,
was denkbar ist.
Die sich mehr wünschen
und mehr vorstellen,
als ich mir wünschen und vorstellen kann. Continue reading “Verdichten (+en)” →

Basel

No matter how steep and difficult the trail – no matter how long and strenuous the journey – in the end there will always be an opening. (Alley of the Eleven Thousand Virgins in Basel, with a window of the St. Martin’s Church)

Es kommt nicht darauf an wie steil und schwierig der Weg ist – es kommt auch nicht darauf an wie lange und anstrengend die Reise ist – am Ende wird sich immer eine Öffnung zeigen (Elftausendjungfern-Gässlein in Basel, mit einem Fenster der Martinskirche)

Falls du dich interessierst für die Geschichte hinter dem ungewöhnlichen Strassenname, kannst du sie hier nachlesen: Elftausend minus drei Jungfrauen

Map it out – the extent of obvious misery

Here I am in the Kensington area of Philadelphia.

The row houses in the Kensington area were originally built for workers in the vicinity of the factories that employed them. They are a monument to industriousness and dignity. The factories were not social institutions, but apparently it was possible for many families to live in their own little house in the neighbourhood. It was a short commute to the workplace. There were many little corner stores selling things of daily needs, and bars for those who had daily or occasional wants. Some avenues were commercial districts with a variety of stores and shops. I have seen a library in a park, schools and a hospital – all in a similar architectural style making use of brickwork, just the way the factories were built. And there were many churches to comfort the ones hit by hardship and to celebrate with the ones who were able to make it.

Industrial Beauty - a restored factory portal in Kensinton
Industrial Beauty – a restored factory portal in Kensington

Continue reading “Map it out – the extent of obvious misery” →

Fourth Sunday of Advent

As the days get shorter and shorter, let us light a candle.Let us add one more candle.

As the days get shorter and shorter, let us light a candle.As the days get shorter and shorter, let us light a candle.As the days get shorter and shorter, let us light a candle.
I am holding my mother in the Light and wish her the strength for healing and recovery from the various setbacks in recent days.

Ich bete für meine Mutter, dass sie die Kraft findet zu genesen und sich zu erholen von den verschiedenen Rückschlägen die sie in den letzten Tagen erlebt hat.

Walking Home – a short film

“Walking Home – A contemplative journey along the Yukon River” is a short film conceptualized, directed, and produced by Othmar F. Arnold, with feedback and support from Celia McBride; filmed in Whitehorse, Yukon (Canada).

Continue reading “Walking Home – a short film” →

Last Stop for Miles (The Feature Film) – Teaser released

Celia McBride released the teaser for her feature film production Last Stop for Miles. It is available on YouTube.

“When running away brings you back…”

The feature is expected to be released in spring 2013. For more information on the movie and its production on location in the Yukon, visit: Last Stop for Miles

For a list of cast and crew, please go to the credits page.

Hope on the horizon – the movie (+de)

Healing in Babalmé – A story of hope from a marginalized place tells the story of a humanitarian worker’s lived experiences during a malnutrition crisis in Chad, where a pastoralist community on the edge of the Sahara desert mobilizes its own resources to overcome effects of marginalization. This short experimental documentary is a witness to the power of supportive non-intervention and true community development.

für eine deutsche Übersetzung klicke hier: Hoffnung in Babalmé
I am pleased to announce, that my creative spirits have persisted, thanks to the encouragement of Celia and others, to revise and re-edit the animated audio-visual presentation based on my experiences in Chad. I still feel blessed that I have been able to witness the events that inspired me to write the story. They are still a source of hope for me. The events illustrate for me that there is “that of God in everyone”: People with nothing can make a difference if we don’t crush their individual and collective agency with might and paternalistic intentions.

I am planning to submit this version to the Dawson City International Short Film Festival 2013.

DCISFFlogo

It will be another venue to share the message of hope with a wider audience.
You can enjoy the preview in this YouTube version anytime by clicking the arrow button:

Dedicated to the people of Babalmé and the North Kanem/Chad Continue reading “Hope on the horizon – the movie (+de)” →

Hope on the Horizon

"Hope on the Horizon" screenshot from the online version of the MSF Canada magazine Dispatches 16(2), Summer 2012
“Hope on the Horizon” screenshot from the online version of the MSF Canada magazine Dispatches 16(2), Summer 2012

I still remember my first visit to Babalme in July 2011. The MSF vehicle had to use a local guide to point at indistinguishable features on the horizon, a lone tree or a sand dune, to direct us more than twelve kilometers off the last known track in the desert sand. It was a bleak picture. The area was drier than the rest of the Sahel, not a single mud brick building, no school, no health centre – just people living a pastoralist life in a forgotten corner of Chad and close to the border with Niger.

Continue reading “Hope on the Horizon” →