Celebrating Pangea Day
Now the word ‘Pangea’ comes from the name of the supercontinent that existed 250 million years ago, before the continents drifted and came to rest in the configuration we know today. And harkening back to the ancient spirit of fusion, more than 1,000 parties and screenings were held worldwide, simultaneously sharing the same insights and emotions through the universal medium of film.
The majority of the four hour festivities were taken up with a series of short films and excerpts gathered from all over the world. Films came from Canada, the US, the UK, India, South Africa, Paraguay, the Palestinian Occupied Territories and all points in between. Although short in length, they were big in spirit, offering pathos, insight and actually a lot of humour. Here’s a sampling of what was shown:
| Walleyball by Brent Hoff (USA) – Illegal immigration is a big issue in the US, but this short tries to mute shouting heads like Lou Dobbs with simple humanity. American and Mexican beach goers play a fierce game of volleyball using the border wall as their net. It elegantly illustrates how a tool of division can easily be turned into a way to make a connection. |
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The American Project: Cuba by Topaz Adizes (USA) – It’s not just distances that separate us, that is the message of this film. A young man returns to his family home in Cuba after 13 years in the US. What should be a happy occasion devolves into an argument between brothers about how one doesn’t now about the life of the other.
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The Ball by Orlando Mesquita (Mozambique) – Nothing is more simple than a group of children playing football (the soccer variety). This film shops how the older children make their impromptu soccer balls from inflated condoms, bits of cloth and string. At the end is a message of warning: the feeling that in the place in the world where AIDS is epidemic, there are more condoms being used as soccer balls than for their intended purpose. |
A Thousand Words by Ted Chung (USA) – A touching tale of boy sees girl on a train, boy finds girl’s lost camera, boy tries to find her and boy sends camera back to her by mail with a hopeful message of connection.
Dancing Queen by Sumit Roy (India) – A straightforward film about the joy of dancing, even for people limited in their mobility. The simplicity of the narrative was captured by a Nokia camera phone and was one of several shorts sponsored by the company in an effort to allow everyday people the world over to tell their stories.
I Remember Lebanon by Zeina Aboul Hosn (Lebanon) – Filmmaker Hosn offers some memories of the Lebanon she knew as a youth before the decades of warfare from within and without. It’s a film of great sadness and a tale of what a place can be and the terrible personal damage inflicted by war.
Inja by Steve Pasvolsky (Australia/South Africa) – An ironic tale from South Africa’s apartheid past, told simply through a boy and his dog. One of the most innocent relationships in life is turned menacing by a white plantation owner, only to have it come back and haunt him years later. Dog lovers beware: this will be a little hard for you to watch, but the message is worth it.
J’attendrai Le Suivant (I'll Wait for the Next One) by Philippe Orreindy (France) – On a subway in Lyons, a man makes a grand gesture for love and one single woman will have to deal with the semi-comedic result. Sure it’s kind of mean in the end, but I thought the film was a great testament to that great, enduring romantic spirit that the French are famous for.
Meniños (Boys) by Ernesto Molinero (Brazil/Argentina) – In this short, a young Brazilian boy deals with the typical childhood maladies: girls and bullies, but comes out of his experience finding a kindred spirit. Anyone that’s spent some time forcibly stuffed in the dark confines of their locker can identify with this; truly we’re not so different after all.
Combatants for Peace by Jehane Noujaim (USA/Egypt) – From the woman that brought all this together, is a new look at the conflict between Israel and Palestine through the eyes of soldiers who have renounced violence. They are members of a group called “Combatants of Peace” and they have been touched by having lost loved ones in the conflict. Now they’ve put aside their arms and embraced their enemy in the quest to end the conflict and engender peace and understanding in the region.
But beyond the films, there were also a number of musical performances from four very, different artists. From Brazil there was Gilberto Gil, a singer/songwriter that moonlights as Brazil’s Minister of Culture, bringing some guitar rock with a latin flavour. Also rocking out was Hypernova, an Iranian band that cut their teeth, and their Stokes-influenced sound, playing illegally in their home country. From Africa was Rokia Traore whose soulful sounds haunting reflected the voice of a continent. The biggest name on the bill though was Eurythmics Dave Stewart playing some original music with hip-hop artist Nadirah X among others.
But some of the most compelling stuff of the day came from the special guest speakers. Not the celebrities like Pangea Day advisor board members Meg Ryan and Goldie Hawn, but ordinary folks like Robi Damelin and Ali Abu Awwad. Damelin and Awwad are members of the Bereaved Families Forum, a support group for Palestinian and Israeli people who have lost family members in the ongoing conflict.
Damelin, whose son was killed by a sniper while on duty at a checkpoint read a heartfelt letter of forgiveness to the family of the soldier that killed her son prefacing it by saying, “No revenge or hatred can bring my child back.” Awwad, who lost his brother to the Israeli forces after he himself was shot, said that you “cannot force problems into the sea because they learn how to swim.”
Another interesting speaker was Eboo Patel, the Executive Director of the Interfaith Youth Core who described a friend’s trip to the Middle East and that friend’s hesitation about going due to the perception of constant violence in the region. Patel’s friend, an African-American, found he too was the subject of profiling when he arrived in the Middle East as he was asked about joining a gang and carrying a gun. Perception is everything, the message goes, and perhaps by changing perceptions peace through greater understanding is possible.
Despite the technical and human logistics of such an event, Pangea Day was more or less glitch free right up through to the end and the global drum circle finale. Around the world, millions of people shared the same experience at the same time. What we’re left with is the encouragement for each of us to go out and spread the Pangea message of peace and love through greater interaction and understanding.
Much of Pangea Day’s content can be found online at http://www.pangeaday.org/
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