Wild Cyprus, angry mermaids and my YouTube crush!

A few things I’ve been reading/watching today:

• Peace threatens wildlife on Cyprus! No man’s land separating Greek and Turkish sides of the island in 1974 turned into an unintentional natural reservation. Peace and the ensuing return of farmers and villagers will threaten various rare endogenous species. There have recently been an influx of other animals such as rats and wild dogs – maybe the returning folk could protect the incredible gift that has come of this conflict from such things and preserve it? The cynic in me says no.
• Represent Copenhagen! OK so the ground-breaking, pollution-tackling, environment-saving, hope-inspiring resolution everyone had been hyped up to depend on never came through. But can we really expect to solve a problem so great in just 11 days? Regardless, I think Copenhagen made some important statements that I hope people will take home with them, my favourite being no one is too good to drink tap water – Go Jantelov! (not that I really agree with it but it has its perks.) Can’t say too much as I have only caught bits and pieces during the Christmas cram.
• The Angry Mermaid – Awards prizes to worst coroporate lobby groups for “undermining effective climate change” (see above). Cool animation on YouTube – regardless of the criticism, I think it makes a valid point – we want to help, we want people that genuinely want to make a difference to represent us and solve this problem, cause in the end it’s going to be us paying for it! It’s totally doable – sure, drastic changes need to be made and some very powerful companies will lose out unless they, too, make the switch. Boo hoo. Things evolve, we need to pay the consequences for our mistakes and apply the knowledge we’ve gained to ratify the situation. How can the politicians keep selling us out? It’s us they’re meant to be representing!
• I’ve been watching this guy Lasse Gjertsen on YouTube for a couple of years now. I must admit that I am somewhat infatuated with him, but the guy’s seriously talented! He’s done a few different things, Hyperactive being his most watched video. Along the same line of stop-motion animation is Picadilly Postcard – awesome! He’s also done some classic animations – Gammel Nytt and The Business Man being a couple of favourites – and a satirical “commercial“. He’s has recently started making music videos to make ends meet – some people look at that as slightly traitorous. I disagree – music videos are an art overlooked thanks to all the trashy stuff out there and I think Lasse’s latest upload, A Bar in Amsterdam is proof of it (artsiness, not trashiness).

The cartoon controversy.

Before saying anything, I want to clear the fact that I am not taking sides. I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia and feel at home among Arabs, but at the same time I am a Danish citizen and proud of my country. This is an attempt to reduce misunderstanding and resulting hatred, not an attempt to aggravate the already awful situation. 

I almost joined a group on Facebook called “Ingen undskyldninger, til Mohammed” – No apologies, to Mohammed. After a quick flick through their photos, I immediately changed my mind – I believe in freedom of speech, but not racism, which is what the group is leaning towards.

I don’t know why this whole issue about the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed have come up again – I haven’t been following the news that much recently. All I know is that death threats have recently been issued. I find it so frustrating that we are all so intolerant of one another! Sure, the Danish papers were a bit inconsiderate, but the reaction from the Muslim world, and the west’s reaction to their reaction, is all ridiculous. What’s going on people?? Are we not all flesh and blood, brothers and sisters, descendants of one (or two, depending on what you believe in) common ancestor(s)?

First, let’s get the story straight. We can’t take things out of context or else we run the risk of prejudice. The Danish author, Kåre Bluitgen, was writing a children’s book entitled Koranen og profeten Muhammeds liv, translated The Qur’an and the Life of the Prophet Mohammed, but he couldn’t find people willing to illustrate his book. The newspaper Jyllands-Posten approached numerous artists to draw pictures of Mohammed which were published, and later Politiken wrote an article raising the issue of self-censorship in Denmark which is supposed to be a free country.

Now, this was an issue of self-censorship and freedom of speech, not – I repeat NOT- criticism of Islam or the Prophet Mohammed. All because a writer wanted to write a storybook for Muslim children in Denmark. Various Muslim groups in Denmark took offense, especially over some of the more provocative cartoons (completely understandable) and brought it to the attention of the Middle East, which has met it with extreme anger. Now Danish flags are burning and cartoonists are having to look over their shoulders and check their cars for bombs. An extreme reaction, no?

We must remember these are just drawings. I realise that it is forbidden in Islam to depict the Prophet Mohammed, but all religious figures, politicians, presidents, monarchs, etc. etc. have been poked fun at in the form of cartoons. It’s called satire, not racism. Of course they aren’t always nice. We must remember that they reflect not only the person, but also the political climate at the time. I understand people are offended, but take it in context!

The thing that irritates me even more is how the west reacts to the reaction in the Middle East. There is ignorance and intolerance on both sides. The west tends not to understand Muslim culture and generalise the ideas of fundamentalism and terrorism. Some of the pictures I saw on the group’s site I mentioned earlier were appalling and the comments below even more so, especially since I grew up in the Middle East and some of my best friends are Muslim. I hate to see this all brewing so much racism in Muslims towards Danes and vice versa.

All of this is not helping the situation! Hatred is not life, it is death. Death to happiness and peace. What we need is compassion and understanding, people! I am a hippie at heart, I know, just born a few decades too late.

I believe very strongly in freedom of speech – it is one of our fundamental rights, and I will not have anyone take that away from me. I think it is shameful that we live in a time where we need to be careful of what we say or do (or draw) for fear of being blown to smithereens. At the same time I think that we should also be more considerate of one another and respect that the world is a diverse place filled with people of different religions, cultures, values. It is a thin line we must walk and this is a difficult time we live in, so in the meantime, let’s try to have some respect and understanding and try not to step on too many toes.

An endangered state: Christiania.

This has to be my favourite place in Copenhagen, and unfortunately it is on the brink of extinction.

Christiania is known as ‘fristaden’ or the free state. There is no such thing as ownership or government or laws. Everything is communal. Decisions are not made unless it is unanimous among its 800 inhabitants, and it works.

Christies is primarily known for its open sale of marijuana. Booths used to line Pusher Street where anyone could go and buy natural drugs such as marijuana and magic mushrooms. Nemoland was an open area filled with benches and statues and pots of flowers where people of all sorts sat with a beer in one hand and a joint in the other. Massive signs telling you to “Say NO to hard drugs” are everywhere.

In recent years, sale of cannibis has been stopped by the police, and plans to demolish Christiania are underway. This is something I strongly disapprove of.

Firstly, Christies isn’t only a place where you can buy a joint. It’s a place rich in art and culture. The graffiti is simply exquisite. My favourite piece looks like a picture that has been superimposed onto a wall of a man with a joint in his hand, exhaling a massive cloud of smoke. Beautiful paintings and sculptures are everywhere. Even the houses are works of art and are often the subject of architectural school excursions.

Art galleries and shops are numerous. People sell different arts and crafts such as home-made toothpaste, soap, candles, chairs, tables, candelabras…the list is endless. One shop called Kvindesmedien (The Women’s Smithy) consists of three women who make absolutely stunning furniture and sculptures. To see some of their work, visit http://www.kvindesmedien.dk. The site is in Danish, but it is easy enough to navigate.

There is always live music or theatrical performances. Christianites often meet down in the pubs with their instruments and hold a little jam session. There’s also a large concert hall where well-known bands often come to play – I missed Red Hot Chili Peppers by a week last time I visted!!

Again, I must stress the sense of community that exists in Christiania. Nobody owns anything in Christiania. Instead, everyone and everything there belongs to the area, and it is each and every Christianite’s responsibility to take care of it. The Citizen’s Council presides, and every inhabitant is a member and has equal say in the decisions that are made. They are also very environmentally friendly: recycling, using solar power, and cycling. There are no cars in Christies apart from the now regular visit of patrol vehicles.

And yes, the sale of marijuana is also very important. As previously mentioned, hard drugs are not sold in Christiania. As a matter of fact, anyone who tried to sell anything apart from cannibis was kicked out, and these are the junkies you now see prowling Copenhagen’s red light district.

Christiania was the only place where people could go to buy marijuana without the offer of other drugs. Think of all the young teenagers wanting to smoke their first joint. Instead of going to a place where they know of the quality and purity of their weed, they are now forced to approach gangsters.

By gangsters, I am talking about folk like Hell’s Angels who don’t make their money from selling wee clumps of hash. They’ll try to get kids hooked onto harder drugs by offering ‘free’ lines of coke. Naïve fourteen-year-olds wanting to be accepted by these tough guys won’t think twice when rolling up that note and raising it to their virgin nostrils. Oh it angers me!

The Christianites are fighting to keep their home. Sweatshirts and other various articles are on sale in an attempt to raise funds to keep it that way. Unfortunately, I don’t know if we can prevent the authorities from closing down this beloved area, but hell if we won’t try!

For more information, visit:

http://www.christiania.org/folderus/

http://www.christiania.org/main/lan.php?lan=gb

Dishonest music.

Why does everything have to be corrupted by money now-a-days? It has spread its filthy wings and touched so many areas of our lives in such a sneaky way that the majority of us don’t even realise it’s there. Even music, one of my greatest passions, has to be spoiled by greedy people.

Of course not all music is corrupt. There are still musicians out there who really believe in their work, devote their lives to it, put their heart and soul into it. Music is an art: a clever combination of sounds and sometimes lyrics that aim to strike a chord (no pun intended) deep within you, inducing goosebumps in places you didn’t even know you could get them. It takes so much work to do a ‘perfect’ performance, one where the artist is completely satisfied with the result.

I’m a musician myself – piano and clarinet – although sadly I haven’t performed in a few years (something that I aim at correcting ASAP). It’s such an amazing feeling when you go on stage, give a performance your all, and know that you couldn’t have done it any better. The applause thunders around you. People rise to their feet. It’s addictive stuff.

Now, however, so many mainstream singers in particular just ruin what it is that music is all about. They prance around on stage, lipsyncing to playback. Again, of course not all musicians do this, but you’d be shocked by how many do. And if they actually try to sing while dancing like mad on stage, it sounds like shit.

How can you dance and sing at the same time? There is no way you can get proper breath support to have good tone quality while hyperventilating from exercise! And with all that moving around, it’s impossible to have good posture which is also essential to good tone quality.

So it’s playback and lipsyncing. These people don’t deserve to be called artists. Entertainers, yes. They’re damn good at shaking their asses on stage, but they’re not musicians. Not by a long shot. Why don’t they just admit that they can’t sing outside of a studio and instead just dance? Why the lies?

Back to my original point: music has been corrupted. People need a quick fix of money, so what do they do? Release an album. Paris Hilton has done it. Bruce Willis has done it. Even Hulk Hogan has done it!! Check out http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=20283. There are samples available if you dare.

The thing that saddens me most is how the majority of young folk today just buy into it. Either the artist is hot or rich or famous, so they instantly become a huge success when they don’t necessarily deserve it. True musicians who work their entire lives to reach a certain degree of skill are left in the background.

Personally, I don’t support these ‘artists’ as they call themselves. If they’ve come with some good tunes, I’ll download them for free – they have plenty of money anyway and I don’t think they deserve mine. I do, however, try to buy albums of all my favourite artists: true musicians. Ones who don’t give a rat’s ass about making millions or making music that the public will like and hence buy. Instead, they are true to themselves and their passion, and they play from the heart.

A neighbours art project.

A couple of my neighbours are art students and decided to do a project in our area of four apartment blocks facing one another. It involved connecting the windows with yarn to form a dynamic 3D sculpture in the air.

However, it didn’t seem like our other neighbours were all too interested. Only three flats had signed onto the project, and no one else were opening their doors.

This reminds me of the whole strangers issue of being wary of those we don’t know. Whatever happened to the days of going next door to borrow a cup of sugar? Friendly chats in the stairway? You can barely get a smile out of people!

Once the project got under way, more and more people started joining. It’s such a wonderful thing when neighbours can work together, even on such a small project as this one, such a simple idea. It looked amazing. It warms my heart when I walk down the road and I see how complex the sculpture has become thanks to all the flats participating.

Well done team!