Reflections:  This was a fantastic combination of original music, spoken word, and then the first-hand accounts by Alexjo Magic of her experiences in getting to know the stories of the israeli and palestinian situation along the border of Gaza.  Truly fascinating, accompanied by images showing the maps of the region, checkpoints, the green and red lines, and photos of the giant wall that was built by the israelis.  Many thanks to Alexjo, juni, Medora and Serene.

I appreciated the civility of the attendees in listening intently and asking great questions, plus exercising their own freedom of speech in respectful ways.   There are different points of view, but the shared desire for peace in the region enabled us to hold the tensions in check, and seek better understanding. 

Here are a couple of images from the meeting, courtesy of the fabulous Ms. Siri Vita:

Date:  Saturday, Feb. 21 2009

Time:  11am SLT (music and poetry); 12pm SLT (interview and discussion)

Location:  SLURL:  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spinoza%20South/236/129/22

Alexjo Magic is a PhD candidate in Women's Studies in Melbourne, Australia. She has lived in Israel for 5 years, and has made it her life's work to understand the experience of people (especially the women) on both sides of the Palestinian / Israeli conflict. Hear about her direct experience there, and how you can help.

Junivers Stockholm is a musician and composer. He is organising for this October's Imagine Festival. He composed the rock opera The Rings as part of the Carp group. He took part in Amnesty International's small places world tour for the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Serene Bechir has been reading poetry across SL for over a year and is best known for her improv poetry. She says of herself, "I am only a mirror, the poetry is in each of you."

Medora Chevalier is a writer, lyricist and storyteller. She is a core organiser of the Human Rights & Imagine Festivals . She also performed in the Rings.