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Sixteen years of civil war left the people of Mozambique with deep wounds. More than one million people died. Today, young men are practicing the “art” of healing. They’re destroying AK-47s, machine guns, and land mines and turning them into sculptures of hope. Kim Riemland reports. |
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SCRIPT:
(Locator: Maputo, Mozambique)
Fiel Dus Santos is an artist. What makes his craft unusual are the
recyclables Santos in which finds his ideas.
Fiel Dus Santos, Artist: “The world without guns could be better. Now we
can do good things with these guns.”
United Methodist artists are part of a peace-building program in
Mozambique’s capital city. AK-47’s, grenades, and rocket launchers once
used in a bloody civil war are re-shaped into peaceful scenes and
everyday items.
Boventura Zita, Coordinator, Turning Weapons into Plowshares: “Artists,
they have cut it in such a manner that when you see it, this is a
xylophone and this is a musician who is playing it. But you know this
used to be a weapon. This is part of the trigger. These are dred locks.
And while people know this used to be a gun, such a person who did this
beautiful work had inspiration to do this.”
Artists like Santos say with that inspiration comes healing.
Fiel Dos Santos, Artist: “It’s good for me because during the Civil War I
was here in Mozambique and I do really pass many problems with the Civil
War. I had my brother was kidnapped.”
Some of the works of art produced here have gone on exhibit around the
world. They are a symbol of hope for those who see them and those who
make them.
Fiel Dos Santos, Artist: “I tried to create many messages: musicians,
birds. Most of them I do birds because the bird is a symbol of
peace. When we want to fly, when we want to be free we think about the
birds.”
TAG:
An online exhibit features 28 pieces by 14 artists. To learn more about the Turning Weapons into Plowshares program, visit: http://www.africaserver.nl/nucleo/eng/.