Right across from the Gerald R. Ford Museum is the installation called "Facing Al Aqaba," a "project of Circus of the Mind, an international group of photographers, video makers, writers and designers. Our story is that of the Palestinian village of Al Aqaba, a community under threat of extinction. The question is, Why?
We invite you to visit our web site: www.facing-al-aqaba.com And please feel free to contact us: Maurice.jacobsen@gmail.com"
Our family visited this site to view the many photos of the villagers and watch the 6 minute video and had some tea on Sept 22nd and Sept 23. We met Maurice Jacobsen who sleeps in a tent inside the exhibit at night to make sure the equipment is still there in the morning.
We have a very personal interest in Al Aqaba as we are supporters of the Director, Donna Baranski-Walker of The Rebuilding Alliance, her group rebuilt the kindergarten there in 2004 and we went to Congress in Feb of 2009 to lobby the Michigan Congressional offices with petitions and postcards saying: "I Care About Peace, I Care About Al Aqaba." There are more that 39 demolition orders against the village, including the kindergarten, but it is still standing. Maurice and his team have built a wonderful ArtPrize structure to tell the story of this village to the world. He hopes to get a conversation going in America, asking: "The question is why?"