Validation Activity

Kurdish clothing differs from men to women, and differ from country to country. Some say that you can tell which area a Kurd is from by looking at his or her clothes.\r\nTraditional dress for women in Kurdistan consists of very colourful clothing. Usually a long dress or gown is worn, over which a jacket or vest is worn. Colourful belts are included, as are colourful pants.

To our big surprise, also in Slovenia, our new home country, there is a tradition with folklore anmd costumes. We enjoyed the festvial in Kamnik!

Veggie stuffed flat bread

you eat this at the end of Ramadan

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„There was a time when I loved roses, the same as here in Germany. Then I learned that rose plantations in Africa need a lot of water, which people lack for their fields and for growing food. Some say that roses are a reason for the poverty of Africa for Europe. That they are a reason that we can no longer live there. Since then, I see roses in a very different way.”\r\n\r\nAnna from Ghana (45 years)\r\n\r\nPicture credits: Pixabay CC

„In Syria we have so many roses which have a wonderful smell. I wonder why the roses in Germany often don’t smell at all. Maybe I have to wait until I can smell them.”\r\n\r\n(Sophia from Syria, 35 years old)\r\n\r\nPicture credits: Pixabay CC

Zola says: \"I can\u0027t paint, I can only scribble. But I am also a flower!\" (Zola, 19 years old, from Ghana)

Abena recognized on a picture in the Würth 2 museum in Künzelsau a flower which is very common in her mother country Ghana and is cultivated in many gardens and parks. She did not know the name and was laughing about the latin name which is \"Agapanthus\" - \"It sounds like an African dialect\", she said. The German name sounds even stranger to her: \"Schmucklilie\" (\"lily like a jeweel\").

Dari from Afghanistan says that she really likes the flower meadows in Germany. At the moment the red poppy is in bloom. \"It also blooms in Afghanistan, sometimes even on the roofs of the mud houses in the country. Can you imagine what they look like, houses with red blooming roofs?\"

In the gardens the last tulips of spring are in bloom. Dari from Afghanistan asks: \"Are there actually fields of tulips in Germany? In Afghanistan there are many fields with colourful tulips, not just a few like here in the gardens. I really miss the tulip fields. Here in Germany the tulips are lonely in the gardens.\"

Dari from Afghanistan loves flowering meadows. They remind her of her lost home. \"These flowering meadows are so similar to those in Afghanistan\", she says, but the sky with the many clouds always seems different to her in Germany. \"When the sky is very blue, the clouds are so very white. I don\u0027t remember that from Afghanistan, but probably I did not have much time there to watch the sky. In the end, it must be the same sky here and there, mustn\u0027t it?\"

In one of the gardens we find this incredible rose with two coulours and really a big blossom. \"This is a real power rose\", says Elayla, our friend from Syria. Elayla, who was a farmer in Syria, is convinced: \"Only chicken manure can do that.\" We all have to laugh, because you won\u0027t see a chicken in this housing estate for miles around. But Elayla will not be swayed by this: \"There\u0027s chickens around here somewhere,\" she insists.

There are leaves that feel wonderful, that are very soft. Anna from Ghana finds this plant with soft round leaves in the park. The small flowers are yellow and hang down in large clusters. One of the park gardeners tells us the name of the plant: \"Frauenmantel - Lady\u0027s coat\". Anna is thrilled! What a strange and yet quite harmonious name, because a coat is fluffy and soft.

\"There was a picture with stars in the sky. The sky was not black, it was more of a dark green. It looked very strange to me. I like to see stars, but I can\u0027t see many stars in the German sky at night. So I paint some stars just for me\", said Zola (asylum seeker from Ghana) after a visit to the regional museum.

\"Actually, green is the colour of Africa\", says Mandika looking at a landscape picture of an artist of the expressionism period of the 20th century. \r\n\r\nGreen is Africa? No, Africa is yellow and light brown because the savannah is burned and full of thorny undergrowth. And there is a lot of desert...\r\n\r\n\"Nonsense\", says Mandika. \"Our African colour is green because green stands for the fertility of our native soil.\"\r\n\r\nAnd she makes a pictures in order to show us the deep green of her African homeland.

\"I would love to be able to paint,\" says Zola. \"I like brushes and the smell of paint. Someday I\u0027ll have a place where I can paint. I\u0027ll buy lots of brushes and lots of different colours and then I\u0027ll get started. There are so many pictures in my head that I\u0027d like to paint. Or which I would like to get out of my head.\"\r\n\r\nWe search for pictures which could illustrate her wish and she finds one at the Pixabay platform.\r\n\r\n(Picture credit: Pixabay CC)

We are talking about different kinds of art - paintings, sculptures, objects. Elisa from Syria asks, if mosaics belong to art as well? She tells about a friend in her former country who is an artist and creates mosaic pictures. \"I was never so much enthusiastic about her pictures, but I always liked the colour of the mosaics and how it is possible to create of broken peaces a whole picture.\"\r\n\r\nWe search on the Pixabay platform for a mosaic and we really find a very nice one in Elisa\u0027s opinion: \"I love the colours!\".\r\n\r\n(Picture credits: Pixabay CC)

\"I was in Afghanistan in the museum, at least whenever I was in Kabul, but that wasn\u0027t often\", says Dana. She always liked the silence there, \"also because the city with the many cars and motorcycles is terribly loud.\" Her grandfather gave her the tip to go to the museum when she needs peace and quiet. She likes to look at pictures for a long time and with concentration. \"If you look at pictures long enough, you can always find new things in them.\"

During our visit to the museum we come across exhibits of antique ceramics, which are processed in a sculpture. Dana says: \"I would love to do something with my hands again, like we do at home in Afghanistan, where many people in the villages can still make their own tableware. It\u0027s nice to make something with your hands that you can use and that you can decorate yourself.

It is always about colours and what moods they can trigger. Yellow is best because it reminds of sun and warmth. \"For months I hardly saw any sunshine in Germany,\" says Zola, \"that puts even more pressure on your mood when you\u0027re not feeling well anyway.\"

In the museum shop there is a huge old globe. It can be turned and shows the world 150 years ago. The continents can be easily traced. Dana and Elisa show the paths they took from Syria and Afghanistan, from east to west. Mandika and Zola from Ghana show their way from Africa to Europe, from south to north. Unbelievable thousands of kilometres. From Ghana to Germany it is about 7000 km, which is 2500 km more than from Afghanistan to Germany. \"I can hardly believe I\u0027ve made it,\" says Mandika, \"but I don\u0027t want to think about it any more either.\"

May be our group of asylum seekers has created a new format that could be added to all the many online meetings which are currently taking place: the Artistic Break. During our (so-called) \"Multiplier Event\" on August 7th, 2020, we offered a hybrid session with online and face-to-face access to the D-CULT material. As we had to take longer breaks for the online participants in order to refresh concentration, our face-to-face attendants in the office of Association Culture \u0026 Work were asked to be creative. There was paper, watercolors, and many brushes available. So they started painting. In the end, they arranged all the single sheets together and shot one photo with all of them. The outcome is a most colourful artistic item liked by everyone. In a way, it is the symbol of the whole session and it was much applauded also by the online participants at the end of the session.

\"I love the many fountains in the old German cities\", says Anda from Syria. She is fascinated by flowing water. \"I love it so much to listen to the flowing water, especially during the night.\"

Dana from Afghanistan was laughing about this scenery: The sign indicates that you need a parking ticket for parking at this point. But what about flowers parked there? Do they also need a parking ticket?

Elayla, coming from Aleppo in Syria, does not understand a painting on a house wall which shows a scenery of the city\u0027s history with men in uniforms and wigs, canons and landscape. She is told that the men are soldiers in 18th century uniforms, but the painting is much younger, probably from the middle of the 20th century. \"Soldiers and canons as a decoration on a house wall but the painter missed to paint the dead men, women and children as well. I don\u0027t like that painting at all!\"\r\n\r\nWell, if you come from a war zone and experienced a terrible war, it is really difficult to understand such a wall painting.

Normally, graffiti are regarded as smearings rather than artistic expressions, at least in Germany. However, graffiti has changed over the years. Like any other form of art, it can transcend boundaries and remains a powerful form of artistic expression. Maybe in future times people will appreciate griffiti as they meanwhile do with the scribblings at the former Berlin wall? As long as it not an act of vandalism, it is a constructive art form.\r\n\r\nDuring the photo walk, Zola from Ghana saw this graffito of a face at a lamppost. She liked it very much! Overall, it is a very small one, about 10 cm x 20 cm. And it certainly has an artistic quality, no doubt. Hopefully, the unknown \"artist\" has found another way to express him/herself...

Zeynep from Iran recognized all over the city stickers with pictures of a bus, a walking couple and an arrow. She is asked on her opinion on that. She wonders what it could be: an artistic project? A secret code? Guidance to the bus station? She is explained that these are stickers for a special guided tour which should be done walking by foot. The bus symbol indicates that the tour starts at a bus stop and that no car is needed.\r\n\r\nWalking around for fun and recreation is very strange for her. She knows that Europeans go for walks and many love to hike in their leisure time. Walking for her is a nightmare since she walked great parts of her journey to Europe. \r\n\r\n\"We only wore sneakers, some of us only had sandals. After the first hundred miles the shoes were hardly usable and our feet were full of blisters\", she explains. She wrapped old newspapers around her feet so that the torn material of the sneakers did not make the blisters worse. When she arrived in Germany, her feet received medical treatment, but the scars remained. Hiking as recreation? Not for her. \"My feet hurt far too often to find pleasure in it,\" she says.

We visited a small town called Marktbreit in Franconia. The center is a kind of role model for small historic cities in Germany. Our women migrants\u0027 group are facinated by the fact that buildings from 8 centuries - the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque and modern times - can be depicted on a single picture. \"Quite a lot of history\" is their comment.

On the way we find a resting place under trees - it is a very nice place under an old walnut tree. All the migrants women seem to feel the peace and beauty of the place. But what is it that appeals to them most? \"The green shadow,\" says Zeynap, and the other women nod.

Validation Activity

En esta obra, el autor expresa el deseo de conseguir una vida hermosa a través de un mayor respecto hacia la naturaleza según se lee en los mensajes en español y árabe. Combina elementos decorativos generales con algunos propios de su cultura ///// In this work, the author expresses the desire to achieve a beautiful life through greater respect for nature as read in the messages in Spanish and Arabic. He combines general decorative elements with some of his own culture. Once again culture and environment come together to give a message about one of the great concerns of today\u0027s society.

La montaña - Victoria (Rusia) / The mountain - Victoria (Russia). La autora ha pintado una concha con un color oscuro sobre el que ha aplicado otras pinturas de colores brillantes, dándole un carácter mágico. Hay que destacar que cerca de Antequera existe una montaña muy conocida por sus formaciones kársticas, el Torcal. Muchas personas le dan cierto carácter mágico a este lugar, por lo que la autora podría querer expresar dicha magia a través de este trabajo. Curiosamente, es frecuente encontrar en dicha montaña conchas marinas, pues hace millones de años, las rocas que ahora la forman estarían sumergidas en el mar ///// The author has painted a shell with a dark colour on which she has applied other brightly coloured paints, giving it a magical character. It should be noted that near Antequera there is a mountain well known for its karstic formations, known as El Torcal. Many people give a certain magic character to this place, so the author might want to express that magic through this work. Curiously, it is common to find sea shells on this mountain, because millions of years ago, the rocks that now form it would be submerged in the sea.

La autora utiliza diferentes tipos de materiales (pinturas, conchas, madera,...) para representar su hogar materno en Perú. Hace una composición a modo de collage, cubriendo todos los elementos de pinturas de vivos colores según la artesanía de su país. Expresa un sentimiento muy vívido y usual en los migrantes como es la nostalgia ///// The author uses different types of materials (paintings, shells, wood,...) to represent her maternal home in Peru. She makes a composition in the form of a collage, covering all the elements of brightly colored paintings according to the craftsmanship of her country. It expresses a very vivid and usual feeling in the migrants as it is the nostalgia.

Es una pintura que representa la orilla del mar en un país tropical, posiblemente Venezuela. El autor puede expresar su viaje como migrante, representando un lugar de contacto entre su país, la playa, y el viaje a Europa, el mar y el horizonte. En el centro se puede ver un barco como protagonista de ese tránsito //// It is a painting that represents the seashore in a tropical country, possibly Venezuela. The author can express his journey as a migrant, representing a place of contact between his country, the beach, and the journey to Europe, the sea and the horizon. In the centre, a boat can be seen as the protagonist of this transit.

Pintura evocadora sobre uno de los componentes fundamentales de la vida para este autor: el amor. Una pareja se une en un paisaje idílico al atardecer. El entorno y los protagonistas se fusionan en una composición colorida y de gran simbología. No en valde una estrella fugaz surca el firmamento como queriendo hacer realidad el deseo de los amantes ///// Evocative painting about one of the fundamental components of life for this author: love. A couple unites in an idyllic landscape at sunset. The environment and the protagonists merge into a colourful and highly symbolic composition. A shooting star does cross the sky as if it wanted to make the lovers\u0027 wish come true.

Representación del país de origen y el país de acogida del autor, sintetizando el deseo de bienestar y de continuidad vital a pesar de haber viajado miles de kilómetros a la busca de un nuevo hogar ///// Representation of the author\u0027s country of origin and host country, synthesising the desire for well-being and continuity of life despite having travelled thousands of kilometres in search of a new home.

Es un trabajo conceptualmente similar al realizado por Sandra (Perú), de hecho lo hicieron en la misma mesa, quizás en un intento de intercambio intercultural. Siendo el concepto parecido, cada autor lo ha ejecutado de manera diferente. Siendo los elementos usados los mismos (pintura, conchas, madera,...), cada autor ha plasmado su propia manera de expresar y de ver el mundo ///// It is a work conceptually similar to the one carried out by Sandra (Peru), in fact they did it at the same table, perhaps in an attempt of intercultural exchange. The concept being similar, each author has executed it differently. Being the elements used the same (paint, shells, wood,...), each author has shaped his own way of expressing and seeing the world .

El autor hace una representación de la bandera de su país, Venezuela, que destaca por sus tres colores: amarillo, azul y rojo. Para decorarla, ha pintado del mismo color y colocado en cada parte una concha marina. Es un homenaje a sus país de origen, quizás desde un sentimiento de nostalgia y de amor a la tierra patria ///// The author makes a representation of the flag of his country, Venezuela, which stands out for its three colors: yellow, blue and red. To decorate it, he has painted in the same color and placed a seashell in each part. It is a tribute to his country of origin, perhaps from a feeling of nostalgia and love for the homeland.

Es una interesante composición a modo de collage que combina pintura y escultura. En ella se puede ver de manera abstracta una ciudad costera, que podría representar perfectamente Barcelona. El trazado ortogonal de las calles (similar al del ensanche), la concha en un extremo a modo de montaña (Montjuic) y diferentes edificios a modo de rascacielos (habien escrito sobre uno de ellos \"La Sagrada Familia\"), pueden representar esta ciudad española. Quizás sea la ciudad donde el autor quisiera ir a vivir, o donde ya viven amigos o familiares, materializando de este modo su deseo de bienestar y mejora en la vida ///// It is an interesting collage-like composition that combines painting and sculpture. In it you can see in an abstract way a coastal city, which could perfectly represent Barcelona. The orthogonal layout of the streets (similar to that of the Eixample), the shell at one end in the form of a mountain (Montjuic) and different buildings in the form of skyscrapers (they have written \"La Sagrada Familia\" on one of them), may represent this Spanish city. Perhaps it is the city where the author would like to go and live, or where friends or family already live, thus materializing his desire for well-being and improvement in life.

En esta pintura, realizada por una madre y su hijo, se representa el sentimiento de agradecimiento hacia el país de acogida. De este modo, a través de elementos naturales y culturales realizados con vivos colores, se representa la hermosura y riqueza del nuevo país, tanto en lo cultural como en lo natural. Es un dibujo optimista, donde la belleza supone una promesa de una mejora vital. Como símbolo de la unión entre el país de acogida y el de origen, Venezuela, en las esquinas se representan las banderas de ambos países bellamente engalanadas ///// In this painting, made by a mother and her son, the feeling of gratitude towards the host country is represented. In this way, through natural and cultural elements made with bright colors, the beauty and richness of the new country is shown, both culturally and naturally. It is an optimistic drawing, where beauty is a promise of vital improvement. As a symbol of the union between the host country and the country of origin, Venezuela, the flags of both countries are beautifully decorated in the corners.

Esta interesante composición tiene como base una concha y un esqueleto de sepia que han sido profusamente decorados mediante pintura. En ellos vemos diferentes elementos coloridos como son la bandera de Venezuela y elementos naturales como un paisaje marino y un arco iris. Es una obra positiva, cuyo mensaje, pintado a mano, habla por si mismo: “Nunca te arrepientas de conocer nuevas personas / La gente buena te da recuerdos / La gente mala te da lecciones / La gente especial te hace feliz” ///// This interesting composition has as its base a shell and a cuttlefish skeleton that have been profusely decorated with paint. In them we see different colorful elements such as the Venezuelan flag and natural elements such as a seascape and a rainbow. It is a positive work, whose hand-painted message speaks for itself: “Never regret meeting new people / Good people give you memories / Bad people give you lessons / Special people make you happy “.

La autora representa una tranquila escena de día en la playa. Un bañista toma plácidamente el sol entre palmeras tropicales y complementa la pintura con algunas conchas marinas pintadas. Es una escena plácida y colorida, si bien se puede apreciar la nostalgia por el país de origen ///// The author depicts a peaceful scene on the beach during the day. A swimmer placidly sunbathe among tropical palms and complements the painting with some painted seashells. It is a placid and colorful scene, although one can appreciate the nostalgia for the country of origin.

En esta imagen, la autora de la pintura “Cuba, te amo” explica este trabajo cargado de nostalgia y amor patrio, donde la representación de esta isla destaca en el centro y es rodeado por algunos elementos de fuerte simbología, según cuenta la autora ///// In this picture, the author of the painting \"Cuba, I love you\" explains this work loaded with nostalgia and patriotic love, where the representation of this island stands out in the center and is surrounded by some elements of strong symbolism, according to the author.

Validation Activity

Sun-dried loam has been used for buillding since thousands of years. We can find houses made of mud bricks not onlyin Afghanistan, Syria or Africa, but also in Austria and Germany.

It is the oldest freestanding monumental mud-brick structure in the world and one of the earliest upstanding remnant of Egypt’s long and rich tradition of mud-brick construction, Measuring 67m by 57m in dimensions, with walls 5m thick at their base, the ‘Fort’ is still preserved in places to near its original height of 10m.

This picture shows a loam house built with a 3D printer\r\nA new kind of 3D-printed house is currently taking shape outside of Bologna, Italy, and its makers think it could be the future of sustainable 3D-printed architecture. Called the TECLA, the house is built from clay extruded into an elegant mound shape. It’s the work of Mario Cucinella, an architect who founded the School of Sustainability and helped develop the printer technology behind the project.

In summer 2019, some members of our group attended a seminar for loam building in an Austrian museum village. There we learned the art how to form bricks from loam with our hands.

This work is has not changed over thousands of years andis still practiced today in many parts ofthe world.

In Afghanistan many houses are built in this traditional way. Mud bricks are dried in the sun.

Building a hose with mud bricks is not only cheaper but has also ecological advantages: the material comes from nearby and needs no long transport, and no energy is needed forburiningthe bricksat high temperatures.

We were proud to learn this ancient craft which gives us understanding oft he traditional architecture in many places oft he world – in our home countries but also in the Eastern parts of Austria where we have found a new home!

Mud brick buildings can be found everywhere in Afghanistan. This is an old tower in the Qala district in Kabul.

Mud brick walls of the city fortification near the Park Palace Guest House, with remnants of the war.

The mountain village Qala-e Sabazi, in the centre of Afghanistan

Shahr-e Gholghola or Gholghola City is also called the City of Screams, the City of Woe, or the City of Sorrows. It is an archaeological site located near the town of Bamyan, Afghanistan.

In many cities in Iraq (and in its neighbouringcountries) one can find small streets like this.

This picture shows a tradiitional mud brick farm house in Syria:

Yemen is famous for its multi-storey houses bulit of mud bricks.

Deep in Yemen’s most remote valley lies the city of Shibam. The city of 2,000 inhabitants hardly seems impressive. Just a handful of high-rise residential buildings, not so different from the Soviet-style blocks found across the Arab world.\r\n\r\nYet these buildings don’t date from the 20th century, or even the late 19th century. They were built almost five centuries ago, and have remained largely unchanged since.\r\nThe city is one of the few to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its 500 houses reach an astounding 100 feet in height, almost as high as Chicago’s first skyscrapers. Perhaps most remarkable of all is the fact that the city was built using nothing but mud.

In many countries in Africa, both North and South oft he Sahara, people use sun-dried loam to build their houses.

In the dry climate of Morocco, big parts of old twnshavebeenerected using sun-dried loam briicks as buildingmaterial

In the Sahel states, most rural buildings are made from mud bricks. Here we show a Dogon village in Mali.

The Great Mosque of Bobo-Dioulasso is one of the most outstanding examples of earth architecture. It is more than 200 years old.

The Musgum people live in Cameroun and Tschad and build their traditional homes in form of bee hives.\r\nDo you see the similarity with the house in Syria?

In the Eastern parts of Austria,but also in HUngary, Roumenia and Slovenia, many farm houses are bulit with sund-dried mud bricks

While the foundations are built with stomes, the walls are mad of mus bricks. Very often,new windows and new facade plaster are hiiding the old brick walls.

Also the „cellar streets“ consist mostly of loam architecture. These houses have no inhabitants, they are just for keeping the wine production equipment and lead to large underground cellars.

The inside of a modern house built with mud bricks

A modern earth house in the United States

Validation Activity

Il teatro Massimo di Palermo visto di giorno, molto simile al Palazzo Presidenziale nella mia città..

il mio primo respiro, la mia famiglia, i ricordi che tengo sempre con me

i bambini, il calcio.. il mio mondo!

Una giornata con gli amici vale molto più di quanto pensi.\r\n\r\nForo Italico, Palermo, sole, mare, non manca altro..

Quando la passione per la musica ti porta ad esprimere i tuoi pensieri.\r\nPrimo giorno di \u0027\u0027libertà\u0027\u0027 dopo la quarantena, finalmente

Reggae for life, music has no border

E\u0027 sempre Estate, Isola delle Femmine, good time

l\u0027arte che migra dentro di noi e in tutto il mondo (AM).\r\nBellissima giornata al parco della Favorita e bellissima esperienza.

SUPRA CAVADDU (sopra il cavallo!)\r\nRicordi d\u0027infanzia nella mia terra.

Così grande che ti ci perdi!

Quale miglior sintomo di ottima integrazione se non un mercato storico della città in cui vengono commercializzati prodotti peculiari del continente africano? Ballarò tra le sue vie, le sue lingue e i suoi prodotti integra perfettamente culture molto distanti tra loro.

Si trova proprio di tutto tra le vie del mercato, salumi formaggi e chi più ne ha più ne metta!

Nello storico mercato rionale di Ballarò, tra le varie peculiarità, si possono trovare prodotti tipici dell\u0027isola, una tra tutte è il Pesce Spada pescato e venduto in giornata tra i banconi posizionati nelle vie del mercato.

Agrumi e profumi di Sicilia a Ballarò

Nel mercato della Vucciria ho trovato un ristorante in cui si possono mangiare le specialità della mia terra e quelle palermitane.

Io, felice, spensierato, sotto il cielo di Palermo!

E\u0027 andato tutto bene, perché oggi sono qui!\r\nDa prigioni libiche a piazza Ballarò. Sono finalmente palermitano e voglio restare quì.

Di ritorno a casa con i miei amici, via Roma è incantevole.

La vista di Via Roma è unica, soprattutto quando vuoi rilassarti con una passeggiata.

Visita al santuario di Santa Rosalia