„Give courage“ in any way
The book „Φτου Ξελύπη – Ftou Kselypi“ (english translation: „Goodbye to Sorrow“) by the Greek writer Marietta Kondo tells the story of Nour, a girl who fled the devastating war in Syria. After a real odyssey, Nour was able, through her strong will and her talent in swimming, to participate with a team of displaced swimmers in the Refugee Team of the Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro. The book was published by Metaixmio Press in Greece, it was translated into Arabic there and distributed in refugee shelters. It is a book of hope and is suitable for children aged eight and above.
The program is aimed at everyone who deals with refugee and immigration issues. It aspires to support and promote fundamental democratic ideals via learning processes.
Contact: mut [at] muenster [dot] org
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Spread courage, hope, and … books
Press release 12/11/2018
Children’s books aren’t always fairytales about fictional persons, but they often stare at reality with big children’s eyes. Some kids are forced to these children, with whom they will hopefully have a good time.
The author shared her thoughts about this journey: “When an author’s text or book sets sail, there is always some anticipation and sentiment, like the child that goes to unlock doors and hearts, there is a lot of sharing, intimacy, and joy. When these doors and hearts are even farther, speak even more languages than I could possibly imagine, there is emotion, gratefulness, and responsibility”.
The initiative „Mut machen“ (“Be brave”/“Give courage”), the city of Münster, and the Greek publishing house Metaixmio brought 500 copies of the Arabic translation of the book “Ftorical City Hall of Münster (Rüstkammer, Prinzipalmarkt 9, Münster).
We are Dr. Paraskevi Toma, Orestis Kazasidis, Helga Sonntag, Dr. Ömer Lütfü Yavuz, Dr. Georgios Tsakalidis und Dr. Nikola Moustakis. We would like tory and Culture of the East Mediterranean (Centrum für Geschichte und Kultur des östlichen Mittelmeerraums – GKM) and the International Centre of the University of Münster („Die Brücke“), the International Working Group (Arbeitskreis International e.V.), the Turkish Labor and Student Union (Türkischen Arbeiter- und Studentenverein Münster e.V.), the Union for the Promotion of the Arabic Language (Förderverein Arabischer Sprache e.V.), and the Union for the Cultural and Social Cooperation (AFAQ e.V. / Verein für kulturelle und gesellschaftliche Zusam-menarbeit) for the financial support, and the Municipal Legal and Immigration Office of Münster (Rechts- und Ausländeramt Münster), the publishing house Metaixmio, and the cultural website Mixgrill.gr for the collaboration.
