Tradução [1]: Making a Difference

Transcrição do vídeo "Making a Difference"

Como primeira etapa para elaboração das legendas em português para o vídeo, realizamos a degravação do mesmo, cujo texto segue abaixo, no original em inglês.

Making a Difference – Marina Cantacuzzino

The Forgiveness Project is an international charity that explores the nature of forgiveness through the real life stories of people who have been victims of crime and atrocity, as well as people who have committed, sometimes, quite terrible acts. The founder of this remarkable project, Marina Cantacuzino, believes that healing comes from understanding.

In addition to using people's stories in person, we also have a powerful exhibition called "The F Word", to promote understanding and create dialogue. The Forgiveness Project works in schools, prisons, faith communities and in any group that wants to explore the nature of forgiveness; either in a wider, political context or within their own lives.

The British government pugilistic stance in Iraq is what motivated me to start on the project. I've been a freelance journalist for 15 years and I think that was the one single event that really inspired me to try to do something different and to try to make people understand the futility of an eye-for-an-eye attitude. Buddhist values and principles inform my world vision and Soka Gakkai's (International) president, Daisaku Ikeda, seem to be one of the very few people, at the time, speaking out strongly against retaliation. And, I suppose, inspiring people to think deeply about the consequences of vile conflict, and I felt very supported in that way. And since growing up with a terminally ill and disabled brother, always feeling different because of it, I think that fear of difference is probably the cause of much of the world's pain. And so I started collecting stories from people who have lived through violence, tragedy and injustice. And that they sought forgiveness and reconciliation rather than revenge.

Victoria was very, very precious to us. From the very first day we heard about the death of Victoria, we began praying that one day we would be able to forgive. To be locked in a fix attitude of retribution, is to kill a child twice. You extinguish the very spirit and memory of your child.

So I then was lucky enough to have the opportunity to meet with the late Anita Roddick, and share some of the stories, and she was so moved by them that she agreed to front the F” word Images and Forgiveness “ exhibition. It opened in January 2004 and its overwhelming success took me completely by surprise. And the matter of the exhibition came from faith communities, prison schools, and from every part of the UK really, and beyond. I would say (that) by now the ”F Word“ exhibition has been seen probably in 350 venues, and probably 40000 people “have seen it worldwide, because there were six exhibitions, even one in South Africa and one in America. We have 500 visitors on he website, on average, every day. An people from around the world, both victims or perpetrators, e-mail their stories to us. People also tell us that reading the stories online, has had a very healing effect, and help them deal with the pain in their own lives.

Three months after Nelson Mandela's release from prison, I received a letter bomb, and in the bomb blast I´ve lost both hands, one eye, and had my eardrum shattered. No one was charged with this crime. I haven't forgiven anyone, because I have no one to forgive.

We run a prison program, which provides the opportunity for prisoners to address the harm that they caused, and, most significantly, to help them address the relationship between themselves as victims and the victims of their crimes. We've now just started running, for prisoners, Creative Communication Process, which explore forgiveness through the form of digital media, and this, I suppose, gives prisoners an opportunity to further explore their life stories, and their experience with forgiveness by creating something to do with drama, music or documentary. We´re also advising and training for teachers to take the work into schools.

I live in London, with my husband and three children, and I've been practicing Buddhism for 25 years. So I realy draw on my Buddhism practice to help me deal with some of the many challenges that come up with this work.

A group called “Murder Victim's Families for Reconciliation” were contacted by the mother of the alleged 20th hijacker Zacharias Massawi. She wanted to meet some of the families of the victims and ask for their forgiveness. As we waited in the private university building a mother whose son was killed in the World Trade Center went down the hall to meet her. We heard footsteps, then silence.  Then we heard this sobbing. Finally they both came in to the room, both mothers with their arms around each other. By now, we were all crying. One day I would like to meet Zacharias Massawi. I would like to say to him “you can hate me and my brother as much as you like, but I want you to know that I loved your mother,  and that I comforted her when she was crying”

My vision for the project is that it continues to grow, and that we soon have a number of chapters in various countries throughout the world. And, of course, that the prison program is shown to really affect the way prisoners view crime, and that the school program is shown to affect the way that children look and conflict and justice.

I commend Marina for her valuable work. God Bless you.

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