This morning my mind is in The Solomon Islands as there has been a tsunami alert after an strong earthquakes. I look to the map and hope Isabel Island is far enough form the Santa Cruz islands for my family to be safe.Like if it was yesterday: A day in Nareabu... 6:00 The church keeper beats on an empty gas canister hanging from a breadfruit tree. The Fihu family rise quickly, put on their church clothes and quietly join the [...]
I have lived with families in 116 countries in the last 30 years. Here is a first outlook on my comparative research: Families of the world: https://www.flickr.com/photos/helenetremblay_humanity/sets/ Houses of the world: https://www.flickr.com/photos/helenetremblay_humanity/sets/72157639211272223/ Going IN: https://www.flickr.com/photos/helenetremblay_humanity/sets/72157639211360245/ Note: There are scripts, statistics, other photos and I am now looking for computer experts to help me bring to life these research. If you would like to get involved in web design and web content, please contact me (Helene tremblay) at info@humanspace.net. It would [...]
Working, writing and producing in two languages is a timely exercise. Each language is a philosophy, a humour, a poetry that seems to move something else within me. It brings another world to reach and to talk to, other tones, other colours. I post on Facebook and want to speak to the world and two languages are not enough. Sometimes, because of this, I go into silence. I had a friend who would stutter in French and did not in [...]
Democracy “Ritang, take the baby,” says Grandmother. She goes to sit in front of her old rotting house and starts weaving pandanu leaves. Her own house badly needs repairs, but the leaves she weaves this morning are for the maneaba, the village’s large meeting house, where all decisions are made, in the presence of the elders. 10 am – Bakea goes to the maneaba with her neighbour, both women pulling their piece of leaf work for the roof repairs. [...]
Back in 1986, in the Matsuo family… Takako, feels responsible for her children’s future, and she measures her worth by their success. She believes her nurturing and encouraging them will instil in her children the confidence and self-worth necessary to survive the rigors of their educational life. That day, at 7h30, after dinner, Takako removes the cover from the bathtub. The water she ran one hour before is still hot. After she and the two children shower, they [...]
Sometimes there is nothing to let the other imagine where we are from. Evolution is a choice that we make as opportunities present themselves to us.
REGARD My project is a story of regard. When I started giving conferences in English I realized that when I decided to quit everything else to do this project, I might have been making a cultural choice. Would I have lived this adventure if my mother tongue was another. In French there is only one word for eyes, looks, outlook. So when I thought that I wanted to capture le regard of men, women and children. I wanted to capture all of their [...]
