I received an email from a man named Rod Cox asking if he could borrow the short film about the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions. He wished to include it in a series of short films he was showing in Chester Town Hall Square to accompany the Gaza children’s art exhibition. The exhibition mounted on large boards includes a moving list of the names and ages of children known to have died in Operation Case Lead in 2008/09.
Rod in with his white van had accompanied George Galloway’s on his Viva Palestina Gaza Convoy in February 2009. In Gaza, he met and talked with many children and their pictures reflected their experience. Rod was unable to exit Gaza with his van but he brought home as many of the children’s pictures as he could. He takes the exhibition to wherever there is a venue in which to show it and I believe his next port of call is the Welsh Assembly.
Showing films, even under a small marque proved impractical because the sun was too bright. Rob suggested I might like to speak but after a couple of hours I sloped off to look at the river. Knowing that I would be cross with myself if I ‘chickened out’ of this opportunity to speak in the open air, I returned and although I was relatively coherent I can’t say that my speech stopped shoppers in their tracks but there we go! I tried!
The day was all part of the Chester Northgate Festival and Rod’s pictures are moving to a Pop-Up Gallery in Rufus Court for three weeks.
Angela