The One Through The Other a performance by Guila Clara Kessous UNESCO Artist for Peace "What is hateful to thee, do not unto thy fellow; this is the whole law. The rest is a commentary to this law; go and learn it." – Babylonian Talmud
Do to others as you would have them do to you. – Luke VI
"None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself." – Hadith Sahih
Media Highlight In a world torn by religious difference, the relationship with and understanding of sacred texts is essential to preclude the possibility of altering the message of coexistence evoked by the three monotheistic religions. These words, which find their origins in the texts validated by the highest religious authorities, emphasize the importance of all monotheistic traditions that seek to enable us to better live together by promoting an ethical relationship amongst all beings.
Because One could not exist without the Other. No divine unity could exist without a relationship to the human. The human being who praises, who prays, and who gives life succeeds through his relationship to the Other. The religions of Adam and Abraham pose this problem in a non-negotiable way at the heart of their texts, prayers, and mystic poems, going as far as speaking of "love" of thy neighbor as a condition of a just belief—a belief that is real and sincere. In our society, in our time, these words must be reemphasized and repeated so that any message of hate and violence may be considered as a deliberate act of separating from and corrupting the very essence of that which is considered most sacred at the heart of all religions: life itself. It will offer another way to connect oneself to the religious in accordance with the fundamental principles of ethics and social morals.
Texts of Peace A song of ascents of David. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers also to dwell together! As the good oil on the head runs down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, which runs down on the mouth of his garments. As the dew of Hermon which runs down on the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessing, life forever. (Psalm 133)
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbour, and not bear sin because of him. (Leviticus 19:18) Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister. (1 John 4:20-21) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-2) Nine things the Lord has commanded me: Fear of God in private and in public; justness, whether in anger or in calmness; moderation in both poverty and affluence; joining hands with those who break away from me; and giving to those who deprive me; and forgiving those who wrong me; and making of my silence mediation; and my words remembrance of God; and taking a lesson from my observation. (Hadith) Say [O] Muhammad, “If you should love God, then follow me, [so] God will love you and forgive you your sins. And God is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Qur’an 3: 31)
Readers Dr. Forster Smith The Rev. Dr. Lucy A. Forster-Smith is Sedgwick Chaplain to Harvard University and Senior Minister in the Memorial Church. Before joining Harvard in January 2014, she was Chaplain of the College and Associate Dean for Religious and Spiritual Life at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota for 20 years. Prior to that, she served in campus ministry positions at Carroll University, the University of Washington, and Muskingum College. She has Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and is ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A). Her most recent book, Crossing Thresholds: The Making and Remaking of a College Chaplain (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books), was published in 2015. Rev. Dr. Forster-Smith also edited College and University Chaplaincy in the 21st Century: A Multifaith Look at the Practice of Ministry on Campuses across America (SkyLight Paths Publishing, October 2013), a collection of essays written by chaplains in higher education settings that reveals the powerful ways that chaplains are engaged with religious, spiritual and moral lives of students and the campus community.
Dr. Guila Clara Kessous Guila Clara Kessous is a specialist in Arts and Human Rights attached to intercultural and interreligious issues. She conceives drama as a socially conscious reflection pervading multiple aspects of society and culture. As an actress, she has benefited from American and European theatrical approaches. Her awards include State Diploma Recognition as a Theatre Professional from French Minister of Culture, Gold Dikalo Best Actress Trophy, Gold Medal of performing arts from French Conservatory, Cannes Movie Festival Official Selection, Avignon/New York Film Festival Award Young Talent as a movie director, and “The Voices of Universality” Medal for artistic direction of the tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the UN in New York under the high Patronage of His Excellency Ambassador Moussa M. Camara. She has performed in and directed numerous plays in France and abroad in support of human rights and intercultural dialogue with the help of international leaders such as Malala Yousafzai, John Malkovich and Peter Brook. For her work in arts and philanthropy, she received the Global Gift Philanthropist Award from actress Eva Longoria. She was awarded the title of “UNESCO Artist for Peace” in 2012 and was knighted by the French government. In 2015, she is a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School to work on interreligious dialogue through performance art.
Chaplain Taymullah Abdur-Rahman Imam Taymullah Abdur-Rahman has been a pastoral care provider for the past decade. He received a degree in Islamic Sciences from the Saudi Arabian Council of Senior Scholars in 2006. In addition, he has studied Arabic and Islamic theology with several traditional scholars over the past ten years with concentration on cultivating the heart. Imam Taymullah served as Muslim chaplain for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections for seven years, as well as a spiritual advisor to Northeastern University. He is currently pursuing a master's in Global Inter-religious Leadership at Andover Newton Theological School. He is passionate about utilizing the dispensations of Islamic jurisprudence to develop a distinctly American Muslim cultural identity. For his efforts to foster what he likes to call “fearless fellowship,” Taymullah received the St. Elizabeth Episcopal Church's award for Promoting Interfaith Understanding in 2011. He serves on the Board of the interreligious youth non-profit, Kids 4 Peace, and has recently signed his first book contract with International Islamic Publishing House in Riyadh to publish his essay on Islamic personal development titled, 44 Ways to Manhood. Imam Taymullah is a regular lecturer, family counselor and educator in and around New England.
Artistic Team Carson P. Cooman Organist Carson Cooman is Research Associate in Music and Composer in Residence at the Memorial Church. As a composer, Cooman has produced a catalog of hundreds of works in many forms—ranging from solo instrumental pieces to operas, and from orchestral works to hymn tunes. His music has been performed on all six inhabited continents and appears on over forty recordings, including seventeen complete CDs on the Naxos, Albany, Artek, Gothic, Altarus, MSR Classics, Raven, and Zimbel labels. Cooman's primary composition studies were with Bernard Rands, Judith Weir, Alan Fletcher, and James Willey, and he holds degrees from Harvard University and Carnegie Mellon University. As an active concert organist, Cooman specializes in the performance of contemporary music. Over 130 new works have been composed for him by composers from around the world, and his organ performances can be heard on a number of CD recordings.
Carlotta Ferrari Composer Carlotta Ferrari is an Italian composer. Educated at the Conservatory in Milan, she has composed in many genres, developing a personal language that is concerned with the blend of past and present. Her compositions have been performed frequently around the world. Her compositions have appeared on Waterwheel World Water Day Symposium and WPRB radio Princeton NJ, and have been performed in venues such as Harvard University, New York University, Steinway Haus in Hamburg and München, National Center for Performing Arts in Beijing, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, St. Gallen Cathedral, St.George’s Hanover Square in London, Manhattan Central Synagogue in NYC, and other relevant theaters and churches. A recital entirely devoted to her music has happened in Cardiff UK in 2014. Carlotta Ferrari won the 2nd prize at 2013 edition of Sisì-Frezza competition for women composers held by IFBPW (International Federation of Business and Professional Women). She received the auspices of the President of Italy in 2008 for the premiere of her secular Cantata dedicated to the victims of terrorism. Ferrari’s music appears on several CD recordings, including two all-Ferrari organ CDs: one recorded by Carson Cooman in 2014 and another by Peter Clark in 2015. She is currently the chair of music composition at Hebei Normal University in Shijiazhuang, China.
Harry Umen Set Designer Harry Umen is a practicing artist and designer. He is a graduate of the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia (B.F.A.) and Indiana University, Bloomington ( M.F.A.). Harry has been working with digital media in some form for over twenty years. His work has been featured regionally and nationally and in 2014 was a finalist in the Descience MIT Media Lab International Fashion Competition. Currently he is involved with experimental photography involving light, fabricated and natural surfaces as well as the human form. Harry has a particular interest in the convergence of art, technology and fashion design. Harry has worked with technology and art throughout his professional career. His aesthetic as a visual artist and designer has been shaped by interests in Russian Constructivism, Bauhaus artists, generative, and systemic art. Harry explores and produces works engaged with systems, materials and generative processes. Harry is currently the Co-ordinator of the Graphic Design and Media Arts Program at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Len Schnabel Len Schnabel Light Design A graduate of Emerson College with a degree in Theatre Design, his performance credits include theatre and dance projects in Boston and New York and work at the Newport Jazz Festival. Architectural consulting of note include Scampo, Lydia Shire’s new dining experience at the Liberty Hotel Boston and Bleacher Bar, a new restaurant under the center field bleachers at Fenway Park In the world of corporate theater Mr. Schnabel has designed productions for major corporate clients including EMC, METLIFE, and Prudential Insurance both in Boston and around the world. He is the principal of DesignLight, a firm specializing in performance, event and architectural lighting projects
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Frank Lalou Calligrapher Frank Lalou was born in Marmande in 1958. En1956 his parents settled in this small town of Gascogne after leaving Morocco. In 1965, the family moved to Nice. At twelve years old, he discovered the Jewish culture and the beauty of hebrew letters. Its great meeting, before its nine years, with the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, was crucial. His passion for this musician is the source of all his research. At twelve years, he studied piano and teases his teachers because he wanted to play only Bach. His sister, Lucie, great reader of Baudelaire and French poets, introduced him to poetry, literature. Lonely young man, he devotes his time to music, reading philosophers, Plato, Bergson, Bachelard, and writing his first texts. After the Baccalauréat, he made a long journey around the Mediterranean. He began studying philosophy at the Faculty of Arts of Nice. Since 1981, he wrote short stories, poems, and began to publish in the revew Diamant Noir. In 1984, a great change takes place in his life, on the 4th of June, he exhibited, under the pressure of his benevolent artists friends, his first calligraphies, gave his first happening calligraphy / music with Lubat Bernard, presents his first score for four voices spoken sound poetry and released his first book : Sables et Terres Mystiques, to Froidefond publisher. In 1985, during a trip in Greece, he calligraphies the Gospel of Thomas. The miraculous sale of this book, and a grant for the creation from the Centre Régional des Lettres, mark his new life. Therefore, he devoted himself entirely to calligraphy and writing. In 1986, he presented his latest one-off book to André Chouraqui, Song of Solomon. Then comes a long complicity. Chouraqui introduced Frank Lalou to Jean Mouttapa of Albin Michel, which will launch his career as an essayist. His approach to calligraphy, even if it turns out to Hebrew, is strongly influenced by the arts of Japan. His calligraphic gesture comes in part from Chado, the Art of Tea. In 1990, the announcement of the imminent death of his father, he returned to his Jewish sources and follows the spiritual teaching of some teachers. He met the one he calls his brother in letters, Marc -Alain Ouaknin. Since then, he dedicated his life to the research and interpretation of biblical texts (the Song of Songs, Psalms, Albin Michel publisher ). His work is noticed in museums, galleries and publishers interested in his approach. The Biblithèque Nationale de France acquired some of his books in its prestigious collection of Hebrew manuscripts and a few years later a Gospel of Thomas is also acquired. In thirty years, he made dozens of exhibitions ( Musée des Arts décoratifs in Bordeaux, National Library, Museum of Nice) and has published as a writer, and as a calligrapher, forty books. He divides his time between Paris and Nice. Since 1999, he performed shows that combine song, dance and calligraphy.
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Production Team Guila Clara Kessous Executive Producer Guila Clara Kessous is a specialist in Arts and Human Rights attached to intercultural and interreligious issues. She conceives drama as a socially conscious reflection pervading multiple aspects of society and culture. As an actress, she has benefited from American and European theatrical approaches. Her awards include State Diploma Recognition as a Theatre Professional from French Minister of Culture, Gold Dikalo Best Actress Trophy, Gold Medal of performing arts from French Conservatory, Cannes Movie Festival Official Selection, Avignon/New York Film Festival Award Young Talent as a movie director, and “The Voices of Universality” Medal for artistic direction of the tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the UN in New York under the high Patronage of His Excellency Ambassador Moussa M. Camara. She has performed in and directed numerous plays in France and abroad in support of human rights and intercultural dialogue with the help of international leaders such as Malala Yousafzai, John Malkovich and Peter Brook. For her work in arts and philanthropy, she received the Global Gift Philanthropist Award from actress Eva Longoria. Kessous obtained a doctorate under the direction of Nobel Prize recipient Elie Wiesel from Boston University. She also holds degrees from Harvard University, Sorbonne and ESSEC MBA School. Kessous created the course “Theater and Human Rights” at Harvard University Kennedy School and SciencesPo. She created workshops through the program “Peace through Performing Arts” as a fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award from the Bok Center at Harvard University. She is the co-founder of the Center for Promotion of Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue, which received the prestigious prize, “Peace Above Differences”. The center will serve a network of scientific scholars and religious communities dealing with intercultural and interreligious research and dialogue in affiliation with the United Nations. Kessous is a member of the ARIAS laboratory (CNRS/Paris III/ENS) and holds a Postdoctorate scholarship from Harvard University Center for European Studies. She was a research associate at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute for Gender Studies in 2011 working on “Religiosity, Theatre and Femininity”. For her numerous humanitarian missions for intercultural dialogue and her work on women’s rights, Guila Clara Kessous was awarded the title of “UNESCO Artist for Peace” in 2012, presented by the UNESCO General Director. She was knighted by the French government and is also the youngest recipient of the title of Officer of Arts and Humanities (Officier Arts & Lettres). In 2015, she has been nominated Young Leader in Foreign and Security Policy at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and is a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School to work on interreligious dialogue through performance art.
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Alex Dagi Assistant Producer Alex Dagi is a junior at Harvard College studying the History of Science and Technology. Alex worked previously as a production assistant for the staging of Elie Wiesel’s Le Choix. He has strong interests both in the arts and diplomacy. He has pursued these interests through film and dance, and through research at Harvard Law School’s International Negotiation Program.
Sana Saeed Assistant Producer Sana Saeed is a Mdiv Canditate at Harvard Divinity School. Academically, she holds two graduate degrees, a M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University and a M.A. in Peace Studies from the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. Professionally, she's had six years of work experience working with youth development, religious discrimination and interfaith dialogue, youth leadership development and conflict resolution with organizations including the Interfaith Alliance. At Harvard, she's a HDS representative for the Harvard Graduate Council, a member of the HDS Graduate Journal Editorial Board and a Board Member of the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Students (HUUMS). For the last two years Sana has spent time living in Tokyo, Japan and Yangon, Myanmar as a Rotary Peace Fellow documenting ethno-religious tensions and discrimination between Burmese Muslims and Buddhists, which will be published as research this year.
Sahar Shahid Media Outreach
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Neila Columbo Production Manager Neila Columbo is both an editor and freelance journalist. She studied international affairs at IBEI in Barcelona, Spain, and, following her studies, she resided in Paris, France to work as a contributing writer for various global, nonprofit initiatives to advance education of environmental, social, and international development issues, including the efforts of UNEP Ambassador Yann Arthus Bertrand's organization. She is truly honored to be part of such an extraordinary group in support of such an important effort and a cause for which she cares deeply.
Roberta Chadis Community Lead Roberta Chadis is an author, speaker, coach and teacher. She is also the President and Founder of Dog Health News™ and Public Speaking for Youth™. Roberta hosts 2 cable TV shows called Dog Health News and Get Your Voice Out There which are designed to allow her guests to talk about what they are doing to make a difference in dog health, education and community related genres. Roberta currently teaches Public Speaking to children in an enrichment school in Winchester, MA. Her passion is to help children and adults conquer their fears of public speaking so they become self-confident and communicate clearly.
Emily Click Consultant Producer Emily Click is assistant dean for ministry studies and field education and Lecturer on Ministry at HDS. Her scholarship has focused on new ways of conceptualizing connections among adult education theory, human development theory, and education for religious leadership. She is ordained in the United Church of Christ and has a decade of congregational ministry experience. She has served as chair of the steering committee of the Association for Theological Field Education (ATFE), the North American professional association for theological field educators. Emily teaches courses on leadership and administration, mentoring, and religious education. Publications include "Practical Theology in Contextual Education," in The Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology, edited by Bonnie Miller McLemore (Blackwell, forthcoming), "Ministerial Reflection," in Welcome to Theological Field Education, edited by Matthew Floding (Alban, 2011), and "The Evolution of Theological Field Education," in Equipping the Saints: Best Practices in Contextual Theological Education, edited by David O. Jenkins and Alice P. Rogers (Pilgrim Press, 2010). She has also written on the educational dimensions of preparing religious leaders.
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Media Highlight The Cry for Peace of Three Believers By Mirielle Martin For those who wonder what remains after Charlie, there is this encounter: a concert of three voices and one message, a cry for peace. This sacred moment of emotion took place late yesterday afternoon in the Grand Hall of Avignon City Hall. On this official stage, three believers brought to life an interreligious and intercultural dialogue: Michael Lonsdale, for the Christian tradition, Latifa Ibn Ziaten, for the Islamic tradition, and Guila Clara Kessous for the Jewish tradition. It is this actress, UNESCO Artist for Peace, spending her time between Harvard University and Paris, who had the idea of “The One Through the Other: a cry for peace” “It was after the attacks in January” recounts Kessous. “I wanted to rattle people with positive messages.” The talent and the voice of Michael Lonsdale was equally striking. And lastly, Latifa Ibn Ziaten is known throughout France as the president of the Imad Ibn Ziaten Association for Youth and Peace in France, named for her son in the military who was killed by Mohamed Merah. “She has so much courage. So many other Muslim artists refused to participate,” admires Guila Clara Kessous. “The verses of the Torah, the Quran, and the New Testament draw a picture of love for the other, of
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roots that are desperately needed today. It is the responsibility of believers and the two other participants, as a practicing Christian and a practicing Muslim. It is a call to exist together,” explained the producer and scenographer to the hundred audience members. “In this troubled time, all that brings us closer must be valorized,” declared Mayor Cécile Helle, who presented Medals of Honor of the city of Avignon to Michael Lonsdale, Latifa Ibn Ziaten, and Guila Clara Kessous […]
Media Highlight Quran, New Testament, and Torah in One Voice for Peace. Interview by: Cecile Bodarwé, Interview: Guila Clara Kessous, UNESCO Artist for Peace, unites in Avignon with Michael Lonsdale and the mother of a Merah victim. French actress and playwright, engaged in human rights, Guila Clara Kessous presents on Monday, July 20 (6pm) in Avignon the religious texts for peace, accompanied by actor Micahel Lonsdale and Latifa Ibn Ziaten (the mother of a soldier assassinated in Toulouse by Mohammed Merah in 2012). Why did you decide to read the texts of these three monotheistic religions? I am a believer in the Jewish faith. After the Charlie Hebdo attacks, my responsibility as a believer is to show how there is a message of respect and a call for peace in the religious texts of the three Abrahamic religions. Before the ceremony, we will distribute booklets in which we have included portions from the Torah, the New Testament, and the Qur’an, as well as mystical poems and prayers, chosen for their universal messages and goodwill. The common ground of these three religions is coexistence. But the problem is how the texts have been interpreted. We must return to the texts. The world Islam comes from salam, which means peace. There will be three of you on stage – two actors and a the mother of a victim of Mohammed Merah… I will read extracts from the Torah, Michael Lonsdale will read from the New Testament, but I was unable to find a muslim actor to read the verses from the Quran. I invited numerous Muslim artists to participate, but none dared to participate. The only person who accepted was Latifa Ibn Ziaten, who has founded an association for interreligious dialogue. She is a magnificent person. Have you previously organized this type of performance? No, this is a premiere in Avignon, but the performance will travel. This production will be presented at the Vatican, in Jerusalem, in Amman…
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You obtained your doctorate under the mentorship of Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Prize recipient. How did you meet him? After seeing his play, The Trial of God (written in 1979), I was shocked. The play put God on trial for allowing the genocide of the Jews. I wrote to Elie Wiesel, who at that time was a professor at Boston University. In his response to me, he mentioned that he had written other plays that he wanted to publish and he asked me to join him. So I went and did my PhD under him! The second important person for me is actor John Malkovich, who appreciated my approach to theater. He invited me to join his troupe in Chicago. What is your approach to theater? I do social theater, drama therapy (the use of theater as a therapeutic process) like Brazilian Augusto Boal who
wrote Theater of the Oppressed. With the direct relationship between theater and the public, there is no possibility of politicization. I went to meet the survivors of genocide in Rwanda, Armenia, Bosnia, central Africa. In my work, I refer to ancient Greece. Theater was a communion of souls, an act of freedom and equality. There is something of an immediate connection between theater and human rights.
Media Highlight Three Voices in Interreligious Dialogue By Margaux Subra-Gomez UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization) is celebrating its 70th year in service of peace. To commemorate this occasion, a ceremony will take place tonight at Avignon City Hall. The ceremony will unite Actor Michael Lonsdale, Director Guila Clara Kessou, UNESCO Artist for Peace, and Latifa Ibn Ziaten, the mother of Imad, a soldier assassinated by Mohammed Merah on March 11, 2012. What do these three performers have in common? Without a doubt, an unconditional passion for intercultural and interreligious dialogue. Each in their own chapel, they preach coexistence, respect, and tolerance. This evening, they present in three
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voices the “Verses of Peace”, selected portions of the sacred texts of the New Testament, Quran, and Torah. “We will see the texts, not as texts,” explains Guila Clara Kessous. “We must show that these three Religions of the Book are founded on common ground and that it can be impossible to differentiate them.” A perilous mission in the context of religious tension? For this young Jewish director and actor, it is more than necessary. After the attacks in January, she asked herself about a believer’s responsibilities to her beliefs and she aims, with this project of an ecumenical “choir” to empower the faithful. Texts by seekers and believers have been chosen to show that tolerance and religion make, most of the time, a good mixture. “The problem is the interpretations of texts by religious commentators,” confides Guila Clara Kessous. “People often do not have access to the whole message.” The three readers will receive the Medal of Honor from the City of Avignon. A departure from France’s public secularism? “Being part of a secular society is also to respect the beliefs of the other. This presentation will be a sort of small survival manual for constructive discussions,” argues Guila Clara Kessous. We hope that her optimism will be contagious.
