Terror victims

NY sculptor seeks home for terror victims tribute

2011-11-02T23:54:00.000-07:00

Source: AJC

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — After her son, Alexander, was killed along with 269 others in the 1988 Libyan bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, artist Suse Lowenstein spent the next 15 years capturing the anguish of women whose relatives died in the terrorist attack.

Having experienced the grief herself, she created 76 larger-than-life-sized figures of nude women grimacing, tearing at their hair, crying in rage or collapsed in agony at the moment they learned of their loved one's loss.

Lowenstein, who lives in Montauk, N.Y., on the far eastern tip of Long Island, has the massive sculpture, called "Dark Elegy," on display in her backyard garden. Visitors, including children on school trips, stop to visit from time to time. But she yearns for her artwork to have a more public home.

The Germany-born artist and her husband received $10 million from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's government as compensation for their son's death. She said she's willing to use it to cast the sculpture — now made of synthetic stone over a welded steel armature — into bronze so it can be shared with the world. She estimates it would cost about $4 million to bronze the artwork, which is about 65 feet in diameter.

"It just needs a home," she said this week. "These are the actual victims of terrorism, created by someone who was part of it. I am not someone looking into their grief. I am in it."

Gadhafi was killed two weeks ago, apparently by revolutionary forces, two months after being ousted following 42 years in power, and Lowenstein confessed she was surprised she wasn't more emotional when she learned of his death.

"I was very glad that it was his own people who took care of it," she said. "I think it was a very appropriate end for him."

In 2008, Lowenstein sought to have the sculpture placed in Washington as a memorial to victims of all types of terrorism. But an advisory board overseeing memorials there unanimously rejected the idea; commission members unanimously said they feared the nude statues might offend some people's sensibilities, invite coarse vandalism and might be too specific to Lockerbie.

"It was very sad that any individual felt that it would be lewd," Lowenstein said. "It's not sexually explicit. It's just not there."

The figures, she insisted, are intentionally unclothed.

"When terrorism strikes and it kills your son, or your husband or your wife, everyone is stripped truly to the same level. There is no skin color; there are no rich people or poor people. All people are stripped to the same level of humanity," Lowenstein explained.

She said when schoolchildren visit and see the nudes, there is a bit of nervous laughter at first. "But as soon as we explain the meaning, they absolutely understand."

The idea for the sculpture grew out of meetings of Pan Am 103 survivors following the 1998 crash, Lowenstein said. "There was one woman who was always so dignified in grief. I asked if she would participate and she really liked the idea. Then another woman overheard us and wanted to join in. It dawned on me that it would be incredible to get as many people as possible to participate."

She declined to identify her models, seeking to protect their privacy.

"These were mothers, grandmothers and sisters; everyone was invited but only the women responded," she said.

She said that the men might have had a harder time showing their emotions and were more concerned with seeking justice.

"It was never my choice to make it just about women, but it turned out that way," she said.

Finally, on Sept. 11, 1991, Lowenstein decided to formally dedicate the still-unfinished sculpture as a memorial to terrorism. Ten years later to the day, of course, terrorist attacks killed thousands in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

"Little did I know on that day in 1991 how many more like me there would be," she said.

Lowenstein recalls her son Alexander, a 21-year-old English major at Syracuse University who was traveling home after a semester studying in London when he died. She remembers him as a "very 'sunshiney' kid, a very positive young man." She said he enjoyed surfing in his seaside community in Montauk. "He was always in the water."

Only after his death did she learn that he had worked as a volunteer delivering food to the elderly and that he had decided while in London to study psychology.

"He had a gift with young people; they had no trouble opening up to him. He was a good listener," she said.

A few weeks before he was to return home, Lowenstein said she felt she needed to see her son, so she packed a suitcase and spent "an incredible week" seeing the sights of London, visiting theaters and a museum. Finally, she took him to her hometown of Hamburg and introduced him to relatives.

They parted at the airport in Hamburg. He returned to London and she came home to New York.

"He was dead a week later," she said.

Her memorial sculpture has been displayed temporarily on Long Island, in New Jersey and at her son's alma mater in Syracuse, but Lowenstein longs for it to find a permanent home. Her preference is New York City "because it is such an international place and this would be an international statement," but she understands there is much bureaucracy to overcome. She declined to be specific on discussions she has had on finding a permanent site, but emphasized she would finance whatever costs associated with placing it somewhere.

The city's parks already have more than 1,000 monuments, including commemorative tablets, historic markers, decorative fountains, memorial flagstaffs, statuary and architectural ornament, according to the parks department. Most were donated to the city. Artists must go through a thorough approval process, starting first with the parks department. Then an art commission reviews all projects and grants approval or disapproval.

Factors including the appropriateness of the subject, the compatibility with the landscape, aesthetic merit, as well as safety and maintenance are considered before approval. No trademarked or commercially licensed displays are permitted.

"Any sculptor would love to have their work on display in the New York City area, so I understand that this can be a difficult thing to accomplish," Lowenstein said. "We're looking for a public site in which all people have access. This sculpture is universal. It needs no language. My hope is to find such a place."

"White Book of Terror" presented to the Makhachkala public

2011-11-02T23:10:00.000-07:00

"resource Today, the presentation of the "White Book of Terror" took place in Makhachkala. The book is dedicated to all the victims of terrorist attacks that occurred in Russia, RIA Dagestan reports. The presentation was held in the "National House of Children's Public Associations" of the Committee on Youth Policy of Dagestan. It was attended by guests from Astrakhan, representatives of ministries and departments, veterans, youth and children's organizations of the republic.

"The White Book of Terror. People. Events. Facts" is a tribute to all innocent victims of the terrorist attacks, fighters against terrorism and crippled destinies.

Terror victims memorial: the 76 statues that compose a massive sculpture entitled “Dark Elegy,”

2011-10-31T23:52:00.000-07:00

Source;Ajc

In this undated photo provided by Peter Lowenstein, several of the 76 statues that compose a massive sculpture entitled "Dark Elegy," sit on display in Montauk, N.Y. Artist Suse Lowenstein created the work more than 15 years after her son, Alexander, was among the 270 people killed in the 1988 Libyan bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. (AP Photo/Peter Lowenstein)

In this July 27, 2006 photo provided by Peter Lowenstein, several of the 76 statues that compose a massive sculpture entitled “Dark Elegy,” sit on display in Montauk, N.Y. Artist Suse Lowenstein created the work more than 15 years after her son, Alexander, was among the 270 people killed in the 1988 Libyan bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. (AP Photo/Peter Lowenstein)

In this Oct. 6, 2006 photo provided by Peter Lowenstein, artist Suse Lowenstein stands among some of the 76 statues that compose a massive sculpture entitled "Dark Elegy," in Montauk, N.Y. Lowenstein created the work more than 15 years after her son, Alexander, was among the 270 people killed in the 1988 Libyan bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. (AP Photo/Peter Lowenstein)

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Ethiopia: “Never, Ever Again” Memorial Held to Commemorate Red Terror Era

2011-05-30T23:50:00.000-07:00

Source: ezega
By Seble Teweldebirhan

Addis Ababa, May 4, 2011 (Ezega.com) – The Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum organized a 5-Day Event during April 26-30 named “Never, Ever Again” to commemorate victims of the Red Terror (Key Shiber).

The museum started the memorial celebration by dedicating the first day, Tuesday, for children. Children were given a tour in the museum with an explanation of the Red Terror and what happend at the time. The second day was titled “No Women No Cry”. Women from different walks of life shared their experiences and survival stories during and after the red terror.

Thursday was a symposium titled “Then and now: similarities and differences in grassroots revolution”. Different speakers who had been through revolutions in the past shared their experiences, and the stories of Red Terror were told by those who had experienced it first hand.
What went wrong at the time and what was the lesson from that experience were the issues the symposium tried to address. On Friday and Saturday the Museum had a musical tribute to the martyrs, honoring family and friends. “Tezta” an all day contemporary fine art exhibition and films that memorize Red Terror were also parts of the five-day event.

The Museum was established in March 2010 by the ‘Red Terror Martyrs’ Families and Friends Association. It permanently exhibits pictures, materials, documents and the remains of the victims that tell a story that is probably still in the memory of the present generation. The display begins from the time when students revolt against the Hailesellasie rule and shows how this revolution was stolen from the students by the military.

Pictures at the musim demonstrate the 17 years of brutal rule of the Derg and its leader Mengistu Hailemeriam. From the time the Emperor was detained by the military administration up to the time the regime ordered the killing of the 60 high officials and families of the Emperor is displayed and supported by photos and documents signed by Mengistu Hailemariam himself and his closest officials.

Some of the pictures of the victims of the red terror and the remaining of their bodies are on display permanently at the museum.

Red Terror (Key Shiber) (1978-79) is remembered as a brutal period in Ethiopian history with torture and mass murder of Ethiopians by the then military regime Derg led by Mengistu Hailemariam.

Though the terror still has its controversies and disagreements when it comes to the question of responsibility, it is undeniable that thousands of men, women, and youth were murdered, tortured and multilated in the most inhuman way under the guise of building a better Ethiopia.
According to the report by Amnesty International, around half a million people, most of them young students, were killed at the time.
Mengistu Hailemariam, who lives in Zimbabwe as a fugitive, repeatedly denied any responsibility for the terror. He blames the opponents of his regime who started the killing of Derg officials by calling their action “White Terror”. The response from the military regime for the ‘White Terror’ was handing out guns to ordinary people who were considered to be “Abyot Tibeka” or ‘Guards of the Revolution’.

Mengistu was found guilty of genocide in absentia in January 2007 and sentenced to life in prison.

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Seble Teweldebirhan is Addis Ababa based Reporter for Ezega.com.

Katyn massacre memorial Montgomery Street, Jersey City (US)

2011-05-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

Katyn massacre memorial; 15, 400 intellectuals and Polish officers were killed by the Red Army in 1940 | Andrzej Pityski’s masterpiece in Montgomery Street, Jersey City (US)