“DC opened my eyes. It’s touching and unforgettable” 1
CĂntia Lopes, a portuguese artist and street performer, went to Dialogue Cafe this afternoon to join a session between young palestinian and portuguese students. CĂntia rides her monocycle everyday through the hills of Lisbon and her joy and free spirit are contagious.
Dima, a 15 years old palestinian student, hosted this session in Ramallah. Her wisdom and strong will are remarkable. All the students were impressed with her accuracy and sense of humor. She and her colleagues belong to Youth Council of Ramallah Municipality and they exchanged experiences and points of view about their daily lives and the projects they have to help to prevent child labour.
Before the end of the meeting, Dima asked portuguese students if they have anything similar to a Youth Council and she was perplexed when they answered that there is no similar organization in Lisbon.
Portuguese students explained to Palestinian peers that civic engagement is done in schools or youth organizations of political parties. Dima and his colleagues underlined the importance of the Youth Council in a country where all fight for a common cause: Palestine!
In Lisbon there are many problems and challenges, but the fact that the Portuguese live freely in its territory reveals a big difference between Portugal and Palestine. It was very enlightening to all to realize these asymmetries and the portuguese students learned a lot with their palestinian peers. Their feedback is that they are amazed with the extraordinary force with which the youth of Ramallah handle their everyday life
