Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church


Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church ~ In March 2014 Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland) traveled to Brussels, Belgium to meet a group of Afghans living inside an old Catholic church – the church of Saint John the Baptist at the Béguinage (Beguinage Church). At the time, nearly one hundred Afghan refugees had set up camp within the walls of the seventeenth century compound. We made a reportage and interviewed several people including Samir Hamdard (Ahmad Samir Hamdard) .
Samir the tireless activist of peace, justice and solidarity, was the spokesperson for the afghan refugees in Belgium – he died following a terrible fire accident that happened today a year ago (July 2019).

We thank Samir Hamdard and the other Afghan refugee friends who welcomed us and gave the interviews (note : full report of the other interviews in a follow-up later). Special thanks to Isabelle Marchal and others whose works were on display in the church and are shown in this film. Félix Snyers on the Béguinage church pipe organ.

Special thanks also to priest Daniel Alliët – host of the camp – who when retiring in 2019 started a new life for the church as House of Compassion – officially March 21 , 2020 – @houseofcompassionbrussels – http://www.houseofcompassion.brussels .

More about the Beguinage Project here http://bit.ly/1HZguvY and here https://michelvanderburg.com/?s=Beguinage

Reportage by Kristen Cattell (USA) and Michel van der Burg (Holland) | Beguinage Project .
Film : Samir Hamdard ~ Afghan Refugee Camp Brussels Beguinage Church | 20200729 | Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com | miracles.media

Spinning Sails ~ Pinhole Film


Spinning Sails ~ Pinhole Film .
Personal anecdote (to a grandchild, told at the end of this film , in dutch) : “a great-great grandmother of me was caught and killed by such spinning sails (blades) of her windmill” nearby in South-Holland.
Pinhole videography (camera without a lens – just a pinhole) of the sails of the hollow post corn windmill ‘New Life’ (dutch : wipstelling korenmolen “Nieuw Leven”) in the little town Hazerswoude , Alphen, South-Holland, Netherlands.
Previously as a shorter – one minute – edition published : Windmill Sails | 20160410 | Michel van der Burg | 1-memo.com .
Filmed summer 2013 with a Olympus Micro Four Third camera (E-PM1) capped with the SLR Magic ‘Toy’ Pin Hole cap – f/128 aperture, 12mm focal length (24mm-equivalent), 84° angle view. Synchronized sound from Olympus LS-10 Linear PCM Recorder.
Spinning Sails ~ Pinhole Film | 20200710 | Michel van der Burg | 1-memo•com | miracles•media

Holland Horizon

Holland Horizon
Peat meadows, grasslands, rapeseed (raapzaad) along waterways draining to the Old Rhine (Oude Rijn) river, in polders with farms and towns bordering the horizon in Holland. Meadow birds, water birds, and migrating birds like the Black-tailed godwit (grutto – Limosa limosa), geese, and common coot (Fulica atra – meerkoet). Film : 20200409 Michel van der Burg | 1-memo.com

Holland Land

Holland Land
Western peat meadows with ditches in the polders along the Old Rhine (Oude Rijn) river in the Netherlands. Sound of meadow birds like I guess the Redshank (Tringa totanus – Tureluur). Film : 20200408 Michel van der Burg | 1-memo.com

Action Principles

Action Principles
Agir pour la Paix (Act for Peace) teaching practical action principles to Afghan refugees living in the Béguinage church in Brussels, Belgium, March 2014. Beguinage Project Reports – Kristen Cattell & Michel van der Burg. Film : Action Principles (20200216) Michel van der Burg | michelvanderburg.com