tag:,2012:/4 2012-01-12T04:42:04Z Movable Type 3.35 tag:www.chavannes.nl,2012://4.3032 2012-01-12T04:31:39Z 2012-01-12T04:42:04Z

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl ]]>

Suddenly thick fog flows into Doha's Diplomatic District. We're so used to a bright sky every day, it is special, but apparently
it's common in winter time. ]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2012://4.3024 2012-01-06T21:52:33Z 2012-01-07T09:23:24Z

In the middle of the desert, suddenly a Qatari man stops his car to proudly show his falcon. It just ate a small bird, he says. It is the national hobby, also of the royal family (link). A traditional...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl In the middle of the desert, suddenly a Qatari man stops his car to proudly show his falcon. It just ate a small bird, he says.
It is the national hobby, also of the royal family (link). A traditional tower in Al Kohr in the January sun. It is around 30C now. The Persian Gulf, although on this side of it, people prefer to call it Arabian Gulf. The desert can be more colorful than one might expect. ]]>

Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2022...still plenty of time to get ready (link). ]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2011://4.2984 2011-12-11T19:55:10Z 2011-12-21T04:46:41Z

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the audience: 2500 participants from all over the world to discuss intercultural cooperation for the next 3 days. The Doha Centre for Media Freedom launches its new Media Literacy program here, with the...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the audience: 2500 participants from all over the world to discuss
intercultural cooperation for the next 3 days. The Doha Centre for Media Freedom launches its new Media Literacy program here, with the Junior Reporters, a team of
9 Qatari youth, asking the forum delegates what this alliance of civilizations is really about. Check out their daily reports. There are not only several heads of nations present, also lots of fun people. This is were the event is taking place: the Qatar National Convention Centre. The construction was only finished two weeks ago
- just like the plastic grass in front of it ;-) Tip: watch the Junior Reports (I edited) under the video tab on this site. ]]>
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser kicks off the 4th UN Alliance of Civilizations forum, held in Doha December 11-13.
One would say there is enough media covering it...
]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2011://4.2932 2011-11-21T18:17:15Z 2011-11-21T19:54:29Z

Suddenly we see an airshow in front of the Sheraton hotel (the pyramid). Who said Doha is boring? Lightscraper. Abaya sunset....

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl Suddenly we see an airshow in front of the Sheraton hotel (the pyramid). Who said Doha is boring? Lightscraper. Abaya sunset.]]>

Gotta love the modern architecture in Doha's Diplomatic District. ]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2011://4.2846 2011-09-29T22:41:11Z 2011-09-29T22:53:21Z

Doha skyline with tradtional fisherboats in the front and the Islamic Historical museum on the right. The Serdal Tower; we are about to take an option for a 2 bedroom appartment here, in the heart of 'Dohattan'. Tomorrow I'll...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl Doha skyline with tradtional fisherboats in the front and the Islamic Historical museum on the right. The Serdal Tower; we are about to take an option for a 2 bedroom appartment here, in the heart of 'Dohattan'. Tomorrow I'll fly back to Holland, to pack stuff for two weeks - after that we'll come here with the whole family :-)]]>

The business district by night - at midnight there are lots of people - even toddlers - outside: it is Thursday night,
the weekend has started here. ]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2011://4.2842 2011-09-28T15:48:39Z 2011-09-28T18:32:22Z

View at 'Dohattan' from the Corniche - the promonade along the bay. Flooding in the desert: apparently a water pipe just broke. Hello, anybody here to shop?...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl View at 'Dohattan' from the Corniche - the promonade along the bay. Flooding in the desert: apparently a water pipe just broke. Hello, anybody here to shop? ]]>

Doha`s business district is often called the `Manhattan of Qatar` - with tens of towers still under construction. The tower
in the middle (white and black) will be the new office in a few months. We`re looking for an appartment here, inshallah.]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2011://4.2830 2011-09-25T19:53:41Z 2011-09-29T22:54:02Z

Earlier Doha Centre for Media Freedom colleague Astrid had a farewell lunch - got this picture as a present and found two police men on horses to pose with. Bye Astrid, thank you so much for the perfect preparations!...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl Earlier Doha Centre for Media Freedom colleague Astrid had a farewell lunch - got this picture as a present and found two
police men on horses to pose with. Bye Astrid, thank you so much for the perfect preparations! The soukh is the market area with lots of carpets, cafes and souvenirs. We go 'house hunting': looking for a place to stay when we'll all move here next month. This is the zigzag building.
Funky, but in the elevator I saw a note that warned inhabitants for windows that had fallen out with a bit of wind... This view is from the Pearl, a brand new island with beautiful, but pretty tacky apartments - and too expensive for our budget. This beach is also artificial - but pretty busy, while it is at least 40C in the sun. The skyline is the business district of Doha,
where I'll start part II of the house hunt soon.]]>

Attended a wedding, from the brother of a colleague: to my surprise only with men (the other female half of the wedding was
going on somewhere else) - and traditional drums and boys chasing each other with swords. An interesting experience indeed. ]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2011://4.2832 2011-09-24T11:07:27Z 2011-09-24T11:48:51Z

A door from 1270, made for the rulers of Anatolia. The detail is incredible. This style of geometrical woodwork dates back to pre-Islamic times (630 CE). The architect M.I. Pei also designed the Louvre pyramid in Paris. A molar...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl A door from 1270, made for the rulers of Anatolia. The detail is incredible. This style of geometrical woodwork dates
back to pre-Islamic times (630 CE). The architect M.I. Pei also designed the Louvre pyramid in Paris. A molar flask from Egypt, from the 9th or 10th century. It is named like this because it reminds of the root of a molar tooth.
The purpose was probably to contain perfume or essence. ]]>

Ever happen to visit Qatar? This is a great museum, only opened in December 2008. It is how it should be: great displays,
free of charge and free to take pictures anywhere. More info.
]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2011://4.2820 2011-09-19T21:43:12Z 2011-09-19T21:44:28Z

The new State Mosque at Al-Khuwair, big enough for 12.000 people. The sign in front of my new office. In the evening DCMF director Jan Keulen first has a presentation at a discussion program for TV about the Arab...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl The new State Mosque at Al-Khuwair, big enough for 12.000 people. The sign in front of my new office. In the evening DCMF director Jan Keulen first has a presentation at a discussion program for TV about the Arab spring. ...and after that a discussion at Al Jazeera Arab about the protest today in Gaza against that detention of
Al Jazeera journalist Samer Allawi by Israel. The show is watched by about 20 million people. ]]>

Impressions of Doha, the capital of Qatar. This is the Islamic Cultural Center. ]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2011://4.2821 2011-09-16T21:43:58Z 2011-09-19T21:18:06Z

After a long, long blog block, I'm starting it up again. Tomorrow I'll fly to Qatar to start working and prepare the emigration of my family in a month from now. I'll be working for the Doha Centre for Media...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl Doha Centre for Media Freedom. We'll be living and blogging in Doha for at least 6 months.]]> ]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2010://4.2307 2010-11-27T08:01:25Z 2010-11-27T08:09:17Z

Will we get out today, or stay warm inside?...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl Will we get out today, or stay warm inside? ]]>
First snow of this winter - and below 0 C all day. The autumn forest suddenly becomes light.
]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2010://4.2297 2010-11-19T03:33:20Z 2011-09-16T21:37:30Z

Fish2 in the supermarket. A goofy Akha woman we bumped into (Akha is a tribe from the North of Thailand). Every house and business has a spirit house here, even devilish Shell. There's lots of fish under the bridge...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl Fish2 in the supermarket. A goofy Akha woman we bumped into (Akha is a tribe from the North of Thailand). Every house and business has a spirit house here, even devilish Shell. There's lots of fish under the bridge ... Fried pork on sticky rice in a palm leave basket: delicious2! A rainbow across this incredible ugly building: the robot building (our view from the apartment). Religions hollow core... Fly eating orchids. Construction goes on day and night here. Putih and me in a tuk tuk at night in Bangkok: thanks for the great holiday!]]>

Will this monk finally wake up as soon as you open the plastic?

Two weeks of holiday in Bangkok, with our friends Alyosha, Sarah and Kepler. Loulou's first far away trip. We love it. Some impressions to share.
]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2010://4.2284 2010-11-12T08:19:22Z 2011-09-16T21:37:58Z

View on the Chao Phraya river. A Thai spirit house; placed in front of many houses, to offer the spirits, who lived there before, a place to stay. Banana tree, in the middle of Bangkok. On many roads in...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl View on the Chao Phraya river. A Thai spirit house; placed in front of many houses, to offer the spirits, who lived there before, a place to stay. Banana tree, in the middle of Bangkok. On many roads in the center there is a constant traffic jam. Bangkok skyline from the Bayan Tree building (61st floor). ]]>
Golden Buddha statue at Wat Pho temple.
Holiday in Bangkok - finally time to update my blog again with some black & white pics.
]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2010://4.2280 2010-11-09T02:06:21Z 2011-09-16T21:39:01Z

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl

The Merapi volcano on Java keeps erupting, causing hundreds of thousands of people to run. Yogyakarta based child NGO Anak Wayang Indonesia is helping out children with emergency aid, security training and creative trauma relief. If you want to help, please visit our website or follow updates at twitter. Thank you in advance.
Picture: Ade Wahyudi / KBR68H.
]]> tag:www.chavannes.nl,2010://4.2255 2010-10-27T13:31:09Z 2011-09-16T21:39:24Z

The gatekeeper of the Merapi Published on chavannes.nl in April 2001 The Merapi volcano in Indonesia is the most dangerous in the world: an estimated 4 million Javanese live around the active ‘red fire’ mountain. With an imminent eruption, they...

Ole Chavannes chavannes.nl The gatekeeper of the Merapi Published on chavannes.nl in April 2001 The Merapi volcano in Indonesia is the most dangerous in the world: an estimated 4 million Javanese live around the active ‘red fire’ mountain. With an imminent eruption, they only listen to mbah (grandpa) Marijan, an old farmer who is believed to have a supernatural connection with the spirits of the mountain. He is the gatekeeper. Babad Tanah Jawi "The noise sounded like a terrible thunder, rain of fire gushed down the mountain. Lava rivers flowed in all directions, burning many farmer villages directly. The population of the Mataram kingdom was terrified of the lava flows and ash rain. So he gave the king the command to pray to God, and the volcano stopped spitting fire." -quotation from the royal Babad Tanah Jawi writings, August 4, 1672. It is the first written source that mentions an eruption of the Merapi in central Java. The Dutch East Indies government in Batavia (now Jakarta) received a week later the news that more than 3000 people were killed by the eruption. The kingdom of Mataram (now Yogyakarta) was for over 24 hours covered in darkness and almost entirely destroyed by the ongoing rain of ash and rocks. Hot feet The three kilometer high Merapi (merah = red, api = fire) spits large black clouds of ash and boiling lava every couple of years. The seismological station, halfway up the mountain, advises most of the time not to climb the mountain. Only a handful of farmers decline to respond. The mountain shows permanently steaming plumes of thick smoke and daily lava flows down. In February 1996 I climbed the summit of Mount Merapi itself. Then only some yellow sulfur fumes came from the crater. It was a wonderful experience with sunrise on the rim of the crater, with hot feet by the earth and frozen fingers by the air. Only after we came down and paid our guide, he admitted we were actually not allowed to climb it. There is only one man who always stays on the mountain, a friendly old farmer: mbah Marijan (74). He has lived there all his life, but was officially appointed by the Sultan of Yogyakarta in 1983 as the ‘gatekeeper of the volcano’. The position of the sultan is similar with royalty in Europe, in terms of hereditary succession, but he is also governor of the province and enjoys huge (holy) admiration. His political influence of his Kraton (palace) is great. The policy of the Sultan is a curious mix of rational considerations and traditional Javanese beliefs. Therefore, in Java, the most logical thing in the world, is not to recognize data from a seismological institute, but to appoint a clairvoyant farmer who claims to be able to interpret the ‘mind of the volcano’. Marijan only makes the decision to evacuation in case of eruption, or not. Just an idiot With a motorbike we slowly climb the steep hill. The rain is poring down and the muddy path is slippery. We go visit mbah Marijan, who lives in the village Kinahrejo, closest to the crater, located at 1300 meters altitude. The residents grow rice and vegetables in the highly fertile ash soil. Kinahrejo has never been evacuated, because it is a sacred village, according to the villagers. It is night, when we hear suddenly, hidden in the dense jungle, sounds from a building. It is the characteristic gamelan music. I knock on the door that swings open. Mbah Marijan is behind the biggest gamelan, together with twenty other villagers, practicing for a processional ride to the crater, later this month. “Welcome, welcome, come inside”, he begins with a smile. If he can answer some questions about the volcano? “Sure, but I do not know if I can answer. I'm just a simple man, just an idiot”. He laughs at a crazy high tone. Spiritual barrier He starts telling: "Compared to last month's the Merapi is quiet now. Kinahrejo and by extension, Yogyakarta are safe, because it is protected by the stone elephants. It is a sacred stone in the form of a reclining elephant with a young lactating. Long ago, the stone stopped the lava that was about to hit a pregnant woman who just walked by. Since then, the sacred stone will stop any lava to flow through the village. It's like a spiritual barrier. I will show it to you tomorrow morning”. After several glasses of extremely sweet tea, the farmers decide to go home. We may come with mbah Marijan to his home located a bit further. He lights up a heavy kretek (clove cigarette) and continues. “Next to the stone elephant there is an elephant tree. It is a sacred Bayan tree (a tropical species that usually doesn’t grow this high). The story goes that centuries ago, the last elephant of Java was killed under this tree by a great hunter, who was living there. I do not know if it is true. I once myself was meditating all night under the tree. When I looked up I suddenly saw a bright blue light coming from the Merapi. It fell straight on the tree and then it was gone”. Mbah Marijan has probably told this story often to curious tourists. He is still unlikely friendly, but he is tired too. We agree to meet again, the next morning. “See you at half past 5, that is when farmers get up”. At night we hear the dark thunder from the volcano, less than six kilometers away. I start realizing this volcano is just one of many pulsating pimples with liquid stone on the thin skin of mother earth. I sleep bad. Not black magic Early in the morning we meet the gatekeeper at his stable, where he milks his only cow. “Shall we look at the tree and the stone?”, he smiles happy as always. Despite his advanced age and smoking addiction, he jumps up a slippery mud path. Along the way I ask him about his special skills to predict when the volcano begins to pop. “I'm not a black magic man”, he says, suddenly less friendly. It is generally accepted in Indonesia that the political situation in the country is often measured by the activity of the Merapi volcano. When dictator Suharto resigned in 1998, the volcano also grunted a few times. How would he explain this connection? “Perhaps it is true that the heat of the earth makes people also feel hotter, so they are tempered and provoking. But people make politics, not the volcano”.
Kraton of ghosts We arrive at the remarkable tree, surrounded by a wall with pink graffiti. The tree has five branches, symbolizing the location and directions. I try to sense something ‘spiritual’, but all I feel is the hot and humid air. Could you explain spirituality to this rational Westerner? He laughs. “I don’t care what others believe. I believe in the dream, but it's hard to explain. When my father died, I dreamed about him that night. Also villagers are sometimes visited in their sleep by Nyai Gadungmelati (a female ghost in a green robe, who dwells in the crater). It warns us of danger. We believe that just as the kraton in Yogyakarta, there is a kraton of the ghosts in the volcano. There are good and bad spirits and we, inhabitants of the mountain, better ensure that we respect them enough. We bring gifts during processions, to honor them. The mountain is rich and gives us everything. Without respect it will go wrong”. Gas clouds Mbah Marijan has to go, he has cut fresh grass for his cow. We walk further along the mountain and stand suddenly in a valley with hundreds of workers. They dig volcanic ash for the concrete factory. The ash sets off in a river of lava. Every time it rains on top of the volcano, a new layer of ash flows into the riverbed. The black sand is well suited for constructing buildings. Thin but strong men carry bags with 50 kilos of sand up and down tiny muddy roads, to dump the sand into trucks. One days works is good for 3 euros. Most of the workers present, are children. We look over the deep valley under the mighty Merapi. A subtle sign next to the road says ‘warning: occasionally invisible gas clouds of 700 degrees Celsius flow down the hill within one minute’. We ask a girl, about 15 years old, if it is not too dangerous to work here. She pulls up her shoulders, laughing: “Nothing I can do about that. Ash clouds we can see coming, but there is nothing one can do against the gas. If that happens, you’re just gone”. Always risks Back at the house of mbah Marijan we get the last cup of sugar with some tea. He wants to know everything about my country, Holland. I ask him back: what do you think is more dangerous? Living in a country that is below sea level, or on top of an active volcano? He pauses to think. “Sama” (“same”). He chuckles. “As long as God gives you life, he gives you security. But we are also afraid. Wherever you live, you always run risks. Also in the Netherlands, right?”. How did he become gatekeeper actually? “Ah, the Sultan has appointed me, because there is no natural successor. It has always been an ordinary farmer like me. I get a modest salary for the old days. It's not about money, it's about the mountain. I am the official gatekeeper, but I really do not wear an uniform or something. And who will be my successor, I don’t know. My son maybe, if he feels like it, but it could be anyone, even a girl could do the job”. Lethal party There is a seismologic institute on the mountain, but you seem only to listen to the ghosts. Why don’t you believe in technology? “I always say; if a smart man asks, he always wants to know more. Only a fool is happy with what he knows already. We believe that if the volcanic spits out gas, ash, smoke and stones, it is an expression of the kraton in the Merapi. They are celebrating and throw out the dirt to clean their palace, as we do with new years”. But that party can be lethal. “Yes, if the Merapi explodes, it is because the mountain does not want the people no longer. It is a sign that people have forgotten who they really are”. Are you saying it is the fault of the people if the Merapi erupts? “You must understand that we all lost family and friends to the gas clouds and lava. We accept that is our fate. We believe that if a village is burned by lava, that's because the people are not religious. I believe and enjoy every day all the beauty that life offers. That’s life”. Mbah Marijan died on October 25th 2010, when the Merapi lava burnt his house (news link). _____________________________________________________________________________ Anak Wayang helps With Anak Wayang Netherlands, we transfer a donation this week for Anak Wayang Indonesia, a local child rights NGO in Yogyakarta, that is organizing emergency aid for the victims of the volcano. Please email info@anakwayang.nl for more information or a donation. ]]>


Gunung Merapi, Central Java. (C)havannes]]>