Mirror

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At this time in Australia, there was much political poisoning of attitudes towards foreigners and foreignness. But travelling alone in remote Morocco, a woman ‘stranger’ myself, I was met with much friendliness and generosity from ‘strangers’ The idea for my next project was right there and ideas for a story naturally started to grow.

Students could take one of the themes from Mirror and compose a brief recounting of an incident in their own lives that also reflects this theme. Alternatively, students may wish to compose a poem or short story.I woke again about seven when we all got up. I washed, in a small basin of water from the courtyard well, and collected my things together. Lahcen soon joined me and from then I started work. Other choices of Baker’s, such as focusing on a family that uses donkeys as their mode of transportation, also reinforce stereotypes of this culture as unsophisticated. Ask students to locate other examples of such choices. The inclusion of the flat-screen computer and the use of the internet in the final Moroccan image go some way to mitigating this reading; question students as to whether it is enough. The Berbers are the indigenous people of NW Africa. Traces of Berber culture can be dated to between 2000 and 3000 BC. Cohn, Diana. (2002). ¡Si, se puede! Yes we can ! Janitor strike in L.A. Ill. by Francisco Delgado. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press .

The Moroccan part of the story opens showing a light in the window of a Kasbah, where a woman can be seen weaving. She has stayed up all night to finish weaving a carpet for her husband to take to the local souk (market) to sell. I then went on to explore the region independently, travelling to a valley of mostly quite isolated villages, known locally as ‘the Valley of Roses’, through which the M’Goun River runs. The villages here are still very traditional. Once outside the main town of Kalaat M’Gouna, it’s a place where few tourists venture and a place rich with images and contrasts to western culture. Refer to the discussion about the definition for ‘mirror’ you had before reading the book. Now that you have read the book, does the title help you understand what the author wanted to say about the book? Art and Design – materials Develop a coherent, conclusive statement of understanding regarding the text and its themes, structures and/or techniques, as applicable:Geography and geology have fractured the Berber language into at least five mutually incomprehensible dialects. But their visual language of symbols endures, or has until now and can be seen in their weaving. Presentation of analysis: Students willgather together, where one by one, each pair will go up to the front of thegroup, display their particular illustrations that they had to focus on,including from Mirror and the dream view collage. They will then giveexamples of how both Jeannie Baker and the student incorporated the particularelements of shape, colour and/or texture into the artworks. Without words, we need to rely on visual codes and conventions to develop an understanding of character. Have students brainstorm five adjectives or qualities they would use to describe each of the protagonists. For each quality, students should write a one-sentence explanation or provide a specific piece of evidence from the text to justify their description. The focus for assessment should be the use of visual language codes and conventions to create ideas about culture and to promote intercultural understanding, as well as the processes of planning, drafting and editing. The written ‘pitch’ should be considered the students’ opportunity to explain the understanding which should be evident in their creative work.

There are elements in each image that reinforce stereotypes about each culture, as well as those that challenge. The use of the magic carpet allusion might be seen as reducing an important Moroccan cultural practice and industry to a fairytale cliché.Many images throughout the text, such as the technology in the Moroccan market place, are what westerners would consider grossly outdated.Walker Books Australia and NZ – additional information about the book, author, related media release and more: the innovative physical structure of the book to expose readers to the practice of reading right to left as per Arabic texts, highlighting values such as culture and understanding The English title type used is Papyrus, which I modified to eliminate its featured ragged edges: in doing this, we’ve created our own version of the type. In promoting the work, whenever the English title is used, we’ve striven to have the Arabic title placed alongside it: the two titles together having become the project logo. Also in promoting the work, when an Australian image is shown, we have stipulated that its Moroccan equivalent is shown alongside it.