SAUDIS NATIONAL DAY

The 80th national day of Saudi Arabia was celebrated for the first time in Western Australia at the Fremantle Esplanade today. It was a colourful spectacle of dance, music, food and information, in a very friendly atmosphere.

Interesting to see the men doing the dancing and serving. Emancipation at its best, if it wasn’t for the, often confronting for Westerners, full body black garments of the women and the hijabs and burqas they wear.

Photos copyright Roel Loopers.                           Profile Photography

MANDORLA ART AWARD WINNER 2010

The Mandorla Art Award 2010 winners were announced at the Moores Building Art Centre in Henry Street in Fremantle last evening. The Mandorla award for the celebration of religious art has become one of the major events on the Western Australian art calender and now receives national acclaim.

The winner was Annette Allman with her oil Caring In A Competitive World. This is a gorgeous and very colourful small painting that shows people on a road flanked by houses and trees helping each other down the road, which for me indicates hope, future, and that people care. I really like this work!

Two highly commended prizes went to Charles Booth and Janis Nedala.

The Youth Award winner was Emma Itzstein with her three dimensional small work Neighbour X.

Works that stood out for me were Janis Nedala’s The Golden Rule and Merrick Belyea’s painting Detritus. Both these artist consistently show great creativity and craftsmanship. Merrick’s work is, as all his paintings are, deeply soul touching. Also very impressive works by Kidogo Art Gallery owner Joanna Robinson, Lea Kuhaupt, Pattie Vincent, and a most delightful ink on paper work by Gisela Zuchner-Mogall, while in the youth award Aimee Howard’s art was outstanding for me.

Roel Loopers

TALK ON AFGHAN SHARIA LAW AND WOMEN

Afghan woman Suraya Pakzad, who is fighting against the misguided interpretations of Sharia law by the Taliban, will be in a talk with Walkley Award winning journalist Sophie McNeil at the Edmund Rice Centre at 24 High Street in Fremantle at 10 am this Friday, September 10.

Ms Pakzad started Voice Of Women to enable young females in Afghanistan to get an education.

This should be a fascinating story by a very brave woman on how life is for oppressed females in her country.

THREE MORE SLEEPS

Three more sleeps till election day and then the campaign of empty promises, negativity, and the carpet bombing with TV and newspaper advertisements will finally be over.

Here in Fremantle it is likely we will have a high vote for the impressive Greens candidate Kate Davis, while Labor’s Melissa Parke should hold the supposedly safe seat, although I found her very flat during the public forum at Notre Dame university and again at the Walk Against Warming. Parke looked disinterested and tired and that should not happen, Melissa!

One of the things that has annoyed me most during the campaign is the playing of political football with boat people. It won John Howard an election, and the bi-partisan approach Kim Beazley took during the so called, and Howard initiated, Tampa crisis, might have cost him the election.

Abbott is following Howard’s lead and “turning the boats back” is his catch phrase. Has this Christian man of no compassion and simple, international law breaking, solutions considered this one. Stop expensive border control aerial surveillance and navy vessels protecting our waters and instead put thousands of buoys in the ocean with flashing signs saying Stop!-Wrong Way!-Go Back!

I certainly hope that is the message the electorate will be giving this wannabe Prime Minister on Saturday.

Asylum seekers are human beings in despair and don’t deserve to be treated like scum by Australia.

Roel Loopers

ME NO LIKE!

My old mate and photographer Rob Walls wrote an article in the Tasmanian Times about things he does not like. Incidents over the last few weeks have made me think of the things I don’t like in my community, so I thought to follow Rob’s lead. I have written them down at random:

# People who can’t make up their mind what to order at cafes while people are queuing behind them at the counter.

# Selfish, racist, mean, rude and greedy people.

# People who park their car a metre from the kerb so no one can get in or out behind them.

# People who damage your car without leaving a note.

# Women who stand at the supermarket check-out and wait till the final sum comes up before starting to search for their purse in the oversized handbag.

# Fat people who ask me not to make them look fat when I photograph them.

# People who lack courtesy and respect for other people.

# Noisy cafes and restaurants.

# People who believe they are better than others.

# People who believe their religion is the only true one.

# Bigots and homophobes.

# Car drivers who never stop for pedestrians.

# Kids on busses and trains with feet on the seats forcing mature people to stand.

# Bad food and bad service.

# Politician who lie, or don’t keep their promises and policies.

# TV news that starts with a sport item rather than important news.

# Uncaring neighbours who have loud parties, or let their dogs bark day and night.

# Self-important people with egos much larger than any of their abilities.

I am sure there are plenty more things people get annoyed about, so let me know what you don’t like.

Roel Loopers

RACISM IN THE SUNDAY TIMES

This is not very Freo but I can’t be silent when I see blatant racism.

It is beyond me that the Sunday Times today published the racist, right-wing rant of Ralph Peters about the US army shooting, titled A religion of peace? in which he attacks the Muslim religion unfairly for what happened at a US army base last week.

By the time of publication of the newspaper the claim that this was a terrorist attack was not substantiated at all. In fact more balanced media reports suggested that it might have been the case of the shooter having snapped after years of being taunted about being a Muslim by fellow soldiers.

Ralph Peter’s comment incites racial hatred and religious prejudice and has no place in a balanced and serious newspaper. It is terrible tabloid crap and I hope the Press Council will investigate this.

Roel Loopers

Chris Uhlmann on Rudd

After my posting yesterday on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Indonesian Ablution, I think this article by Chris Uhlmann is well worth reading.

Click on: http://blogs.abc.net.au/offair/2009/10/rudd-squanders-chance-to-practise-what-he-preaches.html

Roel Loopers

THE BLESSING OF THE FLEET

ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT ROEL LOOPERS, PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHY

The annual Blessing of the Fleet was held for the 61^st time in Fremantle on Sunday. It is a tradition I really like and I always try to be there and take photos. Last year one of my shots made it to Inside Cover of the West Australian newspaper, as someone had forgotten to unlock the gates that gives the procession access to the Fishing Boat Harbour.

The blessing was initiated by migrant Italian fishermen in 1948 and is so very Freo now. Thousands come to watch the colourful banners, the Madonna statue and children all dressed up.

Canon fire shocks the unaware residents and visitors and has the odd dog go crazy, but that is all part of the fun and tradition.

I tried to get a different perspective of the parade this year and took some photos with a 600mm lens. I think they work well

Roel Loopers