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MORE THAN A MOTTO, A DUTY. The storyteller’s role has always been to pass on the codes, history and spirit of their culture, for story is the repository of human understanding. ABRACADIA is no exception to this rule; indeed it takes it a step further, passing on a rich heritage of cultural pluralism AND passing on a good turn, a helping hand, to those who want it. |
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The legacy continues... PASS IT ON |
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Johan, Art, Ronnie and Dizzy |
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Bob |
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David |
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Paulo |
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How can we help today’s young people grow straight and strong enough to face the huge challenges that face them? The answer is staring you straight in the face. If they could spend just a day in the company of Johan, Art, Ronnie, Dizzy, Bob or Paulo their prospects would certainly be enhanced and their lives enriched. Sadly they are gone... |
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… But David is here; the chain is unbroken; the legacy continues.
It has been my enormous privilege to have known and worked with all these cultural icons of humanity. In my teens they helped give me a sense of self-worth and a belief in doing my best that got me off the street, away from crime and into doing positive things with my life, mainly by telling me stories about life. ABRACADIA passes this legacy on to others.
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(Although I met Paulo after I had completed a doctorate in education that owed much to his inspiration, his work as the 20th century’s greatest educational and cultural activist qualifies him to rank alongside the others pictured here. He had the same vibe and mission, and like many other Brazilians he loved the music too!)
The musical contributions of jazz giants Art Blakey, Dizzy Gillespie and Ronnie Scott are more celebrated, but no greater, than their humanity and wisdom. Johan Borgen (author) and Bob Marley are celebrated on the postage stamps of Norway and Jamaica, but they would certainly have preferred the passing on of the spirit of their humanity to the preservation of their images; the message in the letter is more important that the stamp on the envelope.
ABRACADIA stories are not about any of these people, but they are all because of them, and infused with the spirit of respect and humanity that they all shared. In passing that on ABRACADIA aims to make the next pictures in the chain yours and those around you. For humanity is bound together by a single thread; if we break it we are all undone. |
