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From: "Mary Foster"
To: iptcanada@yahoogroups.com
CC: web@vitw.org, "Culture_Montréal" , "Jawdat Nasar" , "Lisa Rundle" , sbouchard@alternatives.ca, "Michael Lessard" , pandora@cam.org, "Doug Pritchard"
Subject: report from Lisa Ndejuru in Baghdad 23 March
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2003 10:17:57 -0500

I just got through to Lisa Ndejuru with the Iraq Peace Team in Baghdad, at about 5:30 pm their time, Sunday, 23 March. She was at the Iraq Peace Team office at the Al Fanar Hotel. She had sent three reports in the last three days by email, but none have arrived. The report she sent yesterday was sent in two parts, because they started bombing in the middle of it, so she went down into the shelter. It was the first time they had bombed during the day. She will try to do reports by phone.

Lisa said the rest of the peace team members, including Zehira Houfani and Robert Turcotte from Quebec, are all fine. Zehira is presently at the peace camp some people have set up at a water treatment plant, but she might return to the hotel.

Lisa reported that today (Sunday) was a relatively quiet day, with only a few explosions. They had gone out to some hospitals to visit people who have been injured in the bombing. Casualties are estimated at about 250 in Baghdad.

At this point, the line went dead. We reconnected, miraculously, and she said she was reluctant to say much in detail, very afraid that they might disconnect us again. The rest of our conversation was puncuated by her frequently asking, "are you still there?"

They can see the billowing smoke from the oil burning around the city. When they went out today, they saw some smoking ruins. Many fewer people were out than usual. Yesterday they had gone around the city. They saw shattered windows and bombed places that were still smoking. There was no panic in the city, "people are holding up well."

She has been doing a lot of media calls, and said that what the reporters talk about refers to a different reality than the one they are experiencing - it is "two different realities". The round the clock images and intensity of the media coverage is very different from reality on the ground, which she called the "slow dance" of war. Yesterday she was speaking to a reporter who had just seen images of intense bombing and bombers cruising over Baghdad, and Lisa was confused, because that wasn't happening. But then it began, minutes after she had hung up with the reporter.

At that point in the conversation, explosions started in the background. She, very reluctantly, said that she should go downstairs, in case the windows shattered. It was very difficult to say goodbye, but I will try to reach her again tomorrow.

Mary Foster