Barbara Diamond Crossroads of Laguna is heading...

Barbara Diamond

Crossroads of Laguna is heading in a new direction.

A new concept was unveiled last week by the organization, founded

here more than 10 years ago to preserve the culture and art of

Afghanistan after the Russian invasion was defeated.

The proposal includes the construction of an orphanage,

educational, health, religious, cultural and recreational facilities

and a farm in Afghanistan, using local materials and taking local

conditions and customs into account.

“We are talking about a single campus that incorporates it all,”

said Vern Spitaleri, who presided over the meeting at which the plan

was presented.

The group, whose plans to assist in the artistic and cultural

rebirth of Afghanistan fell by the wayside when the Taliban gained

control of the country, must first reorganize itself. That includes

finding a new name.

“We are resuscitating our legal status,” Spitaleri told members

and a group of supporters from the American Afghan community that

gathered Jan. 23 at his Emerald Bay home. “We were ready to file for

nonprofit status with the state when we hit a problem. The Crossroads

name is not available.”

He proposed the name, Afghan Renaissance Society, but that struck

no chord with the group, which has sentimental ties to Crossroads.

The name Silk Road also was proposed, but it too is taken,

according to Sadiq Tawfiq, vice president of the group and owner of

Khyber Pass, a local store that sells antiques and contemporary

products from Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is the gateway between Asia and Europe, the crossroad

of the Silk Road, an ancient trade route. It is a country rich in

minerals, precious stones, oil, natural gas and uranium, with

centuries of artistic tradition that could bridge the gap with more

technologically advanced countries, Tawfiq said.

Unfortunately, 10 years under Taliban rule has compromised

Afghanistan’s artistic and intellectual heritage and left the country

devastated.

“We are aware of 20 years of depredation and strife,” Spitaleri

said. “So what can we do? We can be the pebble in the pond. Our

little group can make an incredible impact if we can pull off our

project. It could be replicated. People would come from all over the

countryside and say, ‘Wow, we want that.’”

Spitaleri’s son, Chris, designed the concept and drew up two

versions for the group to review. It is ambitious, but not grandiose.

“The whole project is designed with economics in mind. It is low

cost, high efficiency,” the younger Spitaleri said. “It uses

traditional building materials that would get the local people

involved. The idea is to not force our ideas on the people there, but

to let them do it. It should be a community project and it is

important that it be self-sustaining.”

Solar and windmill technology would provide the energy in an area

where utility poles are few and far between. Sun and wind are in

abundance in Afghanistan, a country of diverse climate and dramatic

topography.

Mountain snows feed pools of ground water, which could be tapped.

Grey water would be used for irrigation for the proposed farm.

The campus could start with as few as 50 students and go up to a

couple of thousand. Construction could begin immediately if the

Afghanistan government would authorize the land use.

“The Afghan people need to work with us to make it happen,” Vern

Spitaleri said. “Then they can say, ‘Look what we did.’ They have to

be involved.”

Vern Spitaleri envisions a campus that would produce a new

generation of leaders for Afghanistan. Students at the facility would

be given a solid basic education, as well as training in arts, crafts

and trades. The academically inclined would be prepared for the best

universities, he said.

Where would the funding come from for such a grand plan,

questioned Dr. Bob Sbordone.

“The important thing is to have a project with enough significance

to interest people of means -- even the United Nations,” Vern

Spitaleri said. “It has to have enough sizzle, enough scope.”

A similar plan, although smaller in scope, has been proposed by a

group for Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, The government has

donated three acres for the campus, to accommodate 1,000 children.

The Laguna group’s proposal to build its project near the town of

Herat resonates with Tawab Assifi, a governor of the province prior

to the Russian invasion.

“My compliments to Chris,” he said after the presentation. “The

basic thoughts are doable. I urge you all to carry on this project.”

Herat is an artistic center of Afghanistan and the ancestral home

of Laguna Beach merchant Tawfiq. He would like to see it established

as a sister city to Laguna Beach, with cultural exchanges.

Local ceramist Marlo Bartels was among the people who attended the

meeting at the Spitaleri home. He has expressed an interest in going

to Afghanistan to learn about the traditional tile work and mosaics

done there.

“My dream is to connect Laguna with Heart,” Tawfiq said.

And in more than one way.

Local businessman Harry Lawrence also attended the meeting. He

spoke about efforts to establish a Rotary Club in Afghanistan,

efforts thwarted by national passion against Pakistan, which is the

established Rotary district in the area.

The Laguna proposal presented last week is a multi-faceted

approach that reflects the concerns of the membership that ranges

from the Laguna Beach Woman’s Club goal of schools for women to the

International Orphans Organization’s care for children to business

and cultural exchanges.

“This is a new beginning for us,” Tawfiq said.

For more information about the organization or other ways to help

the Afghan people, call 494-8294.

Tawfiq estimates that in some areas of Afghanistan, as much of 80%

of the population is involved in jewelry making, other arts and

crafts and weaving.

One of the mosaics is of a woman in a burka done in lapiz. The

burka is a symbol to many of the discrimination practiced against

women by the Taliban.

Schools and clinics for girls and women need funding, Tawfiq said.

* BARBARA DIAMOND is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. She may be reached at 494-4321.