Activists in Sydney have joined forces to organise a major event, that will extend over nine days, centred on the UN’s International Day of Peace (September 21). It is called ‘Raising Peace’ and is described as a ‘peace festival’ or a celebration of peace.
Against the background of senior, government officials mentioning the ‘Drums of War’, and a concerted propaganda campaign demonising China, the need to advocate (and agitate for) peace is becoming more urgent by the day.
Sensing this need, activists in Sydney have joined forces to organise a major event, that will extend over nine days, centred on the UN’s International Day of Peace (September 21). It is called ‘Raising Peace’ and is described as a ‘peace festival’ or a celebration of peace.
An extensive program is nearing completion. A large number of peace-oriented organisations will be taking an active part. All aspects under the broad concept of ‘peace’ are being given a platform. In a PR coup, Mr Armando Vargas-Araya, the Ambassador of Costa Rica, has agreed to take part. (Costa Rica boasts an absence of any armed forces.)
More details including the program of Raising Peace can be found on the website https://raisingpeace.org.au.
Covid permitting, it will open with a presentation at the State Parliament Theatrette on Thursday, Septeber 16. This will be followed by a series of events at ‘107 Redfern Street’, which will run from Saturday September 18 until Sunday September 26. During this time there will be discussions, films, activities and music. Participating groups will create a static exhibition to display their paticular angle on the question of peace, and this exhibition will remain in place for the whole period. Visitors can select any particular ‘session’ that peaks their interest, or simply take ‘pot luck’ and drop into the ‘107’ centre on any of the days to check out what Sydney’s various and varied peace groups are saying and doing.
The Raising Peace idea arose out of conversations between representatives of the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN), the ‘Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom’ (WILPF) and ‘International Volunteers for Peace’ (IVP). The organisers have been delighted by the response to the idea and delighted by the enthusiasm it is generating.
IPAN NSW representative, Nick Deane, says “We are all alarmed by recent, public discussion of the possibility of war. The need to raise the voice of peace has become more urgent than it has been since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Now is the time for all who espouse the cause of peace to rediscover the common ground they share. It is vital that the concept and possibility of peaceful co-existence be brought back into common discourse.” The hope is that Raising Peace will have just this result.
