Peace means more than the absence of war, more than the silencing of the guns and mortars, bombs and drones…
Peace means justice, equality, empathic connections, inclusive communities, arts and culture flourishing, care for our shared planet, care for each other, no one left out…
Peace means people refusing to give in to the lies and fear-mongering, to the cynical manipulation of people into opposing camps for the power and profits of the few…
Peace means people, in the darkest, most difficult of times, standing in solidarity, taking care of each other, nurturing and protecting the children, keeping the will to life alive…
In this time of ongoing horrors of war, supported, financed and defended by the most powerful nations on earth, Musicians Without Borders claims the International Day of Peace for the world’s real peacemakers.
We especially honor the brave efforts of our partner organizations and colleagues—
In DRC/ Congo, where the complex mesh of interethnic violence, competition for natural resources, climate catastrophe and global interference pushes millions out of their homes and into refugee camps….
we honor the young musicians of the Global Vision for Africa (GVA), who work tirelessly to bring the transformative power of music to young children in refugee camps in the Goma region. These young musicians now lead a new collaboration with climate activists, learning the songs of the elders that convey knowledge of the land, and sharing these songs with young children. They are peacemakers.
In Kosovo, where old fears and tensions are once again revived by politicians to manipulate the population and persuade people to distrust not the politicians, but their neighbors on the other side of the river….
we honor the young leaders of the Mitrovica Rock School who continue to find creative ways to bring young people together to make music in ethnically mixed bands, to make friends from the other side of town, to play leading roles in Music Connects, working with young musicians and partners in Skopje, Brussels, Berlin, Tilburg, and Amsterdam. They are peacemakers.
In Palestine, where almost a year of genocidal violence in Gaza expands to the West Bank, where people already impoverished by an exploitative apartheid regime are plunged more deeply into poverty and despair, where fear and violence are a daily feature of life for everyone….
we honor a devoted team of music teachers and social workers in the Ghirass Cultural Center in Bethlehem, who continue to welcome children from refugee camps, isolated villages and underserved communities to make music together: to learn to play instruments, to sing in a choir, to play together in an orchestra, to feel safe to be and express themselves, if only for a few hours each week. They are peacemakers.
While the headlines may be dominated by war, fear, propaganda, and hate, we celebrate those who continue to make peace on the ground, who continue to sow the seeds, who refuse to give up to the politics of despair.
On this International Day of Peace, praise, respect, honor and love to the real peacemakers, who are the hope of our world.