Peace Day Event - UN International Day of Peace Peacemakers' Celebration - Manila
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As the conference hall started to be filled with the flags of the different religious symbols and display banners from different faiths, the presentation area also started to be filled with musical instruments. On one side: a drum set, electric guitars and amplifiers were positioned; on the other side gongs, drums and bamboos were laid on the floor. Little by little, group by group, people started to fill the chairs. As the early birds took their seats, videos on the United Religions Initiative (URI) were shown.
More and more colors filled the hall. They were colors of diversity.
Dressed in street clothes, school uniforms, habits, hijabs, orange and
white robes, kimonos, ethnic beads, batik, turbans and what not they
were representatives, members, peace advocates, religious and lay,
teachers, and a big number of youths and students coming from different
faith groups, schools, NGO s, and spiritual organizations who came to
join The Peacemakers Circle Foundation, Inc. (PCFI) and the interfaith
community in celebrating the International Day of Peace 2007 with
Sacred sONGS OF PEACE on September 21, 2007 at the Miriam College
Environmental Studies Institute.
Nearly 200 people attended the evening s musical celebration which wove a symphony of prayers, meditation, chanting, songs and dances from various spiritual traditions. Following the Welcome Remarks by URI SEAsia-Pacific regional coordinator & PCFI OIC, Dr. Shakun Vaswani; meditation & silencing was led by Mr. John Dowling of Brahma Kumaris. This was followed by a song number from a special celebrity guest: model/actress-singer/environmentalist Ms. Chinchin Gutierrez (who recently launched an album of interfaith songs).
Writer/dancer/artist-teacher Ms.Maria Abulencia, with the cultural workshop group, Hibla, rendered aspontaneous dance peace ritual. Imam Akmad Wahab of Filipino Muslim
Youth Council for Peace & Development offered a Qur anic chanting
prayer and an Islamic song, while the Anada Marga Yoga Society presented a mantra song.
This was followed by lively bhajan chanting and dancing by the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON/Hare Krishna).
Baba Surinder Singh Ragi of Guru Nanak Mission (Sikh) offered a short
prayer-chant.
Another lively presentation was rendered by the Salesian Youth
Movement of Don Bosco School (Catholic) who brought their whole band
with full equipment. A dance number invoking Lord Ganesha, the deity of
wisdom and remover of obstacles was then presented by the Hindu girls
in their tradition classical dance costumes, while equally colorful in
their kimonos and Japanese outfit were members of Shinji Shumei Kai who
also offered chanting and a dance.
Another special group that performed was the Kulay-Wala band
--composed of youths from the grassroots community of Brgy.
Camarin representing the GenPeace Youth Network. This was followed by
an innovative step dance performed by youths from the Baha i Faith
national center, and a song number from Mr. Bob Guerrero of the
Unitarian Universalist community of Manila. Finally, the Byakko Shinko
Kai performed the Divinity-In (movement prayer/mudra), preceding the concluding ceremonies.
The evening was capped with the reading of the UN secretary
general s official message on IDP 2007 and the World Peace Prayer
ceremony. This was led by WPPS representative, Mr. Toots Fungo, who
distributed to each one in the hall during the ceremony the flag-cards
representing the different world nations for which everyone prayed for peace to prevail.
Through Shakun as URI SEAP regional coordinator and PCFI executive
director Ms. Marites Africa (who hosted the whole program), the
organizers heartfully thank all the participants, performers,
volunteers and supporters, and all those who attended the event--
especially representatives from the JPICC-AMRSP (UN-IDP secretariat),
Xaverian Missionaries, Miriam Center for Peace Education, Young Moro
Professionals Network, Christian Peacemakers Team, Canossa School -
Sta. Rosa, Roots of Learning, PeaceTeach, Pax Christi. Thank you all
for the beautiful and powerful stand for unity and peace!
Youth Council for Peace & Development offered a Qur anic chanting
prayer and an Islamic song, while the Anada Marga Yoga Society presented a mantra song.
This was followed by lively bhajan chanting and dancing by the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON/Hare Krishna).
Baba Surinder Singh Ragi of Guru Nanak Mission (Sikh) offered a short
prayer-chant.
Another lively presentation was rendered by the Salesian Youth
Movement of Don Bosco School (Catholic) who brought their whole band
with full equipment. A dance number invoking Lord Ganesha, the deity of
wisdom and remover of obstacles was then presented by the Hindu girls
in their tradition classical dance costumes, while equally colorful in
their kimonos and Japanese outfit were members of Shinji Shumei Kai who
also offered chanting and a dance.
Another special group that performed was the Kulay-Wala band
--composed of youths from the grassroots community of Brgy.
Camarin representing the GenPeace Youth Network. This was followed by
an innovative step dance performed by youths from the Baha i Faith
national center, and a song number from Mr. Bob Guerrero of the
Unitarian Universalist community of Manila. Finally, the Byakko Shinko
Kai performed the Divinity-In (movement prayer/mudra), preceding the concluding ceremonies.
The evening was capped with the reading of the UN secretary
general s official message on IDP 2007 and the World Peace Prayer
ceremony. This was led by WPPS representative, Mr. Toots Fungo, who
distributed to each one in the hall during the ceremony the flag-cards
representing the different world nations for which everyone prayed for peace to prevail.
Through Shakun as URI SEAP regional coordinator and PCFI executive
director Ms. Marites Africa (who hosted the whole program), the
organizers heartfully thank all the participants, performers,
volunteers and supporters, and all those who attended the event--
especially representatives from the JPICC-AMRSP (UN-IDP secretariat),
Xaverian Missionaries, Miriam Center for Peace Education, Young Moro
Professionals Network, Christian Peacemakers Team, Canossa School -
Sta. Rosa, Roots of Learning, PeaceTeach, Pax Christi. Thank you all
for the beautiful and powerful stand for unity and peace!
