South America

The Municipality of Resistencia, in the Chaco province, Argentina, and the Community for Human Development, held a tree planting event as a symbolic act to demand world peace. It took place in Kohanoff Park, in the capital of the Chaco, where 20% of its inhabitants are indigenous and the humanitarian situation of the native towns they live in is catastrophic.

On 2 October Maximiliano Guerra, Juan Leirado, Jorge Marrale, Silvia Pérez, Miguel Cantilo, Raúl Porchetto, among other well-known Argentinian artists, celebrated the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi and declared international day of non-violence by the UN in Buenos Aires. This was the context in which these influential celebrities spoke to Pressenza.

Midday Friday October 2nd, pedestrians in downtown Sao Paulo leaving their offices to have lunch were surprised by the breath-taking performance of mountain-climbers Bruno Sellmer and Fábio Cascino, who with the help of their young sons, scaled the façade of the Light Shopping Mall and unfurled a 30-meter banner to launch the World March for Peace and Non-Violence in Sao Paulo.

A symbolic march through the downtown of the Argentine city Rosario by the longest flag in the world, “High in the sky”, passed through the city’s downtown in order to commemorate the inauguration of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence. Students and young people went from Pringles Plaza to the National Flag Monument, where they assembled the Sign of Nonviolence.

The World March for Peace and Non-Violence started well. Beyond the hundreds of events that took place to celebrate the March, its launch will bring about a change of attitude as well. In Brazil, a historical rivalry was transformed into partnership through the commemoration of the start of the largest ever international pro-peace initiative.

The Plaza de la Democracia in Asunción, Paraguay, was the scene of an event which combined art, sport and fun to commemorate the beginning of the World March for Peace and Non Violence on 2 October. Chess was chosen because “it creates a link between people”, and was played by around 400 Paraguayan students from six colleges.

More than 500 people congregated in the centre of the city to celebrate the beginning of the World March for Peace and Non-violence. An enormous float for peace, community groups and 106 dissemination stands completed the festive atmosphere. Celebrities such as Maximiliano Guerra, Jorge Marrale, Juan Leyrado, Miguel Cantilo and Raúl Porchetto attended the celebration.

ABI – With a mass celebration on Friday in the Hernando Siles stadium, in which the president Evo Morales, authorities, students, artists, public figures and citizens in general will participate, Bolivia will join the “World March for Peace and Non Violence”, in a ceremony that will be replicated in at least a hundred countries.

Pacifists Without Borders (PWB), organizer of the World Peace Summit, and principal international guest speaker and former Director-General of UNESCO Federico Mayor Zaragoza, speak out against the “colossal” annual military spending throughout the world, half of which (1.2 trillion dollars) is attributable to the United States alone.

On 2 October in New Zealand a team of volunteers will start a trip of 160,000 km through 90 countries demanding total nuclear disarmament. Simultaneously, more than 300 events will take place at around 150 places around the world: from human peace signs in Iceland, Pakistan and Argentina to cultural festivals in India, Norway and Spain.