What is peace day?
– I think it is a wonderful idea, says Tara Shwani. She was one of the many people who took part in the Peace Day activities.
In 2001 the 21st of September was established unanimously by the UN as an annual day of non-violence and cease-fire. The day has grown as a symbolic day, with an aim of strengthening the ideals of peace. In Bergen the day was marked by CISV, an organisation working with peace education for children and young adults. People on the street got the opportunity to partake in Peace Day through different activities. One of them was to write down a word that came to mind when they thought about peace, and words like humanity, family and love were all represented. So was the logo for McDonalds, illustrating how peace can mean many things to different people.
Does it help?
The number of ongoing conflicts in the world is high, and there can be little doubt that there is a long way to go before global peace is achieved. Some people view Peace Day as a naïve initiative, and Peivend Ghayori points out that one day is not enough. Others find it to be important and think it can lead to bigger things. As Tara Schwani says
– We have to start somewhere.
