South America

“The Olympic Games symbolize the eradication of nuclear arms and world peace”, stated Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is investigating the potential candidacies for the 2020 Olympic Games of the two Japanese cities that suffered nuclear attacks in 1945 and left approximately 220,000 dead.

Indigenous movements throughout the world have called for a “Global Minga for Mother Earth,” which will take place October 12-16, 2009. Its purpose is a large-scale peaceful mobilization toward the United Nations in order to put an end to global warming. Also, during its stop in Bolivia, it will inaugurate the first Climate Justice Tribunal.

On Wednesday, October 7th, activists from the Humanist Movement entered the Obelisk, a national historic site located in downtown Buenos Aires, where they hung an orange banner almost 50 meters long with the logo of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence, accompanied by orange pennants. The non-violent direct action was widely reported in local newspapers.

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.