Culture and Media

In a few hours the international team of the World March will finalize their journey, which started in New Zealand on October 2nd, and went all over the world asking for nuclear disarmement. Thousands of people, coming from the five continents are coming to the Park of Study and Reflection “Punta de Vacas”, located in the Andes, at the foot of Aconcagua.

After traveling 200 thousand kilometers, the international team of the World March arrived today, January 2, at the Park of Study and Reflection Punta de Vacas in Argentina. Close to 20,000 people heard the representatives of the World March from Chile, Argentina, India, Italy, the Philippines, Spain and England that circled the globe calling for nuclear disarmament.

At the foot of Mount Aconcagua on the border between Argentina and Chile, there was a diverse and multicultural New Year celebration. A greeting in 18 languages was led by Silo: “For us and for all human beings, let us anticipate the embrace of Peace, Force and Joy,” read the final sentence of the message. Attending the event were about 1500 people.

From the balcony, which historically presidents of Chile go out onto to greet the crowds that for one reason or another fill the Plaza de la Constitución to greet their president, President Michelle Bachelet, along with Rafael de la Rubia, international coordinator of the World March, Tomás Hirsch and Gloria Morrison, appeared with gestures of joy and affection.

Four different convoys which went through the city of Santiago beginning in the early hours of the morning congregated in Constitution Plaza to welcome the international team from the World March for Peace and Non-Violence. The international team was met in the Palace of La Moneda by the President of the Republic, Sra Michelle Bachelet.

On Sunday, part of the World March International Base Team, which travels the world demanding nuclear disarmament and the withdrawal of invading troops from occupied territories, arrived at Moreno, a province of Buenos Aires, where they marched through the city ending up in Plaza Buján, where 20 thousand people were awaiting the parade while enjoying a music festival.

On December 28, Peace Boat’s 68th Global Voyage for Peace will set sail from Yokohama on a 103 day, 17 port journey around the world. The voyage will take a southern route, visiting ports in Africa and Latin America, as those on board focus on global efforts to end poverty. Peace Boat sees 2010 as an important and symbolic year for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

I was standing in the queue at passport control when Rafael de la Rubia took me to one side and said quietly: “We’re hoping to introduce someone to you, the governor of this department, Antonio Navarro, the former leader of the M-19 group who was indirectly involved in the operation that took your father and several other ambassadors hostage…”

There are times when Latin American magical realism falls short in describing what has occurred, as happened on the Rumichaca bridge on the border between Colombia and Ecuador, when Juanes and Rafael de la Rubia were preparing to hand over the World March for Peace and Non-Violence flag to the Ecuadorian singer Juan Fernando Velasco.

From the early hours of the morning, Colombia’s national television channels were announcing the arrival of the World March to the South American continent, while the city of Bogota was waking up to the this event. Towards midday members of the international team were welcomed at the airport with dance, music and a lot of human warmth.