In the extraordinary place where the Nile River and the arts converge in Cairo, The World March has once again achieved its objective: more than 150 people came together in the spacious concert hall of El Sawy Cultural Wheel, the cultural epicenter of this cosmopolitan city, to issue a worldwide call for peace and the construction of a culture of non-violence.
Participants of numerous nationalities and beliefs spontaneously offered their experiences, enriching and stimulating the discussion. Egyptian collaborator Sara El Kassar made a wonderful presentation on the March and thanked its hosts, while Spaniard Eduardo Gonzalo, the March’s representative, explained the principles that gave birth to the movement and made a call for the creation of a world culture of integration and intercultural brotherhood that will foster peace-building.
Other participants included Selvete Thaqi from Kosovo, who radiated happiness as she thanked the March for the opportunity to visit Egypt. Speaking in her native Albanian, she lauded the cultural interchange opened by this global initiative. Jackeline Delgado, of Peru, emotionally expressed the need to transform personal behavior in the interests of achieving peace and non-violence. Luisa Trujillo offered a forceful speech on the history of violence and the construction of a culture of non-violence in her homeland Colombia. Concluding, Salim Asar, a Polish-Egyptian, emphasized that studying “unjustified wars” in the context of historical events can be useful in developing non-violent methods to resolve conflicts.
Cairo also contributed a mural for non-violence that will travel with the marchers. Conceived as a space to gather the opinions and notions of non-violence held by diverse communities, it will be displayed in Punta de Vacas as a symbol of the union between peoples. From Egypt, the march will set off from the Nile to Israel and Palestine, later continuing on to Jordan and Turkey.
The Arab world has made its contribution to The World March and opened channels of dialogue and discourse that will bear fruit in the months to come. Two local rock bands, including the exuberant and popular “Taxi Band” have publicly endorsed the March.
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*(Translation provided by Jenni Lukac)*
