Anne Farrell

For its 30th edition, the Montreal International Jazz Festival of Canada offers a program with great musicians, artists and singers, with dedication to the utmost quality in diversified music. The plethora of concerts captures the mood, from jazz fusion to American rock, with trips through free jazz, ’80s gypsy music, pop music, the legendary R&B, Afro-Cuban, Afrobeat and visits from the music of Mexico and Eastern Europe. American music legend Stevie Wonder will perform at the Festival’s opening, as an outdoor free event on June 30th.

Montreal, May 28, 2009 – In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s Bed-In, the organizing committee of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence has organized the launch of Bed-In activities throughout the world at the Montreal Fine Arts Museum.

On May 15th, 15.000 youths walked in solidarity to express their civic involvement in the streets of Montreal, Canada. This event was organized by Club 2/3, the youth division of Oxfam Quebec. These young people walked in support of the populations in the poorest countries and of environmental issues. They are aware that individual and collective actions have a positive impact on their future and on future generations.

Lawyer and human rights activist, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, was in Montreal at the Millennium summit on April 16 with others major players and key figures from government organizations, civil society, and leading international humanitarian organizations to raise awareness on the importance on sustainable development and the eradication of poverty. At the Summit, Dr. Ebadi proposed an International Convention to eradicate poverty.

Actress and UNICEF ambassador Mia Farrow was a guest speaker at the recent Millenium Summit in Montreal. She spoke about the crisis in Darfur, a region she has visited 11 times since 2004.

Pressenza speaks with Henk-Jan Brinkman – by Anne Farrell