British & Commonwealth Peace Museum – Lochgoilhead, Scotland

The museum is part of the International Institute of Peace Studies and Global Philosophy. This institute is unique among research centres throughout the world in that is combines training and practical work in conflict resolution with studying the entire range of global philosophical, scientific and spiritual traditions, together with the proactive search for global responsibility, peace and justice in our time. The institute is housed in the Castle of the Muses, on the shores of Loch Goil, where it is also home to the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions for Ireland & Britain and for the Middle East, the Poseidon Seminars, and the Druid Peace Order, among many other organisations and projects.

The British & Commonwealth Peace Museum is a small private museum, dedicated to the quest for peace and understanding in the world. A peace based on mutual victory, understanding, enlightenment and beauty, not a peace based on humiliation and defeat of the “€œother”€. The museum documents and exhibits all aspects of the search for peace between nations, people, religions and cultures both in history and ongoing. Their aim is to act as a scholarly research centre for peace and a living “museion” for peace research, to enable students and visitors to stay on retreat and see how peace might be feasible.

Each of the 9 large rooms of the castle is devoted to a particular Muse, and contains books, artefacts, paintings and sacred objects associated with the traditional archetypal energy of that Muse. They are also willing to house educational events and display appropriate memorabilia from the peace movements of Britain in an educational setting.

Castle of the Muses, Carrick Castle, Loch Goil
Lochgoilhead PA24 8AG, Argyll & Bute, Scotland
www.educationaid.net / www.lulu.com/iipsgp
iipsgp@educationaid.net

Directorate of Anfal Museum, Iraq

The Directorate of Anfal Museum was built in 2012 as a result of the al-Anfal Campaign against the Kurdish people (and other non-Arab populations) in northern Iraq. This campaign was led by the Ba’athist Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and headed by Ali Hassan al-Majid in the final stages of Iran-Iraq War in 1988. The Anfal campaign included the use of ground offensives, aerial bombing, systematic destruction of settlements, mass deportation, firing squads, and chemical warfare, which earned al-Majid the nickname of Chemical Ali. 4000 villages were destroyed and 182.000 people lost their lives. The campaign has been characterized as genocidal in nature.

The museum’s goal is to commemorate and condemn this genocide, helping family victims, preventing the repetition of such a crime, and working for peace.

Banimaqan Chamchama
00964 Chamchamal Sulaimaniyah Kurdistan
Iraq
monoment.anfal@yahoo.com

Discover Peace website launch (october 30)

A new website is launched: http://www.discoverpeace.eu/discoverpeace

Since September 2012, the INMP is one of 7 partners in the Grundtvig – Lifelong Learning Programme project Discover Peace in Europe.

This project is designed to develop new forms of peace education. All partner groups have been active for many years in different fields of peace education and peace work. The objective of this project has three main parts:

  1. Research in European cities looking for examples of impressive activities of peace personalities and events, locating this historical or contemporary information with its specific address, designing them into Peace Trails;
  2. Design the curriculum for learning modules about these peace trails, with seminars and outdoor learning;
  3. Emphasise on outreach, creative eye catchers and raising peace awareness.

The launch of this new website is the result of the first part of this project.

Our cities are full of glorifying memorials for battles, heroism, militarism and male power, but there are hardly any glorifying memorials about peace in history and in contemporary activities. During the 19th century peace congresses, peace societies and peace movements of different approaches have emerged throughout Europe. Ever since then many different kinds of peace activities are taking place all over Europe. But there is little knowledge in the public about all these undertakings. The contrast between the admiration of heroic memories of combat and the almost total missing reminders of admirable activities of peacemakers is overwhelming – if you are aware of it! But most people are not. Most people do not even realize this inconsistence, because we can only get aware of something we are looking for. And as long as most of us are not consciously looking for peace it cannot appear.

The partner groups with whom we work in this project are the University of Applied Arts and Konfliktkultur in Vienna (Austria), Movimento Internazionale della Riconciliazione in Turin (Italy), Coordination pour l’éducation à la non-violence et à la paix in Paris (France), Vitakultura Egyesulet in Budapest (Hungary), Manchester City Council – Nuclear Free Local Authorities in Manchester (UK), and Paulo Freire Gesellschaft in Berlin (Germany).

Discover Peace Wish Tree (March 17)

On Friday 21 March, the INMP will plant and inaugurate a special Peace Wish Tree in front of the Peace Palace Visitors Center. And you can be there, and hang your peace wish in the tree.

This event is part of the Discover Peace in Europe project, for which the INMP together with 6 European partners designed Peace Trails in 7 European cities. The Peace Trail The Hague booklets will be promoted during this day.

The Peace Wish Tree is inspired by Yoko Ono’s Wish Trees. And donated by the Peace Palace.

The second part of the event includes an introductory walk of the Peace Trail The Hague. Duration is roughly 1 hour. Participants will receive a goodiebag with gifts from the Peace Palace, Humanity House and of course, the Peace Trail The Hague booklet. Register here!

Programme
Between 10 – 11 AM, the Peace Wish Tree will be inaugurated and all visitors will be invited to hang their peace wish in our special tree. The Peace Palace Carillon will be played. And there will be coffee from Plør.
Between 11 – 12 AM, our guide will take participants on an introductory walk of the Peace Trail The Hague, starting at the Peace Palace, and ending with a drink and discussion at the Humanity House, where you will receive free entrance to the museum. Participants for the guided tour need to register here.

Find us on Facebook:
Discover Peace in Europe
Discover Peace in The Hague

De excelso momentum pacis (March 19)

DE EXCELSO MOMENTUM PACIS

21 maart 2014

Peace Carillon / Peace Palace The Hague (NL)

Planting of the Peace Wish Tree on the first day of Spring 2014

Together with the Discover Peace Wish Tree that will be inaugurated this Friday, the very special Peace Carillon will be played. Everyone is invited to come and listen to the following songs, played between 10h and 10.40h.

Setlist

  1. Sy Miller/Jill Jackson (1955) – Let there be peace on earth
  2. Odette Meunier/Charles Serri (1952) – Chant mondial de la paix
  3. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) – Rauhan laulu (Vredeslied / Song of Peace)
  4. John Lennon & Paul McCartney (1969) – Give peace a chance
  5. Frans Bogaert – Marsch voor Ontwapening en Vrede
  6. Hans Ninaber (1945) – Spring (winter is at last now almost ended)
  7. Michael Jackson/Lionel Richie (1985) – We are the world

Launch Event Discover Peace in Europe (27 March)

Friday 21 March, the first day of spring, was the first date in a series of outreach activities for the EU Discover Peace project in which the INMP is actively involved. Together with our six partners, we inaugurated Peace Wish Trees in all seven European cities. The trees were inspired by Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tree. Invited guests and passersby were asked to write a peace wish on weatherproof paper and to hang them in our special trees.

Within this project the INMP designed the Peace Trail The Hague. One of the stations on this trail is the Peace Palace. Another one is INMP member Humanity House.

 

The Carnegie Foundation sponsored our event by offering a permanent place for our Peace Wish Tree at the entrance of the Peace Palace. During the opening ceremony the Peace Carillon played seven well chosen songs. Afterwards, several people participated in an introductory walk of the Peace Trail, guided by Marten van Harten en Peter van den Dungen. This led them to the Humanity House, where they received free entrance to the exhibition.

We can conclude that, despite the rain, we had a successful first outreach activity, with quite a lot of participants. The next events are being planned for 21 June (100 year commemmoration of the death of Bertha von Suttner) and 21 September (International Day of Peace).

Read more about this project here.
Photo album of the event on Flickr.

Freely translated extract from Peter van den Dungen’s opening speech:
“This project, Discover Peace in Europe, confirmed one thing peace historians already knew. Many cities have a long history of peace activism. Nowadays we are being reminded of the many atrocities of the First World War, making it even more important not to forget the many voices from all countries warning about the dangers of such a war. In each city, the Peace Trail highlights 15 stations – buildings and monuments – with a special meaning for peace, historical and current.
“We are pleased that the inauguration of the Peace Trail The Hague could be organised here, and we are thankful for the cooperation with the Peace Palace. One could say, a wish is the opposite of a complaint, a complaint is a negative formulated wish. When we talk about complaints related to peace, one masterpiece in world literature comes to mind – Complaint of Peace by Desiderius Erasmus. His statue is the only one here in the Peace Palace Garden. The book was published in 1516, but its essence is already to be found in a letter Erasmus wrote when in London, to Antonie van Bergen on 14 March 1514 – last week exactly 500 years ago. In his book, the Goddess of Peace complains that she is not welcome anywhere and she is disappointed in her hope for peace, again and again. At least here and today, at the Peace Palace, she would have found solace.
“I invite you all – starting with Steven van Hoogstraten, director of the Carnegie Foundation – to write your peace wish and hang it in the tree. Let us turn this tree into a praise of peace. Thank you.”

Bertha von Suttner week (16 June)

Next week, The Hague hosts several public events commemorating Bertha von Suttner. Last year, during the Peace Palace Centenary, she was honored as the first woman with a bust in the Peace Palace. This year we commemorate her 100th death anniversary (21 June 1914) and 125 years after the publication of her famous novel Lay Down Your Arms (1889).

The events are mostly in English and open to all who are interested to learn more about this magnificent lady.

Tuesday 24 June 2014, 17.00-19.30h

Peace Palace Library Commemorative Lecture – In honor of Bertha von Suttner (1843 – 1914)
International speakers will present the life and work of Bertha von Suttner, including her relationship with Alfred Nobel. (see the complete programme in the attachment below)
More information and registration on the Peace Palace website

Wednesday 25 June 2014, 16.00-17.30h

Peace Trail The Hague – In the Footsteps of Bertha von Suttner
The INMP offers a guided tour from the Discover Peace Wish Tree (in front of the Peace Palace Visitors Center) to Humanity House, past places of memory reflecting Bertha von Suttner’s time in The Hague (1899 & 1907). Locations include Diligentia Theatre, Inner Court, Des Deux-Villes, Spinoza Monument and Yi Jun Peace Museum.
The registration fee is 10 Euro.
Participants receive a ‘Discover Peace in The Hague Goodiebag’.
For more information and registration, please send an e-mail to thehague@discoverpeace.eu

Wednesday 25 June 2014, 19.30h

FILM at Humanity House – Ned Med Vaabnene! / Lay Down Your Arms!
Join us for the first ever public screening of the Danish 1914 film version (in glorious silence) of Lay Down Your Arms! (Ned Med Vaabnene!) newly translated into English. Andrew Kelly, an expert on the film and anti-war cinema of World War 1, will provide comments. Followed by a reception.
More information about the film and Bertha von Suttner Project on the Forward Into Light website
More information about the screening and registration on the Humanity House website

Thursday 26 June – Friday 27 June 2014

Bertha von Suttner Master Class
A number of different experts on Bertha von Suttner and peace history will lead a series of classes devoted to Bertha von Suttner’s life and legacy. The Master Class will be held in the historic Japanese Room of the Peace Palace.
More information and registration (which is limited and will close on 21 June!) on the Forward Into Light website

Bertha von Suttner Lecture – 24 juni 2014

Peace Trail The Hague new publication (9 September)

On 20 September, the Saturday of the Just Peace weekend in The Hague, the INMP presents the Peace Trail The Hague pocket guide, in both Dutch and English, as part of the European project Discover Peace in Europe. The booklet guides you past 15 historical places connected with the Hague tradition of peace and international justice.

Since late 2012, people from the INMP secretariat started working on this project, in cooperation with six European partners in Berlin, Budapest, Manchester, Paris, Torino and Vienna. Seven Peace Trails were designed and brought together on a website (discoverpeace.eu). Celebrating International Day of Peace 2014, the clever pocket guides, in two languages, will be presented.

At 13.30h the first issue will be handed to the Yi Jun Peace Museum. This peace museum, devoted to the Korean delegation during the 1907 Hague Peace Conference, will be open from 11.00h to 16.00h for the symbolic entrance fee of 1 euro.

At 14.00h a second issue will be handed to the Humanity House, another peace museum included in the Peace Trail. This museum will be accessible for 1 euro during the entire Just Peace weekend. In the museum cafe a short elucidation on the project and its future activities will be given.

Subsequently around 15.30h at the Grote Markt, during ONE Festival, an issue will be handed to Tim Akkerman, the 2014 peace ambassador, who wrote the preface of the guide. Those interested can pick up their own free copy of the guide, in Dutch or English, after this day, at one of the several museums along the Peace Trail.

For more information about the Discover Peace in Europe project, please visit our website: www.discoverpeace.eu
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PeaceTrailTheHague & https://www.facebook.com/discoverpeace

The Peace Tram (September 15)

The Friedensbim (Peace Tram) is Vienna’s contribution to the International Peace Day, 21 September 2014, initiated by INMP member Stefan Frankenberger, Philipp Reichel, the Discover Peace in Europe project, and Konfliktkultur. The peace tram (sponsored by Vienna’s public transport company Wiener Linien, Pizza Mari’ and the University of Applied Arts) will circle around Vienna city centre like a riding circus offering live music, readings, performances and art dedicated to peace. At the stations, musicians will play special concerts inviting listeners to board the tram. Everybody is invited to join this free event and support peace in times when peace seems self-evident in Western Europe, while globally it is under sever threat.

The stops of the Peace Tram are:
• Kärntner Ring/Opera (departure at 2.30 PM)
• Dr.-Karl-Renner-Ring
• Schottentor
• Schottenring
• Schwedenplatz
• Stubenring

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/friedensbim or send an e-mail to stefan.frankenberger@gmail.com / philipp.reichel@hotmail.com