th
The 11 Annual
GANDHI
PEACE
FESTIVAL
Towards a culture
of nonviolence,
peace and
justice
2003 Theme:
Power to the People: The Agenda of
the Peace Movement.
Saturday,
October 4, 2003
Sponsored by
Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University
The India-Canada Society, Hamilton
www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi
The 11th Annual GANDHI PEACE FESTIVAL
2003 Theme:
Power to the People – The Agenda of the Peace Movement
Saturday, October 4, 2003
Gandhi Peace Book Editors:
Khursheed Ahmed <[email protected]>
Rama Singh <[email protected]>
Gandhi Peace Festival Coordinator:
Heather Farrell <[email protected]>
Who was Mahatma Gandhi? ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival Sponsors ................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 4
About the Gandhi Peace Festival................................................................................................................................. 5
Some Quotes from Mahatma Gandhi........................................................................................................................... 6
Some Key Concepts in Gandhian Thought ................................................................................................................... 7
Mahatma Gandhi Lectures on Nonviolence................................ ................................ ................................ .................. 8
Professor Thomas Nagy ............................................................................................................................................. 9
st
Human Rights and Reconciliation in Australia in the 21 century: An Unfinished Journey .............................................. 10
Liberation From War................................................................................................................................................. 17
Students share their thoughts about peace............................................................................................................. 22
People's Resolution On Iraq ...................................................................................................................................... 23
Beyond Iraq: Repairing the Damage to Global Systems .............................................................................................. 26
The Gandhi Peac e Festival High School Essay Competition................................ ................................ ........................ 30
PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
Hamilton Culture of Peace Network ........................................................................................................................... 31
Centre for Peace Studies .......................................................................................................................................... 32
Mac Peace Week ..................................................................................................................................................... 33
Physicians for Global Survival - Canada.................................................................................................................... 34
Project Ploughshares................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 35
Peace Research Institute, Dundas ............................................................................................................................. 36
Amnesty International ............................................................................................................................................... 36
Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) ............................................................................................................. 37
The Children's International Learning Centre (CILC) ................................................................................................... 37
United Nations Children’s Fund ................................................................................................................................. 38
The United Nations Association in Canada................................................................................................................. 38
The Council of Canadians ......................................................................................................................................... 39
Strengthening Hamilton’s Community Initiative ........................................................................................................... 39
Community-based Interfaith, Peace and Cultural Groups ............................................................................................ 40
McMaster-based Student Groups .............................................................................................................................. 43
The India-Canada Society of Hamilton ....................................................................................................................... 45
Indo-Canadian Network ..................................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO) ........................................................................................... 46
Peace Brigades International..................................................................................................................................... 46
In Memorium ............................................................................................................................................................ 47
Friends of the Festival ............................................................................................................................................... 48
Committees and Volunteers ...................................................................................................................................... 50
Images from 2002 Gandhi Peace Walk ...................................................................................................................... 51
Programme.............................................................................................................................................................. 52
For more information please contact:
Dr. Rama Shankar Singh
Gandhi Peace Festival Committee
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 905 -525-9140 Ext. 24378
Home: 905-525-4471
Kim Squissato
Centre for Peace Studies
E-mail: [email protected]
905 -525-9140 Ext. 24265
Website: www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi/
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Who was Mahatma Gandhi?
The history of the world includes only a few instances of men and women who
have lived such dedicated lives that they have made an impact, which has gone
on long after their death.
Such a man was born in India on October 2, 1869. He was known as Mahatma
Gandhi. He grew up in somewhat ordinary circumstances, was educated as a
lawyer in India and in England, and moved as a young man to South Africa.
There he learned at first hand about racial intolerance and oppression of
common people. He returned to India, determined to do something to help his
own people. His approach was not hatred and violence, but understanding and
love. He lived among the poorest people, and taught them to help themselves.
He tried especially to help the so-called “untouchables”, to improve their own lot
and gain self-respect. He worked hard to win independence for India, which was
achieved in 1947.
Tragically, he was killed in 1948; shot by a young man who misunderstood what
Gandhi was doing for India. But he taught his own people, and indeed the whole
world, that the best way to solve disputes is not armed revolt, but patient striving
for understanding and reconciliation. His life and tragic death stand before us a
unique memorial to the cause of peace in the world.
His full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but he is popularly known as
Mahatma (or the “Great Soul”) Gandhi.
TODAY, GANDHI’S MESSAGE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.
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Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival Sponsors
Centre for Peace Studies, McMaste r University
The India-Canada Society, Hamilton
Co-Sponsors
93.3 CFMU
Amnesty International
Antiviolence Network
Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Canadian Indo Caribbean Association
Children’s International Learning Centre
Council of Canadians
Dundas Independent Video Activists
Greenpeace
Hamilton Action for Social Change
Interfaith Development Education Association
Interfaith Council for Human Rights and
Refugees
McMaster Students Union
McMaster Peace and Conflict Studies Society
McMaster Indian Soc iety
Peace Brigades International
Settlement and Integration
Services Organization (SISO)
The Mundialization Committee, City of Hamilton
Ontario Public Interest Research Group Peace
Research Institute - Dundas
Physicians for Global Survival - Hamilton
Project Ploughshares - Hamilton Chapter
UNICEF
United Nations Assoc. of Canada – Hamilton
United Way
Unity Church and Retreat Centre
Culture of Peace Network - Hamilton
Voice of Women for Peace
World Federalists of Canada
YMCA Hamilton/Burlington
Financial Supporters
The City of Hamilton
Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University
The India-Canada Society, Hamilton
Audcomp Computers, Hamilton
Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association, Hamilton
McMaster Students Union
McMaster Ontario Public Interest Research Group
Physicians for Global Survival
Westend Physiotherapy, Hamilton
Taj Restaurant, Hamilton
Gandhi Peace Festival gratefully acknowledges the financial support of
Audcomp Computers for this booklet.
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About the Gandhi Peace Festival
The purpose of the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival is:
1) To promote nonviolence, peace and justice;
2) To provide an avenue for various peace and human rights organizations within the local
community to become collectively visible, and exchange dialogues and resources;
3) To build on local interest and dialogue in peace and human rights issues that develop
around the world.
The peace festival was started in 1993, a year before the celebration of the 125th anniversary
of Gandhi's birthday and it has been held annually on a weekend closest to Gandhi's birth day
(October 2).
The peace festival is co-sponsored by the India-Canada Society of Hamilton and the Centre
for Peace Studies, McMaster University. The festival is twinned with the Annual Mahatma
Gandhi Lectures on Nonviolence sponsored by the centre for peace studies. The lecture
series was established by the India-Canada Society and endowed from public donations.
The peace festival is supported by a large number of peace, human rights and cultural
organizations from the local community. See “Friends of Festival” page in this booklet on how
you can support the festival.
For more information please call:
Gandhi Peace Festival Committee - 905-525-9140 Ext. 24378 or 905-525-4471
The India-Canada Society - 905-388-5791
Centre for Peace Studies - 905-525-9140 Ext. 24729, 24378
“Gandhi was inevitable. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought and acted,
inspired by the vision of humanity evolving towards a world of peace and harmony. We may ignore Gandhi
at our own risk "
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Some Quotes from Mahatma Gandhi
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
The first principle of nonviolent action is that of non-cooperation with everything humiliating.
A nonviolent revolution is not a program of seizure of power. It is a program of transformation of relationships, ending
in a peaceful transfer of power.
One has to speak out and stand up for one's convictions. Inaction at a time of conflagration is inexcusable.
Nonviolence will prevail--- whatever man may or may not do.... It will have its way and overcome all obstacles
irrespective of the shortcoming of the instruments.
Mankind has to get out of violence only through nonviolence. Hatred can be overcome only by love. Counter hatred
only increases the surface as well as the depth of hatred.
Nonviolent defence neither knows nor accepts defeat at any stage. Therefore a nation or a group, which has made
nonviolence its final policy, cannot be subjected to slavery even by the atom bomb.
Nonviolence is the noblest as well as the most effective way of defending one's rights.
A 'satyagrahi' is one who is consecrated to nonviolent defence of the truth.
I want the nonviolence of the weak [many] to become the nonviolence of the brave. It may be a dream, but I have to
strive for its realization.
Nonviolence in the sense of mere non-killing does not appear to be any improvement on the technique of violence. It
means slow torture, and when slowness becomes ineffective we shall immediately revert to killing and to the atom
bomb.
Nonviolence is impossible without self-purification.
If we remain nonviolent, hatred will die as everything does from disuse.
Without the recognition of nonviolence on a national scale there is no such thing as a constitutional or democratic
government.
Peace will never come unless the great powers courageously decide to disarm themselves.
Liberty and democracy become unholy when their hands are dyed red with innocent blood.
To benefit by others' killing and delude oneself into the belief that one is being religious and nonviolent is
self-deception.
There can be degree in violence, not in nonviolence. The constant effort of the votary of nonviolence is to purge
himself of hatred toward the so-called enemy. There is no such thing as shooting out of love.
Two basic maxims for nonviolence: 1) Ahimsa is the supreme Law or Dharma, 2) There is no other Law or Dharma
than Truth.
A satyagrahi should fast only as a last resort when all other avenues of redress have been explored and have failed.
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Some Key Concepts in Gandhian Thought
David Jefferess, Graduate Student, McMaster University
Truth – The search for Truth was the basis of all Gandhi’s actions. For Gandhi, Truth is often equ ated with “soul”, “spirit”
or “god”. Gandhi sought to struggle against oppression without the use of violence because human beings are not
capable of knowing the absolute truth. As a result, while one must act upon their understanding of Truth, they must
recognize that Truth is relative; therefore, one cannot punish or inflict violence upon another. Such a conception of Truth
as a quality of life and conduct requires that the means of social change be consistent with the desired ends. While one
must seek Truth throughout their life, it is the act of seeking Truth, rather than the attainment of some absolute Truth,
which is important.
Ahimsa – Literally to abstain from himsa (or violence), ahimsa (commonly translated as non-violence) is an ancient Hindu
precept, proclaimed by disciples of Vishnu, as well as by Buddha and by Mahavira, founder of Jainism. While a person’s
commitment to practicing ahimsa involves the determination to avoid violence and to refrain from killing, for Gandhi,
ahimsa is a much more positive and active concept. Gandhi writes: “I accept the interpretation of ahimsa, namely, that it is
not merely a negative state of harmlessness but it is a positive state of love, of doing good even to the evil-doer.” Ahimsa
was central to all aspects of Gandhi’s experiments with Truth, from his experiments with diet and communal living to the
development of modes of resistance to oppression and exploitation.
Satyagraha – Gandhi began his experiments with non-violent resistance to oppression and exploitation during his time in
South Africa (1893-1914). Recognizing that negotiation and diplomacy would not alleviate government discrimination
against Indian immigrants and indentured labourers in South Africa, Gandhi and others in the Indian community began to
challenge discriminatory legislation through protest and acts of non-cooperation. While this form of struggle was initially
described as “passive resistance”, Gandhi felt that this term was not accurate, for it suggested that this form of struggle
was a “weapon of the weak”. To the contrary, Gandhi believed that committed nonviolent resistance required a form of
courage and fearlessness that violence did not. Following a contest to find a name for this form of struggle, the term
satyagraha (sat/satya/ truth, agraha/firmness) was chosen. Sometimes translated as “clinging to truth” or “non-violent civil
disobedience”, satyagraha is described by Gandhi as a form of “soul-force” or “love-force” as opposed to the “brute-force”
of the state or violent liberation movements. While the tactics of this form of struggle were by no means new – Gandhi
drew upon Indian traditions of non-violent resistance, such as dharna, and hartal, and was influenced by writers such as
the American Henry David Thoreau – satyagraha was not simply a collection of tactics to be used in place of violent
resistance to oppression. Rather, satyagraha is a philosophy of struggle which is the antithesis of violence. For instance,
rather than defeat the “enemy”, a satyagrahi seeks to convert the opponent and transform their behaviour by revealing
injustice and error. One should seek the moral regeneration of the adversary, rather than their destruction. As a result,
the willingness to suffer for a cause (rather than commit violence for it) is an important feature of satyagraha. Unlike
military struggle, which requires a soldier to be physically strong, any person can be a satyagrahi. For Gandhi, rather than
physical strength, a satyagrahi requires strength of will; Gandhi describes a satyagrahi as having to observe perfect
chastity, adopt poverty, follow truth and cultivate fearlessness. A number of satyagraha campaigns were significant to the
Indian independence movement, including the 1930 Salt Satyagraha. After a 241 kilometre walk to the seaside town of
Dandi, the satyagrahis began making salt, an act prohibited by the British colonial government which held a monopoly on
salt production. Thousands of Indians were arrested.
Swaraj – Swaraj, or self-rule, was the common cause of the many various anti-colonial movements in India. In his 1910
book, Hind Swaraj (or, Indian Home Rule), Gandhi provides a severe critique of modern Western civilization and a vision
of Indian swaraj. Gandhi was critical of individuals and movements which equated self-rule with the eviction of the British
from India. He feared that Indian elites wished only to take the place of the British, maintaining the oppressive structures
of the British Raj. He writes that many who claim to struggle for swaraj “wa nt English rule without the Englishman. You
want the tiger’s nature but not the tiger; that is to say, you would make India English, and when it becomes English, it will
be called not Hindustan but Englistan. This is not the Swaraj that I want.” As much as Gandhi sought an end to British
colonial rule, the Swaraj that he imagined required the transformation of Indian culture: “We have everywhere emphasized
the necessity of carrying on the constructive activities as being the means of attaining Swaraj.” For Gandhi, true Swaraj
entailed not just political independence, but Hindu/Muslim unity, the eradication of untouchability, a form of sustainable
development based on self-sufficiency and a commitment to sarvadoyoa, or the welfare of all.
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Mahatma Gandhi Lectures on Nonviolence
Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University
The Mahatma Gandhi Lecture series was established at McMaster University under the direction of the Centre for Peace
Studies, to make the value and strategies on nonviolence widely known, and to develop the concept and practice of
nonviolence through intellectual analysis and criticism, dialogue, debate and experimentation. Each year a respected
analyst or practitioner of nonviolence, chosen by a subcommittee of the Centre for Peace Studies, is brought to McMaster
to deliver one or more lectures or workshops on nonviolence.
The series is named after Gandhi to honour his role in the revitalization and development of nonviolence. Gandhi brought
together East and West, spirituality and practical politics, the ancient and the contemporary, and in so doing he helped
rescue nonviolence from sectarianism and irrelevance. Our aim is not to put Gandhi on a pedestal, but rather to take
seriously the tradition for which he gave his life. The inaugural lecture was given by Ovide Mercredi in 1996.
The Mahatma Gandhi lectures series was initiated by India-Canada Society of Hamilton and is funded through private
donations. Our goal is to raise $100,000 to provide a sustained yearly income of $6,000 to adequately fund the Lecture
series. We have already reached 80% of our target and need your support to bridge the gap. We urge you to make a
tax-deductible donation to support this worthy cause.
Year 2003 Mahatma Gandhi Lecture
Towards a New Culture of Peace
Acharya Ramamurti
Director, The Institute of Gandhian Studies , and Shrambharati, (Patna, India)
Thursday, October 2, 2003, 7:30 PM (Admission is Free)
McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, Room 1A1
Past Gandhi Lectures:
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Ovide Mercredi, National Chief of the assembly of First Nations, Canada
Dr. Gene Sharp, Director, The Albert Einstein Institution, Cambridge, Mass., USA
Dr. Adam Curle, Founding Chair, Dept. of Peace Studies, Bradford University, UK
Douglas Roche, OC, Senator, Ottawa, Canada
Medha Patkar, Human Rights Activist and Social Worker, Mumbai, India
Professor Fatima Meer, University of Natal, South Africa
Dr. Lowitija O’Donoghue – Elder of Australian Aboriginal Nation
Donations to Gandhi Trust Fund are tax-deductibl e. Please make cheque payable to:
McMaster University (Gandhi Fund) and mail it along with your name, address and contact information to:
McMaster University (Gandhi Fund)
The Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University, TSH-726
Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4M2
Phone: 905-525-9140 x23112
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.mcmaster.ca/peace/peace.html
The organizers of the Gandhi Peace Festival wish to express their gratitude to all those who have contributed so
generously over the years to the Mahatma Gandhi Trust Fund, in particular the following major donors:
Dr. Suboth Jain, University of California, Davis
Dr. McCormack Smyth, Senior Scholar, York University
Mr. Devindar and Mrs. Uma Sud, Brampton
Dr. Douglas and Mrs. Sheila Davies, Hamilton
Mr. Subhash and Mrs. Jaya Dighe, Hamilton
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The Gandhi Peace Festival Guest Speaker 2003
Professor Thomas Nagy
George Washington University
Dr. Thomas Nagy is a Visiting Associate Professor of Peace Studies at McMaster University and Associate Professor of
Expert Systems, School of Business & Public Management, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
He completed his Ph.D. from University of Texas at Austin. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University
School of Public Health, and a Visiting Scholar, Center for the Study of Law and Society, University of California,
Berkeley.
He is the author, co-authors and co-editor of several books including “Predictive Sentencing, Application of Social
Sciences to Health, and Building Your First Expert System”. Dr. Nagy combines research experiences from many varied
disciplines.
In recent years, Dr. Nagy has taken a serious interest in Promoting a Constructive Program for building a world fit for
children.
In an interview, Professor Nagy stated, “My first impulse is horror and shame towards the decade of U.S. economic
sanctions against Iraq, followed by an invasion mislabelled as a ‘liberation’. What sort of liberation increases infant
mortality? “
“The first five years of my life were lived as refugee and displaced person in the aftermath of World War II. After doing my
postdoctoral work in Public Health I was shocked to discover that like all empires, the U.S. employs routine, serial
genocide as a tool for deriving maximum profit from its brand of neo-colonialism. I feel compelled as a professor to speak
and write and work in opposition to the inhuman policy destroying the children of Iraq and debasing the integrity and even
the viability of the people of the United States and endangering all the children of the world.”
“I fear that we academics are increasing guilty of acting far more as "Good Germans" supporting their government by
passive silence or active participation than as the rescuers of innocent children in the present era of U.S. genocide by
force of arms which is dwarfed in scale by American genocide by the mega weapon of mass destruction known as
economic sanctions, then indifference to reconstruction of water system in comparison to looting the oil of Iraq.”
Dr. Nagy also said, “I have come to view Information Systems and Computer Science as disciplines which provide
increasingly efficient tools for killing people and jobs. I feel that this dismal state of affairs is not inevitable and direct much
of my research into the use of computers to build social capital and to persuade people to resist the electronic addiction
and debasement of TV and the stultifying aspects of the Internet. ”
At McMaster University, Dr. Nagy is teaching a seminar course called, "Computing to Wage Peace, Not War". He says,
“The stakes could not be higher, not merely for the victims of the West, but also for the people of the West, particularly the
current generation of students and children.”
"For further information, please see the website: home.gwu.edu/~nagy
Dr. Nagy can be reached via e-mail at: [email protected]
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Mahatma Gandhi Lecture 2002
Human Rights and Reconciliation in Australia in the
21st century: An Unfinished Journey
By
Dr. Lowitija O’Donoghue – Elder of Australian Aboriginal Nation
Professor Lowitja O'Donoghue AC, CBE was Foundation Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Commission (ATSIC). A member of the Yankuntjatjara people of South Australia she has devoted her life to the
welfare of Aboriginal people. Since qualifying as a triple certificate nurse she has worked in health care, welfare and
Aboriginal administration. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1977 and a Commander of the Order
of the British Empire in 1983, and was honoured as Australian of the year in 1984. In 1993 she received an honorary
doctorate from Murdoch University for her achievements in Aboriginal administration. Professor O'Donoghue is Joint
Patron for the National Sorry Day Committee. In 2000 she received a honorary Professorial from Flinders University
where she is currently a Visiting Professorial Fellow.
Presented at McMaster University, Canada, October 23, 2003
Thank you. I am delighted to have crossed the world to
be here in your beautiful country. And I am very
honoured indeed to have been invited to give the
seventh annual Mahatma Gandhi Lecture on
Nonviolence. I believe I am the first Australian to do so.
So it is indeed a great privilege.
with conflict and oppression, are as urgent as ever, or
perhaps more urgent than ever.
I don't pretend to be a Gandhi scholar. I haven't read all
the books ... but at the risk of sounding flippant.... I
have seen the movie! I know that Gandhi was a
visionary, a great philosopher, and a deeply spiritual
man. Like most people I applaud his commitment to
non-violence and his unwavering concern for justice and
equality. He once said in fact "agitation against every
form of injustice is the breath of political life." That's a
view of politics I heartily endorse.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate
McMaster University and its Centre for Peace Studies for
the work that you do - and to offer my whole-hearted
support.
I must confess though, that for the first time in my life, I
had a few days of anxiety a month or so ago, when I felt
that I really didn't want to fly. I think that this was
prompted by those graphic television images of the
planes crashing into the World Trade Centre, which
flooded the media on the anniversary of September
11th. I don't know what it was like here, but in Australia
it was re-played endlessly, so that it became like a kind
of feverish nightmare! It's interesting to recognize that
even ordinary citizens like me worry about being caught
up in the violence of world politics. The recent tragic
events in Bali in which so many civilians died, including
many young Australians, have compounded these fears.
I also applaud that he was a strong advocate for the
rights of women to participate fully in political life and
social work. And I know that he devoted much of his life
to opposing racial discrimination in both South Africa and
India.
I know too that one of his great achievements was
freeing India from the shackles of British rule. This of
course strikes a particular chord with me, as an
Indigenous Australian. In fact, I spent a year nursing in
Assam, India in my 30s, where I worked among people
who lived in poverty, and where I had the opportunity to
see first hand the negative effects of an imposed colonial
culture. Like many Australians I still haven't quite
recovered from the result of our referendum almost three
years ago, in which we chose to retain a British monarch
as our head of state! I vigorously supported the
campaign for Australia to become a republic, as you
might imagine, and it has never ceased to amaze me
that all Australians in their right mind did not agree with
me!
However, I suspect that people have always looked to
the past and thought of earlier times as less complex
and less dangerous.
Perhaps in reality, every
generation has had to contend with the same
fundamental issues around conflict. Issues such as:
justice, courage, revenge, fear, ethics, and morality.
But, having said that, it seems to me at this particular
historical moment (as America is about to attack Iraq with or without the sanction of the United Nations), that
the world is very dangerously poised indeed. And so,
the issues of non-violence, and how to deal effectively
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
What I admire most about Gandhi I think was that he
was not just a great philosopher - he was also an
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activist. Gandhi was a highly strategic thinker who
managed to mobilise popular opinion to achieve his
goals. One of the lessons his life has for us is the
emphasis on community, his belief in the power of
collectivism. Before pursuing political reform he made
sure that his ideas and methods were widely accepted
by the people.
and culture generally. However, despite our reputation
for being an egalitarian society Australia is a deeply
divided society in which there are huge differences
between the haves and have-nots. And of course
Indigenous Australians feature prominently among the
have-nots.
In June 2001, the total Indigenous population was
estimated to be 427,000 - approximately 2% of
Australia's total population. For over 50,000 years
before the British ships came to Sydney Cove,
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had lived a
largely nomadic hunter-gatherer existence in harmony
with the land. Our traditional law and spirituality centred
on the land. Like children, the land was something to be
nurtured and loved.
Increasingly I believe, in a world so divided by politics,
religion, nationalism and the pursuit of wealth - that our
only hope lies in developing an alternative sense of
community connectedness, both locally and globally.
We live in times where economic bottom lines hijack the
agenda and put social justice issues ve ry much in the
background. Economic capital is valued over social
capital. And this breeds alienation, pessimism, and faint
heartedness about the possibilities of social reform.
Captain James Cook's instructions were to take
possession of the continent if it was uninhabited. If
inhabited it was to be done [I quote] "with the consent of
the natives". This consent was, of course, neither
sought nor gained, and the legal fiction of terra nullius or unoccupied, empty land - was conceived. This meant
that there was considered to be no need for a treaty or
compensation.
Gandhi never divorced politics from social, religious or
ethical matters. He once wrote, [and I quote] that:
"human life, being an undivided whole, no line could
be drawn between its different compartments, nor
between ethics and politics".
Interestingly, this mirrors the traditional beliefs of the
Australian Aborigines, my people.
Until recently the official and popular view in the history
books, was that Australia was peaceably colonised. But
from an Indigenous point of view, white settlement of
Australia was an invasion - one that was perpetrated
with arrogance and paternalism at best, and at worst
with brutality and violence. For more than 160 years a
'bloody frontier was moved across Australia, resulting in
the deaths of approximately 20,000 Aborigines and 2000
1
Europeans . With advances in gun technology in the
latter half of the nineteenth century, the Aboriginal
spears and guerrilla tactics were no match for the
revolvers and rifles of the settlers, the military and the
police. There was simply no contest.
Gandhi also believed that we need to have a sense of a
global community. He said [and I quote]:
"The whole world is like the human body with its
various members. Pain in one member is felt in the
whole body".
I'm sure that sentiments such as this have been very
important in the formation of the Centre of Peace
Studies here at McMaster University. And I'm sure too
that they have inspired and sustained this lectureship
over the past six years.
Australia is often described as a young country and a
lucky country.
Both those perceptions, of course,
assume that you are white.
From an Indigenous
perspective Australia is neither young nor lucky.
Indigenous Australia is in fact the oldest living culture in
the world.
In later years when physical violence was no longer
officially sanctioned, Aboriginal people were managed
and contained by assimilation policies, often literally
confined to reserves.
Our numbers were also
decimated by introduced disease, alcohol and high fat
and sugar diets. We became victims of a different kind
of war - a war of attrition -which continues apace today,
and is evident in the appalling health of my people.
But perhaps a few facts about contemporary Australia
might be appropriate here. Like Canada, Australia is
large in area but low in population density. There are
approximately 19.7 million Australians. But for every
square kilometre of land there are only around two
people. This statistic hides the fact that 84% of the
population is contained within the most densely
populated 1 % of the continent, around the southeast
and southwest coasts. 41 % of Australia's population
were either born overseas or have one or both parents
born overseas. Especially in the capital cities of Sydney
and Melbourne, we are a very cosmopolitan society.
This multicultural mix has brought with it a richness and
diversity, evident in our cuisine, religion, sport, the arts,
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
The forcible removal of our children was the most
insidious form of violence inflicted upon us. In the sixty
years between 1910 and 1970 an estimated 40,000
children were forcibly removed from their families and
communities. And this was official Government policy.
In the guise of "protection" Indigenous children,
especially so-called "half-cas te" children, were taken
under duress and against their parents' wishes. They
1
Racist Violence: Report of National Inquiry into Racist
Violence 1999, p. 38.
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were, in effect, stolen.
There was scarcely an
Indigenous family, which was not affected. Many lived
in constant grief and fear that other children would be
taken. The entire fabric of communities was destroyed.
They were taken away, often right across the country,
and put into institutions or foster homes. When they
were old enough the girls were often placed into
domestic service, the boys into labouring jobs.
Australia, and taken to an Aboriginal settlement 1500
miles away, to be trained as domestic servants. It's a
remarkable film. I believe it will go a long way towards
developing people's understandings of the policies that
produced the stolen generations, and the human
suffering that resulted. I highly recommend it to you.
Modern Australia therefore has been built on a
foundation of injustice, violence and dispossession everything in fact that Gandhi devoted his life to
opposing.
The legacy of the British invasion of
Australia has been devastating for my people. And the
atrocities that I have described cannot be dismissed
conveniently as something that happened way back in
Australia's past, because my people live with the
consequences of invasion and white fellas' rules every
day of our lives.
The effects of such dislocation and deprivation have
been profoundly disabling, threatening the very core of
our people's well being. And the effects are ongoing,
setting up a vicious cycle of damage from which these
children, and their children, have had difficulty
escaping. I was one of these children. And I would like
to just tell you a little of my own story.
I was born in 1932 at de Rose Hill in the very north of
South Australia.
My people, the Yankunytjatjara
people, call this place Kantja. My Aboriginal mother
Lily was a house girl (in other words a servant) on a
large cattle station, and my Irish father was the station
manager. Along with three of my sisters and my
brother, I was forcibly removed from my grief stricken
mother, at the age of only two years. I was not reunited
with her for thirty three years - by which time we did not
even have a common language with which to speak to
each other. I never again met my father.
Let me just give you a brief snapshot of Indigenous
Australia today. Indigenous Australians have third world
health status. Our children are dying as babies at the
same rate as in the poorest countries in the world. Our
people are twice as likely to be hospitalised as other
Australians. Indigenous life expectancy in Australia is 20
years lower than for the non-Indigenous population.
This means that we do not have an "older population" in
the usual sense of the term.
Our educational participation and achievement is
dramatically lower than that of the rest of the population.
We still have a situation where Indigenous
unemployment rates are over 50%, and where most
Aboriginal people live below the poverty line. Substance
abuse and violence are at epidemic proportions in our
communities. Indigenous people, who number only 2%
of the population, account for 15% of homicide offenders
and 15% of homicide victims. 20% of adult male
prisoners and 80% of female prisoners are Aboriginal.
For many of these women their only crime is that they
are poor. They are mostly in gaol for non-payment of
fines or traffic offences or because they cannot afford
bail.
The grief I have felt, and still feel about this, is
profound. And the pain my mother must have felt,
having five children removed, is unimaginable. Yet the
truth and meanings of such experiences were silenced.
And not only back then. Incredibly, they are still being
denied by many even today!
I was reared at a Church Mission Home called
Colebrook, initially in Quorn in rural South Australia and
then later in Adelaide. We tji tji tjuta -Colebrook kids were expected to be grateful for being saved. In a
book about Colebrook written in 1937 called Pearls
from the Deep, we were seen as:
"waste material"... "rescued from the de-gradation of
camp life"...
"brought up from the depths of
ignorance, superstition and vice"... "to be fashioned
2
as gems to adorn God's crown".
Aboriginal women are more than 45 times more likely
than non-Aboriginal women to be victims of domestic
violence. 60% of Australian youth in care or custody or
other forms of detention are Aboriginal. We have a
generation of Aboriginal youth who have come to see
gaol as inevitability - their rite of passage to adulthood.
Not only is the collective wisdom of our elders
disappearing, but also the collective possibility and
vitality of youth is being denied.
Many of those implementing this policy were well
intentioned. Yet it is now widely admitted that, even by
the standards of the time, these interventions were
contrary to common law and in breach of international
human rights obligations.
Some of you may have been at the screening of Rabbit
Proof Fence yesterday. This is an excellent recent
Australian film about three young Aboriginal children
forcibly removed from their families in Western
There are enormous implications here, for individuals,
for communities, and for the future of our culture. I do
not want to shock you with these statistics, or to give the
impression that no progress is being made. But neither
do I want to shy away from the enormity of the problem.
And I do want to argue that not enough is being done at
the level of government. Despite some far-reaching
2
Miss VE Turner, Pearls from the Deep, United
Aborigines' Mission, 1937, various pages.
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
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national Inquiries and Reports, for example into Racist
Violence, Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the Forcible
Removal of Children, few of their recommendations have
been implemented.
authorities.
The Freedom Ride in turn empowered
Aboriginal people in these country towns to speak out.
For example, Aboriginal women in one country town
became brave enough to publicly name the hypocritical
men, the so-called pillars of society, who were involved
sexually with Aboriginal women. And the men scurried
for cover. It was great! This happened in a town where
Aboriginal children weren't allowed to use the local
swimming pool, and Aboriginal people were denied
service in clubs and some shops. The Freedom Ride
became a major turning point in black and white
relations in Australia.
But despite this, much good work is being done and we
have made many small gains, and a few giant leaps
forward. There are some grounds for hope. For
example, our population is increasing at a faster rate
than the rest of the population, and a growing number of
people are identifying as Indigenous.
School
participation and attendance rates are improving
steadily, in fact quite dramatically in early childhood and
primary years. Our Year 12 retention rates have shifted
from single digits to about 32%. In 1964 the late Charles
Perkins was our first Aboriginal graduate. By 1998 there
were over 8000 Indigenous students enrolled in
university courses.
My next story dates back to 1966. It is about an
Aboriginal man, Vincent Lingiari, from the Gurindji tribe,
who led a walk-off of stockmen, their families and others
from a huge British-owned cattle station in the Northern
territory. Lingiari and others enlisted the support of the
unions, churches and students. Their fight for better
wages and conditions became a struggle against
discriminatory social conditions and for rights to their
land. Despite being close to starvation, and in the face
of enormous pressure from pastoralists and the
Government, the Gurindji held firm for almost eight
years, when the strike ended and the Gurindji lands
were restored to their rightful owners. In many ways it
was our equivalent of the Salt March!
We have growing representation in the parliament and in
senior positions in the public service, academia, the law
and medicine.
We have a vibrant Aboriginal arts
community with many examples of excellence in dance,
music, film, television, painting and both traditional and
modern arts and crafts. And there have been some
notable sporting success stories. I'm sure I do not need
to remind you of the sensational performance of Cathy
Freeman in the last Olympics. This was especially
wonderful for me because I was there. Not in the race,
you understand! But in the stadium!
My final example is the Tent Embassy. On Australia
Day, January 26th 1972, the conservative Prime
Minister, McMahon, announced his government's
Aboriginal policy. McMahon's policy denied Aboriginal
people any right to land or compensation. Mining was to
be allowed on Aboriginal reserves and Aboriginal
communities were to be granted only special purpose
leases. This was the last straw for young Aboriginal
activists. And so that afternoon, a beach umbrella
appeared on the lawns in front of the old Parliament
House, Canberra, with a sign saying "Aboriginal
Embassy". Later a tent was erected there and then a
more permanent structure. It has become known as the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
Over the next months
thousands joined the demonstration, which received
national and international publicity.
But there are many less spectacular and less publicised
achievements too. I'd like to tell you this evening a few
of these lesser -known stories. For there are many
examples of quite heroic "civil disobedience" - what
Gandhi would have called "passive resistance". My first
story is from 1965. And it is a good example of how
important the global community of peace-loving people
is.
It is known in Australia as the Freedom Ride. Its major
impetus was the American Civil Rights movement of the
1960s and the non-violent protest tactics of Martin
Luther King.
After some Sydney students had
demonstrated against American racial discrimination,
they were confronted with the challenge of doing
something about the discrimination on their own
doorstep. So they organised a bus tour visiting some
racially segregated towns in northern New South Wales
and Queensland. During the tour, Aboriginal student
Charles Perkins emerged as the leader of the group and
became its media spokesperson.
Despite repeated efforts to have it removed over the
years, it is still there today and houses a display and
Aboriginal art works. In fact in 1995 it was listed by the
Australian Heritage Commission for its political and
cultural significance!
A few months back the
Government removed the Embassy's toilet and cut
electricity to the site, but Greenpeace moved in and
installed solar power panels, and the United Trades and
Labour Council delivered a "ports-loo" [a portable
washroom]. It's a wonderful example of collective nonviolent action!
Compared to Gandhi's campaigns, the Freedom Ride
was a modest movement, involving about 30 students
and lasting less than three weeks. But there are also
similarities, particularly in the way that public opinion
was mobilised. Through the media, other Australians
became aware of the racism in outback towns -much of
which was tolerated by local and state government
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
It might be appropriate at this point to try to convey to
you something about the complex political landscape in
Australia.
It's useful to understand some of that
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complexity because it underpins the possibilities for
reconciliation in the future. A backdrop reality is that
governments in Australia (and I am talking here of any
political persuasion) adopt their agendas on the basis of
what will win votes and keep their party in office. And, to
put it bluntly, there are no votes in Aboriginal affairs.
Australia.
There is still no mention of Australia's first peoples in our
Constitution. The land rights of Indigenous peoples are
still not adequately ensured. We do not even have a
ministerial portfolio devoted exclusively to Indigenous
Affairs. It is lumped in with Immigration and Multicultural
affairs, which in their own right are, of course, deserving
of great attention.
'Popular opinion' in Australia about social issues is a
strange and sometimes contradictory thing. Let me give
you a couple of examples of this. In 1996 for instance,
the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation undertook
surveys that revealed that 83% of the people supported
reconciliation. And, 92% supported the proposition that
all Australians should have equal opportunity. However,
in practice people often see this as 'treating everyone
the same'. This of course overlooks the crucial reality
that not everyone starts at the same point! An extreme
version of this faulty thinking emerged in recent years
with a far right wing political party that gained worrying
levels of support. Its version of 'treating everyone the
same' was to advocate the abolition of government
support for disadvantaged groups, such as Aboriginal
people.
So there are many obstacles to reconciliation at an
official level. But I am pleased to say that there is a
vigorous and energetic people's movement for
reconciliation. And from this energy I take great heart. I
think in a relatively short historical time frame, we have
experienced a major shift in thinking and practice in
mainstream Australia.
In 1998, on the first anniversary of the tabling in
parliament of the Report on the Stolen children, we had
a national Sorry Day, and over half a million people
signed Sorry Books and took part in ceremonies across
the country. A year later again, the people's movement
launched the Journey of Healing. And in 2000 it was
affirmed again, when around 250,000 people walked
across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of
reconciliation. This was the biggest turnout for a single
cause ever seen in Australia. And 50,000 walked in my
home city, Adelaide and 70,000 in Brisbane. In fact
there were reconciliation walks and events in cities and
towns right across the country - some in small country
towns with just a few hundred people, but these were
just as significant as the bigger capital city events.
Another example is that many Australians genuinely feel
a sense of pride about traditional Aboriginal culture.
They are interested in our paintings, dancing, stories of
the Dreaming, music and perhaps bush tucker - our
traditional foods. But this interest in traditional Aboriginal
culture does not necessarily embrace a concern about
the often-grim realities of life that contemporary
Aboriginal people face. Rather, it is the celebration of an
ancient and exotic past. People sometimes appropriate
Aboriginal culture in order to showcase diversity. In
other contexts these same people behave in ways that
disempower Aboriginal people.
These amazing outpourings of the Australian people
were an inspiration. The people's voice was speaking
loud and clear to the leaders of this nation. They were
saying:
• We want a country where Aboriginal people and
Torres Strait Islander people and Australians from the
wider community can live together in harmony and
mutual respect.
• We want to heal the wounds of the past.
• We want to make this symbolic gesture for a
reconciled Australia.
• The time has come - we want this now.
Our
Prime
Minister
boasts
about
"practical
reconciliation". By this he means providing funding for
Indigenous health, housing, education and welfare. But
these should be our basic human rights. They should be
core government business, not special initiatives. What
is also needed is a philosophical commitment from the
Government. To coin a new phrase, we'd like him to put
his mouth where his money is!
The Australian Federal government has still not given an
official apology to the Aboriginal people.
State
governments have. Churches have. Even the Pope
has! But not our own Prime Minister. And 200 years
after the British invasion we still do not have a Treaty. I
would argue that a Treaty is necessary to deal with the
unfinished business between Indigenous and nonIndigenous Australians. A treaty is also necessary to
build new relationships for the future. If Australia is to
move in to the twenty first-century and hold its head high
among nations such as Canada, who have negotiated
treaties with their first peoples, we too must have a
treaty, which spells out mutual rights and obligations.
Without it there can be no meaningful reconciliation in
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
The people were seeing a real possibility - the possibility
of reconciliation.
Quite apart from some of the well-publicised events,
there are thousands of other reconciliation activities,
happening right across the board. Quite remarkable
things are happening in church groups, community
reconciliation groups, in schools and universities,
business corporations, professional associations, and at
the level of state and local government. These are
inspiring examples of a people's movement for
reconciliation in Australia. It is this sort of commitment
that sustains me in my belief that we can make a
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difference if we are persistent enough. But there is a
long way to go - it is an unfinished journey and we
cannot afford to be complacent.
where anti-racism groups work with peace groups who in
turn join with reconciliation activists, and so on. These
sorts of connections are very important in Australia
where the population is relatively small.
It is to Australia's shame that the plight of our people is
still drastic enough to have warranted United Nations
Human Rights scrutiny and criticism. Several United
Nations committees have focussed their attention on
Australia's performance in the area of human rights. For
example:
• The Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination
• The Human Rights Committee.
• The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights.
A particular example of this sort of collective struggle
applies in current activities in Australia to oppose our
Government's treatment of asylum seekers. Hopefully
we are influencing public opinion, but it is not easy when
the Government has actively created anxiety about
"border control". In fact it won the last election using the
slogan: We will decide who comes into our country...
The issue has been a potent one ever since the
Norwegian vessel, the Tampa, arrived in Australian
waters in August 2001, having rescued 438 refugees
from drowning. The Government refused to allow them
to land, despite the 1951 International convention on
refugees, which makes it clear that any refugees
rescued on the high seas are to be taken to the nearest
port. I would never have believed such behaviour to be
possible in my country... to think of it fills me with anger
and shame. And yet it has been widely recognised by
political commentators that it was this "tough stand" that
won the election.
The sorts of concerns they have raised include:
• the slow progress in resolving land rights,
• mandatory sentencing,
• over representation of Indigenous people in custody,
• the
inadequate
response
of
the
Australian
Government to the report about the stolen
generations,
• And, our treatment of asylum seekers - which I will say
more about later.
It is clear to me that all of these issues could be resolved
if the political will to do so is there. For example,
recently the new leader of the Northern Territory
Government overturned their mandatory sentencing
legislation, as her first political act in office. (As you
would know, mandatory sentencing means that
sentences for offences are prescribed and automatically
applied. Magistrates have no discretion in deciding what
might be appropriate in particular circumstances). This
affects Aboriginal people disproportionately and there
have been some notable and tragic cases - such as an
Aboriginal youth, imprisoned for stealing some pencils
and texta pens, who later hanged himself in his cell.
Obviously this topic deserves to be a lecture in itself which is not possible today. However, I do want to make
the point that people's human capacity is severely
diminished when they cease to regard other people as
fully human. And it is interesting to note the ways that
they are encouraged along this path, for example, with
the use of language such as illegals, queue jumpers,
potential terrorists, and so on. All of it stripping people of
their fundamental humanity - objectifying them and
rendering them disposable. To me it is both morally and
ethically offensive.
I believe that the Government has manufactured a crisis
in relation to asylum seekers. The facts are that there
are relatively few asylum seekers arriving in Australia
compared to other countries. Let me give you some
telling figures.
Over a ten-year period, other
comparable countries have taken in refugees in the
following numbers:
• Canada - 100,000
• Denmark - 50,000
• Sweden - more than 150,000
• United Kingdom -100,000
• Australia -less than 10,000.
So governments can have an enormous impact. As I
understand it, your Gathering Strength initiative has set
out an extremely positive strategy for transforming
relationships between Canada's indigenous and nonindigenous people. I am sure that I will learn more about
it during my visit. I was profoundly moved by its opening
statement of Reconciliation - which fully acknowledges
the mistakes of the past. And I was inspired by the
significance of the programs that have been put in place
to build strength and the possibility of a shared future. I
believe this speaks of a country that is taking its history
on board in a mature and honest way, and one, which is
demonstrating its genuine commitment to the possibility
of a better and different future.
And, I think that working towards a better future involves
opposing social injustice in its many forms. One of the
ways in which this happens is to join with others to make
connections and to form alliances. There have been
some examples of this recently in Australia, and I am
sure you have the same experiences here. Situations
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
In 2000, for example, there were some 800 potential
placements within Australia's humanitarian category
that had not been filled. And of course, the real human
rights issue here is that many asylu m seekers have
suffered appallingly in their home countries. I believe
that Australia could afford to be more generous.
Finally, I would like to return to the "unfinished journey"
mentioned in my title. Maybe it is a never-ending
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journey, by definition.
It certainly seems like an
odyssey at times! Of course reconciliation will be slow
and there will be frustrating tangents and dead ends.
Sometimes I have to remind myself that the climate for
change operates in cycles - with some contexts and
times being more opportune than others. Gandhi
reminded us of the need for patience, when he wrote:
"To be dissatisfied with the slowness of progress
betrays ignorance of the way in which reform works"
Indigenous people here and in my country have
embarked on journeys of healing. Against all odds we
have survived, and we are strong and we are proud.
Our resolve is heightened by a global community of
people committed to actively opposing oppression and
violence in all its forms. You are part of that global
community.
Let us focus on what has brought us all here tonight.
Let us rejoice in what we have in common. Let us
celebrate our victories, and at the same time maintain
our courage for the difficult challenges that lie ahead. I
invite every one of you to join us in our struggle for
justice and reconciliation, to embark with us on our
journey of healing.
What is clear, also, is that reconciliation cannot happen
at all without the efforts of people of good will. I believe
everyone has a decision to make about where they
stand and what they stand for. And those who attempt
to construct a life that embodies integrity, truth and
justice must support each other- no matter which part
of the world they inhabit.
Pray for Wisdom
We cannot pray to You, O God,
to banish war,
for You have filled the world
with paths to peace,
if only we would take them.
We cannot pray to You
to end starvation,
for there is food enough for all,
if only we would share it.
We cannot merely pray
for prejudice to cease,
for we might see
the good in all
that lies before our eyes,
if only we would use them.
Requisite
In soul desire,
We cannot merely pray,
`Root out despair,'
for the spark of hope
already waits within the human heart,
for us to fan it into flame.
a challenge put forth
lead by serenity
as in our hearts,
We must not ask of You, O God,
to take the task that You have given us.
We cannot shirk,
we cannot flee away,
avoiding obligation for ever.
an eternal momentum
in obligation
for endurance
Therefore we pray, O God,
for wisdom and will, for courage
to do and to become,
not only to look on
with helpless yearning
as though we had no strength.
conveys humanity
to cry out for peace
For Your sake and ours,
speedily and soon, let it be:
that our land may be safe,
that our lives may be blessed.
Tais Lintz
Burlington, Ontario
[email protected]
T e m p l e A n s h e S h a l o m , Hamilton
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
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Liberation From War
An International Gandhi Organization
To Promote Peace And Prevent Violence
D. McCormack Smyth
Dr. McCormack Smyth is the Former Founding Dean of Atkinson College, York University, Senior Founding Member
of York University, and Professor and Senior Research Scholar, York University. Dr. Smyth has been long time
supporter of Gandhi Peace Lecture at McMaster University.
Many human conditions - disease, natural disasters,
slavery and serfdom, tyranny and warfare - have
plagued human life by death and disaster for thousands
of years. The first two of these - diseases and natural
disasters - occur naturally. Slavery and serfdom, like
tyranny and war, differ. They occur through human
action, which takes many different forms. All of these are
among the massive tragedies of our unending sorrow.
nations of the world. ) Three of them later became
known for their achievements in their advancement of
human well-being. Mohandas Gandhi, Winston Churchill
and Franklin Roosevelt dedicated themselves to their
ongoing efforts to promote world peace and human
security, each in their own distinctive way.
These men were born within a decade or so of each
other. Gandhi was born in India and lived from 1869 to
1948. Churchill, born in England, lived from 1874 to
1965. Roosevelt, born in the United States, lived 1882
to 1945. Early in their own careers they learned at first
hand or read of the horrors of war. This was particularly
true of Churchill. Both Gandhi and Roosevelt were
trained as lawyers, and learned much concerning the
realities of war. Only Churchill of the three of them
became a professional soldier. From 1894 until 1900 he
served in the British army. Later he served a second
time in the Britain’s armed force from November 1915
until May 1916.
Mercifully, the lives and future health prospects,
particularly in fortunate areas of the world, have been
enhanced by amazing medical advances during the last
fifty years. Most of us are aware, in some measure, of
the amazing ways in which many types of diseases are
being more widely studied and hopefully understood.
Many scientific efforts are underway to improve human
knowledge concerning natural disasters and ways in
which intelligent action may be taken. The advances
made in these areas have been greatly encouraging.
One of the truly monumental advances in human history
was the beginning of human efforts to abolish serfdom
and slavery effectively in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries and the years that followed particularly in
Britain, Canada, the United States and other countries.
Much still needs to be done to complete these
magnificent efforts to rid the world of serfdom and
slavery. Thoughtful individuals were already engaging
in new efforts to liberate the world from war.
Earlier in his military career, Churchill served in military
campaigns in India, its Northwest Frontier, in the Sudan
and for a brief time as a prisoner of war during the Boer
War in South Africa. In Cuba, he saw the war there on
his own and for a short period of time he was under
military fire. Then, after he was elected to the British
House of Commons in October 1900 he took his seat in
parliament.
Churchill was the first of Gandhi and
Franklin Roosevelt to begin to reach high political office.
Since ancient times, many sensitive human beings had
begun to dream dreams, to pray earnestly, to bring
enduring peace to the world. The origins of a stronger,
more enduring commitment to the powerful idea of war
prevention in England may be traced to the early 1730s.
Then a major advance began to be made in the late 19th
Century. Andrew Carnegie, the amazingly successful
Scottish businessman who had made his vast fortune in
the American steel industry in the United States, took a
historic step. He provided the money to build a Temple
of Peace at The Hague in The Netherlands. In 1910 he
established the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace to hasten the abolition of war.
As soon as Churchill was elected to the Brita House of
Commons he began to devote his time and thought to
the improvement of politics in Britain and the modern
world. Thr ough his work in Parliament and his travels in
England and Europe he began to gain new important
insights concerning frightening realities in the early years
of the 19th Century. Some of these came to him when
he visited Wursburg in Germany in 1909.
That year Churchill was invited to attend the maneuvers
of the German army there as a guest of the German
Kaiser. Later, writing of his experience there he wrote:
Initially this new idea did not attract men involved directly
in the realities of earlier patterns of global politics.
Gradually, however, some of these men became widely
known when they as primary political leaders of the free
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
How easily men could make things much better
than they are - if they only all tried together! Much
as war attracts me & fascinates my mind with its
tremendous situations- I feel most deeply every
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year - & can measure the feeling here in the
midst of arms - what vile & wicked folly &
barbarism it all is.
In more than fifteen hundred years since the death of
Augustine in 430 AD support for the “Just War” idea has
rarely wavered among political, military and religious
leaders in the Western world. This was not surprising in
the early and later middle ages as dynastic nation states
gradually emerged and their leaders consolidated their
realms of authority. War became one of the primary
means military and political leaders employed to defend
and increase the territory, wealth and power of their
respective nations and empires.
That powerful idea seized Churchill. It remained with
him throughout his long life. All three of these men Gandhi, Churchill and Roosevelt - understood that - war
is vile and wicked and folly and barbarism - and they
determined not simply to think about war but to rid the
world of war. They knew that this horror had been and
continues to be a plague, an unending catastrophic
affliction of human beings. All three of them seem to
have understood, early in their youth, the essence of
what the ancient eras had taught since settled
agriculture had evolved and ten thousand centuries
came and went as human beings suffered and died
alone in their millions
Today, many thoughtful people agree with the conviction
set out in his book “Flight to Arras” by the French aviator,
Antoine de Saint -Exupery: “War is not an adventure. It
is a disease. It is like typhus.” Unlike slavery, which was
abolished in the civilized world during the 19th Century,
war and other forms of state organized terrorism
continue to infect and destroy the lives of many
thousands of innocent people every year. Strangely,
given its inescapable destructiveness, it is still widely
accepted by many democratic leaders as natural and
necessary.
During that long period war, the most obvious form of
organized violence has been accepted widely. It had
become the adventurous means of dealing with
enemies, and seizing property and tribal lands. Usually
the primary victims of war, as they have always been
and as they are today. In ancient times the participation
of all able-bodied men in the wars of their tribes and
nations was deemed accepted as a religious duty.
Some major political leaders have been highly critical of
war. One of them was Franklin Roosevelt, President of
the United States from 1933 until his untimely death on
12 April 1945. In the last talk he prepared, to deliver to
the American people by radio the next day, he wrote:
In the 4th Century BC the Greek philosopher, Aristotle,
developed philosophical arguments to justify war. He
claimed that “the art of war is a natural art of acquisition,
for it includes hunting” which in his view was to be
practiced not only against wild beasts but also “against
men who, though intended by nature to be governed, will
not submit”. War against such people, Aristotle argued,
“is naturally just.”
“The work, my friends, is peace. More than an
end to this war - an end to the beginnings of all
wars. Yes, an end, forever, to this impractical,
unrealistic settlement of disputes between
governments by the mass killing of people.”
Another American President, who came to a highly
negative conclusion concerning war, was General
Dwight Eisenhower. He had served as the supreme
commander of Allied Forces during the struggle to end
Hitler’s tyranny. He used these words to sum up his
conclusions about war: “When people speak to you
about a preventative war, you tell them to go and fight it.
After my experience, I have come to hate war. War
settles nothing.”
The Romans picked up this “Just War” idea and used it
for their own purposes, as did many, but not all,
Christians from the time of St. Augustine in the early 5th
Century AD onwards. During the first three centuries in
the development of the Christian religion, its adherents
were committed to peacefulness in both doctrine and
practice. After the fall of the Roman Empire acceptance
of the “Just War” idea became increasingly widespread
in Christendom. It was the basic concept on which the
crusades were organized and waged by Christians
against Muslims. Later the Inquisition was carried out to
deal with those who the Catholic hierarchy regarded as
heretics.
More than a century before Eisenhower wrote those
lines, Karl von Clausewitz, the early 19th Century
Prussian military strategist, had provided, in his
posthumous volume “On War”, what became a classic
definition. War, wrote Clausewitz, is “an act of violence
intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will.” Early
in the 20th Century another soldier, Winston Churchill,
who had been directly involved in war on India’s
northwest frontier in the mid 1890s and at the celebrated
Battle of Omdurman in Central Sudan in 1898 set out his
views on war in a letter to his wife. Later, after the 1914
-18 war, he wrote: “war is full of inexhaustible honors”.
Views on War and World Wars.
Augustine, the late 4th and early 5th Century Christian
leader, viewed war not merely as a result of sin, the
innate tendency of human beings to do bad things. A
“Just War”, he argued, could be a remedy against that
tendency. It avenged injuries and even benefited, he
claimed, the one against whom it was waged. Although
Augustine supported the “Just War” idea, he suggested
there was something fundamentally wrong with it. He
wrote: “He who can think of war without feeling some
pain, must have lost all feeling for humanity.”
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
In his highly informative book, “A Study of War”, the late
Professor Quincy Wright of the University of Chicago
described the Seven Years’ War as “the first genuinely
world war.” It was fought in Europe, North America and
India and on the high seas from 1756 - ‘63. One of the
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results of this war was the transfer of the control of
Canada from France, which abandoned its interest in it,
to Britain. The second world war, widely known as the
Napoleonic Wars, involved the many battles waged from
1803 -‘15 by the French Emperor Napoleon I against
various European powers.
early September 1939. In Dresden, Germany more than
100,000 civilians, perhaps double that number, died
when the city was bombed on the night of 13 February
1945 during a combined American-British attack. These
are only two of the many German and other European
cities devastated by aerial bombing during the 20th
Century.
The first and second great wars of the 20th Century, of
which the details are widely known, were the third and
fourth world wars. The so called Cold War of the 20th
Century, in which millions of people died, particularly in
Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan, was the fifth world war.
It was the long drawn -out conflict between the Western
democracies and the Soviet Union and its allies, fought
by a variety of means from 1945 until 1989. Late in the
latter year, the Berlin Wall, the international symbol of
the oppressive power of the Soviet Union, began to be
broken down. Two years later the Soviet Union itself
collapsed. This marked the end of a long period of
massive catastrophes in the 20th Century.
In the war on Japan, 136,000 civilians died when Tokyo
was fire-bombed on the night of 9 March 1945. The
nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Japan killed 70,000
persons instantly on 6 August 1945. Three days later
30,000 individuals were killed instantly when Nagasaki
was hit in another nuclear attack. In both Hiroshima and
Nagasaki thousands of other innocent people died the
slower, agonizing death caused by radiation sickness
from the nuclear bombing of their cities.
During the decades since the citizens of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki became victims of nuclear war, many other
cities in various parts of the world have been badly
damaged in military conflicts. Fortunately none of these
have involved the use of nuclear devices. The danger,
of course, is that some maniacal political or military
leader or, perhaps, a cruelly rational official, believing it
would be to his and/or his nation’s advantage, might
launch nuclear weapons for tactical or strategic
purposes.
The Catastrophic 20th Century.
Just before the 21st century began, the Carnegie
Commission on Deadly Violence reported that more than
200 million people had died in the previous hundred
years through war arid other forms of state organized
violence. This meant that on average more than 5,000
human beings died each and every day, day after day,
for a hundred years, as a result of war and other forms
of state terrorism such as those waged on their own
citizens by Hitler, Stalin and other evil despots.
When the Cold War ended, however, thoughts of such
dangers were set aside for the moment amid the
prevailing euphoria. Many people in many countries
hoped, given the emergence of the United States as the
world’s only “Superpower” in global economic, military
and technological terms, that a new age of peace and
justice, based on a new moral order, had begun.
Tragically, however, war did not end. Peace did not
come.
The loss of human lives on 11 September ‘01 was
profoundly tragic. Each life was precious to family and
friends. This was true also of the vast numbers of
innocent civilians killed during air raids on individual
British, Chinese, European, Korean, Japanese and
Vietnamese cities on many days and nights in the 20th
Century. We need to remember this if we are to
consider the events of 11 September ‘01 in proper
perspective.
On 2 August 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait and refused to
withdraw. The United States organized an international
group to put pressure on Iraq but to no avail. The
Persian Gulf War began on 16 January 1991. This was
the beginning of the Sixth World War.
Those familiar with the history of aerial bombing during
the 20th Century know that during the Battle of Britain,
from June 1940 until April 1941, the German air force
bombed British cities intensively.
Beginning on 7
September 1940, London was bombed on fifty-seven
consecutive nights. During these raids thousands of
people were killed. Many lost their homes and their
possessions. The United States naval base at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by Japanese aircraft and
midget submarines 0117 December 1941. More than
2000 American service personnel were killed and the
strength of the United States navy was seriously
weakened. As a result the United States became a
combatant in the 20th Century’s second great war.
Since then a variety of conflicts have occurred. A bloody
civil war broke out in Yugoslavia. To deal with the ethnic
violence organized and promoted by President Milosevic
of Serbia, the United States formed an international
military coalition to force him to submit. In an article in
the New York Times newspaper published in the spring
of 1999, in the midst of the sex scandal in which he was
involved, the American President, Bill Clinton, described
the attack on Serbia as a “Just and Necessary War”. In
due course, through a combination of internal and
external action Milosevic was arrested and flown to The
Netherlands to be tried by an international court.
In Germany 70,000 civilians died in a single night, 24
July 1943 when the city of Hamburg was bombed during
the Allies’ ongoing efforts to destroy Hitler’s power.
Before that terrifying night, Hamburg had already been
bombed on 137 occasions since the war had begun in
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
While these events were taking place in the Persian Gulf
and southeast Europe many tragic conflicts were
underway in Africa and other parts of the world. In
Rwanda and Burundi in Central Africa alone, vast
numbers of innocent people were killed or were
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separated from their families in the 1990s through
shocking ethnic clashes between the Hutus and the
Tutsis.
Dr. Rabi wrote: “The lesson we should learn from all this,
and the frightening thing which we did learn in the
course of the war (World War II) was.... how easy it is to
kill people when you turn your mind to it. When you turn
the resources of modem science to the problem of
killing, you realize how vulnerable they really are.” That
statement merits careful attention.
As the 21st Century and the new millennium dawned
armed conflicts were being waged in 41 countries in
which children were combatants. This, of course, is only
one aspect of the widespread complex of crises in which
children are caught up today. Another tragic dimension
of these crises is revealed in the deaths each and every
day of the year of an estimated 35,000 children,
worldwide, through poverty and malnutrition. If effective
means could be found to free mankind from war, monies
saved through the ending of its destructive activities
could be directed to creative efforts to enable these
children to live and not to die.
Rabi was one of the most creative scientists of the 20th
Century. His research on magnetic resonance imaging
contributed to its increasingly effective role in diagnostic
medicine. Through his own work and his knowledge of
the great advances other scientists were also making, he
was aware in detail of the multi-dimensional ways in
which science was changing the conditions of human
life. We know how science continues to improve the
quality of human life and also how it is being used to
destroy it.
This is the context in which the World Trade Center in
New York City and a section of the Pentagon were
destroyed.
Attention was shifted away from the
fundamental need, to deal with the critical problems
facing billions of less fortunate throughout the world, to
the determination to wage a new set of “Just Wars”.
Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda terrorist network
launched their “Just War” against the United States. In
turn the United States launched its new war against
terrorism.
As a well-informed scientist, Rabi was doubtlessly aware
of some of the statistics of the First Great War of the
20th Century. It had been estimated that in that war
10,000 bullets or 10 artillery shells were required to kill
one enemy soldier. In the Second Great War of the 20th
Century the two nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki killed an estimated total of about 100,000
persons instantly.
Many are now wondering where this will all end. Will
enduring peace ever come? Can mankind rid itself of the
scourge of war? The scourges of serfdom and slavery
were gradually removed in the 18th and 19th Centuries
through the action of many determined and thoughtful
people.
Drawing on their ideas, methods and
experience, surely a successful campaign can be
launched to abolish war given the benefits such abolition
would have for human beings, nations and the entire
world. Mankind’s survival may depend on it.
During the Vietnam War, the United States military
forces used a new conventional weapon, known as the
“Daisy-cutter”, a large bomb, to clear the ground for
helicopter landing sites. Its explosive power is directed
in ways, which do not result in craters or depressions in
the ground as bombs traditionally have done. Rather
detonation of a “Daisy-cutter” bomb produces an
explosive force, which incinerates everything, including
human beings, within a radius of 600 yards or more.
Major increases have been made in the destructive
capability of conventional military weapons, such as the
“Daisy-cutter” during the last fifty years. This has been
one of the lesser results of conscious decisions made in
political capitals in the West - that each major nation
must have a military establishment and an arms industry
on which it can rely in difficult times. Various politicians
have argued that this is necessary, above all else, to
defend our borders, keep peace in our streets and give
citizens a sense of security in their homes. The inclusive
results of this has been that a vast military megamachine has been developed in the Western world,
primarily in the United States, to develop the
conventional and nuclear weapons and complex
organizational arrangements, staff and military personnel
assumed necessary to match those which the Soviet
Union committed itself to developing early in the Cold
War.
Why A Campaign to Abolish War is Urgently
Required
On 25 September 1961 President John F. Kennedy
spoke at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
In his address that day he said in part:
“Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end
to mankind.”
Thoughtful people have been endeavoring to bring
peace to the world for millennia. In recent decades
many have been stimulated by President Kennedy’s
challenging statement. One person who wrote later
concerning the extreme dangers facing mankind was the
Nobel Laureate, Professor I. I. Rabi. To ensure that
nuclear weapons would never be used again, he was
convinced that “we must abolish all wars, and the
possibility of waging war, and the sovereign right of any
nation or state to wage war. We must be forthright and
bold about this.”
The dangers this involves were set out clearly by
President Dwight Eisenhower in his final address as the
Chief Executive of the United States early in 1961. In
that address President Eisenhower stated: “In the
councils of Government, we must guard against the
Appalled by the huge life destroying power of nuclear
weapons, which were developed in large measure
through advances in his particular scientific discipline,
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acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or
unsought, by the military-industrial complex.
The
potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power
exists and will persist.” Eisenhower’s concluding
statement has been borne out in a variety of ways. The
United States has been, and is, the victim of this
misplacement of power to a much greater degree than
Canada has. This has been fortunate in some ways for
Canadians, but much more unfortunate for the United
States and for humanity around the world. To overcome
the common threats to the peace of all of us in the
modern world, special attention must be directed to the
vigorous advancement of the arts and sciences of
human relationships.
Advancing the
Relationships
Arts
and
Sciences
of
his life and work were Martin Luther King Jr. and
Thurgood Marshall, the first person of African descent to
become a member of the Supreme Court of the United
States ; Albert John Luthuli, Nelson Mandela and
Desmond Tutu in South Africa. His ideas and their
successful application strengthened the view that major
political improvements could be achieved peacefully.
Vaclav Havel and Mikhail Gorbachev were committed to
and acted on that view.
Today, many highly motivated individuals, in many
countries, wish to contribute more effectively than they
are presently able to the promotion of peace and the
prevention of violence in the families, organizations,
communities and nations in which they live and work.
They are eager to do this through the strengthening of
their conscious efforts to improve human conditions and
human relationships in the private and public situations
in which they share personally.
Human
Major life-enhancing improvements have been made,
during recent decades, through amazing insights,
intellectual vigor and inventiveness in the arts and
sciences of medicine. Now we must make similar
advances in the arts and sciences of human
relationships. We must cultivate and nourish carefully
the ability of all peoples, of all races and creeds and on
all social levels to live and work together in peace as
good neighbors in all parts of the world. To achieve the
essential advances in individual and social life, new
agencies, and new programs of education, training and
research, are required to improve understanding of the
nature of peace, how it may be attained and shared and
how violence in its various forms may be reduced and,
hopefully, increasingly prevented. One of the new
agencies now in the early stages of being established to
assist in this regard is the International Gandhi
Organization.
The founders of the International Gandhi Organization
wish to facilitate the mutual strengthening of such efforts
through the encouragement of the organization of local,
regional, national, continental and international networks
of individuals, groups, agencies and associations
committed to the following purposes.
1. To advance and disseminate knowledge concerning
the origins and perpetuation of animosity, hatred,
prejudice and violence, in their various forms, and how
they have been, and may be, overcome.
2. To advance and disseminate knowledge concerning
generally applicable methods for the promotion of peace,
the prevention of violence and the resolution of conflicts
on all levels of individual and social life.
3. To organize and conduct national, continental and
international campaigns to establish a United Nations
Police Force, based continentally but responsible to the
Security Council of the United Nations, to deal with, and
hopefully prevent the recurrence of, events such as
those which occurred on 11 September ‘01.
International Gandhi Organization (IGO)
Mohandas Gandhi, born in India and educated there and
in England as a barrister, was the leader in arguably the
most peaceful and successful political revolution in
human history - the freeing of the people of India from
economic and political control by the government of
Great Britain.
His ideas played key roles in the
advancement of the human and civil rights movements
in the United States, in the ending of apartheid in South
Africa and in the improvement of political purposes in
democratic societies generally.
4. To organize and conduct national, continental and
international campaigns to abolish war through the
cooperative efforts of all interested individuals and
groups committed to such abolition.
Note and Acknowledgement: The seminal ideas
contained in the present paper were first formally
presented in a talk at a community gathering arranged
by the India-Canada Society of Hamilton at McMaster
University on January 20, 2002, and later read as a
paper by my friend Professor Rama Singh in the
Vaishali Sabha (Peace Conference) held at Vaishai
(India) from February 24-27, 2002.
These ideas,
resulting from my life-long interest in Gandhi and his
message for how to achieve a more peaceful world,
have developed over years and I have benefited from
having discussions with many friends and I am thankful
to them.
Special mention must be made concerning Gandhi’s
peaceful method of overcoming political and social
conflicts. His emphasis on truth, non-violence and
creative action, the willingness to accept the suffering
required to effect lasting change, and his personal
embodiment of these values in his day by day activities
were the primary sources of the insights and power he
shared with the movements and individuals he inspired.
Gandhi taught the world that there are higher, better
things than force, higher than life itself. He inspired and
encouraged the minds and hearts of many individuals in
many countries. Among those who benefited through
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Students share their thoughts about peace
(Smmary of Gandhi High School Essay Competetion entries 2002)
Rama Singh
‘Could our world possibly become a place filled with love,
kindness, and a common good?' asks Kim Houseman, a
Grade 12 student at Barton Secondary School in
Hamilton. She answers her own question: "I want to jump
and scream, `Yes!’ ”
everyone in this world should take a step towards peace.”
Julie Andronico an OAC student at Barton takes a rather
less optimistic view of the world and doubts "perfect"
peace is possible. She believes that good and evil are
part of human nature and that there will always be a
balance of good and evil in the world.
Kim writes: "Knowing and accept ing that people are
different helps stop arguments and fights before they
even happen. Children are not always taught this concept,
however. Instead, the schools are teaching students
about the great wars of history. The lesson is not the
wrong that was done and the people who gave up their
lives, but what was gained from it.
She writes: "In the event of a tragedy, keeping Sept. 11,
2001, in mind, the people involved, or the loved ones of
those who were killed - even some who were not
personally affected by the tragedy - are often brought together in mourning, for emotional and financial support, to
keep the balance."
"Students should learn that most, if not all, of these wars
and battles were not even necessary, that there are alternatives. Gandhi and Martin Luther King are two
examples of the many efforts made for peace. This is
what should be taught in our schools and homes today,
the lesson that even if we can not change the world, we
can change ourselves."
She writes that she believes every time people see an evil
occur in the world they are less likely to engage in similar
acts. In a way she is right, as for every act of wrong it
takes the benevo lent acts of a thousand to right it.
Even though there was very little time between the
annou ncement of the essay contest and the submission
date, 16 students participated: Julie Andronico, Greg
Bognar, Christina Fry, Sheena Gibb, Kim Houseman,
Bryan Jang, Allison Milne, Areej Saleh and Amber
Wynne, air from Barton, Kiran Anwar from Delta
Secondary School, Ryan Burella, Andrew Montgomery
and Allison Pilobello, from St. Mary's Catholic Secondary
School, and Mike Hung, Jacqueline Leung, and Samuel
Leung from Glenforest in Mississauga.
Kim is one of four winners of a high school essay
competition sponsored by the annual Hamilton Gandhi
Peace Festival to mark its 10th anniversary.
Mike Hung, a Grade 12 student at Glenforest Secondary
School in Mississauga, is another winner. His essay
includes this: "Both war and peace are a method of trying
to resolve a disagreement. This allows us to realize that
there is always a peaceful way to work out a conflict and,
more importantly, is to realize that it can prevent deaths,
tears and chaos. Only by eradication of all hatred, can
peace and jus tice finally be visible to us and this means
the elimination of two main roots of hatred - greed and
ignorance."
The contest was to write an essay of 800 to 1,000 words
on the topic, "nonviolence, peace and justice." There were
two categories: grades 9 and 10, and grades 11,12 and
OAC. Each winner was awarded a certificate of recognition and a cash prize of $100.
Samuel Leung, a Grade 10 student at the same school,
points out the three kinds of human conflicts: conflict
within ourselves, conflict between the two genders and
conflict between man and nature. Of the latter he writes:
"We have dug into the earth to search for what we want,
we' have cut down the mighty forests that let us breathe,
and we have scarred the planet and burned its skin. The
planet returns with hostility, with natural disasters and
weather changes. Whether it starts with people finding
peace within themselves, with understanding the other
gender or with becoming more environmentally friendly,
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
Of course, we sponsors consider all participants winners
as they took the time to put down their thoughts on a
topic, which is of utmost importance to our community, the
nation and the world.
Congratulations are also in order for the many teachers
who encouraged their students to take part. Cheryl Green,
B. Manchur, Jahanne Christensen, Sheryl Danilowitz and
Darlene Mcliveen deserve our thanks.
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People's Resolution On Iraq
This resolution was written by Prof. Graeme MacQueen of Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University in
January 2003 while the U.S. and U.K. were planning to attack Iraq and the issue was being debated in the United
Nations alongwith massive demonstrations around against the war in Iraq.
We, the people of the world,
Reminding national governments and the United Nations that their authority rests on us;
Affirming the rights and duties of people everywhere to participate in political decisions to create a just and
peaceful world;
Mindful of the fact that progress toward peace and justice will continue to depend on us in the future as it has
in the past;
Dismayed by the continuing undemocratic nature of war, even in otherwise democratic countries, where the
entry into war continues to be determined by small handfuls of male politicians and where we, the peoples to
whom these governments are responsible, are routinely ignored or manipulated;
Drawing attention to the 110 million people killed in war in the 20th century;
Determined that such crimes not be repeated in the 21st century and that those prepared to repeat them be
stopped;
Disturbed by the widespread use of violence and terror, both by states and by non-state actors;
Weary of violence, of those who commit it, and of those who justify and support it;
Welcoming the October, 2002 report by the World Health Organization that identifies violence as one of the
world's most urgent problems;
Recalling that the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the period 2001-2010 as the
International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World;
Alarmed by the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction;
Convinced that this dangerous tendency has been encouraged by the refusal of the most powerful nations,
notably the five permanent members of the Security Council, to undertake nuclear disarmament in accordance
with the 1996 opinion of the International Court of Justice and Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty;
Dismayed by the decision of the United States of America to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, to
oppose the establishment of the International Criminal Court, and in other ways to brush aside international
agreements and law;
Noting with regret the increasing isolation of the United States in world opinion, and especially the growing
antagonism between the United States and the world's Muslim populations, as indicated in recent interviews
Pew Global Attitudes survey) with over 38,000 people in 44 countries;
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Stressing that this growing clash of civilizations is consistent with the desires of leading global terrorists and
holds nothing of value for the peoples of the world;
Recalling that the General Assembly of the United Nations attempted to prevent this clash by adopting the
suggestion of President Khatami of Iran and proclaiming the year 2001 the UN Year of the Dialogue among
Civilizations;
Determined that this dialogue be postponed no longer;
Drawing attention to the current desperate circumstances of Iraq;
Remembering that the government of Iraq has committed acts of aggression against neighbouring states, and
has violated the rights of the people of Iraq;
Acknowledging that there is a need for inspection and destruction of weapons in Iraq as well as a need to
address the human rights violations within Iraq;
Remembering also that the UN Security Council and its members, especially the United States and the United
Kingdom, have violated the rights of the Iraqi people, broken international agreements, and gravely damaged
the credibility of the United Nations;
Deploring the deliberate destruction, in the 1991 bombing of Iraq, of water and sewage facilities crucial to
Iraq's public health, in direct violation of Article 54 of the 1977 Geneva Protocols Additional to the Geneva
Conventions, dealing with the "protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population";
Condemning the further weakening of water and sewage treatment facilities, the impoverishing of the
population, and the conscious spread of malnutrition and disease in Iraq by the United States and other
nations, through economic sanctions and the manipulation of the Security Council's 661 Committee, in
violation of the key principles of public health, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International
Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and universal moral standards;
Recognizing that the draconian measures taken to obstruct Iraq's oil sales from 1990-1996 were in clear
violation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which states that, "in no case
may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence";
Aware that the children of Iraq are as valuable as any other children;
Appalled that the economic sanctions against Iraq have contributed to approximately 500,000 excess deaths
since 1990 among Iraqi children under the age of five, in obvious violation of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child, which states that, "States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life," and
"States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child";
Stressing that acts of violence by the United States and the United Kingdom in the so-called "no-fly zones" are
not justified by Security Council Resolution 688, as is sometimes claimed, but are flagrant violations of that
resolution, which affirms, with other Security Council resolutions, the commitment of all member states to "the
sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Iraq";
Welcoming the official release of a report by Medact and the unofficial release of a United Nations interagency planning document on the likely humanitarian impact of an invasion of Iraq;
Dismayed by both of these reports, which outline a possible humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq following a
military invasion, to include 2 million destitute, internally displaced people;
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Convinced that the threatened invasion of Iraq by the United States, the United Kingdom and other nations
violates Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations, which states that, "the parties to any dispute, the
continuance of which is likely to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security, shall, first of all,
seek a solution by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional
agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice";
Believing further that an invasion of Iraq under the present circumstances would constitute a crime against
peace as set forth in the 1950 Principles of the Nuremberg Tribunal affirmed by the General Assembly of the
United Nations;
Drawing attention to evidence from public opinion surveys that the great majority of people in the world do not
support an invasion of Iraq;
Recalling that Security Council Resolution 687 does not restrict itself to a discussion of Iraq but addresses the
danger of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East generally, speaking of "the need to work towards
the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of such weapons," and that this resolution speaks as well
of the need to work toward peace and security in the region by "using all available means, including a dialogue
among the States of the region";
Dismayed that the Security Council has left these proposals to one side while concentrating on the use of
force;
therefore declare that we
Reject in the strongest terms the threatened invasion of Iraq;
Support a process of thorough, fair, and respectful weapons inspection and disarmament in Iraq;
Insist that steps be taken to extend such inspections and disarmament to all those nations, including the
permanent members of the Security Council, whose weapons pose threats to humanity;
Demand that the economic sanctions against Iraq be lifted and that Iraq be invited to rejoin the community of
nations;
Demand further that Iraq be given generous assistance in the process of reconstruction;
Insist that a process of fair and sincere dialogue be initiated in the Middle East to address the human rights
situation and the profound conflicts in that region;
Call upon all member states of the Security Council to rise to their responsibility to reject an assault on Iraq
and to promote the just resolution of conflict in the region;
Urge the permanent members of the Security Council to use their veto, if this should be necessary, to prevent
the sanctioning, by the United Nations, of an assault on Iraq;
Demand that the political representatives and governments whose power rests on us denounce, and refuse to
participate in, an assault on Iraq, and use their influence to promote mature resolution of conflict;
and finally,
Invite each other, the peoples of the world, to use all necessary means of a nonviolent nature to
prevent, impede and discredit the invasion of Iraq and the continued merciless punishment of the
people of that country, and to promote peace and justice in the 21st century.
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Beyond Iraq: Repairing the Damage to Global Systems
Dr. Joanna Santa Barbara is child psychiatrist and a professor of Psychiatry and Peace Studies
at McMaster University. She was recently awarded the Order of Ontario in recognition of her
lifetime work as a peace researcher and activist. This is the talk she gave at a gathering in
Ottawa May 1, 2003 to honour her achievement.
This talk is about power, law and other restraints on
power, and finally about nonviolence in response to
unrestrained power. It is based on the belief that
every human life is equally valuable, none more
valuable than others.
population, and to those themes in US deep culture
that justify domination of others by violence and the
threat of violence. Other imperial powers in their
time have acted no better. What could be worse
than Britain’s behaviour in the Opium War? In
1799, China banned the opium trade. This was
highly lucrative for British merchants and they
ignored the ban. China then burned 20,000 chests
of opium brought in by the British in 1839. Britain
brought in the gun-boats, won, colonized port cities
and reintroduced the opium trade. This is how
superpowers behaved then and now.
Power: Capacity to get what you want, in particular,
to get other people to do what you want. There are
four means of wielding power:
Hurting, or threatening to hurt
Rewarding
Persuading
Impeding
The US, working hard at the project and spending
billions on it, has acquired the capacity to exert
power by harming people anywhere on the planet.
It can kill millions in minutes with Nuclear Weapons.
(Think about that.) It is working hard on doing this
more effectively and with less risk of retaliation
through weapons in space and the so far
completely unproven idea of a missile shield. (I
have a fantasy of typing an essay like this on my
computer at night. In the morning, I get up and find
my flower-beds precisely burned out. Burned into
my lawn is a message: “Just a warning.”)
The problem with power is that we like to get what
we want and will tend to do so if unrestrained. What
restrains us?
My husband is taller, heavier, more muscular and
more fit than I. In a contest of physical power, he’d
win. He could make me do what he wants. He
doesn’t. Why? He has moral reasons – he believes
I have an equal right to resources, freedom and
determination of change, as another fully worthy
person. Backing this are cultural reasons – he is in
sympathy with feminist values. His muscles then,
are irrelevant to our relationship. This represents a
voluntary restraint of power based on respect of
equal rights of another, backed by cultural attitudes,
and further backed by laws.
Its stated intention is to dominate the planet with
this power to harm others and to pre-emptively
prevent anyone else from competing with it.
Among expressions of thinking in this model was
the establishment in 1997 of a private organization
called the Project for the New American Century.
This project wished to see US military dominance
extended over every major region of the globe. To
this end the project produced a report in September
2000 called “Rebuilding America’s Defenses”. Six
of the 27 Project participants listed at the end of the
RAD document serve in the current Bush
administration, the most prominent being Paul
Wolfowitz, Deputy Sec. of Defence. The document
speaks of a Pax Americana, to be held in place by
US military might. The UN is referred to in negative
and dismissive terms. The US must maintain high
levels of military spending, extend its control over
regions of the world where its control is now weak
So at the interpersonal level we are restrained by:
Internalized moral reasons
Internalized cultural reasons
Law – agreed-upon minimal moral standards in
restraining freedom and power, based on a belief in
equality of persons.
Problems with US Power
The events culminating in the attack on Iraq threw
into sharp focus problems with the US power to get
others to do what it wants and the means by which
it exerts that power.
This examination is not anti-Americanism. It refers
to those who implement US policy and their
supporters, comp-rising perhaps half of the US
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and prevent others from exerting dominance in their
own regions. The US must dominate space, which
it is now proceeding to do with extensive research
in weaponization of space. The US must dominate
cyberspace. The US must remain in the forefront
of research into “advanced forms of biological
warfare that can target specific genotypes and may
transform biological warfare from the realm of terror
to a politically useful tool.” Global dominance
requires massive planning and research so that no
other state power can extend its own control
through technological development, which might
level the playing field.
Cultural restraint - eg. Widespread belief that
nuclear weapons are too horrible to use. “Nuclear
Taboo.” Nation who used nuclear weapons would
suffer universal opprobrium.
Moral restraint - Voices from within the state, and
especially from within the decision making elite,
speak out against domination of others by coercion.
Restraint by law - One of The 20 th century’s
greatest achievements was the evolution of a
structure of international law and of the institutions
to implement it. The League of Nations evolved
into the UN, leaving in place the International Court
of Justice to settle disputes between nations
without violence. The Geneva Accords evolved
into International Humanitarian Law, to limit the
destructiveness of war. The great instruments of
human rights began mid-century – Universal
Declaration of human rights, Rights of the Child,
Convention vs. Genocide… The Nuremberg trials
evolved through the ad hoc tribunals for Rwanda
and Yugoslavia to the achievement of the
International Criminal Court.
Nuclear weapons remain essential to US defence,
they say, and superiority in this area is “nothing to
be ashamed of”. New nuclear weapons may be
required, and indeed, are being currently sought by
the Bush administration. The Persian Gulf, the
year 2000 document says, is a region where
dominance is of vital importance. Iraq may require
regime change to affect this.
Restraints
Now what are the possible restraints on such
exercise of power by a state?
The advent of weapons that could kill millions in a
short time and were grossly indiscriminatory
between combatants and civilians led to enormous
efforts to contain, roll back and eliminate these by
treaty.
Balance of power is the form of restraint favoured in
“realist” political, discussion. Two or more powerful
blocs with “equal” power to kill restrain each other.
We have experienced this during the Cold War. It
led to the nuclear arms race. This is a pathway to
global annihilation.
We were lucky to have
escaped it and want no more of it. It also led to
distortion of global relationships with alignments
and proxy wars. Some hope the European Union
will be such a balance, but I think this is the wrong
model altogether. It is still the illusion of state
security through “domination – violence –
competition” rather than through “equalitynonviolence- cooperation.”
The US has had an utterly ambivalent attitude to
these efforts to create security on the basis of
equality of value of all people, nonviolent conflict
resolution and cooperation. Visionary voices such
as Woodrow Wilson and Eleanor Roosevelt have
been major contributors to the idea of human
security through law and norms of human rights, of
eliciting global cooperation in global institutions.
But throughout the 20 th century and gaining
ascendance in the 21st , there is a strand of US
culture that says. “Might is right… We can therefore
we will… Morality is irrelevant to state behaviour,
except in public relations… Security comes through
domination by the power to kill, and is a competitive
game in which we will be the winners.” In its most
virulent form this strand of the culture is
antagonistic to any form of global cooperation that
doesn’t directly favour US interest. Last month, the
then-chair of the US Defence Policy Board, Richard
Perle, published an article in the “Guardian” under
the headline “Thank God for the death of the UN.”
Sub-heading was “Its object failure gave us only
Multiple centres of mega – killing power with
nuclear weapon proliferation. Better distribution of
power to kill, but still very distorted.
Utterly
dangerous.
Restraint under law. Treaties, laws, treating all
sovereign entities as equal, restraining killing power
for the common good eg. Only one missile defence
site each. No testing of new weapons. ICJ ruling
that use and threat of use of nuclear weapons is
generally illegal.
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anarchy. The world needs order.” He goes on to
outline the global order that will be enforced by the
US and any who care to (or are coerced to) join it.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Rights of
the Child, The Landmines Treaty without the
cooperation of the US, and probably will do so with
the ICC. But the US behaviour over Iraq seems to
take things over the top – cynical abuse of the
UNSC, then flouting it when the US could not get
what it wanted.
The attitude of this opinion cluster to international
law and institutions is:
??Use them if it’s directly advantageous
??Resist any form of cooperation that is not
??Get out of treaties that limit US power to
dominate militarily
??Don’t fulfill treaty promises that limit power to
dominate
??If negotiating treaties, weaken them using
joining as leverage, and finally refuse to join.
The damage is serious – to the UN, especially the
SC, to the structure of international law, and to the
nuclear taboo by the US threat to use nuclear
weapons on Iraq, and flagrant US moves to
develop new nuclear weapons.
How does Canada deal with US power?
With great ambivalence between valuing our
autonomy and asserting our different values on the
one hand and coat-tailing the global warlord on the
other. Why do some of us lick their boots?
They’ll punish you if you don’t.
They offer protection
Other largesse, like playing with their big military
toys.
Power by association.
The extreme version of this holds that international
law basically is a fiction
And how might other states, the remaining 94% of
the world’s population fare in such a regime. “They
can… be expected to adapt to US preferences”!!
Then there are two recent serious arguments that
international law, and in particular the UN Charter,
should be remoulded around the recognition of US
supreme power i.e. there is One above the law,
which will apply to all the rest. Michael Glennon, in
Foreign Affairs, May-June 2003, discusses the
UNSC as a failed experiment. He advocates
creating instead “realistically structured institutions
capable of protecting or advancing US national
interest… Such institutions could enhance
American pre- eminence, potentially prolonging the
period of unipolarity.”
These reasons were thrown into stunning relief in
the discourse on joining the US attack on Iraq. A
minority theme was “We should be loyal to them,
no matter what, as a friend, and besides, they’ll
punish us if we aren’t”. I heard politicians say this
is the same breath.
A child psychiatrist joke illuminates this
ambivalence about modes of power, particularly the
power to physically hurt. Two political scientists
and their son were walking in a mall with their
friend, a child psychiatrist. The little boy jumped on
a bouncing toy and had a good time while the
adults waited…..and waited. The parents asked
him to get off, then told him to, then tried to
persuade him, followed by bribery, to no avail.
Finally they said to their friend, “Look, you’re the
kiddie-shrink.
You get him off.”
The child
psychiatrist went over and whispered in the ear of
the little boy, who immediately slid off and came to
his parents. “OK, OK, so what did you say?”, the
parents asked. “I just said if you don’t get off that
flippin’ thing, I’m gonna tan your hide to kingdom
come,” said the psychiatrist.
In January 2003 American Journal International
Law, editor-in-chief, Michael Reisman explores a
revision of the laws of war to permit pre-emptive
degrading the enemy’s military capacity and regime
change, both of which are now illegal.
Over recent decades, as US treaty-flouting
behaviour became more flagrant, the proponents of
security based on equality of worth of all humans,
on nonviolence and on cooperation (equality-non
violence-cooperation model) have grumbled and
raged as the US eg. in one breath promised
“unequivocally” to eliminate all nuclear weapons, in
the next breath declared they were essential to its
defence and in the next that it would build and test
more and that it needs a defensive shield because
strangely, enough, others are going to retain and
develop nuclear weapons. But yet “we” alongside
all of this managed to improve the world with the
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
This joke exposes our nervousness and
ambivalence about where real power lies. Note
that if we transposed this joke to gender relations it
would not be funny at all.
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used as a spurious reason for intervention, either
by the US or regional powers.
What’s to be done?
Globally
By Canada
By the peace constituency
Canada
We need to resist “adapting to US preferences”,
clamouring to be a favoured member of the retinue
of the global warlord. We should affirm the world
we want,--this is no radical departure, it’s in line
with previous Canadian policy—a world ordered by
the supremacy of international law (not US military
might), in which the UN is the body for problem solving dialogues, in which the principle of “human
security” is uppermost—security of each person’s
basic needs, above state interests.
Globally
There is unprecedented strength and possibility in
the eloquent, informed, planetary conversation
generated to try to prevent the US-UK attack on
Iraq. This conversation was knowledge-able about
and valued international law as the alternative to a
world dominated by military might. What is needed
is strong affirmation of this principle, and demand
for its further development.
We want:
??Security through equality-nonviolencecooperation; not through domination-violencecompetition.
??A more democratic UN, representing not just
states, but people—representation by
population.
??A democratic SC, without veto power.
??UN rapid deployment capacity.
??Incorporation of ICISS “Responsibility to Protect”
principles to further war prevention capacities
and to safeguard human rights.
We should cooperate willingly with reasonable US
interests eg. with intelligence and police action on
terrorist threats. We should not cooperate with US
initiatives out of line with the world we, and most
other people on the planet want. Missile defence is
one such initiative. It is posited on the assumption
that nuclear weapons will continue to be the
currency of power, an illegitimate assumption under
IL, an assumption of which the US is the major
advocate. It is very likely that we could achieve a
world free of nuclear and weapons of mast
destruction in a fairly short time if the US seriously
moved on this issue.
How can this happen when it obviously will be
resisted by the US and other major power-holders?
With difficulties, which will yet be preferable to the
alternative. Let us recognize that many treaties,
while undermined to varying degrees by lack of US
cooperation, are nevertheless operational Landmines, Rights of the Child, likely ICC. Also
Kyoto. (Others are more seriously impaired - NPT
especially)
It is a major misstep in Canadian policy to suggest
that we ignore the UN when it suits us. I deplore
this suggestion made by Paul Martin recently and
hope it is quickly repudiated by Canadians.
The peace constituency of each country, including
the US needs to:
Affirm the kind of world we want and that we want
security based on equality-nonviolencecooperation.
The intention of the present US administration to
dominate by military might and to override the UN
and international law should not be treated as a
nasty secret, whispered behind the hand. It is a fact
of global life, to be dealt with by the great principle
of nonviolence: do not submit to or cooperate with
domination or tyranny. The dominating power is
only as strong as people’s consent to be
dominated. But you have to pay the costs of
noncompliance and these can be painful
Affirm the UN
Demand greater democracy in global governance.
Take nonviolence seriously.
-with respect to states ruled by despots.
-not bowing to US domination
-Strengthen Culture of Peace with deliberate action
on peace education at all levels.
The global peace movement needs to evolve in its
grasp and use of the strategies of nonviolence to
deal with states that tyrannize their populations—
mainly for the sake of oppressed populations, but
also so that “liberation” of the oppressed can’t be
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
I’ve always thought of peace work as reweaving the
web of life. There have been some serious rents in
the fabric, with much reweaving, using new creative
patterns, to be done.
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The Gandhi Peace Festival High School Essay Competition
Purpose:
The High School Peace Essay contest is held in conjunction with the Annual Gandhi Peace Festival. The aim of the peace
essay contest is to heighten awareness of non -violence, peace and justice issues among youth and to increase the
involvement of young peopl e in the annual Gandhi Peace Festival.
Eligible contestants:
Grades 9 & 10 category- students must be enrolled in either grade 9 or 10 as of September 2003.
Grades 11 & 12 category- students must be enrolled in either grade 11 or 12 as of September 2003.
Students who are attending a fifth year of high school may submit an essay in the grade 11 & 12 category.
Format, Length and Submission Date:
In the grades 9 & 10 category, the essay should be between 700 -900 words. In the grades 11 & 12 category, the essay
should be between 900-1100 words. Essays can be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word document to
[email protected] . Alternatively, essays may be mailed or hand delivered by September 22, 2003 at 12pm
to Ms. Heather Farrell c/o Ms. Kim Squissato, Centre for Peace Studies, Togo Salmon Hall rm. 726, McMaster University,
1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M2.
Judging and Awards:
Under the guidance of the director for peace studies at McMaster University, a committee will judg e the essays and select
two winners in each category. The winners will be contacted shortly after the essay due date. All contestants will be
invited to participate in the Annual Gandhi Peace Festival, where the winners will be recognised.
2003 Grades 9 & 10 Essay Topic
“Envision a more peaceful school. Suggest ways to prevent violence and to promote peace in your
school.”
2003 Grades 11 & 12 Essay Topic
“If you were to design a course for high school students to promote a culture of peace, what would
you teach?”
Prizes:
Two winners in each category will receive a certificate of recognition as well as a monetary award of $100. At the
discretion of the awards committee, selected essays may be published in The Hamilton Spectator and in the following
year’s Peace Festival booklet.
List of contestants who particpated in 2003 Essay Competeion – Winners will be announced at the Peace Festival
Aarika Black -- Cardinal Newman
AJPassmore -- Orchard Park
Alexander Weiers -- Sir John AMacDonald
Alisha Mecozzi -- Barton Secondary
Amanda Grande -- Cardinal Newman
Amanda Vidal -- Cardinal Newman
Barbara Dolanjski -- Cardinal Newman
Bethany Campbell -- Blessed Trinity Catholic
Secondary
Brent Page -- Sir Allan MacNab Secondary
Chantelle Buchner -- ?
Cheryl Dass -- Sir John AMacDonald
Cris Turple -- Westmount Secondary
Daniela Hargot -- Cardinal Newman
Danielle Stevens -- Orchard Park
Dorothy Vattaso -- Delta High
Elyse Pelletier -- Orchard Park Secondary
Emily Burns -- Barton Secondary
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
Erica Leo -- Cardinal Newm an
Heather Herda -- Orchard Park
Hina Ahmed -- Barton
Ivanna Grubisic -- Cardinal Newman
Jamie Osztermayer -- Cardinal Newman
Jessie Nicole Groleau -- Cardinal Newman
Josefine Herr -- Cardinal Newman
Josh Robinson -- Orchard Park
Justin Johnstone -- Cardinal Newman
Kelsey Haas -- Orchard Park
Krista Fox-Wunsch -- Westmount Secondary
Kristina Milasincic -- Cardinal Newman
Lauren Peters -- Cardinal Newman
Secondary
Melanie Hargot -- Cardinal Newman
Melissa Zazulak -- Highland Secondary
Michael Jelicic -- Orchard Park
Mohamed Mohamud -- Orchard Park
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Najlaa Rauf -- Barton Secondary
Nicole Szydlo -- Barton Secondary
Nooreen Shahid -- Glendale
Secondary
Paul Weldon -- Cardinal Newman
Sana Tauqeer -- Sir John AMacDonald
Secondary
Sharon Corkery -- Cardinal Newman
Simone Samuels -- Agincourt
Collegiate Institute
Soheil Jamshidi -- Barton Secondary
Spencer Boersma -- ?
Stacia Vartanian -- Orchard Park
Sunny Sharma -- Orchard Park
Vany Sing -- Cardinal Newman
Wilfred Addico -- Columbia
International College
Zaheen Sadeq -- Westdale Secondary
www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi
PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS
Hamilton Culture of Peace Network
A Culture of Peace is far more than the absence of war or violence. It requires the promotion of well-being,
and the acceptance of responsibility for others and the earth. It requires cooperation, people treating each
other with respect, building bridges rather than walls, promoting trust and acceptance through fair negotiation,
not power or privilege. It is the opposite of discord.
The Hamilton Culture of Peace Network is a collection of concerned people and groups united in a Ten Year
Effort towards building a culture of peace, non-violence and social justice for the children of the world, this
nation, and the citizens of Hamilton.
How can we Transform our present Culture?
By discussing & taking action about:
Social justice.
Promoting non-violent education.
Conflict transformation.
Reducing all abuses of power.
Working for Peace -- in our hearts, our homes, our schools,
our workplace, our community, and in our world.
If you agree with these principles we invite you to join us.
Obtain a FREE Internet listing for your group in the
Hamilton Culture of Peace Directory at
www.hwcn.org/link/cpd
Send e-mail with full details to: [email protected]
Phone: (905) 523-0355
Manifesto 2000 for a culture of Peace and Non-violence
www.unesco.org/manifesto2000
Six Simple Rules for a better society, drafted by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.
1. RESPECT ALL LIFE - Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice.
2. REJECT VIOLENCE - Practice active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, sexual,
psychological, economical and social, in particular towards the most deprived and vulnerable such as children and
adolescents.
3. SHARE WITH OTHERS - Share my time and material resources in a spirit of generosity to put an end to
exclusion, injustice and political and economic oppression.
4. LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND - Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to
dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the rejection of others.
5. PRESERVE THE PLANET - Promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and development practices that
respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet.
6. REDISCOVER SOLIDARITY - Contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of
women and respect for democratic principles, in order to create together new forms of solidarity.
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Centre for Peace Studies
www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~peace/
Peace Studies is a discipline that seeks to understand war and peace, violence and non-violence, conflict and
conflict transformation, and that looks for ways to promote human well-being through this understanding.
Peace Studies is distinguished from other disciplines by its focus, its integration of approaches from varied
disciplines, its explicit values and its engaged scholarship.
Focus: While many academic disciplines regard war and peace, violence and non-violence, conflict and
conflict transformation as important aspects of human social life, Peace Studies is the only one that puts them
at the centre of its study.
Integration: While Peace Studies is committed to drawing on the contributions of existing disciplines and
disciplinary approaches, it insists on integrating these within its distinctive values and approaches.
Values: Peace Studies is one of a number of emerging disciplines that explicitly regards certain conditions as
problematic and commits itself both to understanding and to changing these conditions. Just as Women's
Studies regards male domination as problematic, and Environmental Studies regards some kinds of
environmental destruction as problematic, Peace Studies regards war and certain kinds of violence as
problematic. This does not mean one must be a pacifist to enter this discipline and it does not mean one must
condemn all violence or every call to arms; but it does mean that Peace Studies as a discipline seeks the
diminishment of war and large-scale violence and does not pretend to be neutral on the issue of whether these
will dominate the human future.
Engagement: Peace Studies is an engaged discipline. This means that the student of Peace Studies will be
encouraged to become engaged in practical action in society and to relate this action to what is learned in the
classroom. Practical action is crucial to the student's learning (theory and practice are intricately related) and to
the empowerment of the student as an agent of change.
The Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University was established by the Board of Governors in 1989. In
1999 Peace Studies became part of the Faculty of Humanities, and in July 2000 the Office of Interdisciplinary
Studies was created to provide administrative support and form a home base for students in the three
interdisciplinary areas based in Humanities, Comparative Literature, Women's Studies and Peace Studies.
As well as offering academic programmes, the Centre for Peace Studies annually sponsors the independently
endowed Bertrand Russell Peace Lectures and Mahatma Gandhi Lectures on Non-violence. It has organized
several international conferences including the recent McMaster/Lancet conference on Peace through Health,
initiated a number of scholarly publications, and undertaken international projects dealing with peace and
justice. The centre has a wide range of international contacts, especially in Central America, Europe, India, and
the Middle East.
If you would like to find out more about the Centre's activities, please contact
Dr. Gary Purdy, Director
Centre for Peace Studies
McMaster University, TSH-726
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
Tel: 905-525-9140 ext. 23112
Fax: 905-570-1167
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~peace/
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Mac Peace Week
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Physicians for Global Survival - Canada
Our mission statement is:
Because of our concern for global health, we are committed to:
the abolition of nuclear weapons,
the prevention of war,
the promotion of nonviolent means of conflict resolution,
and, social justice in a sustainable world
We are physicians and colleagues (both health workers and others) who work together to be an informed and
responsible voice for healing our planet. We collaborate with other health workers across the planet to bring
information to people about the continuing threats posed by nuclear weapons; about the devastating effects on
population health, and on the environment, of militarism, war and arms acquisitions; and about nonviolent
alternatives in conflict management. We conduct dialogues with decision makers in our national government
and other bodies.
We feel we played a significant role in bringing the issue of legality of nuclear weapons to the World Court, and
in generating action on banning landmines, which culminated in the Ottawa Process. In Canada we have
worked particularly to support our colleagues in the Indian and Pakistani communities in educating the public
about the effects of nuclear bombs. We have published positions on aspects of violence in culture - media
violence, war toys and hand-guns. We oppose low-level military flights over Innu territory in Labrador and
have researched the health effects of these. We worked energetically on advocating changes to Canada's
nuclear policy, and, with physicians from other countries, changes to NATO's nuclear policy. Currently we are
working to dissuade the Canadian Government from joining the US in the highly expensive and questionably
effective 'Missile Defence' project and related weaponization of space. We are opposed to current US
intentions to attack Iraq.
We are part of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. In Hamilton we have a very active group, often
enlivened by students and by peace-oriented physicians visiting from other countries. We
meet every second Wednesday night at a home near McMaster University and welcome new
members.
To contact PGS (Hamilton), call Dr. Khursheed Ahmed, 905-979-9696 or send e-mail at:
[email protected]
Visit PGS website for current projects, background papers and links to related sites at: www.pgs.ca
“I regard Gandhi as the only great fi gure of our age ... generations to come will scarce believe that
such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”
- Albert Einstein
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Project Ploughshares
Project Ploughshares is a Canada peace and justice organization sponsored by the Canadian Council of
Churches. It works ecumenically to transform a world still threatened by weapons of mass destruction into a
world of enduring peace and security. It is supported by national churches, various foundations, agencies and
community groups, government grants and more than 10,000 individuals.
Since its founding in 1976, Project Ploughshares has promoted the concept of "common security": that security
is the product of mutuality, not competition; that peace must be nurtured rather than guarded; that stability
requires the reduction of threat and elevation of trust; and that sustainability depends on participatory
decision-making rather than on exclusion and control.
The Hamilton Ploughshares committee meets on the first Monday of each month at 10 AM at 700 King Street
West, the Chancery Office of the Roman Catholic diocese of Hamilton. New members and visitors are always
welcome. We sponsor workshops, concerts for peace, and the annual Hiroshima memorial service at the City
Hall.
For more information please contact:
Leonor Sorger 905-528 7988, Paul Fayter 905-522-9900, or Linda Nash 905-627-9251/ 905 397-9735
or, contact the national office:
Project Ploughshares
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, Conrad Grebel College
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G6
Tel: (519) 888 6541, Fax: (519) 885 0806,
Website: www.ploughshares.ca
Coming Event.....
The Hamilton Chapter of Project Ploughshares presents a fundraiser:
PEACE CONCERT
Sunday, November 17, 2003 at 3:00pm
Christ's Church Cathedral
252 James Street North, Hamilton
For tickets and information call:
Alison Meredith (905) 527-3239 x240, Paul Fayter 905-522-9900, or Leonor Sorger 905-528-7702 x253
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Peace Research Institute, Dundas
The Peace Research Institute - Dundas (PRI-D) was established in 1976. It is a private non-profit organization devoted to
international peace advocacy and research. The Institute has several ongoing initiatives, from collecting abstracts of
peace literature, to research, education, and publishing books and journals.
The institute's founding directors, Alan and Hanna Newcombe, began publishing the monthly Peace Research Abstracts
Journal in the early 1960s. Their aim was to bring together peace-related research from the sciences, humanities and
social sciences to provide a means by which scholars could refer to, and build upon, peace-related work in all disciplines
from around the world.
Recently, research has centred mainly on UN reform, but other projects such as research on the Oka Crisis and other
projects have been carried out by students and volunteers under the direction of Dr. Hanna Newcombe.
Hanna Newcombe co-edited a book with Eric Fawcett: United Nations Reform: Looking Ahead After Fifty Years, Dundurn
Press, 1995. She edited the essay collection, Hopes and Fears: the Human Future, Science for Peace, 1993. Dr.
Newcombe is the author of numerous journal articles and the book Design for a Better World, University Press of
America, 1983. Dr. Newcombe has also presented several papers at recent conferences.
International Collaboration: PRI -D has an ongoing project with Dr. Airat Aklaev and his colleagues at the Institute of
Anthropology in Moscow. The project has resulted in the completion of four volumes of Interethnic Conflict and Political
Change in the Former USSR. The volumes are bibliographies, chronologies and analyses of ethnic conflict in the former
Soviet Union, and are produced under a grant from the United States Institute of Peace. PRI-D has been responsible for
editing and publication of the four volumes published to date.
Over the last three decades, great changes have taken place in the world. The Peace Research Institute - Dundas,
however, still abides by its original goals: to conduct and pu blish peace research in the anticipation that the presentation
of facts may drive out myth and lay the foundation for a new society and a new humanity.
Peace Research Institute, Dundas
25 Dundana Avenue,
Dundas, ON, Canada, L9H 4E5
Website: www.prid.on.ca
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: 905-628-2356 / Fax: 905 628-1830
Amnesty International
Group 1 (Hamilton) and Group 8 (McMaster University)
Amnesty International is a worldwide voluntary movement that works to prevent some of the gravest violations by
governments and non-state actors of people’s fundamental human rights. The main focus of its campaigning is to free all
prisoners of conscience - those who have been detained because of their beliefs, ethnic origin, sex, colour, or language,
and have not used or advocated violence. Amnesty International also works to ensure fair and prompt trials for political
prisoners, to end extrajudicial executions and disappearances, and to abolish the death penalty, torture, and other forms
of cruel and inhumane treatment or punishment. The organization has received the Noble Peace Prize.
Amnesty has always been very happy to co-sponsor the Peace Festival
To get involved, please contact:
Group 1 (Hamilton): Kevin Shimmin Group 8 (McMaster): Punam Rana -
(416) 469-268
(416) 716-1474
[email protected]
[email protected]
Amnesty Canada Website: www.amnesty.ca
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Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW)
Since its foundation in 1960, VOW has worked locally, nationally and internationally on
issues related to peace, social justice, human rights and development, always seeking to
promote a woman's and a feminist perspective. VOW's objectives are:
- to unite women in concern for the future of the world;
- to help promote the mutual respect and cooperation among nations necessary for peaceful negotiations between world
powers;
- to protest war or the threat of war as the decisive method of exercising power;
- to appeal to all national leaders to cooperate in the alleviation of the caus es of war by common action for the economic
and social betterment of all; and
- to provide a means for women to exercise responsibility for the family of humankind.
VOW is one of the non-governmental organizations (NGO) cited by UNESCO's standing committee in the working group
report entitled “the contribution of women to the culture of peace". An accredited NGO to the United Nations, affiliated to
the Department of Public Information (DPI) and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), VOW was the Canadian
lead group for peace at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Members have been active in follow-up
activities, including writing the chapter, “Women and Peace" in Take Action for Equality; Development and Peace.
Currently, the Ontario chapter is foucussed on trying to stop the Canadian government from signing on to the U.S. Missile
Defence Programme, with its inevitable connection to weapons in space.
Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW)
Telephone: (416) 532-5697, Fax: (416) 603-7916
761 Queen St. W, Suite 203, Toronto, ON, M6J 1G1
e-mail:[email protected] / [email protected]
The Children's International
Learning Centre (CILC)
OUR MISSION:
With international resources and input from the community and global experts, we develop dynamic hands-on
programmes which encourage attitudes of respect for all people and for our common environment.
The CILC is a not-for-profit organization supported by admissions, memberships, donations, grants, and volunteers.
Yearly we provide 5 programmes for school age children. The centre is open to: school classes, adult groups, community
groups, Sunday schools, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Day camps and Home Schools.
Programmes available yearly: Festivals of Light (from October to late December), Orbit the Earth (available January September), Global Playroom for ages 2-6 (available January - September), PLUS 2 new exciting programmes yearly.
The CILC also sponsors The Children’s International Peace Choir which is active from September through June.
For more information about the centre or volunteering please contact us:
The Children’s International Learning Centre
189 King William St. (across from Theatre Aquarius)
Hamilton, ON L8R 1A7
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e-mail: [email protected]
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United Nations Children’s Fund
UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, was created on December 11, 1946 by the United Nations General
Assembly. UNICEF works for and with children in 158 countries and territories, advocating for children’s rights as well as
ensuring that their basic needs are met thus enabling them to reach their full potential.
Guided by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF believes that the survival, protection and
development of children must be a global priority, and that every child should grow up in conditions that promote health,
peace and dignity. From taking care of HIV/AIDS orphans to demobilizing child soldiers, from immunizing millions of
children against polio to providing schools books, and from building water pumps to responding to emergencies, UNICEF
is helping build a world fit for children.
In 1965 UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize .
UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, foundations, businesses and governments. In
Ontario, UNICEF raises funds through card and gift sales, special events, emergency relief appeals, and youth programs
like the famous Halloween orange UNICEF box campaign. UNICEF Canada also works to educate young and old about
the rights and needs of children around the world. For information about booking a speaker or video please call us at
905-529-3173.
Visit our storefront location in Hamilton for an excellent selection of cards, gifts and educational materials. Our office
and gift shop is located (across from Theatre Aquarius) at:
189 King William St., Hamilton, ON L8R 1A7
Phone 905-529-3173 Fax: 905-529 -6312
email: [email protected]
Visit UNICEF’s web page at www.unicef.ca
The United Nations Association in Canada
Canadians working for a better UN
Our Mission Statement:
The United Nations Association in Canada builds bridges of knowledge and understanding that link all Canadians with the
people and nations of the world. Through the United Nations system, we share in the quest for peace, human rights,
equitable and sustainable development and the elimination of poverty.
The United Nations Association in Canada (UNA - Canada) is a not - for- profit charitable organization that helps inform
and educate Canadians concerning United Nations (UN) activities and programmes. UNA- Canada offers Canadians a
unique window into the work of the UN, as well as a way to become engaged in the critical international issues that effect
us all -- human rights, poverty, sustainable development, peace, disarmament and many others.
For further information contact:
Brian Reid, President, Hamilton Branch, UNCA
Tel: 905 -627-1990
Fax: 905-628-3646
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E-Mail: [email protected]
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The Council of Canadians
The Council of Canadians is an independent, non-partisan, public interest organization, established in 1985.
Today, we have over 100,000 members and supporters. The Council provides a critical voice on key national
issues: safeguarding our social programs, promoting economic justice, renewing our democracy, asserting
Canadian sovereignty, promoting alternatives to corporate-style free trade, and preserving our environment.
The Hamilton Chapter is committed to pursuing these goals at a local level, making the links between the
corporate agenda of neoliberal globalization and various social and environmental problems in the Hamilton
area. This includes organizing public forums, media campaigns, and demonstrations, working closely with
other activist and community groups.
Monthly meetings are held at the First Unitarian Church (170 Dundurn Street South) on the second Tuesday of
each month, from 7:30 to 9pm.
For more information, please contact Richard Oddie and Christina Sealey at 905-525-5612 or by email at
[email protected]
Strengthening Hamilton’s Community Initiative
“Strengthening Hamilton – Uniting our Community”
www.shci.hamilton.ca
The Strengthening Hamilton's Community Initiative (SHCI) is a three-year, community-based project designed
to address concerns arising from incidents that occurred in Hamilton, following the crisis of September 11,
2001. Its intent is to turn crisis into opportunity and create a new and strengthened city, in which all residents
live in harmony and fully participate in its future development. A strategic alliance of community leaders has
created a Community Roundtable. All are committed to engaging the whole community in taking action to
promote unity. This will be achieved through strategies to address racism, improve safety and security, foster
interfaith and intercultural understanding, and encourage leadership.
Vision Statement: A vibrant and harmonious community, which values our racial, religious and cultural
diversity that fosters respect and encourages public dialogue: a community in which people are enabled to
become active participants and contributors.
For more information, contact: Kathryn King, Project Manager
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905-570-0354 ext 223 [email protected]
www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi
Community-based Interfaith, Peace and Cultural Groups
Hamilton Quakers
Quakers are Christian in origin, but not all Quakers call themselves Christian.In our Meeting you will find many Friends
who follow other paths; this is reflected in the vocal ministry. Anyone, young or old, male or female, newcomer, visitor,
friend, or Friend, may speak at a Meeting for Worship.
Address: 7 Butty Place, Hamilton, L8S 2R5. Phone: 905-523-8383. Web: www.hwcn.org/link/hmm
IDEA Burlington (Interfaith Development Education Association)
IDEA Burlington (established in 1985) is an association of people from many faiths. It strives, through study, spiritual
reflection and resultant action, to empower us and others to promote peace and justice, locally and globally.
For information, resources and speakers, or to connect with other organizations, call 905-637-3110.
The Hamilton Interfaith Group
The Hamilton Interfaith Group encompasses members of many faith groups including Baha’i, the Society of Friends
(Quakers), the Roman Catholic Church, the United Church of Canada, Islam, Wicca, Native Spirituality, Sikhism,
Hinduism, and others. Our purpose is to increase understanding and acceptance among the different faith communities
and to share our understanding and celebration with the wider community of Hamilton. Contact Persons: Anne Pearson
905-628-6180, Wasi Ahmad, 905-547-5834, Josephine D’Amico 905-385-5484, Beverly Shepard 905-648-2853.
The Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care
OMCSRC is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization representing the wide range of recognized faith groups in the
province of Ontario.
Contact: OMCSRC, P.O. Box 37037, Hamilton, ON, L8L 8E8, Tel: 905-648-6879,
[email protected]
Unity Church and Retreat Centre
Christ Church Unity is an interdenominational church promoting Practical Spirituality. Unity emphasizes the divine
potential within all and teaches that through a practical understanding and application of spiritual principle, every person
can realize and express his or her true nature, Children of God.
Unity on the Mountain Retreat Centre is open all year round offering a selection of workshops and retreats.
For more information, call our office at 905-389 -1364 or visit our website at www.hwcn.org/link/unity
BAND (Burlington Association for Nuclear Disarmament)
The Burlington Association for Nuclear Disarmament, (BAND), is a community organization established in 1983 to
educate its members and the public on the dangers of nuclear weapons and to promote peace and disarmament. We
follow the motto "think globally - act locally". BAND has initiated the Terry Tew Culture of Peace School Prize to
encourage students to promote the culture of peace through the creation of artwork.
Contact: [email protected]
Friends of Red Hill Valley
Friends of Red Hill Valley is a community organization with over 650 members. Our purpose is to protect and enhance
the Red Hill Valley and educate people about it. We provide free public walks in the valley throughout the year. We also
do our best to inform the general public about the valley and particularly about the effects of the proposed valley
expressway. Red Hill Valley is the only remaining link between the Niagara Escarpment and the Lake Ontario shoreline.
P.O. Box 61536, Hamilton, ON, L8T 5A1
Tel: 905-381-0240
Website: www.hwcn.org/link/forhv
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The Markland Group
The Markland Group, a Canadian research organization, is composed of a number of professionals, academics and
concerned citizens who share the belief that more attention needs to be given to the problem of ensuring compliance
under multilateral disarmament treaties. Its members include persons with experience in diplomatic field, international
lawyers, scientists, teachers, physicians, concerned citizens and parliamentarians. The Markland Group has produced a
number of publications, and provides funding for graduate students and others interested in researching agreed topics in
the area of compliance methodology.
Contact: Douglas Scott, The Markland Group, 203-150 Wilson Street West, Ancaster, ON, L9G 4E7
Tel: 905-648-3306
Fax: 905-648-2563
The YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington International Development & Education
The YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington is part of a worldwide movement of volunteers, staff, members and participants
dedicated to the growth of all persons in spirit, mind and body.
Contact: Christopher Cutler <[email protected] >
79 James Street South, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2Z1
The Hamilton YWCA
The Hamilton YWCA is a voluntary women's organization providing high quality programs and
services that respond to community needs, working actively for the development and improved
status of women and for responsible social and economic changes that will achieve peace,
justice, freedom and equality in Canada and around the world.
Address: 75 MacNab Street South, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3C1. Phone: 905-522 -9922
Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace
The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, a democratic movement for international solidarity,
supports partners in the Third World in pursuit of alternatives to unjust social, political and economical structures. It
educates the Canadian population about the causes of impoverishment of people and mobilizes actions for change. In
the struggle for human dignity, Development and Peace associates with social change groups in the North and South. It
supports women in their search for social and economic justice.
420 - 10 St. Mary Street, Toronto, ON, M4Y 1P9
Tel: 1-800-494-1401,
Hamilton contact: Paul Lemieux 905-528-0770
Website: www.devp.org
Canadian Indo Caribbean Association
The Canadian Indo Caribbean Association (CICA) was formed in 1990 to serve the Hamilton and surrounding areas.
CICA is a non-profit association which brings together individuals and families of Indo-Caribbean origin and provides them
with opportunities for social, cultural and religious expressions, enhances the education of members on their history and
gives support to those new to Canada.
To encourage youths in their quests to achieve excellence, CICA offers annually academic scholarships and sport
awards. Based on their performances on courses taken at the secondary and elementary levels, scholarships are
awarded to the top students for excellence in academic studies and school sport program.
CICA’s programs span a wide cross-section of cultural activities. Programs include activities for Divali, Phagwah, Eid,
Christmas, Musicals at the Hamilton Spectator Auditorium twice a year and a fantastic family picnic in a private fifty acre
park every year. The executive body meets on the first Friday of each month usually at the head office, 53 Mountain
Avenue South, Stoney Creek, Ontario, L8G 2V7.
For further information, please contact Dr. Mahendra Deonarain, CICA, (905) 662-9719 or Mr. Basdeo Maulkhan (905)
575-5647.
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Dundas Independent Video Activists
The Dundas Independent Video Association, better known as DIVA, was invented in June of 1999 with a borrowed tenyear-old camera and an activist urge to counter the corporate media spins with our own visual record. With a new digital
camera and an awakening civil society, we're still at it, countering the corporate media stranglehold by covering
grassroots activism, going where the big players choose to stay away, documenting the little-known struggles that take
place in our community. Recent video releases include Critical Mass: How You See it; War Games in the Park. For more
information contact [email protected] or call 905-627-2696.
Sky Dragon
Sky Dragon Centre offers classes in Zen meditation, Qi Gong (Taoist breathing meditation), Pa Kua (a Chinese internal
martial art), Karate and six forms of dance. Linking the diverse activities at Sky Dragon are their common commitment to
physical, psychological, and spiritual cultivation. Through classes, events and community meetings, the centre is
continuing to support Hamilton's vital progressive/activist community. Sky Dragon is also pursing an exciting grassroots
development project that involves establishing a community centre/affordable housing development/eco-building in
the downtown core. For information, visit our web site: www.skydragon.org
Contact: Kevin MacKay, Sky Dragon Centre, 24 King St. East, Hamilton, ON, L8N 1A3
Tel: 905-777, x8209;8102, E-Mail: [email protected]
Hamilton Mundialization
On May 8, 1968 the City of Hamilton, by a resolution of Council and witnessed by the Canadian Ambassador to the United
Nations, was declared a World (Mundialized) City.
The Hamilton Mundialization Committee is a council mandated advisory committee which responsibility is to facilitate and
support peace initiatives and the twinning relationships between Hamilton and its nine twin-cities around the world. Its
purpose is to assist City Council in implementing its Mundialization resolution.
Main functions
? To promote Hamilton as a "Mundialized City" dedicated to global awareness, international cooperation and world law.
? To further the work of the United Nations through publicity and education and to have the United Nations flag flown
with the Canadian flag from the City Hall at all times.
? To undertake twinning programs in international cooperation with like-minded municipalities around the world.
? To involve Hamilton citizens of different cultures, especially those from the countries of our twinned communities, to
share in our multi-cultural programs.
The Hamilton Mundialization Committee welcomes any individual or organization to join its membership and, to participate
in any of the mundialization programs and special events thr ough out the year.
Any inquiry may be forwarded to:
The Hamilton Mundialization Committee, c/o The Corporate Secretariat, 71 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8P
4Y5, Tel: (905) 541-3456, email: [email protected], website: www.mundialization.ca
Hamilton Action for Social Change
Committed to social change through nonviolent direct action, Hamilton Action for Social Change is involved in supporting
a culture of peace and working toward more just and equitable social and ecological relations.
In the spirit of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. we believe that means and ends cannot be separated: "To become real,
the future must already be present in the methods and relationships of the struggle here and now." David Dellinger, More
Power Than We Know
Whether opposing the destruction of Red Hill Valley or repressive welfare measures like "Zero Tolerance", supporting
labour rights in Colombia, calling for an end to economic sanctions against Iraq, or building and supporting alternative
institutions like the Dundas Independent Video Association, Hamilton Action for Social Change is applying a spirit of
nonviolent resistance to the problems facing society today. www.hwcn.org/link/hasc
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McMaster-based Student Groups
The Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) McMaster
OPIRG McMaster is a student funded/student directed organization working on issues of human rights,
the environment and social justice. OPIRG’s motto is “linking research with action”.
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OPIRG organizes around issues of concern in working groups. Each working group is unique, but
they all use consensus decision-making, non-violence, and anti-racist principles. OPIRG provides
free training workshops each term to assist students with developing these skills.
Recent working groups include ANTI-POVERTY, COLOMBIA WORKING GR OUP, COMMUNITY KITCHEN
WORKING GROUP, COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER ACTION GROUP, DRUM CALL, FOOD NOT BOMBS, IMMIGRANT
AND REFUGEE ISSUES, GLOBAL MOVEMENT to END the WAR ON IRAQ - Hamilton, NON-VIOLENCE NOW,
PEACE INITIATIVE - SRI LANKA, RECYCLE CYCLES, SOLIDARITY GUATEMALA, TRANSPORTATION FOR
LIVEABLE COMMUNITIES and WASTE REDUCTION.
Check out the OPIRG resource library in our office in McMaster University Student Centre room 229, with periodicals,
books and videos for short-term loan by students and community members doing research, or for interest.
Community memberships are available for $10/year. Full time McMaster undergrads pay a refundable levy of $6.09 for
the year. Those who do not wish to support OPIRG can claim a refund during a three-week period after the drop and
add cut -off.
Get on the OPIRG events e-mail list by sending an e-mail request to [email protected]
Call our 24-hour events line at 905-525-9140 ext. 27090 or call the office at ext. 27289, or drop by to see in at
McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) Room 229, 1280 Main Street W. Hamilton ON L8S 1C0.
E-Mail: OPIRG McMaster <[email protected]>, Website: www.opirg.org/mcmaster
Peace and Conflict Studies Society (PACSS) of McMaster University
PACSS is a student-run society that aims to bring together students interested in engaging issues of peace, development
and human rights. PACSS has close affiliation with the Centre for Peace Studies and its faculty, Amnesty International,
OPIRG, and the MSU Human Rights Committee. We welcome members from all backgrounds and areas of study. Annual
events include a 'Meet the Profs' Wine & Cheese, undergraduate and graduate Academic Information Sessions, biweekly
discussion groups on varying topics, fundraisers, guest speakers, movie nights, and an Undergraduate Symposium. We
measure our strength through the diversity of our member students. If you would like to be involved in PACSS, please feel
free to contact: Amir Mostaghim <[email protected]>
War Child at McMaster
War Child at McMaster works in cooperation with War Child Canada (WCC) to help raise awareness and funds for WCC’s
international humanitarian projects. War Child Canada works closely with the music industry to generate awareness,
support and advocacy for children's rights. War Child Canada at McMaster has been established with the hopes of
implementing creative initiatives to educate McMaster and Hamilton students about the issues affecting children in wartorn countries. To find out more information about War Child Canada, please visit our website at www.warchild.ca
War Child at McMaster contact informati on: Lily DeMiglio <[email protected]>
McMaster Science for Peace/Pugwash Society
We are a student group at McMaster University that discusses the role of science in world affairs. Our Purpose is:
1.To bring together students from different levels of involvement in the peace movement.
2.To provide an opportunity to students to become educated and then to take action.
3.Raise awareness within the McMaster and Hamilton Community.
We hold bi -weekly events where we discuss/debate topics such as the role of UN in the world, nuclear weapons & the role
of Western nations in establishment of world peace. This year, we plan to contribute regularly to the Silhouette (McMaster
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student newspaper). We will also be publishing our own newsletter.
To find our more about us, visit our website at www34.brinkster.com/mcmastersfp or email [email protected]
Student International Health Initiative
McMaster's Student International Health Initiative (SIHI) is an organization of students whose goal it
is to raise awareness of international health issues. We hope to inform ourselves and the
community about pertinent events and topics, as well as somehow assist in developing
solutions. Our efforts take the form of organizing a regular seminar series, fundraising and research
initiatives, outreach and overseas projects, Peace Through Health and Women’s Issues initiatives,
shipping medical resources and an annual conference. Contact Simi Arora [email protected] for
more information.
Food Not Bombs, Hamilton
Food Not Bombs, Hamilton, is one of 170 chapters across the globe, which helps to provide food to the hungry. FNB is
based on three principles: food recycling, non-violence, and consensus decision-making.
1. Food Recycling: FNB collects food that would otherwise go to waste (day old bread, excess produce from markets)
and transforms it into nutritious meals for the hungry. Only vegetarian food is served so that no one is excluded from
enjoying a decent meal, even those who practice food taboos.
2. Non-violence: Food Not Bombs is committed to a vision of a society that is motivated by generosity and sufficiency,
not greed and scarcity. Poverty is also violence. FNB serves food in a public place in order to demonstrate that our
country should be using its resources to feed people instead of creating weapons of war.
3. Consensus Decision Making: Consensus is based on the belief that each person has some part of the truth while no
one person has all of it. The consensus process insures that the will of the majority does not dismiss the values and
beliefs of everyone else. The process of consensus enables us to make decisions through negotiation and reconciliation
rather than overruling and censoring.
For more information contact: [email protected]
McMaster Indian Society (M.I.S.)
The McMaster Indian Society is a student run organization that promotes cultural awareness at McMaster University and
in the Hamilton Community. We do a variety of events throughout the year and try to meet the needs of the South Asians
in our community. This year is packed with a variety of exciting events including The Western Culture Show, Mac Culture
Show, Diwali Formal and number of other social events. We are also starting up volunteer opportunities and charitable
initiatives. Contact: Social Coordinator, McMaster Indian Society, Manisha Verma <[email protected]>
People Acting Compassionately Together (PACT)
People Acting Compassionately Together (PACT) is a coalition of McMaster clubs, all of whom
are interested in health, charity, peace and/or human rights. The purpose of PACT is to act as an
advertising network to help associate clubs achieve their own goals, share their resources and
skills to help each other and and to help organize interclub events, primarily large-scale
fundraisers, which bring together the members of several different clubs in a concerted effort.
In the past, PACT has participated in projects to raise money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief
Fund for the earthquakes in India and El Salvador in 2000, for Medecins Sans Frontieres for their
work in Afghanistan in 2001 and to build a schoolhouse in Mulock Chand, India in 2002. We are pleased this year to be
able to help present the Mac Peace Week in conjunction with the McMaster Science for Peace/Pugwash Society, Open
Circle, the Peace & Conflicts Society, War Child McMaster and the GLBT Centre.
James Tan, Jackie Kennedy, Sarah Lawson & Nathan Flis - [email protected]
Drum Call, OPIRG McMaster
Drum Call is a new OPIRG group at McMaster that combines drumming and activism. People of all ages are welcome.
Bring your hand drums, djem bes, bongos, and shakers! Make a difference through drumming!
Contact [email protected]
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The India-Canada Society of Hamilton
Founded in November 1973, the Society is a secular and non-denominational organization to preserve the
East Indian heritage and to contribute to the enrichment of Canadian life and culture.
The early enthusiasm of a recent immigrant community led to an outburst of cultural activities. The IndiaCanada Society has done everything a cultural organization aspires to do and more! Participation in
community festivals, such as It's Your Bag Day at Gage park for which it won an award of excellence 1976,
holding language classes, lecture series on Indian culture and heritage at McMaster university, production of
major dramas such as "Meghadutam" (Cloud Messenger) written by Kalidasa and "Abala" , a drama on the
perception of women in a male dominated society, creation of sub-committees to serve the special needs of
women and youths, community surveys to judge the needs of the older people, a networking committee for
inter-organizational communication, and much more.
But what has made the India-Canada Society to stand out is its continued emphasis, through public education,
on promotion of universal causes such as cultural diversity, community harmony, human rights, nonviolence,
and peace. Many may not know that it was India-Canada Society who pioneered the establishment of a
human rights committee during the mid-seventies. The committee was first of its kind in the country and it
included representatives from the regional police, the church, community leaders and government. The
committee's interest in the fight against racism evolved into the Mayor's Race Relations Committee.
Over the last twenty-five years in cooperation with various departments at McMaster University (History,
Music, Religion, Philosophy, Political Science, Women's Study, Peace Centre, and others) the Society has
hosted major national and international speakers on Indian Philosophy and Culture and has helped celebrate
the work and life of such figures as Gandhi, Tagore, Radhakrishnan, Vinoba Bhave, Ramanujan, Nehru,
Aurobindo, Ravishankar. Their life and work symbolizes the essence of India and their philosophy has a
universal appeal.
W ith the aspiration to address broad national and international issues, the India-Canada Society launched a
fund-raising drive to establish a Gandhi Nonviolence Lectureship/ Chair at McMaster university. The first event
was a fund-raising dinner in August 1993 featuring Dr. Karan Singh as guest speaker. The Gandhi Lectureship
was inaugurated in 1996 by Ovide Mercredi, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. The ultimate goal
is to establish an Endowed Chair at the Peace Centre to make available the teachings of Gandhi on
Nonviolence, Peace and Social Justice to McMaster students. The Society appeals for your support.
For information and membership contact: Ashok Dalvi - President, India-Canada Society, 905-825-9890
Indo-Canadian Networking Council
Indo-Canadian Network is a network of various South Asian organizations including:
Arya Samaj of Burlington
Goan Association
Hindu Samaj
Indo-Carribean Association
Malyali Samajam
Sagar Pare
President: Dr. Kanwal Shankardass, Tel: 905-627-3526
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Settlement and Integration Services
Organization (SISO)
Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO) is an anti-racist, community-based, client-centered organization,
which provides a wide range of culturally sensitive, linguistically appropriate professional essential settlement, integration
and employment related services and programs, to facilitate and support early settlement and successful integration of a
diverse population of immigrant and refugee communities in the city of Hamilton. The work of SISO is fundamentally about
breaking down barriers, which often prevent immigrants and refugees from reaching their potential to fully participate in
the social, economic, political and cultural life of Canadian society and contribute to the country’s prosperity and growth.
The core services of SISO aim at facilitating, assisting, encouraging and supporting early settlement and successful
adaptation for immigrants and refugees in the Hamilton region. These services include:
Settlement Counselling Services
LINC/CLBA Assessment Centre
The HOST Program
HOST Youth Program & Youth Support Group
Employment Services
Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)
Cultural Interprétation & Translation Services
Citizenship Preparation Classes
Multicultural, Multiracial Seniors' Program
Workshops and Information Sessions
Advocacy and Public Education
Support for Emerging Community Groups
Facilitating Voluntarism
Community Development and Networking
Community Contact
Services & Programs are provided at two locations:
SISO's Main Office
Hamilton Downtown
LIUNA Station, Lower Concourse
360 James Street North
Hamilton, Ontario, L8R 1B9
Tel: (905) 667-7476
Fax: (905) 667-7484
Email: siso@siso -ham.org
Website: www.siso-ham.org
SISO's Satellite Office
Office is open five days a week
Eastgate Square
75 Centennial Parkway North
Stoney Creek, Ontario, L8E 2
Peace Brigades International
Promoting nonviolence and protecting human rights since 1981
Peace Brigades International (PBI) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) which protects
human rights and promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts.
When invited, we send teams of volunteers into areas of repression and conflict. The volunteers accompany human
rights defenders, their organizations and others threatened by political violence. Perpetrators of human rights abuses
usually do not want the world to witness their actions. The presence of volunteers backed by a support network helps to
deter violence. In this way, we create space for local activists to work for social justice and human rights. Currently, PBI
has volunteers protecting human rights activists in Colombia, Indonesia, and Mexico, as well as a project restarting in
Guatemala and a joint project with other organizations in Chiapas, Mexico.
PBI volunteers and supporters around the world demonstrate that individuals working together can act boldly as
peacekeepers even when governments cannot or will not. You can help in a variety of ways - please visit our website
(see 'What You Can Do' links). The effectiveness of PBI volunteers depends directly on the support that we can draw on.
PBI was nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize
Peace Brigades International – Canada
201-427 Bloor Street W., Toronto ON, M5S 1X7
Web: www.peacebrigades.org
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
Tel: (416) 324-9737
Fax: (416) 324-9757
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In Memorium
Devindar Kumar Sud
(1944- 2002)
We mourn the loss of Mr. Devindar Sud, a great supporter of the Gandhi Lectureship Funds at McMaster University. Two
years ago he had a seizure and was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He died on October 9, 2002. He was only 58.
Devindar was born and raised in the City of Chandigarh (India). He received his Bachelor of Science degree, specializing
in physics and chemistry, from the University of Punjab and his M.Sc in Physics from the University of Oregon (1972). He
immigrated to Canada in 1972 but after a brief period he returned to Chandigarh with a view to settle there permanently.
He married his wife Uma in 1973 and started teaching in a college. Couple years later he returned to Canada and lived in
Hamilton. Several years later the family moved to Brampton when Devindar took up a job with Nortel. Later he quit his
job and started a very successful company called Computronics.
Devindar was a student of physics and astronomy and while he was a successful businessman his love of science never
diminished. He read widely and kept contacts with friends at McMaster University. Gandhi and Einstein were Devindar’s
two great heroes. They represented to him the two important aspects of life- the material and the spiritual. He was a
strong supporter of Gandhi Lectureship
Fund at McMaster University to which he donated generously.
Devindar is survived by his mother Satyawati, wife Uma, son Vishal , daughter Pooja and daughter-in-law Shivani ,and a
large extended family to whom he was a counsellor and a guide and helped them settle in Canada.
As a memorial to Devindar Sud, the family has decided to continue supporting the Gandhi Lectureship (" Gandhi Lectures
on Non-Violence") at McMaster University. Charitable donations can be made to “McMaster University (Gandhi Trust
Fund)” and mailed to: Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University, 1280 Main Steet West Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
L8S 4K1. Phone: (905) 525-9140 Ext. 23112; [email protected]
A Poem from Gitanjali
In one salutation to thee, my God
let all my senses spread out
and touch this world at thy feet
Like rain -cloud of July hung low
with its burden of unshed showers
let all my mind bend at thy door
in one salutation to thee
Let all my songs gather together
their diverse strains into a single current
and flow to a sea of silence
in one salutation to thee
Like a flock of homesick cranes
flying night and day back to their mountain nests
let all my life take its voyage to its eternal home
in one salutation to thee
Tagore
- Rabindarnath Tagore
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Friends of the Festival
The India-Canada Society has launched a drive to establish an endowment fund in support of the Gandhi
Peace Festival at the Centre of Peace Studies, McMaster University. The Gandhi Peace Festival was started
in 1993, a years before the 125th anniversary of Gandhi’s birthday, and has been held annually in the City of
Hamilton.
To our knowledge, this is the first Gandhi Peace Festival of its kind and we would like to do everything possible
to make it a permanent part of Ham ilton’s cultural heritage. We encourage individuals as well as organizations
to support it. Donations to Gandhi Peace Festival are tax-deductible.
Cheques should be made out to: “McMaster University (Gandhi Peace Festival)” and mailed to:
The Centre for Peace Studies
McMaster University, TSH-726
1280 Main Street West,
Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M2.
For information please contact:
905-525-9140 x24378
[email protected]
www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi
As a token of our appreciation, the names of all doors to Gandhi Peace Festival Fund, with their consent, will
be listed in this booklet to serve as an encouragement for others.
DONORS
Audcomp Computers, Hamilton, 662 Fennell Ave. East, Hamilton
Taj Restaurant, 96 Centennial Parkway South, Stoney Creek
Westend Physiotherapy, 10 Ewen Road, Hamilton
The Staircase Café, 27 Dundurn Street North, Hamilton
Gandhi Peace Festival 2003
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905-575-9775
905-573-0825
905-524-2365
905-529-3000
www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi
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2003 Gandhi Peace Festival
Committees and Volunteers
Chair:
Rama Shankar Singh
Co-Chairs: Mark Vorobej (Peace Essay Contest)
Graeme MacQueen (Peace Essay Contest)
Coordinator:
Heather Farrell (Arts & Science)
Booklet Editors: Khursheed Ahmed
Rama Shankar Singh
Advisory Committee:
Ashok Dalvi - President, India-Canada Society
Gary Purdy - Director, Centre for Peace Studies
Graeme MacQueen - Centre for Peace Studies
Harish Jain - Centre for Peace Studies
David Jefferess - Centre for Peace Studies
Joanna Santa Barbara - Physicians for Global Survival
Hanna Newcombe - Peace Research Institute - Dundas
Leonor Sorger - Interfaith Council for Human Rights
Brian Reid - United Nations Association of Canada,
Hamilton
Anne Pearson - Hamilton Interfaith Council
Joy Warner - Voice of Women
Gary Warner - Director, Arts & Science Programme
Khursheed Ahmed - Physicians for Global Survival
McCormack Smyth - Senior Scholar, York University
Sheila Davies - Children’s International Learning Centre
Carolann Fernandes - Hamilton Mundialization
Committee
Mani Subramanian - India-Canada Society
Subhash Dighe - Westend Physiotherapy
Organizing Committee:
Rama Singh (chair)
Nikhil Adhya
Khursheed Ahmed
Subhash Dighe
Heather Farrell
Graeme McQueen
Thomas Nagy
Jay Parekh
Gary Purdy
Raj Sood
Mark Voreobej
Joy Warner
Volunteers:
Prabhat and Neelam Tandon
Shoba and Ravi Wahi
Raj and Sudesh Sood
Chitra and Yogesh Mathur
Hara and Sumitra Padhi
Hemant and Abha Gosain
Jay and Rekha Parekh
Liladhar and Pushpa Mishra
Tilak Mehan
Rita and Satindra Verma
Nick and Bharati Adhya
Sushil Sharma
Ashok and Neema Dalvi
Prakash and Sunita Abad
Mahendra Joshi
Rekha Singh
Ranju Chakrabarti
Sumon Chakrabarti
Anuj Singh
James Tan
Jackie ___
Sarah ____
Nathan Flis
Tariq Malik
Kevin Weins
Melissa Appleton
Mariel Heller
Claire Littleton
Vasanth Ramamurthy
Lauralee Sim
Maurice Rondeau
Rakesh Maharaj
Manisha Verma
Emma Moss Brender
Julie Fleming
Publicity:
Food: Taj Restaurant, Hamilton (905-573-0825)
96 Centennial Parkway North (Hamilton)
McMaster Student Union Radio - CFMU 93.3
McMaster Student Union Newspaper - The Silhouette
Hamilton Radio - 900 CHML, Y95.3 FM
Gyan Rajhans, Bhajanawali Radio Program CJMR 1320 AM (6:30-7:30 pm)
Canadian Times of India and Sangam Newspapers
(Phone: 416-490-0091)
Eye on Asia (TV) - (Phone 905-274 -4000)
Support for Gandhi Booklet:
Audcomp Computer, Hamilton
(905-524 -2365)
Sound: Jordan Abraham
Studio J. (Phone: 905-522-7322)
Photography: Jacob Joseph, Images of India
(Phone: 905-628 -2299)
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Images from 2002 Gandhi Peace Walk
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The 11th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival
2003 Theme:
Power to the People: The Agenda of the Peace Movement
Programme
Saturday, October 4, 2003
Gathering at Gage Park
10:00 am
(Refreshments and Music – McMaster Dance Group, live drum band)
Welcome and Introductions
• Chief Guest: Acharya Ramamurti, Director, Institute for Gandhian
Studies and Shrambharati, Patna (India)
• Dr. Khursheed Ahmed (Master of Ceremonies)
• Mr. Ashok Dalvi, President, India-Canada Society
• Dr. Gary Warner, Hamilton Strengthening Community
• Dr. Gary Purdy, Director, McMaster Centre for Peace Studies
11:00 am
Guest Speaker:
• Professor Tom Nagy, George Washington University
11:30 am
Winners of High School Essay Competetion
• Dr. Mark Vorobej and Dr. Graeme MacQueen - Judges
• Dr. Rama Singh, Chair, Gandhi Peace Festival Committee
Peace Walk (around downtown Hamilton)
Food, Music and Dance
• Live Performances
Gujrati Garbha Dance
Hamilton Drum Group
Hamilton Poets
Children from Hindi School (Mrs. Sharma)
Mrs. Chitra Mathur
Thursday, October 2, 2003, 7:30 PM
Year 2003 Mahatma Gandhi Lecture
“Towards a New Culture of Peace” by Acharya Ramamurti
McMaster University Health Sciences Centre, Room 1A1
1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON
Noon
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm