GANDHI PEACE FESTIVAL - Global Peace and Social Justice

The 13th Annual GANDHI PEACE FESTIVAL

Towards a culture of nonviolence, peace and justice 2005 Theme: Breaking the Cycle Of Violence: An Eye for An Eye Makes the Whole World Blind

Saturday, October 1, 2005 Sponsored by Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University The India-Canada Society, Hamilton

www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi

Suggested Donation $2.00

Gandhi Peace Festival 2005 2 www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi

The 13th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival Saturday, October 1, 2005

Who was Mahatma Gandhi?...................................................................................................................................3 Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival Sponsors............................................................................................................4 A Word of Welcome.................................................................................................................................................5 Some Quotations on Peace and Non-Violence ......................................................................................................6 Mahatma Gandhi Lectures on Nonviolence............................................................................................................7 Sulak Sivaraksa.......................................................................................................................................................8 Thoughts on the Relevance of Gandhi Today ........................................................................................................9 Breaking the Cycle of Violence .............................................................................................................................11 Project Eliminate Hate Crime................................................................................................................................12 McMaster University Holds International Seminar in New Delhi ..........................................................................14 Malati Choudhury Training Camp Of Mahila Shanti Sena ....................................................................................15 Two members of Centre of Peace Studies named to Order of Canada...............................................................17 McMaster Students Win Canada Corps Fellowships to do Peace Work in India.................................................18 Creating a Culture of Peace..................................................................................................................................19 Muslims and Jews team up to aid Sudan ..............................................................................................................22 Remembering Hiroshima - Nagasaki....................................................................................................................24 The Gandhi Peace Festival High School Essay Competition 2005.....................................................................26 PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS .............................................................................................33

Hamilton Culture of Peace ..................................................................................................................................... 33 Centre for Peace Studies ....................................................................................................................................... 34 Physicians for Global Survival ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 35 Project Ploughshares ............................................................................................................................................ 36 Fourth Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada: .......................................................................................... 37 2005 YMCA Peace Medal...................................................................................................................................... 37 Amnesty International ............................................................................................................................................ 38 Poets for Peace .................................................................................................................................................... 38 Stolen Sisters/Sisters in Spirit Campaign ................................ ................................ ................................ ................ 39 Hamilton–Burlington Kairos Committee................................................................................................................... 40 Act Locally – Local Events Information.................................................................................................................... 40 Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) .......................................................................................................... 41 The Children's International Learning Centre (CILC) ................................ ................................ ................................ 41 The United Nations Association in Canada ............................................................................................................. 42 Peace Brigades International ................................................................................................................................. 42 The Council of Canadians ...................................................................................................................................... 43 Stngthening Hamilton’s Community Initiative ........................................................................................................... 43 Community-based Interfaith, Peace and Cultural Groups ......................................................................................... 44 McMaster-based Student Groups ........................................................................................................................... 47 The India-Canada Society of Hamilton .................................................................................................................... 49 Hamilton Malayalee Samajam ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ 49 Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO) ................................ ................................ ........................ 50 Immigrant Culture and Art Association .................................................................................................................... 50 Canadian Indo Caribbean Association .................................................................................................................... 51

Douglas Roche, The Human Right to Peace ....................................................................................................52 Friends of the Festival ........................................................................................................................................53 2004 Gandhi Peace Festival Committees and Volunteers..............................................................................54 Pictures of 2004 Gandhi Peace Festival ...........................................................................................................55 Programme...........................................................................................................................................................56 For more information please contact: Dr. Rama Shankar Singh Kim Squissato Gandhi Peace Festival Committee Centre for Peace Studies E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 905 -525-9140 Ext. 24378 Home: 905-525 -4471 Phone: 905-525-9140 Ext. 23112

Website: www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi/


Who was Mahatma Gandhi?

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born 2 October, 1869, on the west coast of India. He belonged to a caste of merchants although some members of his family were involved in regional politics. He was brought up in the Hindu tradition. He married when he was twelve and five years later left to study law in England. In 1891, he set up his law practice in Bombay, and in 1893 emigrated to South Africa where he lived until 1914. In 1894, he founded the Indian Congress of Natal to defend the humiliated and ostracized Indian people living in South Africa. It was during this time that he studied the Bhagavad-Gita and the Gospel, (particularly the Sermon on the Mount) and became an adept of non-violence, as a religious and political process. He used non-violent techniques to defend his claims as early as 1906.

Gandhi's spiritual search led him to lead a life of non-violence and of service to the humble members of society. He made no distinction between the spiritual and social

dimensions of our life, and by so doing made a deep commitment to the advancement of Justice and Peace.

The non-violence practiced by Gandhi, known as the satyagraha technique, does not consist of pacifism or a state of passive resignation in the face of the enemy. The technique consists in adopting an active attitude of love, of resistance to situations of injustice, of opposition to evil, of disobedience to unjust and unfair laws in a non-violent manner. The satyagraha calls for great strength of soul, for one must be careful not to fall into the trap of vengeance and the cycle of violence.

In 1914, he returned to India after having fought for his principles in South Africa. He was convinced that he had a mission: to spread truth and non-violence throughout the world as a way to counteract violence and lies.

Upon his return he made the commitment to fight against British imperialism and thus bring about the political and spiritual independence of his country. In 1915, He founded his first ashram and began to travel throughout the country to sensitize the people, particularly the poor, for he realized what a source of strength they were for the country. Gandhi began by organizing campaigns of civil disobedience to the unjust laws passed by the British, followed by campaigns of non-cooperation all of these non-violent actions served to de-stabilize the economy and the colonial administration. His most famous campaigns were the 'salt campaign' against the English monopoly and the 'textile campaign' against importing foreign textiles. In the latter campaign Gandhi became the apostle of the "khadi," the mills where the locally grown cotton was spun into thread.

Gandhi was an active participant in the negotiations that would give India a more favourable constitution and that eventually lead to the independence of the country in 1947. He never hesitated to risk his life, fasting almost to the point of death. In his struggle for independence he had numerous misunderstandings with the political leaders who were unable to dismiss him; they needed him because of his enormous popularity with the poor, even though they had to resort to violence.

Gandhi was very concerned with the peaceful coexistence of the Hindu and the Muslim communities. Although he did not succeed in preventing the partition between India and Pakistan, he never gave up and constantly searched for new ways of reconciling the two communities, and of putting a stop to the violence and the massacres. Gandhi also worked to put an end to the segregation of those people commonly called the "untouchables ' (whom he referred to as the harijans, the children of God), he also worked to obtain political rights and better social conditions of acceptance for them.

Mahatma (the great soul) Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948.

The message Gandhi left us is the message of the powerful force of political and spiritual non-violence. He also left us a series of different means that can be used to fight against injustice such as fasting, non-cooperation, silent marches, and strikes.


Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival Sponsors

Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster 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 Society Peace Brigades International

Culture of Peace Network - Hamilton The Immigrant Culture and Art Association

The Mundialization Committee, City of Hamilton Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG)

Peace Research Institute - Dundas Physicians for Global Survival - Hamilton Project Ploughshares - Hamilton Chapter

Settlement and Integration Services Organization (SISO)

UNICEF United Nations Assoc. of Canada – Hamilton

United Way Unity Church and Retreat Centre

Voice of Women for Peace World Federalists of Canada YMCA Hamilton/Burlington

YWCA of Hamilton

Financial Supporters

The City of Hamilton Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University

The India-Canada Society, Hamilton Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association, Hamilton

Hamilton Malyayali Samajan McMaster Students Union

McMaster Ontario Public Interest Research Group Physicians for Global Survival

Bryan Prince Bookseller Westend Physiotherapy, Hamilton

Taj Restaurant, Hamilton Mississauga Vision Centre - Optometrists

Modi Heat Transfer Inc. President, McMaster University


A Word of Welcome

Dear Friends: We welcome you to the 13th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival. The purpose of the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival is: 1) To promote non-violence, 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 125 th anniversary of Gandhi's birthday and it has been held annually on a weekend closest to Gandhi's birth day (October 2). This annual event 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 Non-violence sponsored by the Centre for Peace Studies. The lecture series was established by the India-Canada Society and endowed from public donations. On behalf of the Gandhi Peace Festival Committee, we wish to thank the City of Hamilton, McMaster University and numerous other organizations, writers, poets, students and other individuals and peace groups in the city that make this festival a success. They contribute enormously for creating a culture of peace of in Hamilton. Sincerely, Khursheed Ahmed Rama Singh Rob Porter Editor, Gandhi Peace Booklet Chair, Gandhi Peace Festival Coordinator, Gandhi Peace Festival [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] For more information please call: Gandhi Peace Festival Committee - 905-525-9140 Ext. 24378 or 905-525-4471 The India-Canada Society - 905-388-0079 Centre for Peace Studies - 905-525-9140 Ext. 23112, 24729

Mahatma Gandhi's life achievement stands unique in political history. He has invented a completely new and humane means for the liberation war of an oppressed country, and practised it with greatest energy and devotion. Th e moral influence he had on the conciously thinking human being of the entire civilized world will probably be much more lasting than it seems in our time with its overestimation of brutal violent forces. Because lasting will only be the work of such statesmen who wake up and strengthen the moral power of their people through their example and educational works. We may all be happy and grateful that destiny gifted us with such an enlightened contemporary, a role model for the generations to come.

- Albert Einstein


Some Quotations on Peace and Non-Violence "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." - Mahatma Gandhi "Violence will only increase the cycle of violence." -The Dalai Lama "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi "There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a piece of love." - Mother Teresa "Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely an absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people." - Jawaharlal Nehru "No matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger than its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise." - Marian Anderson "In separateness lies the world's great misery; in compassion lies the world's true strength." - Buddha "We used to wonder where war lived, what it was that made it so vile. And now we realize that we know where it lives, that it is inside ourselves." - Albert Camus "We must work to resolve conflicts in a spirit of reconciliation and always keep in mind the interests of others. We cannot destroy our neighours! We cannot ignore their interests!" - The Dalai Lama "To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice." - Confucius "You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist." - Indira Gandhi "Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity." - Albert Einstein "While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself." – Chinese Proverb "It is in the shelter of each other that the people live." - Irish Proverb "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends." - Abraham Lincoln

"Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional." - Max Lucado "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner." - Nelson Mandela "Nonviolence doesn't always work -- but violence never does." - Madge Michaels-Cyrus "We are convinced that non -violence is more powerful than violence … If you use violence, you have to sell part of yourself for that violence. Then you are no longer a master of your own struggle." - Cesar Chavez "It is the job of the thinking people, not to be on the side of the executioners." - Albert Camus "Peace is not the product of a victory or a command. It has no finishing line, no final deadline, no fixed definition of achievement. Peace is a never -ending process, the work of many decisions." - Oscar Arias "I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." - Helen Keller "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal." - Martin Luther King, Jr. "If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room." - Anita Koddick "Do your work as though you had a thousand years to live, and as if you were to die tomorrow." - Anna Lee "If you want peace, work for justice." - Pope Paul VI "For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." - Eleanor Roosevelt "Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace." - Albert Schweitzer "You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom." - Malcolm X "If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you recognize that your liberation and mine are bound up together, we can walk together." - Lila Watson "No future without forgiveness." - Bishop Desmond Tutu


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 non-violence widely known, and to develop the concept and practice of non-violence through intellectual analysis and criticism, dialogue, debate and experimentation. Each year a respected analyst or practitioner of non-violence, chosen by a subcommittee of the Centre for Peace Studies, is brought to McMaster to deliver one or more lectures or workshops on non-violence. The series is named after Gandhi to honour his role in the revitalization and development of non-violence. Gandhi brought together East and West, spirituality and practical politics, the ancient and the contemporary, and in so doing he helped rescue non-violence 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. Past Gandhi Lectures:

1996 Ovide Mercredi, National Chief of the assembly of First Nations, Canada 1997 Dr. Gene Sharp, Director, The Albert Einstein Institution, Cambridge, Mass., USA 1998 Dr. Adam Curle, Founding Chair, Dept. of Peace Studies, Bradford University, UK 1999 Douglas Roche, OC, Senator, Ottawa, Canada 2000 Medha Patkar, Human Rights Activist and Social Worker, Mumbai, India 2001 Professor Fatima Meer, University of Natal, South Africa 2002 Dr. Lowitija O’Donoghue – Elder of Australian Aboriginal Nation 2003 Acharya Ramamurti – Shrambharati (NGO), Patna, India 2004 (There was no Gandhi lecture in 2004) Full text of these lectures has been published in previous issues of the Gandhi Peace Festival booklet. These are available on -line through the Gandhi website at McMaster University: www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi Donations to Gandhi Trust Fund are tax-deductible. 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) Phone: 905-525-9140 x23112 The Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University, TSH-726 E-Mail: [email protected] Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4M2 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. Shobha and Ravi Wahi, Burlington Dr. McCormack Smyth, Senior Scholar, York University Dr. Sri Gopal and Shanti Mohanty Mr. Devindar and Mrs. Uma Sud, Brampton Mr. Subhash and Mrs. Jaya Dighe, Hamilton Dr. Douglas and Mrs. Sheila Davies, Hamilton


The Ninth Annual Mahatma Gandhi Lecture on Non-violence

Building a Culture of Non-violence Sixty Years after Hiroshima

Sulak Sivaraksa, Buddhist Scholar and Peace Activist from Thailand

Wednesday, September 28, 2005 at 7:30 PM

Health Sciences Centre, Rom HSC-1A1, McMaster University, 120 Main Street West, Hamilton Reception to follow the lecture in the Ewart Angus Centre Foyer

The Gandhi Peace Festival Speaker 2005

Sulak Sivaraksa Sulak Sivaraksa, born 1933, is a prominent and outspoken Thai intellectual and social critic. He is a teacher, a scholar, a publisher, an activist, the founder of many organisations, and the author of more than a hundred books and monographs in both Thai and English. Educated in England and Wales, Sulak returned to Siam in 1961 at the age of 28 and founded Sangkhomsaat Paritat (Social Science Review). Beginning in the late 1960s he became involved in a number of service-oriented, rural development projects, in association with Buddhist monks and the student activist community. During the 1970s Sulak became the central figure in a number of non-governmental organisations in Siam. Through his involvement with these organisations, Sulak began to develop indigenous, sustainable, and spiritual models for change. Since then he has expanded his work to the regional and international levels. In 1976 Siam experienced its bloodiest coup. Hundreds of students were killed and thousands were jailed. The military burnt the whole stock of Sulak's bookshop and issued an order for his arrest. Although Sulak was forced to remain in exile for two years, he was able to continue his activist work in the West. In 1984 he was arrested in Bangkok on charges of criticising the King, but international protest led to his eventual release. In 1991 another warrant was issued for his arrest and Sulak was forced into political exile once more. He came back to fight the case in the court in 1992 and won in 1995. At the end of that year he was granted the Right Livelihood Award, also known as Alternative Nobel Prize. He sees Buddhism as a questioning process. Question everything, including oneself, look deeply, and then act from that insight. He is among a handful of leaders world-wide working to revive the socially engaged aspects of spirituality. Whatever he does, however he does it, at the core of his work is a mission to build a new leadership for change at all levels, within Siam as well as outside it.

(Excerpted from www.sulak-sivaraksa.org) ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????


Thoughts on the Relevance of Gandhi Today Binoy Shanker Prasad, PhD

Binoy Prasad teaches politics at Ryerson University in Toronto and is currently the Vice-President of Hamilton India-Canada Society.

In the present international scene, violence is all-pervasive. It ranges from the State terror to political violence inspired by religion, nationalism, ethnicity, tribalism or narco-terrorism1. Violence is also perpetrated in the name such ideologues as Karl Marx, Che Gueverra, Chairman Mao, Bin Laden and others. Therefore, it’s very appropriate to question the relevance of Gandhi’s philosophy today. What virtues his principles would have wrought in the post-9/11 situation? What would Gandhi have advised in the context of the US-led invasion of Iraq? At once, it appears that the principles of Gandhi have become obsolete. But we also notice the price the mankind is paying today for deviating from the principles of truth and non-violence, the corner-stone of Gandhian values. Under no circumstances Gandhi would have advised people to suffer injustice, compromise freedom or submit to an autocrat. Nevertheless, his path would be through the moral appeal of compassion, self-suffering, truth and non-violence only. Let’s take up one major war currently going on. Call it by any name - the war on terrorism, the clash of civilization or the Jihad against the infidels, parties involved in this fratricidal war look at the world from two very different stand points. The so called Islamists see Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Chechnya and other places under the occupation of the infidels, mostly Christians, and want them to be liberated for the people of their faith. The ‘coalition of the willing’ led by the United States and the United Kingdom, on the other hand, see the Muslim-majority countries, mainly in the middle east, as the source of all trouble and are waging a war to ‘democratize’ them. The truth is that the planet earth is caught up in the cross-fire of a fierce power struggle and an endless competition for control of resources. Innocent people, in the middle of these wars and violence, are the worst 1 Terrorism conducted to further the aims of drug traffickers.

sufferers. In the present circumstances, Gandhi seems to be a distant visionary who once said that the mother earth would always have enough to fulfill our need but not our greed. An eye for an eye will never break the cycle of violence and will turn the entire world blind. The western world has now come to a crude realization that its billions of dollars marked for defense can feed its ‘military-industrial complex’ but cannot guarantee security against a terrorist’s destructive biological-chemical or nuclear attacks. The invasion and occupation of Iraq is another example of blatant violation of truth unfolding before us. In the face of international opposition, Iraq was attacked because it was suspected to be in possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). When that proved wrong, Saddam Hussein was accused of having links with the terrorist violence on September the 11th, 2001. When that went unsubstantiated by the 9/11 commission, it was claimed that Iraq was a lot better without Saddam and he had to be removed from power by resorting to force. It was not told to us that, in the process, any where from 100,000 to a quarter of a million innocents were killed by the fire power of the United States of America. It appears that the world is watching helplessly a powerful country enforcing its will regardless of international law, ethics or morality. At this stage, the teachings of Gandhi should instill courage in international community to stand up against the unjust behavior of a tyrant or a super power. He once wrote, "When in despair I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won; there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall." After all the dust of warfare, enmity and hatred has settled, we will have to go back to the path of truth, love and affection. One sure way to defeating injustice is through non-cooperation and civil disobedience. Those who


participated in this method were called Satyagrahis, the truth-seekers. The non-violent instruments of civil disobedience and non-cooperation adopted by Gandhi (later followed by such leaders as Martin Luther King and others) shook the mighty foundation of the British Empire in India. One can notice a preliminary, may be unintended, form of such a non-cooperation movement shaping up in the United States. The American military establishment is lately unable to achieve its target number in recruitment of personnel. It means young men and women are not lured into serving in the military and saying no to the war. If this kind of non-cooperation is increased manifold, the USA could not sustain its overseas wars. Gandhi would have called for just that. It is still possible a non-violent, peaceful non-cooperation movement can bring the government on its knees. In the contemporary world, we also search for the relevance of Gandhi in his allegiance to religion and spiritualism. Spiritualism and religiosity are always present in Gandhi but in a little unconventional way. As a genuine Hindu, he was a believer in the essence of religion and was a devotee to all religion at the same time. His ashram prayers included, among others, verses from the holy Quran, the Bhagwat Geeta, the Zoroastrian scripts and the Bible. A believer in the righteous aspect of religion, Gandhi had once warned that those who emphasized separation of religion from politics did not understand what religion meant. Gandhi, however, would not assent to the ritualistic, exploitative and superstitious aspects of religion. A god-fearing individual, he was of the view that if human beings collectively violated the principles of truth and justice, god - in the form of nature - would express its displeasure. As a consequence, people might suffer from natural calamities. The context was the disastrous 1934 earthquake in the Indian province of Bihar. Gandhi interpreted that tragedy as a god-sent punishment to the people on earth for practicing untouchability (discrimination against fellow human beings born in low castes). Gandhi’s belief, borne out of his religious conviction, could not have been proven scientifically and, therefore, it brought him into dialectic exchange with the Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore. According to

Tagore, Gandhi’s views bordered on superstition. Nevertheless, Tagore called Gandhi, the Mahatma (the superior soul) and Gandhi returned his compliment by calling Tagore, the Gurudev (the god-like teacher). More than 70 years later, a dialogue on exactly the same subject has surfaced again. Environmental cum spiritual scholars believe that the nature endows the earth with well-being and happiness if people live in collegiality (that’s where collective prayer becomes relevant!) and maintain environmental harmony. In contrast, if the greatest creatures of the god, the human beings, are in a state of feud, querulous and tempted to destroy ecological balance, the mother-nature would wreak its fury on the earth. Many scholars and spiritual thinkers belonging to this school look at the destruction caused by the hurricane Katrina in the Gulf coast of the United States in August-September of 2005 and characterize it as a grim reminder of ‘what goes around comes around.’ This sentiment was aired on major networks by several well-meaning people, just as an al-Qaeda leader was quoted as saying that the hurricane Katrina was an answer to their prayers on Afghanistan and Iraq. Sooner or later, the world will have to decide whether to follow the Gandhian path of non-violence, share amicably what the nature offers us or pursue a policy of self-destruction. One billion dollars a week spent by the US on war in Iraq and leaving two-thirds of the world population languishing in poverty is a recipe for the latter. To conclude with Gandhi, hate the sin and not the sinner. Those of us who are disillusioned and possibly angry at the war in Iraq should not make the mistake of hating our fellow Americans. Remember, half of them are not supporters of their government’s policy. What many historians, military professionals and statesmen warned against have now come true. Our relatives, friends and colleagues in the US agitated before the war began. Now, they have to gather their moral strength and commence a peaceful, non-violent civil disobedience movement to end the war.


Breaking the Cycle of Violence

From a sermon by Ian Lawton, Vicar, St Matthew-in-the-City, Auckland, New Zealand 10 Sep 2005

Gandhi said: To see the universal and all pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest creature as oneself. Whoever aspires after that cannot keep out of any field of life… those who say that religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means.

How do we relate these comments to our current global situation?

Dr. Robert Bowman directed all the "Star Wars" programs under presidents Ford and Carter and flew 101 combat missions in Vietnam. He has now spoken out against US foreign policy. The following are quotes from articles he wrote recently.

"The threat of nuclear terrorism is closing in upon us. Chemical terrorism is at hand, and biological terrorism is a danger. None of our thousands of nuclear weapons can protect us from these threats. No 'Star Wars' system ... no matter how technically advanced, no matter how many trillions of dollars was poured into it ... can protect us from even a single terrorist bomb. Not a penny of the 273 billion dollars a year we spend on so-called defense can actually defend us against a terrorist bomb. That is a military fact.

"In Iraq we killed a quarter of a million civilians in a failed attempt to topple Saddam Hussein, and we have killed a million since then with our sanctions. About half of these innocent victims have been children under the age of five.

"In country after country, our government has thwarted democracy, stifled freedom, and trampled human rights. That's why we are hated around the world. And that's why we are the target of terrorists.

"In short, we need do good instead of evil. We need to become the good guys, once again. The threat of terrorism would vanish. Stop the killing. Stop the justifying. Stop the retaliating.” Well, the seeds our policies have planted have borne their bitter fruit. The World Trade Center is gone. The Pentagon is damaged. And thousands of Americans have died. Steve Dunleavy of the New York Post screams "Kill the bastards! It's tempting to agree. At the same time, all my military experience and knowledge tells me that retaliation hasn't rid us of the problem in the past, and won't this time."

Chester Gillings has said it very well: "How do we fight back against bin Laden? The first thing we must ask ourselves is what is it we hope to achieve -- security or revenge? The two are mutually exclusive; seek revenge and we WILL reduce our security. If it is security we seek, then we must begin to answer the tough questions -- what are the grievances of the Palestinians and the Arab world against the United States, and what is our real culpability for those grievances? Where we find legitimate culpability, we must be prepared to cure the grievance wherever possible. In short, our best course of action is to remove ourselves as a combatant in the disputes of the region."

In the short term, we must protect ourselves from those who already hate us. This means increased security and better intelligence. But in the long term, we must change our policies to stop causing the fear and hatred which creates new terrorists.

How long shall we cry 'violence' and have our cries fallen on deaf ears? Where will our cycles of violence all end up? Where will we find the equivalent of Jesus eating in the house of global terrorists? If we have seen the universal and all pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, can we love the meanest creature as ourselves? Will you and I pass through our Jerichos and confront the corruption of our lives and our world and disarm the forces of evil?

In that salvation will arrive in this world. That we will do truly in the name of the God of peace. Amen.


Project Eliminate Hate Crime

Address given by Mr. Subhash G. Dighe, Vice President, Hindu Samaj of Hamilton & Region on September 11, 2005 on the occasion of the 4th anniversary of destruction of Hamilton Hindu Samaj Temple.

Respected Guests, Dignitaries, Ladies & Gentlemen:

It is with great humility that I stand before you. For on September 15, 2001, hearing the news of the Hindu Samaj Temple on fire, I rushed to this site and witnessed arson related fire destroying our Temple. The flames were raging and the fire fighters were struggling hard to contain the destruction.

I saw broken idols strewn all around, a small murti of Hanuman placed against the chain link fence, searching for his beloved Ram Pariwar. Several members were in a shock, several of them were crying, one our elders, Rajaram ji Perumal had fainted with grief. Few days later Jyotiben Joshi returning from a visit to India could not find her beloved Durga Devi Ma to tell her all her worries, woes or her wishes and blessings.

Soon we learned this cowardly, inhumane, vengeful attack on our peace loving Hindu Temple was in retaliation to the attack on September 11, on the World Trade Centre in New York City.

Our community was emotionally and spiritually devastated. Four years later many of us have not yet recovered. We witnessed the mournful watery immersion of our broken and destroyed idols in Lake Ontario and we began the slow and painful process of rebuilding.

Hillel ‘The Elder’ in 60 BC said and I quote from Talmud Shabbat 31a

“What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbour that is the whole Torah”.

Pali Tripitaka in Dhammapada verse 5 states and I quote “For hate is not conquered by hate; hate is conquered by love. This is a law eternal”.

News of our temple burning was carried world wide by all news media and there has been outpouring of concern, love and help from all corners.

For example: Hearing the news of the temple destruction, elementary school children belonging to “Balak Kand” in United States gave up their week’s allowance and sent us a cheque in the amount of US $ 151.00. There has been out pouring of love from our Hamilton community, from our Canadian Communities,

from USA, From India, From England, From Australia, New Zealand and from all corners of our Global Communities.

We saw initiation of an organization called “Strengthening Hamilton Communities” and We saw all faith groups coming together in love and help, who initiated this poster with the theme “ AN ATTAK ON ONE IS ATTACK ON US ALL”.

I am a proud Canadian. 40 years of my life is spent here, my children and grand children are born here. We have contributed and served this nation proudly. Global communities are represented in Canada and we are a true mini United Nation. We celebrate our diversity and we prosper together.

We believe that an attack on our temple is an attack on a Canadian building. This is truly the “Canadian Ground Zero of Hate Crime of 9/11”.

While our Hindu community, multifaith community of Hamilton and around has donated funds to our temple rebuilding process and a matching grant of $ 120,000.00 was provided by Heritage Minister at the time Hon. Sheila Copps, we have yet to get financial support from any levels of Governments.

We believe, this is a Canadian and Global “Historic Site” and it must be officially recognized as such. And we will not rest until this takes place.

As you can see our temple is incomplete. It is but a shell so far. To make it a proper temple we need additional one million dollars. We are officially requesting this financial help from all levels of Governments, to come forward and assist us complete it.

There is a legend that when Shree Rama was building the Setu Bridge to Shree Lanka, all humans, the monkey brigade were helping him. Among them were couple of chipmunks who would wet their fur in the sea water, then roll in sand and then go on the construction site and shake their fur to drop tiny amount of sand for the bridge construction. Shree Ram was so touched by their gesture of help that he lovingly stroked their fur and the legend has it; that’s how chipmunks got their stripes. We need all and every help to rebuild this temple, this Canadian building.


Attack on us has forced our Hindu community into leadership position to counter the Hate crime. We want to counter this not with hate but with love.

We are building a portion of our temple where artifacts of attack on us would be permanently displayed. We are building a community hall that we are presently in; which can be used for many events by anybody, peoples of all faiths of our community.

Having gained personal experience in dealing with the trauma of the Hate crime we are initiating a program called “Restorative Transformation”. This will restore our communities to its original status. We will have the vision for Hate Crime Elimination.

In Bhagwad Geeta chapter 4 verse 8 Shree Krishna promises that:

“Paritranay Sadhunam Vinashay ch Dushkrutam

Dharma Sansthapanathray Sanbhawami Yuge, Yuge ”

Meaning – For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age.

Ladies and Gentlemen: rebuilding of this Canadian temple represents coming again of that Supreme Being for the purpose mentioned earlier.

Henceforth, we will observe this day each year at the Historic site of Canadian ground zero of hate crime of

9/11. With our activities and programs we will make sure for generations to come that we shall not forget.

We were hoping that we will be able to declare our temple officially open today, however, as you can see the construction is not complete and all the deities are not consecrated yet and therefore we can not consider the temple complete.

We appeal to all of you, to be Shree Rama’s Chipmunks, help us any way you can; for the in the end you will be helping yourself. To all politicians and Government officials, we request: let all the words you write be on a substantial money draft to rebuild this temple.

The world is watching and waiting.

Please remember that what we do and how we handle the temple rebuilding is watched by over a Billion Hindus and all other faith communities around Globe.

I close with a Prayer for Peace from Upanishads 321:21:

“Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth. Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust. Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe” II Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti: II

May God Bless!


McMaster University Holds International Seminar in New Delhi Rama Singh, McMaster University

Over 350 people from all parts of India descended on New Delhi to hold the second Mahila Shanti Sena (Women Peace Brigade) conference in February 2005. The participants included over 100 women from Bihar and the eastern states of India. The Canadian delegation consisted of Drs. Rama Singh, Graeme MacQueen, Anne Pearson, Harish Jain and Sri Gopal Mohanty from McMaster University, Dr. Reva Joshee from Toronto University, Dr. Lalu Mansinha from the University of Western Ontario. Rachelle Mitchell (McMaster) and Karen Sihra (Toronto) attended as students. The meeting started with a visit to Rajghat, Gandhi’s resting place, and lasted for two days at the International Youth Centre in Chanakyapuri- a stone throw away from the Cana dian Embassy. The Canadian High Commissioner Hon. Lucie Edwards spoke at the meeting and had private conversation with the Canadian Delegation. Former Prime Minister Shri V.P. Singh gave the concluding talk. The conference was convened to evaluate the three-years of work of the Mahila Shanti Sena and to chart its future course. “It was a very successful meeting and we achieved our goal” says Dr. Rama Singh of McMaster University. Mahila Shanti Sena was founded in 2002 in Vaishali (Bihar) by Acharya Ramamurti- a revered senior Gandhian and social worker from India, and Dr. Rama Singh from the Centre of Peace Studies, McMaster University. Since its foundatrion in Bihar, the Mahila Shanti Sena peace movement has grown by leaps and bounds and has now spread into all the north eastern states of India beyond Bangladesh. An important reason behind starting MSS was the amendment of the Indian Constitution in 1992 giving rural villages autonomy in governance as well as the reservation of 30% of seats in all elected bodies for women. The latter amendment has led to the election of thousands of rural women in the village council (Panchayats). As most of these women are illiterate, a little training in the area of peace, democracy and development goes a long way. With this training they develop courage and dare to ask questions in their village council. Besides formal talks given by prominent people, the

program consisted of listening to rural women tell their stories of successes and failures in their attempt to do peace work in their villages. The majority of the rural women are illiterate but their stories bring tears to your eyes. Their passion for peace and a little respect is emotionally overpowering. MSS consists of at least 5 or 10 women from each village. The membership is voluntary and involves training ranging from 3-5 days in peace, democracy and development. These women take oath to remain non-partisan and work on non-party lines to create peace in their village. The Conference was co-sponsored by the Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University and Shrambharati – a Gandhian NGO from Patna in Bihar. Prominent local participating organizations included Gandhi Darshan and Smriti Foundation, Gandhi Peace Foundation, and Association of Voluntary Agricultural and Rural Development Societies. The financial assistance came from McMaster University, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the government of India. The next Mahila Shanti Sena conference is planned for February 2006 in Bhuvneshwar (Orissa). Those interested in helping Mahila Shanti Sena can contact Dr. Rama Singh ([email protected]) or Acharya Ramamurti ([email protected]).

McMaster delegation with Canadian High Commissioner Lucie Edwards (Third from left) at the International seminar in New Delhi.


Peace and Community Harmony in the Gandhian way

Malati Choudhury Training Camp Of Mahila Shanti Sena August 27-29, 2005

Rashmi Mohanty and Bhanu Panigrahi (Unnayan 1) Bhubaneswar, India

1 Unnayan is a NGO which is implementing MSS Camps in Orissa, India

A three-day training programme of Mahila Shanti Sena was organised by Unnayan in its operational area in Kakbandh village of Rasgobindpur block in Mayurbhanj district during the last week of August 2005 with the aim of initiating the process in Orissa, the foundation of which was laid by Acharya Ramamurti in Bihar in February 2002 and has spread to several other states in India since then. A total of 54 participants (42 female and 12 male) including 9 Unnayan’s staff members took part in this training. The training was named after Smt. Malati Choudhury, the great freedom fighter and social worker from Orissa. Sri Uma Shankar Chaturvedy and Sri Sneh Kumar from Shramabharati, Khadigram, Bihar facilitated this three-day training programme.

Training Methodology: Participatory, Sharing of experience, Group Discussion and presentation, Contextual examples, Situational Analysis, Interpretation of historical and mythological stories and events, Simulation games, Lecture, Question – Answer. DAY 1 Smt. Rashmi Mohanty, Secretary of Unnayan inaugurated the training camp by kindling the lamp. Then, the women participants presented an awareness song in chorus. This was followed by introduction of the participants.

Then the facilitators sought participants’ expectations from this training. Each participant presented his/her expectation. The expectations were mainly on understanding the concept of Mahila Shanti Sena, its processes, organization building and solutions for the grave problems faced by women in family, community and in the larger society. The subsequent sessions of the entire training programme then continued in finding satisfactory answers for the questions raised by participating women.

Giving examples and interpreting the events from

present society, history and religious scriptures, the facilitators made it clear to the participants that all those great people, or for this matter, all the great women, who are remembered by generations have been retained in the memory of others because of their special qualities. The most important qualities among others are women’s own decision-making and assertiveness, strength (both physical and mental), no discrepancy between male and female child and last but not the least maintaining her self-esteem. In this context, the example of “Sita” from Ramayana was given.

The participants discussed about the problems of women in the present society. The problems of health, education, income, torture etc featured in this discussion. Then citing many examples from the traditional to the contemporary society, the facilitators provided a historical account of discrimination against women, atrocities on women, male chauvinism and male dominance. It was also realized by the participants that it is not only the men but also the women who are responsible for the anguish of women in the society. A group discussion followed dividing the participants into 5 groups who shared and chalked out as many problems as faced by women today. DAY 2 There was a group discussion on the solutions as the participants see from their own point of view for each problem enlisted by them in previous day’s discussion. At this point the facilitators made their pragmatic remark that it was a good sign that participant women have started thinking about the solutary measures of their problems though it would be unwise for them to expect the results immediately. So the actions, however small they might be, should start right away.

A very pertinent question was raised here. Reports established that women’s own relatives cause about 81% of the atrocities on them, both physical and psychological. So whom should they fight


with? How can they fight against their own relatives? What would be the strategy? Again, violent battle would never bring delight even for the winner of the battle. So one should fight this battle in non-violent way where one can be happy after winning the battle. Giving this contextual outline, the facilitators grounded the concept and philosophy of MAHILA SHANTI SENA.

The facilitators presented about the origin and growth of the process of Mahila Shanti Sena. At this point, the Panchayati Raj System and role of women in local self-governance was discussed. The concept of Mahila Shanti Sena and its various processes were elaborately discussed. A printed brochure in Oriya containing these matters was referred by the participants for clear understanding.

After this sharing the participants were made into five separate groups and a practical exercise leadership and selection/election process of leader was conducted. In the evening the participants conducted cultural programme. DAY 3 The day started with continuation of discussion on leadership. The participants have their views on the rationale behind selecting the leaders that they did in previous day’s exercise. The three most important attributes of a leader such as 1. Courage 2. Patience 3. Self-confidence was elaborateled.

Then management system of Mahila Shanti Sena was discussed. Three most important aspects were emphasized upon, i.e. regular meeting, discussion and consensus for management and

smooth operation of the group.

Then the facilitators declared the characteristics that will not allow a woman to become a Shanti Sainik and asked the participant women to think over it and then decide whether they are willing to become a shanti sainik. Smt. Rashmi Mohanty, Secretary of Unnayan, was given oath by Sri Uma Shankar Chaturvedy as the first Mahila Shanti Sainik of Orissa by reading out the manifesto in Hindi. Just after that Smt. Mohanty gave oath to other participants by reading out the manifesto in Oriya. All the participating women wore the saffron scarf on this occasion.

Then each participating woman did a plan of action for next three months. The action plan combined together are:- Neighbourhood building with 902 families, 327 meetings in the villages of different participants, 459 new Shanti sainiks will be prepared in their neighbourhood and villages, 81 Panja (group of five) and 32 Dasta (group of ten) will be formed. The next meeting of the Shanti sainiks was scheduled for 29 November,2005.

Then the facilitators put light on some of the concepts relating to Shanti Sena and explained their meaning, i.e. Shanti Kshetra (peace zone), Shanti Sabha (meeting of shanti sainiks), Shanti Marg (putting courage in mind and achieving one’s right through silent and peaceful way). Characteristics of rapid action force of Mahila Shanti Sena were also discussed. With this the three-day training programme was ended with vote of thanks to the participants and the facilitators.

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Favourite Quotes from Mahatma Gandhi Contributed by Tridib Biswas

“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” “There are seven sins in the world: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice and Politics without principle.” “When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it – always.” “Live simply that others may simply live.” - Mahatma Gandhi


Local Heroes

Two members of

Centre of Peace Studies named to Order of Canada

Harish Jain Gary Warner

McMaster professors Harish Jain and Gary Warner have been named to the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada. The Order of Canada is Canada's highest honour for lifetime achievement. Both Prof. Jain and Prof. Warner have been members of McMaster Centre for Peace Studies and have actively participated in organizing the annual Gandhi Peace Festival in Hamilton.

Prof. Harish Jain is a professor emeritus of human resources in the DeGroote School of Business. He specializes in human rights as it relates to various aspects of employment and industrial relations. The author of numerous articles and books, Jain has advocated for racial and other minority rights locally, nationally and internationally. He was appointed as Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission in April of this year. Most recently, Jain has been a policy and research consultant to the Government of South Africa, Department of Labour, assisting with the transition to de-segregation in all sectors of society. He is currently Donald Gordon Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town.

"I am humbled, honoured and overjoyed by this appointment. It is a privilege to be a Canadian," says Jain. "My interest has been to help the underrepresented and underprivileged such as racial minorities through teaching, research and community service."

Prof. Gary Warner has taught courses on French African and Caribbean literature, on French language and 17th-Century literature, as well as on peace and international development at McMaster. He recently completed a five-year term as director of the interdisciplinary Arts & Science Program. Earlier he was the founding Director of McMaster International, which worked to develop liaison with developing countries, facilitating research and education support for a number of students and scholars. Outside the University, he has been active internationally and within the Hamilton community for more than 30 years on issues related to international development, the recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Warner was recognized in 1998 with the Hamilton Black History Month J.C. Holland Award, Professional Category, and in March, 2004 with the McMaster Students Union Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Being named a Member of the Order of Canada represents for me recognition of the path that I have chosen, combining my academic interests with a strong commitment to community service and to values of equity and social justice," says Warner. "As an immigrant to Canada, I also see it as recognition of the positive contribution that immigrants and refugees make to this country, contrary to some negative stereotypes. And as an African Canadian, I see it as part of my mentorship role to youth in general, and to African Canadian and visible minority youth in particular."

The Gandhi Peace Festival Organizing Committee extends sincere congratulations and best wishes to these two peace activists.

(From McMaster Daily News)


McMaster Students Win Canada Corps Fellowships to do Peace Work in India

Rama Singh

Thanks to the McMaster International Affairs Office, Ashley White and Kaya-Marisa Meadows have won prestigious fellowships provided under the Canada Corps University Internship Program and will soon be heading to India to conduct research with the Mahila Shanti Sena (Women's Peace Corps) peace organization in northeastern India. The value of each Fellowship is $11,000, which will cover the cost of travel, meals and accommodation and all other related expenses while in India. Ashley, a level III Arts and Science and Economics student, has been on the Dean's Honors List for the past two years. Last year she traveled to northwest India, as one of

fourteen Ontario students, to learn about the health care, educational and municipal government systems of the Garhwal, an extremely isolated Himalayan region. Kaya, a Political Science graduate, grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, and has traveled extensively around the world, including Europe, China, India, Thailand and Japan. She is interested in human rights issues, and particularly the effects of development policies on women's rights. Ashley and Kaya will be working with the Mahila Shanti Sena (MSS) which was founded in 2002 at a Peace and Democracy Conference co-organized by the Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University, and Shrambharati --a prominent Gandhian organization based in Patna, in the state of Bihar. Several members of the Centre for Peace Studies are involved in the MSS work and they will provide academic as well as logistical support to these students. During their internship, Ashley and Kaya will spend 2-3 months in India studying the functioning of the MSS, to see if this movement can be exported out of India and applied in other countries, such as Afghanistan, which are also experimenting with women's empowerment, and more generally the decentralization of political power. Ashley and Kaya will also explore the possibility of Mahila Shanti Sena being used as a field site for McMaster Peace Studies students who are interested in doing their thesis research in India.

Peaceful Childhoods Physcians for Global Survival has just produced a kit entitled "Peaceful Childhoods" for distribution across Canada. You can view the brochures included with this kit on line at www.pgs.ca Topics include:

Guns and Children: What Parents Need to Know Children and the Media: Choosing Peaceful Story Telling Peaceful Childrearing: Fostering Peace in Our Homes Children and War Toys: Encouraging Peaceful Play Family Covenant of Non-Violence

The kit also includes a poster (as pictured here) and a family covenant of non -violence.

Sample copies are available locally at not cost through your local PGS Chapter ([email protected], 905-979-9696). Copies for schools and community groups can be ordred through PGS Nationa Office – see details at www.pgs.ca


Creating a Culture of Peace

James Deahl and Ellen S. Jaffe Poets for Peace

James Deahl and Ellen S. Jaffe, both poets born in the U.S. in 1945 and now living in Hamilton, discuss how to achieve a ‘culture of peace’ and some differences between the present time and the 1960s

James and I were both active in the anti-Viet Nam War movement in the mid-to late 1960s; we also were involved, in varying degrees, in the Civil Rights movement, the protests against nuclear weapons in the early 1960s, and the Women’s Liberation movement. We both grew up in the 1950s, witnessed the electoral defeat of Adlai Stevenson, and Senator Joseph McCarthy’s hearings to seek out ‘Communists’ in many areas of U.S. life education, government, the arts, and other professions. After the defeat of McCarthyism, and certainly after the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960, there was a new feeling of hope, courage, and confidence, especially among students and in the arts community. James remembers a poetry anthology called Mountain Moving Day: people did believe that we could move mountains, and that there was a ‘we’ a community of people working together for social change, who could influence the people in power, or if that wasn’t possible elect new leaders who would listen and act in a more enlightened way. Many students felt the energy and motivation to protest, and there was also an acceptance by their elders of the need to hear protest and dissenting opinion. American Writers Against the Vietnam War had poets reading on campuses across the U.S., because their travel expenses and room and board was paid for the universities and colleges even despite the people who objected to these writers’ opinions. Would this happen today? We don’t think so, not in the present climate of fear and right-wing ideology. There was, we think, more dialogue back then, and also more involvement of the arts in social change and activism street theatre, music, visual art, poetry, film, and photography could reach a wide audience and

could even get people who supported the war thinking about alternatives. The poets who influenced us at that time included Robert Bly and Muriel Rukeyser, Allen Ginsberg and Denise Levertov, Dorothy Livesay, Yevgeny Yevtushenko in the USSR, Pablo Neruda in Chile, and many others. In 1983, when Poets for Peace first began in Toronto, he was the oldest member, nearly age 40. Two years ago, at their 20th anniversary meeting, Abbe Edelson, the first chairwoman, was 40 and she was now the youngest member. Poets for Peace is a loosely-formed group of poets who have written and read poems to protest everything from cruise missiles to the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. As non-violent activists, we take our lead from Thoreau, Gandhi, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2001, the ‘Convergence’ project organized by Poets for Peace member Susan McMaster had poets hand deliver their poems on specially printed and designed paper to members of Parliament and Senators, once a week for a whole year. Many politicians responded favourably at the time. The Summer issue of Frontline states that the most recent student demonstration at McMaster was in 1997, eight years ago! We know many high school students, and even elementary school students, are interested in causes including peace and the environment. What happens when these students reach university? Does peace work need to be done as piece work, little by little, in one country, one city or community, one school, one family? How can we ‘think globally and act locally’ and yet see these local actions affect the wider world? How can we build the energy to ‘move mountains’?


Poetry for Peace This is the Dream February 2, 2003 This is the dream – I turn on the television, see the space shuttle plunge out of the sky, trailing plumes of debris, and see the bombs fall on Iraq – last night the radio news spoke of nuclear weapons, "tactical uses", as if infinity can be limited, clicked off at will. I think of seven astronauts killed on the shuttle Columbia, the same day seven children die in British Columbia, buried in fields of snow. Crushed in snow, disintegrated in space, it's all the same dying. But in the dream, the television changes channels, past these disasters... shows an Inuit village, no, a drawing of an Inuit village – a few houses, people, dogs, spots of yellow and red, warm as blankets in the falling snow. Even these fade. All that is left are hills, white hills soft as bodies receding toward the skyline and ravens flying curiously overhead no bombs, no planes, only a voice in my ear: this is how the world will end. Look carefully at the end of the known world. - Ellen S. Jaffe (This was previously published in Witness, ed. by John B. Lee, Serengti Press 2004).

Lack of Contrition August 6, 2005 Senseless arms race mindset in megatons set the stage for missile worshipers, giving birth to mass destruction Robbing Hiroshima of existence under distressful silence and sorrow Fatality is imaged in shadow stains under dust of death ...A downpour of agony mounting a veil of black ash from innocent victims Arsenal compulsives with nuclear psyche and Plutonium blood mercilessly duplicate massacre assaulting Nagasaki with monsoon of destruction A shock and terror ricochet Grim burial rain Drenches the land in crime Hiroshima, Nagasaki... rebuilt while past lingers bearing scars Sixty years of trauma, Sorrow and pain Six decades of deformities, grief and cancer And our world continues... violent and armed ***

- Tais Lintz,


Poetry for Peace

Siblings The Tigris unwinds a ribbon of death. Basra, Baghdad, Tikrit, Mosul are footprints of anguish, are pits of flame where burning feet stepped. The Jabal Hamrin vanish under waves of smoke; only small charred bones remain where a school, a playground stood. This is a land the Destroyer swept, burnt beyond all recognition, its mosques violated, its history looted. Only DNA will reveal the birthplace of civilization; only the uncallused heart will know these dismembered corpses to be our true brothers and sisters. The pain of their bodies speaks to us in a tongue we have long forgotten; their eyes witness a life we cannot imagine. When years from now you meet on the far side of great waters the stare of those with flesh scorched black in your name, by your army, what, oh what will you say?

Cardinal The day after the Iroquois left Halifax for the Persian Gulf the cardinal returned to my black locust. I did not see him but heard his call before dawn as I went out to bring in the news of the coming war. I did not see him only his song told of the coming spring, of his joy at being here, each season as fresh as a cardinal¹s flight. A new war for a new century? No. The same old war turning round and round again. Still, that cardinal¹s voice filled the bare branches with light to bring this February morning into being. James Deahl Poets for Peace


Mirza and Finkelstein

Photo by Gary Yokoyama, the Hamilton Spectator

Muslims and Jews team up to aid Sudan Carmela Fragomeni - The Hamilton Spectator - April 22, 2005

Two Hamilton men are bringing their religious communities together in a way that is unheard of in many parts of the world.

Lorne Finkelstein, a Jew, and Javid Mirza, a Muslim -- both with strong views and personalities but from traditionally polarized communities -- would likely not have become friends in most other cities. But this professional doctor and this working man have come together in a city that strives to be an example of how diverse peoples cannot just tolerate each other but actually work together for the common good. Finkelstein and Mirza are both on the Strengthening Hamilton Communities Initiative, an organization of community leaders formed in the aftermath of 9/11 to combat racism in Hamilton. Now, the two want to aid Darfur, Sudan. Finkelstein and other Hamilton Jews have been guests for the past two years at the Muslim Eid-ul-Fitr dinner at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Mirza, president of the Muslim Association of Hamilton, and Finkelstein, a cardiologist, worked together in the community bid to save an Afghan boy's life by bringing him to Canada for heart surgery last year. This time, the two are working together to put the spotlight on the genocide unfolding in the Darfur region of Sudan in northeast Africa, bordering Egypt. With participation from some local Hamiltonians of Sudanese heritage, they have organized a free public forum next Thursday for Hamiltonians to learn about what's going on. Finkelstein is driven to do this by the thought that the world has learned nothing from the Holocaust during the Second World War, the genocide in Rwanda 11 years ago and the ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. This is the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp, one of many camps in which millions of Jews were collected and killed. After Finkelstein recently watched the movie Hotel Rwanda, he says, "It hit me that here we are 60 years later, clearly, we haven't learned a thing ... We're no further ahead when you look at what's happening in Darfur." An estimated 100,000 people have died in the genocide in Darfur, in the west of Sudan. Another two million have fled their homes. Finkelstein began sending out e-mails to get people to speak out when he learned Temple Anshe Shalom was devoting a service in March to Darfur and he helped spread the word. About 60 people of different ethnicity and religions, including Mirza, came to hear it. At the end, "Javid stood up and he said something to effect that the Muslim and Jewish communities worked so well together in the situation of the Afghan boy, why don't we work together on this again? We should not let this evening stop here but we should move forward ... I said, 'yes, we'll do it.'" Mirza says he and Finkelstein are committed to working together. "We took an oath a long time ago that we were going to try to work things out and try to do some things that serve this city." And to serve

this city, they want their communities to come to know each other as they have. "People cannot break down the barriers until they get to know each other." That's not to say the two men don't have their detractors and skeptics, or that they don't have strong views about Israel and Palestine, or even that they don't disagree. "You have to understand," says Mirza, "that it's OK to disagree with someone, but you don't have to hit that person because you disagree with them on a certain topic." Finkelstein met Mirza a year- and-a-half ago. He was reluctant at first to meet him, having read in the paper that the first time Jews were invited to the Eid-ul-Fitr dinner, the Hamilton Jewish Federation president was told she shouldn't speak. Mirza says he was nervous that first time and was being very cautious. "I didn't know what was going to happen." Shortly after they did meet, Finkelstein read about the Muslim community's efforts to bring the Afghan boy to Canada and called to offer his help. "We built up a great rapport through this kid," says Mirza. "And since then, I consider Lorne as a friend." The next dinner was a huge success. The Muslim community easily recognized Finkelstein as the doctor who helped raise funds in the Jewish community for the boy's care. "The expressions of warmth and gratitude and human relations that came from the podium were breathtaking," said Finkelstein. Finkelstein quickly comes to Mirza's defence when Mirza is cast in an unfavourable light for donating the leftover money from the boy's care to Sick Kids rather than sending it home to Afghanistan with him. Mirza, for his part, has an admiration for Finkelstein's sense of commitment. On the Darfur issue, he says of Finkelstein "this man -- he's on a mission from God." Says Finkelstein, "We're pleased that we can break barriers down so we can show the Muslim community we're part of the same community as you are."


Theatre of Liberation – the People’s Theatre Simon C. De Abreu

4th year Honours student in Mass communications, Theatre and Film at McMaster University

Ancient theatrical performances were created by the people and for the people, in a spirit that was more community oriented. These performances were centered on a collected effort that had a more communal sensibility. I, like many others, have been looking to effect positive nonviolent community change by using both the power of personal stories and what I call, Theatre of Liberation (Liberation Theatre) a.k.a. THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED. Many Hamiltonians believe that we, as CONCERNED CITIZENS, can engage are own personal creativity and use the power of the theatre to effect social change, by using the stories of our lives and the experiences garnered in that personal process. Isn’t the personal, political?

Countless commercial theatre events serve to channel the energies of the populace in a direction that distracts them from the socio-economic state of their community – which can be a healthy thing some times. However, celebratory and highly PARTICAPATORY community theatre can serve as a creative alternative to the coercive, commercial process that is used to create theatre for the masses. THEATRE OF LIBERATION – Theatre for the People, by the People – is an interestingly FUN approach to community building that brings people together like very few FUN community events can. Theatre of Liberation works to have citizens EMPOWERING THEMSELVES with the use of Theatre techniques developed by the Brazilian playwright, Social Activist and politician, Augusto Boal. His approach is being used to foster a better sense of democracy in Hamilton and around the

world. Liberation Theatre creates a space for citizens to tell their stories in hopes of inspiring nonviolent acts that result in SOCIAL JUSTICE for those involved. The dramatic action throws light upon possible real action, so community members can prepare themselves for real action outside the theatre, if they so desire. 1 Theatre of Liberation is a fun sustainable social action that can be the beginning of a more participatory democratic process of social change in Hamilton. The Theatre of Liberation project was directly inspired by Augusto Boal, and the project asks citizens/actors to reveal – with their cooperation – how they are really living their lives. The theatre project is an interestingly Fun approach to community building that brings people together to have what I call, “SERIOUS FUN,” in an a attempt to strengthen community bonds. I think Theatre of Liberation – a.k.a. Theatre of the Oppressed – can EMPOWER many if us to come together creatively to act locally for political change. Many around the world have witnessed Augusto Boal’s theatrical methodology in action. Theatre of Liberation is a collective creative act that provides citizens an opportunity to rehearse possible real life changes which offers hope for a positive transformation of our collectively shared present. Theatre of Liberation can aid in securing a more socially Just future, so please DO get involved!

For more info please contact [email protected]

1 Taken from Augusto Boal’s Book Theatre of the Oppressed - pg 55

Augusto Boal

Remembering Hiroshima - Nagasaki August 6 and August 9, 1945

Khursheed Ahmed

Physicians for Global Survival

Hiroshima Project Ploughshares and Physicians for Global Survival organized a public event on August 6 in Hamilton to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. There was a gathering in Gore Park at the centre of city with The Take Japanese Drummers and signing of postcards to the Prime Minister. This was followed by a welcome by Rev. Paul Fayter of Ploughshares Hamilton and a short speech by Mayor DiIanni, who publicly pledged his support for Mayors for Peace campaign. Dr. Joanna Santa Barbara made an impassioned speech urging everyone to work hard for nuclear elimination, to meet with their MPs and other government officials to demand action on nuclear abolition and to change Canada’s dual policy on this issue (declared commitment to nuclear elimination and membership to NATO, which insists on maintaining a nuclear posture). This was followed by peace march to the Hamilton City Hall, past outline shadow paintings made by students of Hiroshima victims on the sidewalk. There was a memorial service at the Council Chambers. Councillor Brian McHattie welcomed everyone on behalf of the City of Hamilton. The main speaker was The Rev. Dr. Karen A. Hamilton, General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches. She related a few biblical stories with some practical tips on working for peace and bring real meaning to the phrase Never Again. She urged everyone to keep working for peace and nuclear elimination. There was beautiful music and poetry presented by local artists.

The crowing moment was a short film made by two 12 year boys Trace Gaynor and Stephen Sotor from Chicago - Genie In A Bottle: Unleashed. They interviewed Nobel prize-winning scientists, the creator of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" and the mayor of Hiroshima, among others. In a fanciful segment, they even tracked down the "Genie" himself (portrayed by an actor) to find out what he has to say about the legacy of the atom bomb. Stephen attended the Hamilton event with his mother and was very warmly received and applauded by the audience of some 150 people. The pledge of Nagasaki was read in Japanese and in English by the Rev. Seiko Hosanna of Hamilton. Colourful paper cranes and messages of peace were abound.

Hirsohima Day Gathering in Gore Park


A scene from the film “Crossing the Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India”

Nagasaki Three days after bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, another nuclear bomb was dropped on civilian population of Nagasaki, Japan, killing over 100,000 people and causing serious radiation-related illness that has cause an untold amount of suffering to the survivors. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Nagasaki bombing, the Hamilton Chapter of Physicians for Global Survival, together with the Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University and India-Canada Society of Hamilton, organized an event entitled “India-Pakistan: Unity and Security”. The event was held on August 9th at McMaster University and was attended by over 75 people. The evening started with an introidcution by Dr. Rama Singh and reciting of a poem, in Urdu, written by a famous Indian poet, Sahir Ludhuyanvi, by Dr. Khursheed Ahmed, followed by an English translation. The poem describes the futility and destructiveness of war. This poem entitled Aye Sharif Insano (Appeal to Humanity) was written in 1965 on the eve of the first peace agreement signed between India and Pakistan after a war over Kashmir. The main speaker for the event was Dr. Neil Arya, a physician from Waterloo, who is currently the Vice-President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and holds academic appointments at McMaster University, University of Waterloo and University of Western Ontario. Dr. Arya gave a talk entitled “Deadly Addiction: India and Pakistan on the Nuclear Brink”. He emphasized the danger all nuclear weapons present to the world and focused on the high risk they pose between India and Pakistan. He pointed out the justification used by these two countries, purportedly for greater security; in fact pose a great risk to the population as nuclear tipped missiles can wipe out densely populated cities in less than 10 minutes, causing millions of deaths. He compared the possession of nuclear weapons to addiction of alcohol and drugs he has encountered amongst his own patients, who continue to live dangerously causing ever-increasing harm to themselves. This was followed by screening of a 45-minute long film “Crossing the Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India” made Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy, Professor of Physics, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan and Dr. Zia Mian a professor in the program on Science and Global Security at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, USA. This remarkable film* traces the history of Kashmir from the time of partition of India and presents the point of view of the Kashmiris, who are caught between India and Pakistan, two regional military powers fuelled by religious fervor. Khaled Ahmed, a journalist writing in Daily Times has said, "This film violates the grand narrative of nationalism on all sides. It shocks with its unfamiliar humanity." There was a healthy discussion after the presentations and people felt that cooperation between India and Pakistan and dialogue between the Indian and Pakistani communities around the world can have a positive impact on reudcing tensions and elimination of a nuclear threat between the two neighbours. *If you missed this event and wish to see this film, please get in touch with Khursheed Ahmed <[email protected]>


The Gandhi Peace Festival High School Essay Competition 2005

Purpose The High School "Write for Peace" contest is held in conjunction with the Annual Gandhi Peace Festival. The aim of the festival is to heighten awareness of non-violence, peace and justice issues among youth and to increase the involvement of young people in the annual Gandhi Peace Festival. Grades 9 6: 10 Topic: "Envision a more peaceful school. Suggest ways to prevent violence and to promote peace in your school." Grades 11 6: 12 Topic: "If you were to design a course for high school students to promote a Culture of Peace, what would you teach?" Format, Length and Submission Date: Entries may be either essays or creative works. In the grades 9 a 10 category, essays should be between 700-900 words. In the grades 11 6: 12 category, essays should be between 900-1100 words. Creative writing submissions should not exceed 1100 words. In a cover letter, students should include their name, grade, school name, home address, evening phone number, email address, and the name and contact information for a teacher or principal at their school. Entries may be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word document to [email protected]. Alternatively, entries may be mailed or hand delivered by September 23, 2005 at 12pm to: Mr. Robert Porter, Coordinator, Gandhi Peace Festival, Centre for Peace Studies Togo Salmon Hall rm. 720, 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 judge 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 recognized. 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. Winners will also receive an invitation to present their paper at the Fourth Annual Conference on Peace Education in Canada, occurring from November 24 through 28, 2005 at McMaster University. To contact us, call (905) 525-9140 extension 27519, or email [email protected].


List of contestants who particpated in 2005 Essay Competeion

The name of the school and the students’ Grade level is included with the students’ names

Grades Nine and Ten: Alyson Lamanes - Cardinal Newman Anthony Sanseverino - Cardinal Newman Brittany Tougher - Cardinal Newman Charles Lu - Cardinal Newman Dao Phan - Cardinal Newman David Ruberto - Cardinal Newman Igor Anomdic - Cardinal Newman Laura Scott - Cardinal Newman Liana Castellan - Cardinal Newman Lisa Ballarano - Cardinal Newman Lisa Carbonara - Cardinal Newman Tijana Boskovic -- Grade 9 -- Westdale Secondary School Mark Menjak - Cardinal Newman Melissa DiBattista - Cardinal Newman Peter Commisso - Cardinal Newman Shane Muir - Cardinal Newman Grades Eleven and Twelve: Allan Mekli - Cardinal Newman Alysha Albert - Cardinal Newman Amanda Giardino - Cardinal Newman Andrea Diloreto - Cardinal Newman Andrew DeVito - Cardinal Newman Angela Commisso - Cardinal Newman Brent DiFrancesco- Cardinal Newman Cassie MacDonald-Cardinal Newman Chelsea Manigold -Cardinal Newman Chris Balaban - Cardinal Newman Christine Fandrich - Cardinal Newman Danielle DiNardo - Cardinal Newman Danya Barsalona - Cardinal Newman Edyta Kupiec - Cardinal Newman Erb Shehu - Cardinal Newman

Jennifer Graham - Cardinal Newman Jessica Choi - Cardinal Newman Jessica Smoke - Cardinal Newman Jessie Szarek - Cardinal Newman Kelly Claxton - Cardinal Newman Kelly Dougall - Cardinal Newman Laura Murphy - Cardinal Newman Laura Pellizzari - Cardinal Newman Leah Ryerse - Cardinal Newman Lillian Grguric - Cardinal Newman Marie Romeo - Cardinal Newman Mark Saric - Cardinal Newman Marko Bradica - Cardinal Newman Meaghan Donnelly - Cardinal Newman Melissa McPherson - Cardinal Newman Michael Huynh -- Grade 11 -- Sir John A. MacDonald Secondary School Michael Tonan - Cardinal Newman Natalie Castelli - Cardinal Newman Natasha Ekelman - Cardinal Newman Natasha Pavone - Cardinal Newman Nick Faiazza - Cardinal Newman Olivia Orlowski - Cardinal Newman Patrick Angielczyk - Cardinal Newman Paul DelGobbo - Cardinal Newman Philip Cialini - Cardinal Newman Robert Zaranek - Cardinal Newman Ryan Klaret - Cardinal Newman Ryan Sears - Cardinal Newman Samantha Di Giovanni - Cardinal Newman Sang Bong Lee - Cardinal Newman Scott DiLoreto - Cardinal Newman Stephanie-Jade Lattanzi - Cardinal Newman Sujin Woo - Cardinal Newman Sylvia Ferencak - Cardinal Newman Tibi Murariu - Cardinal Newman Vanessa Constabile - Cardinal Newman Vince Imbrogno - Cardinal Newman

Winners will be announced at the Gandhi Peace Festival


Gandhi Peace Essay Competition 2004 - Winning Essay – Senior I

Chris Neglia - Notre Dame Secondary Our world is facing an epidemic today; a disease unlike any other conventional ailment. Mahatma Gandhi said that fear is not a disease of the body; fear kills the soul. This has never been more relevant than in this generation. Fear is being used as an instrument; a tool whereby the empowered voice of truth is trampled under the enormous weight of tyrants. Only through the courage of solidarity will be overcome a culture of fear and build a culture based on peace. Too often around the globe we find that oppressive governments, corporate dominance and paramilitary factions utilize fear to work more efficiently in disassembling democratic freedoms. Tactics of fear and intimidation are often promoted through the use of violence. When a certain group establishes that their belief is an absolute truth, they reinforce this truth with violent action that detrimentally impacts all facets of society. By accepting that one truth is the absolute one; an antagonistic ideology which lends to fear and violence is upheld. Why is it automatic that by believing in one truth all others become heresies? Although these groups I have described may be considered extremists to most, their principles are being used to realize the unscrupulous ends of many political, commercial and religious organizations today. It is a primitive idea that many people, not excluding western society, clings to and in doing so humanity is unable to progress towards peace. It remains a widespread misconception even in North American society that violence can produce peace, that fear can produce security. Truly, fear is a means of restraint for those who lack the conviction to overcome it. It is an influential contrivance that capitalizes on the weakness of being human. What we all have to learn is that fear is the enemy of freedom. It becomes the enemy when the threat of violent force commands silence from those being exploited. Indigenous farmers, who toil their arid fields at a loss, fear the volatile business practices of world market corporations. Workers whose unions are broken down by death squads fear for the lives of their family members. And in the advent of recent terrorist attacks, even citizens in the most secure nations feel fear; the invisible, debilitating fear that transcends borders and oceans. Never before has there been such a feeling of interconnectedness between people so far away, and in accordance with our culture it is evoked by tragedy. Although terrorism has globalized the commodity of fear, North American governments have assured it a permanent place in our society. The rise of fear mentality has a direct relationship on growing militarization. The resentment people feel towards terror has vindicated a violent culture, but it is also inadvertently responsible for limiting freedoms and breaking down communities. By being subject to fear, citizens turn inward to their own isolated ignorance. They do not consider alternative action, they do not ask questions and whenever there is resurgence for peace among socially active groups these people are treated as infidels. Essentially democracy is being lost in the fight to protect it. We cannot continue to live with a false sense of security when the media professes that the terrorist enemy is enduring hardship. Gandhi insisted that for a non-violent person, the whole world is one family. He need fear none, nor need others fear him. The nature of terrorism itself is a desperate reaction provoked by fear. Westerners cease to contribute to global fear and violence then eventually, shouldn't terrorism stop? Wouldn't this be the most effective means of ensuring all of our safety? To instil security in all societies, we must counter fear and apprehension in a culture of peace. A peaceful attitude must always be at the core of our societal values. For this to transpire a radical change from our current way of life is imperative. To combat fear, we must first resolve a perilous trend that is going on in our culture. It is blinding wealthier individuals to some of the most contemptible injustices in history. This is the spiritual deficit in our society. We need to foster a tolerant, faith filled population motivated for positive and peaceful change? Gandhi asked what is faith if it is not translated into action. That must be the question we all ask ourselves. It must be the question that binds our beliefs and values to our social actions. For us in Canada, activism towards peace is especially important. Here we have the privilege to exercise our fundamental freedoms and make use of the law to advance human rights. We are free to create social change


for peace. Canadians and others in the minority world must promote justice, and secure human rights, including the right to peace. This is what is so inspiring about this gathering. We have joined together in solidarity to be a symbol of peace in our community, in our country and in our world. Change does not exclusively come from politicians and CEO's, the most impactful changes are derived from the people. Our voice of truth has the unprecedented ability to resonate with others in the world whose efforts are the same as ours. We who are eager for justice and equality will be satisfied only when the people of the world who have been marginalized by fear, finally have a voice. As long as we maintain the legacy of democratic action and social justice, the world can always hope for an optimistic future. The 21st century should not be marked by state fear that binds us into a hostile culture. It should be a new era that compels us to build our global relationships and realize that peace is the only alternative.

Gandhi Peace Essay Competition 2004 - Winning Essay – Senior II

The Failure of Name tags Melissa Wilson, Notre Dame Secondary School

The classroom is completely silent, an odd state for the room which is usually filled with thirty kids,

yelling and bouncing off the walls, hyper off the sugar and freedom from their lunch the period before. A cool breeze blows through the open window, ruffling the ragged paper cut outs of stars and moons that are loosely taped to the wall. It's so quiet that I can hear everything: someone shifts in their chair, someone drops a pen, someone ties back their hair with an elastic band. I can't sit still. .

I fidget in my desk, reorganizing my books and then reorganizing them again. I cross and uncross my legs, brush my bangs out of my eyes and draw little squares and triangles on the front of my agenda with a pink Sharpie. I can hear the girl sitting next to me methodically tapping her Papermate pen on the desk, and beyond

that, I can hear the ticking of the wall clock next to the door. It ticks slowly, like liquid, and I think to myself, time is actually moving backwards.

The teacher at the front of the class sits up, cracks her knuckles, and then leans forward again, pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and leaning again over her work. She's grading the last of our culminating assignments for the course, worth twenty percent of our final grade.

The class is silent to aid her concentration, everyone eager to see their grade. Some anticipate a big circled A grinning at them from the title page, while others frantically scribble answers to extra credit assignments. Damage control.

As for me, I sit there patiently, and try not to hyperventilate. I know the results of this paper have the ability to make or break my grade, jeopardize my diploma, my university acceptance, my future career. I can see it now: I bomb the paper, which brings my grade down three percent. That three percent brings down my average, and the new, lower number glares from my transcript to the Queen's University representative. He throws my transcript in the trash; I've missed the minimum acceptance requirement. He laughs as my transcript hits the garbage, the paperclip holding my whole life together making a ping as it connects with the metal. The Queen's University representative doesn't want a failure like me at his school.

I can see not just Queen's University denying me, but all of the other universities as well, my top schools, my safety schools, even the community college school I'd applied to as a last resort. None of them want someone like me at their school

Flash-forward five years in the future. I can see myself at twenty two, waiting tables at a diner that, like me, is struggling to make ends-meet. I'm dressed in the standard short-sleeved pink uniform with a white apron tied around my waste. A notebook, an old wristwatch and comfortable shoes complete the outfit. My hair is thrown up in a bun, two pens holding the strands of hair in place. A cheap plastic nametag sits pinned to my


chest, announcing to the world the name of the young girl who couldn't make anything of herself A few years later, I would get a new uniform; one which has my name sews onto the breast pocket: the

sign of a lifer. The nametag, like shackles, chains me down to a life I cannot escape from. My teacher stands up, and the squeal of her chair brings me back to reality, where I am suffering in high school instead of a dilapidated diner.

She clears her throat, and announces to the class that she's finally finished marking. She takes off her glasses and slides them into the breast pocket of her white blouse and begins to hand back the assignments.

Some people cheer at their results, some moan. Somewhere in the back of the class, I can see a girl struggling not to cry. I just sit anxiously and wait. My last name falls at the end of the alphabet, which means that I will be the last person to receive their assignment back. I can feel my heart beating through my T-shirt, and a single bead of sweat threatens to rolls down from my temple. I can hear one of the boys from across the room yell that he passed. He stands up, cheering, and raises his arms above his head, ecstatic at the idea of a grade above fifty.

I tap my pencil against my paper, and try to focus on the answers to my math homework. I stare hard at the paper and the numbers become a blur before my eyes, swirling around the page like they have a mind of their own.

I put down the pencil and watch as my teacher makes her way through the classroom. Most of the students have gotten their papers back already; it won't be long until I have mine. I begin to fear the worst.

Finally, my teacher approaches my desk, and with a smile, places the paper facedown on my desk. My heart seems to be beating out of my chest. I become so afraid of the results of the paper that I don't even look at it. I leave it where it is, on the corner of my desk, and focus on my math problem until the shrill ring of the bell breaks my concentration and I stuff the paper in my book bag and head home.

I arrive home twenty minutes later and the only noise that breaks the silence is the soft sound of the television, glowing in the dark living room. My mom is asleep on the couch.

I stand in the doorway of the living room, watching the television. CNN is showing old footage of the attacks on the World Trade Centre of September 11th. I stare at the screen as I am bombarded with familiar footage of people racing through the streets, frantically looking for loved ones and lost hope.

As I watch people running from burning building, I begin to wonder what was going through their minds. Are they thinking of their families, their friends, their regrets? Are they thinking that they're dying, and their lives aren't what they thought they would be? These people might have gone to jobs that they hated, every single day thinking that there was plenty of time to make a change, to do something that they could be proud of, and then suddenly, there wasn't any time left. It was all over for these people.

I wonder how many of them were happy with their lives. How many of them woke up the morning they died, and were happy with the way they lived their lives. I think, if any of them were proud of what they'd accomplished, and content with themselves, then they were lucky, even with their untimely end. While I stand leaning against the doorframe, transfixed with the television, my mother wakes up. She smiles and greets me and gets up from the couch.

A few minutes later, she heads towards the door, about to leave for work. She slides her old green coat over her shoulders, shrouding her short-sleeved pink dress, and zips up the front.

Before she leaves, she asks me if I got the results on my paper. I confirm that I did and rummage through my book bag for the paper, now crumpled at the bottom of my bag. I hand it to her without even looking at it.

She scans the front for a few seconds, and then a smile spreads across her face. "Another A," she says, "I should have known."

She comes forward to give me a hug, and I kiss her on the cheek. She holds me close and I can smell the perfume on her clothes. The pounding in my heart begins to ease up as my mother holds me tight against her and whispers in my ear, "I am so proud of you."

I tell her that I love her, and let go and tell her that she's going to be late for work. Before she leaves, she reaches to the table that stands next to the door, and grabs her keys.

As she leaves, she slips both the keys and a small plastic nametag into her coat pocket.


Gandhi Peace Essay Competition 2004 - Winning Essay - Junior

Amy O’Brien – Assumption Catholic Secondary School

"You Can't Shake Hands With a Clenched Fist" (Indira Gandhi) "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". (Shakespeare) Revenge, produced from hatred and spite, which leads us to the terrorizing of one another. In a world where our differences are more susceptible to recognition than our similarities, we volunteer the life of another, to gain what we like to think of as power and honor. As I am asked to write about what I fear in the world after September 11th, I'm not thinking about the classroom bully, or the terrifying principal down the hall. It is exactly that; I fear for the world. It is the life we are choosing for the generations to come, and it is the life that we will inevitably all live. In a war-tom world, we somehow like to think that we are supporters of peace and justice. Our actions on the contrary do not always reveal just what we are thinking. Shakespeare once wisely said, "Be great in act as you are in thought." Thus, we are obligates to not only promote peace, but to ensure that we are always thinking, speaking, and acting in a peaceful manner. In this cruel environment, the harsh reality is that all of us, whether we realize it or not, are guilty of being prejudice, and unfair to people who are different than us. Vie all have our pre-conceived notions towards people and their differences, but it is want we do with those notions that can make all the difference. Unfortunately as we have learned throughout our lives in being human, not all of us make the right decision. Some people who we look up to, our leaders, make the worst decisions possible. When the person we idolize chooses to bomb the middle east, or attack a country who we know stands no chance? Who then do we look to, to show us the right direction. If we are taught to turn the other check, than why? Why is it that every time something negative happens to us, we retaliate? It is easier said than done, that is true, however what part of being human makes us feel the urge to get back at someone. Is revenge the only answer? We know the consequences and possible outcomes of violence, but when it comes down to it, I think I can safely say that some people make that thought nothing but a subconscious meaningless voice, that we hear yet tend to block out most of the time. Does violence even prove a point? And what does it leave us with? If we wish to leave our youth with a peaceful, harmonious world, then violence is not the answer. Although we have all been preached to, and we have heard speeches, we need to look inside ourselves and find room for peace. We all have our own fears, but what allows us to differentiate between ours', and those of others'? The fact is no matter what the fear, it is equally important. "The remarkable thing is that we really love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to sacrifice others when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves." (Eric Hoffer) So evidently, it begins with us. In order to love one another, we must first love ourselves. We must make respect ourselves in order to respect others. Unfortunately, facing ourselves can be the scariest thing in the world. But isn't it worth it? After all, "True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.


Gandhi Peace Essay Competition 2004 - Winning Poem

Dreams of Peace Roberta Noviks - Cathedral Newman Catholic Secondary School

it's midnight bombs drop explosions shake the foundation of a house, where a family never sleeps soundly alarmed, a young boy awakens unable to understand he drifts asleep again and dreams of peace

on the other side of the world a women cowers scarred and scared terrified to move a single muscle she remains absolutely still, even though he left hours ago exhaustion causes her to fall asleep and dreams of peace

in a city that never sleeps a boy sits in his room door locked to keep out his friends friends who make promises of protection, in exchange for his life he goes to sleep and dreams of peace

words are shouted accusation and blame three children run upstairs shutting the door and covering their ears they fall asleep crowded together in a single bed and dream of peace

peace who can fulfill this dream? who can create peace? who is responsible? everyone


PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

Hamilton Culture of Peace ‘Waging Peace’ in Hamilton

The Hamilton Culture of Peace Network is a collection of concerned people and groups united in a ten-year-effort to build a culture of peace, non-violence and social justice for the children of the world, this nation, and the citizens of Hamilton. How do you wage peace? You pay wages to people who work for peace so they have money to live on. That’s why we are introducing ‘Peace Dollars’ to our community this year. Peace Dollars have the potential to raise funds for many worthwhile causes and each dollar is printed with UNESCO’S six principles for a peaceable society developed by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates for the United Nations’ Manifesto 2000. It is part of our mission to spread the Manifesto to every one of the half million people who live in the Hamilton area. Special Fundraising Offer – Buy a sheet of 10 for $5 – Sell for $10 To assist in this task and help other groups working towards peace and cooperation to benefit, we are offering Peace Dollars at a 50% discount to any who support the goals of Manifesto 2000 and purchase a minimum of 20 sheets. Fortunately in our city there is virtually no man, woman or child so poor who could not afford to purchase one Peace Dollar per year to help build a safer and more inclusive community. We believe Peace Dollars can help stimulate the energy of faith groups, community groups, students and individuals from all over the city who are working for good causes. Such groups need money to provide employment for full and part time workers; to hire graduates from institut ions like McMaster’s Centre for Peace Studies; to rent meeting spaces; to advertise their gatherings in the press and radio; to promote peace education; to hire speakers and teachers and research experts so we can all have better information and make the city safer and more responsive to each others’ needs. In the long run Peace Dollars will retain a value which may later be exchanged for goods such as printed materials or admission to special events. If you want to know more about PEACE DOLLARS and how you can use them to raise money for your organization please contact us at 905-628-4976 or by e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected] You can also obtain a free internet listing for your group at www.hwcn.org/link/cpd

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.


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 second 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, Afghanistan and the Middle East. If you would like to find out more about the Centre's activities, please contact Dr. Mark Vorobej, Acting Director Tel: 905-525-9140 ext. 24729 Centre for Peace Studies Fax: 905-570-1167 McMaster University, TSH-726 E-mail: [email protected] 1280 Main Street West Website: www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~peace/ Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 4K1


Physicians for Global Survival 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 non-violent 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. We worked 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 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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. Khursh 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 Coming Event…..

Physicians for Global Survival, Hamilton Public Library and Children’s International Learning Centre present

Children’s Peace Day Saturday November 12, 2004 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

Location:

Hamilton Central Library 55 York Boulevard

Admission is Free, All Ages Welcome For Information or to help with the event: Call 905-979-9696

Activities include: Puppet Stories from Afghanistan Peace Crafts Videos: “The Peace Tree” and “Genie In A Bottle: Unleashed” Peace Stories

and more!!

Our mission s tatement 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


Project Ploughshares

Project Ploughshares is a Canadian disarmament organization sponsored by the Canadian Council of Churches. It works ecumenically to try to transform a world still threatened by small arms, bombs, land mines and weapons of mass destruction, into a world of enduring peace and security. Since its foundation in 1976, Project Ploughshares has promoted the concept of "Common Security": which states 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 depnds on participatory decision-making rather than on exclusion and control. The Hamilton Chapter of Project Ploughshares commemorates Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Day each year with a solemn ceremony at Hamilton City Hall on August the 6th, at noon. This is a tradition well imbedded in the hearts of the citizens of Hamilton and surrounding cities. On Memorial Week, a Peace Concert is held at Christ Church Cathedral at 252 James Street North, Diocese of Niagara, in Hamilton, every year. This event is also becoming a tradition. The Hamilton Ploughshares steering committee usually meets on the first Monday of each month at 10:00 am at its headquarters, 700 King Street West, the Chancery Office of the Diocese of Hamilton. You are all welcome to attend thes meetings. For further information feel free to contact: Linda Nash 905-397-9735, Leonor Sorger 905-528-7988, or Paul Fayter 905-522-9900. Our National Office is: Project Ploughshares, Institute of peace and Conflict Studies, Conrad Greble College, Waterloo Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G6 Tel: (519) 888 6141; Fax (519) 885 0806. Website: www.ploughshares.ca

Coming Event.....

The Hamilton Chapter of Project Ploughshares presents a fundraiser:

PEACE CONCERT

Sunday, November 6, 2005 - 1:30 to 3:00 pm

FIRST PILGRIM UNITED CHURCH 200 Main Street East, Hamilton

For tickets and information contact: Paul Fayter 905 522-9900; Linda Nash 905 387-9735


Fourth Annual Peace Education Conference in Canada: Peace Pedagogy - Educating Educators to Teach Peace

November 24 - 28, 2005

McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

The Conference Theme will be "Peace Pedagogy: Educating Educators to Teach Peace". We will have presentations and discuss things teachers (including University and other educators) should consider in teaching peace. The Canadian Peace Education Strategy is of significant importance to the Canadian Culture of Peace Program http://www.peace.ca/CanadianAgenda2005.htm This Conference web page is under construction and about to take off. Here is a quick summary for your information, awaiting further developments. You may contact the conference coordinator Robert (Bob) Stewart by e-mail at [email protected] or visit the Canadian Centres for Teaching Peace website at http://www.peace.ca

2005 YMCA Peace Medal

The Annual YMCA Peace Medal is awarded in recognition of youth and adults who have made a significant contribution to fostering a culture of peace in the Hamilton/Burlington community. Download the nomination form at http://www.ymcahb.on.ca/newsEvents.htm Do you know a peacemaker in the community? Deadline for Nominations is Friday, October 28, 2005.

2005 YMCA Peace Medal Breakfast Join us at the Annual YMCA Peace Medal Breakfast, as we honour those who have demonstrated their commitment to making our World a more peaceful and non-violent place. Wednesday, November 23, 2005, 7:30 - 9:30 am Hamilton Convention Centre, Hamilton ON Keynote Speaker: Dave Irvine-Halliday Light Up the World Foundation Light Up The World Foundation (LUTW) is an international humanitarian organization affiliated with the University of Calgary, dedicated to illuminating the lives of the world's poor. It is the first humanitarian organization to utilize solid-state lighting technologies to bring affordable, safe, healthy, efficient, and environmentally responsible lighting to people currently without access to proper lighting. LUTW remains the world's leader, globally active and setting standards in this field. Ticket and Sponsorship Opportunities are available by contacting Susy Comegna at: Phone: 905-681-1140 E-mail: [email protected] Fax: 905-681-8366 Web: www.ymcahb.on.ca/newsEvents.htm


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): Chair: Peter Shuttleworth and Co-chair Leonor Sorger <[email protected]> Helen Beasley - (905) 297-8089 E-Mail: mcmas [email protected] Amnesty Canada Website: www.amnesty.ca

Poets for Peace Poets for Peace was founded in Toronto by Abbe Edelson in 1983 during the cruise missile crisis. The group played an active role to try to get these missiles out of Canada. During the first war with Iraq, Poets for Peace was again active, this time trying to end Canadian involvement in that war. We also opposed the bombing of Yugoslavia as well as the more recent invasion of Afghanistan, both of which involved the Canadian military. Poets for Peace demands that the Canadian government stop all military action in the Persian Gulf. We also demand that Canada leave NATO. Poets for Peace is an independent organization of poets and other writers who oppose war as a means of conducting international relations. Poets for Peace has always worked with other groups, such as CARMA (Citizens Against Racism and Military Aggression) and Writers Against the War, to promote peace. We believe that writers should be active in the political arena to insure that peace and disarmament are always on the agenda. We reject violence and regret that some anti-war demonstrations have turned violent, or have contained violent elements. We are proud that our members have conducted themselves peacefully. We encourage our members to join other groups to work for peace within the larger community. Poets for Peace has members in Canada, the United States, and England. Contact: James Deahl (National Co-ordinator) <[email protected]>, or, Abbe Edelson Chairwoman 237 Prospect Street South, Hamilton, Ontario L8M 2Z6 Tel: (905) 312-1779


Stop the Violence against Women

Stolen Sisters/Sisters in Spirit Campaign A shocking 1996 Canadian government statistic reveals that Indigenous women between the ages of 25 and 44, with status under the Indian Act, were five times more likely than all other women of the same age to die as the result of violence. Understanding the true scale and nature of violence against Indigenous women, however, is greatly hampered by a persistent lack of comprehensive reporting and statistical analysis.

Indigenous women’s lives remain at risk in part because of the failure of Canadian officials to respond quickly and appropriately to threats to Indigenous women’s lives means that Canadian officials have failed to live up to their responsibility to prevent violations of Indigenous women’s fundamental human rights. Repeated assaults on the culture and collective identity of Aboriginal people have weakened the foundations of Aboriginal society and contributed to the alienation that drives some to self-destruction and anti-social behaviour. Social problems among Aboriginal people are, in large measure, a legacy of history. The Saskatchewan Justice Reform Commission pointed to a number of positive practices within the Saskatoon police force that should be emulated elsewhere. These included the creation of an Indigenous liaison post and regular cooperation with community elders, including having elders accompany officers on some patrols in predominantly Indigenous neighbourhoods. One of the critical areas for institutional reform highlighted by Amnesty International’s research is the way police respond to reports of missing persons. Many Indigenous families told Amnesty International that police did little when they reported a sister or daughter missing and seemed to be waiting for the woman to be found. Police point out that the vast majority of people who are reported missing have run away or chosen to break off ties with family or friends. Most people who have voluntarily "gone missing" in this way do quickly turn up on their own. In 2005 Amnesty groups have managed to work closely with the police services, send out hundreds of letters and petition to the government and bring public awareness of this urgent issue. With this, there will be a whole weekend in October dedicated to this specific campaign. EVENTS: Friday, October 21 at 9:30 am there will be a tree planting ceremony held at the new Hamilton police station. This will be a memorial for the Aboriginal girls that were murdered. A white pine will be planted and a plaque will be set for this memorial. Saturday, October 22 at sunrise there will be celebrations in Fort Erie around the theme: "Aboriginal Rights". This will go on until the sunrise of the next day (Sunday). Sunday, October 23 from 1pm to 4pm there will be a major event at St Stephen's Church at 130 Barton St. East, Hamilton. This memorial event will have speeches by Amnesty, Aboriginal elders, supporting organizations. There will also be Aboriginal drum circles, dances to share in the Aboriginal culture with the public, Poetry contest winner announcements and much more. The organizing committee consists of: Amnesty International – Burlington Chapter, Healthy Aboriginal Men’s Circle, Métis Women’s Circle, Native Women’s Centre, Aboriginal Health Access Centre, Hamilton Police Services, Helen Gillings Society and Come Walk A Mile Websites: Amnesty Canada campaign: web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR200012004 Sisters in Spirit : www.sistersinspirit.ca


KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives

Hamilton–Burlington Kairos Committee Join with KAIROS and all its members in the ecumenical social justice campaign for 2005 – 2006. Water: Life Before Profit! This campaign will be fully shared with the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP)

We believe that water is a sacred gift connecting all life. As the world faces a growing freshwater crisis, water is becoming a profit-maker for some—and something that’s impossible to afford for others. Every time we drain a wetland or pollute a river, we make the problem worse for everyone. In the face of this crisis, water must remain in public hands throughout the world. It should not be turned into a commodity for private profit. Only through democratic, community control of public water systems will all people keep or win access to clean water. Guarding water as a common good will ensure fair access while respecting treaty rights and international human rights agreements. Yet a global push for privatization of water services threatens public control and access to water. And worldwide, scarce water sources are over used and polluted. How can we respond?

? Join our postcard campaign beginning in Fall 2005 and running until Spring 2006. Go to the website: http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/action/waterActionCard.asp

? Call on the Government of Canada to stop promoting privatization and start supporting genuine community control over water, and to protect and preserve natural sources of water.

? Take community action and make individual choices: We invite you to look at the myths behind the current bottled water craze; work with your community to conserve and protect water; and learn about community control over water systems, drawing on inspiration from Canada and around the world.

? Educate! Get together and learn about the freshwater crisis facing our planet—and explore how we can respond.

? Sign the Water Declaration at http://www.devp.org/testA/current03.htm ? DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE continues this action, and invites individuals and municipalities to sign—

and then consider how they can live out the Declaration in their own community.

Info: Hamilton Burlington KAIROS Committee at 905-521-0017 or 905-634-7654, www.kairoscanada.org

Act Locally – Local Events Information actlocally.info provides a place for environmental, peace, social justice, anti-racism groups and other community organizations in the Halton, Hamilton and Niagara regions of Southern Ontario to promote their activities and share information. Non-profit groups can post upcoming events directly to the website, and individuals can receive a list of these events every week by email. The website was initiated by the Western Lake Ontario Environmental Coalition with the support of Environment Hamilton and other organizations. Find the details at: www.actlocally.info


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 causes 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. Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) 761 Queen St. W, Suite 203, Toronto, ON, M6J 1G1 Telephone: (416) 532-5697, Fax: (416) 603-7916 e-mail:[email protected] / [email protected] Website: home.ca.inter.net/~vow/

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: Ms. Lana Lowe, Executive Director Tel: 905-529-8813, Fax: 905-529-8911 The Children’s International Learning Centre 189 King William St. (across from Theatre Aquarius), Hamilton, ON L8R 1A7


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 affect us all - human rights, poverty, sustainable development, peace, disarmament and many others. For further information contact: Brian Reid, President, Hamilton Branch, UNAC Tel: 519 393-6360 email: [email protected] website: www.unac.org

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. Inspired by Gandhi, PBI uses nonviolent action to help deter politically motivated violence and expand space for human rights and peace activism in areas of civil 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 an international 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, Mexico, Nepal and Guatemala. PBI was nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. 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 at www.pbicanada.org (see Get Involved links). Peace Brigades International - Canada E-mail: [email protected] 238 Queen Street West, Lower Level Tel: 416-324-9737 Toronto, Ontario M5V 1Z7 www.peacebrigades.org


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] Web: www.canadians.org

Stngthening Hamilton’s Community Initiative

“Strengthening Hamilton – Uniting our Community”

Strengthening Hamilton’s Community (SHC) is a three-year community based, capacity building project developed in response to an increase in hate crimes following the crisis of September 11, 2001. Its intent is to turn the local crisis into an opportunity for creating a new and strengthened Hamilton. Mission of Strengthening Hamilton’s Community (SHC) A community-based network mobilizing all Hamiltonians to create an inclusive city free of racism and hate. SHC Vision: To build a vibrant and harmonious community that values our racial, religious and cultural diversity that fosters respect and encourages public discussion: a community in which people are enabled to become active participants and contributors. For more information, contact: Kathryn King, Project Manager E-mail: [email protected] Strengthening Hamilton's Community Initiative Tel: 905-546-2424 Ext. 7931 10 George Street, Suite 301, Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 1C8 Web: www.shci.hamilton.ca


Community-based Interfaith, Peace and Cultural Groups Hamilton Quakers Hamilton Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Proclaiming a testimony of peace since its founding 350 years ago, the Quaker faith is one of the officially recognized "peace churches" in Canada. Hamilton Quakers meet weekly at 11 a.m. Sunday for silent worship, gathering in the Light of God and of "that of God in everyone". Anyone who feels called by the Spirit to speak may offer ministry during this time of worship. All are welcome. Friends in Hamilton Meeting are involved in a wide variety of peace, social justice, and environmental activities. We invite you to join us. Hamilton Quaker Meeting, 7 Butty Place, Hamilton, ON, L8S 2R5. Telephone 905-523-8383. Website: www.hwcn.org/link/hmm, E-Mail: [email protected], Beverly Shepard <[email protected]> - Clerk of Hamilton Monthly Meeting

(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. Although BAND is a small group (about 60 members) from a small city, our members believe strongly in the importance of raising public awareness at a community level. We follow the motto "think globally - act locally". Our local actions have been mostly educational by organizing public talks by prominent peace advocates such as Joseph Rotblat, Rob Green, Barrie Zwicker, Jim Loney and Rosalie Bertell. We also lobby the Canadian government in peace and disarmament issues through a letter-writing committee.

BAND is a member of several regional, national, and international coalitions working for peace and nuclear disarmament including the November 16 Coalition and the Culture of Peace Coalition in the Hamilton area; the Canadian Peace Alliance; and Abolition 2000.

If you would like more information on BAND - or would like to become a member please contact us at [email protected] or at 905 -632-4774.

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 respect 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.

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 email: [email protected] or visit our website at www.unityhamilton.com

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, Box 37037, Hamilton, ON, L8L 8E8, Tel: 905-522-0283, [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

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. The Annual YMCA Peace Medal is awarded in recognition of youth and adults who have made a significant contribution to fostering a culture of peace in the Hamilton/Burlington community. Address: 79 James Street South, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2Z1, Phone: 905-529-7102 Web: www.ymcahb.on.ca /

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, Web: www.ywcahamilton.org

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

Dundas Independent Video Activists Since 1999, DIVA has been countering the corporate media stranglehold by covering grassroots activism, 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, or to book DIVA to cover your event, contact [email protected] or call 905-627-2696.


Sky Dragon Community Development Co-operative Sky Dragon is a non -profit worker co-operative committed to building local economic networks that are equitable, democratic and environmentally sustainable. We are currently completing our first project – the Sky Dragon Community Development Centre (CDC) – a multi-use community/wellness centre located at 27 King William St. in downtown Hamilton. Phase one of the CDC will open on October 29th, with the building eventually including a fair trade/organic café, a learning centre, a community media centre, a holistic health clinic, community meeting and office space, a repertory cinema and studio spaces for arts and wellness classes. All of these services will be housed in a sustainable “eco-building” that integrates green roof, recycling and renewable energy technologies. Sky Dragon has a full complement of wellness classes and community events that currently take place at ou r old 24 King St. East location and will soon move to the new building. Our co-op also publishes Mayday Magazine – a monthly forum for progressive thought. Mayday is currently the largest locally- owned print publication in Hamilton. For information on the co-op, our services and how you can get involved, go to: www.skydragon.org or www.maydaymagazine.org. You can also contact Kevin MacKay at: 905-777-8102 or [email protected]

Hamilton Mundialization 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. The main functions are: ? 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 through out the year. Any inquiry may be forwarded to: The Hamilton Mundialization Committee, c/o The Corporate Services, 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 activating and encouraging creative responses to the issues facing our communities. HASC is part of the Province-Wide Homes Not Bombs network Box 19, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton ON L8S 1C0 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.hwcn.org/link/hasc

Volunteer Hamilton Since 1963, Volunteer Hamilton has recruited and referred potential volunteers to local organizations. With 125 member agencies, we involve and make a real difference in our communities and neighbourhoods. Have some spare time? Want to get involved in helping others? Here’s your chance to make a meaningful contribution. Get a listing of many different volunteer positions in Hamilton and their respective contacts at 627 Main Street East, Suite 206 Phone: 905 523 4444 Hamilton, ON L8M 1J5 Email: [email protected]


McMaster-based Student Groups

The Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) McMaster OPIRG aims to link research with action on a broad range of social justice and environmental issues, both locally and globally. Through research, proactive education, community networking and action, OPIRG empowers individuals to become active participants in the decisions which affect their lives. And it is their energy and imagination that is the driving force behind the work of OPIRG The Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) McMaster McMaster University Student Centre Room 229 P.O. Box 1013, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton ON, L8S 1C0 Phone: 905.525.9140 ext. 27289 or 26026 24 hour events line ext. 27090 Fax: 905.523.0107 Web: www.opirg.org/mcmaster E-Mail: [email protected]

Peace and Conflict Studies Society (PACSS) The Peace and Conflict Studies Society (PACSS) is a student peace group at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. Our aims are to use discussion, events, and constructive action to promote a culture of peace both on campus and around the world. We welcome members from all backgrounds and areas of study. We seek to provide a bridge between peace theory - as put forward by the Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster - and peace practice. Annual events include a 'Meet the Profs' Wine & Cheese, and 'Projecting Peace: A Social Justice Film Festival.' For further information visit www.pacss.ca or email [email protected]. Projecting Peace: A Social Justice Film Festival The McMaster Peace & Conflict Studies Society (PACSS) launched Projecting Peace over 5 nights in March 2005. Our mission is to inspire, inform and incite. Through this festival we aim to demonstrate that the power and popular appeal of films can promote reflection on the issues of social justice and responsible change. Towards this goal, we present a selection of films that appeal to the diverse communities found at McMaster University and in the greater Hamilton community. The films we showcase feature themes of peace and conflict that inform an audience about lesser-known social justice issues. Additionally, we aim to provide an experience that does not end when the credits roll. Other performance and awareness-raising events, including post-film discussions with the filmmakers, run in conjunction with these film screenings. Our debut festival earlier this year featured the powerful documentary 'Shake Hands with the Devil' on Gen. Romeo Dallaire's harrowing return to Rwanda 10 years after his experiences with the genocide. We also screened 'The Take' on Argentinean labour activism, with director and broadcast personality Avi Lewis leading an enthusiastic discussion afterwards. Our plans for Projecting Peace 2006 are well under way. For further information visit www.pacss.ca or email [email protected] War Child @ McMaster War Child Canada @ 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 war-torn countries. To find out more information about War Child Canada, please visit their website at www.warchild.ca Email: Shannon Clutton at [email protected]

Student International Health Initiative Student International Health Initiative (SIHI: pronounced see-hee) is an organization of McMaster University Students from a variety of disciplines who are united by a common interest in health issues around the world. The primary goals of SIHI are to spread awareness of international health issues to the McMaster society, as well as to the community at large. SIHI also helps organize trips for students who would like to gain volunteer experience abroad in international health. Finally, the organization develops projects of significance in health and social justice issues including planning of conferences, delivery of medical resources and outreach projects. All of our meetings are open. E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.msu.mcmaster.ca/clubs/sihi


McMaster Science for Peace/Pugwash Society Our club is a student chapter of the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs, an international organization that is dedicated to promoting nuclear disarmament, providing world leaders with peaceful alternatives to resolve conflict and encouraging the responsible use of science and technology. Our Purpose: 1. To bring together individuals from different levels of involvement in the peace movement 2. To provide an opportunity for students to become educated to take action 3. To raised awareness within the McMaster and Hamilton Community Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.msfp.tk/

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 Com passionately 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. James Tan, Jackie Kennedy, Sarah Lawson & Nathan Flis - [email protected]

MACgreen MACgreen, a service of the McMaster Students Union (MSU), links students, staff, and faculty interested in promoting a culture of sustainability on campus. Sustainability implies that the activities of the university are ecologically sound, socially just, and economically viable, and that they will continue to be so for future generations. A truly sustainable university emphasizes these concepts in its curriculum and research, preparing students to contribute as working citizens to an environmentally sound and socially just society. MACgreen runs services, events, and campaigns throughout the year. Upcoming programs include Cootes Clean -up, Buy Nothing Day Clothing & Book Exchange, and the Lug-a-mug travel mug campaign. If you would like to be involved in MACgreen or would like more information, contact: Samantha Green at [email protected] or check out www.msu.mcmaster.ca/macgreen Volunteering Opportunities at McMaster! Have some spare time? Want to get involved in helping others? Here’s your chance to make a meaningful contribution: www.msu.mcmaster.ca/gettinginvolved/volunteering.php


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 India-Canada 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. With 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 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: Web: www.indiacanadasociety.org

Jay Parekh, President, 905-388-5791 E-Mail: <[email protected]> Nikhil Adhya, Treasurer, 905-388-0079 E-Mail: <[email protected]>

Hamilton Malayalee Samajam For Hamilton Malayalees (People of Kerala –India, origin) it is twin festivals time. One is the world famous Onam. The second is the equally famous 'Peace Festival'. On this joyous occasion of the 13th Annual Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival, Hamilton Malayalee Samajam brings greetings to all participants, friends and benefactors. We do appreciate the initiative taken by the India Canada Society and McMaster University in this particular context. Last year we wrote about the new facility we acquired at 1095 Woodburn Road in 2003. Year 2004 was hectic. In addition to the various fundraising activities to pay off the debts, it was also a year with a theme 'give it back to the community'. As usual we participated in all the activities of the Gandhi Peace Festival in great strength. We participated in the 'Ride and Stride' event of the Canadian Cancer Society and raised a handsome amount of money. We were awarded the 'Most Spirited Group' prize. On Thanksgiving Day, we brought a group of homeless, needy people to our community centre and treated them to a lovely turkey dinner. We had a large group of MAALSA enthusiasts from McMaster to serve and entertain them. Our guests went back very happy. We repeated the same for Christmas at St. Matthew's Home. Our president participat ed in the 60 KM breast cancer walk organized by the Princess Margaret Hospital and raised a lot of money. At the community centre we have plenty of programs for the seniors, women and the youth. On a cultural front, Samajam organizes Malayalam School (Saturday mornings at Sts Peter and Paul) and Bharatha Natyam classical dance (Saturday afternoons at Barton Stone United Church). Both are well attended. 5 McMaster students have proudly graduated from the Bharatha Natyam School after years of hard work and training. For information please contact: Jose Kudiyate, Secretary, 905 383 9681, E-Mail: [email protected]


Coming Event: ICAA Open House (An Evening of Music and Art) - check the website for more information Thursday, September 29, 2005, 5:30 pm at City Hall Hamilton (71 Main St. West)

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 an d 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

Contact information:

Settlement and Integration Service Organization 360 James Street North LIUNA Station-Lower Concourse Hamilton, ON L8L 1H5

Tel: (905) 667-SISO (7476) Toll Free: 1-877-255-8136 Fax: (905) 521-9216 Email: [email protected]

Immigrant Culture and Art Association

The Immigrant Culture and Art Association (ICAA) is a not-for-profit organization that introduces colourful culture and art from different parts of the world to the Canadian public. ICAA has established art schools at two locations in Hamilton and providing opportunities to the children and youth of immigrants and low-income families and involving them in productive, secure and safe activities through art education and cultural events through our scholarships program. ICAA is exploring resources enabling artists and musicians through ICAA mentorship program. More than 20 artists and musicians were provided mentorship and tools and organized more than 20 art exhibitions and musical concerts during the past one-year. ICAA is organizing Annual Indian Classical Musical Sitar Concert in the fall for the last three years. ICAA is a visible partner in communities’ related discussion. ICAA is looking forward to be partnered with the Annual Mahatma Gandhi Peace Festival. We pledge to promote the peaceful and non-violent philosophy of Gandhi and work for the promotion of peace in our communities and the world at large. Contact Information: Website: www.immigrantart.org E-Mail: [email protected] Jahan Zeb, Program Coordinator Phone: 905-529-0181 Fax: (905) 522-5424 Location: 51 Stuart Street, Hamilton, ON, L8L 1B5


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 Mr. Basdeo Maulkhan (905) 575-5647. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????

BBrryyaann PPrriinnccee BBooookksseelllleerr

Address: 1060 King Street West, Hamilton, L8S 1L7 Phone: (905) 528-4508 Fax: (905) 528-1887 Toll Free: 1 -800-867-0090 Hours: Mon-Wed: 9am To 6pm; Thurs & Fri: 9am To 9pm; Sat: 9am- 6pm, Sun: Closed. E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.princebooks.net/

~ Winner of the "Libris" Award - Best Independent Bookstore in Canada ~

Check our website for our Fall Reading Schedule


Book Review

Douglas Roche, The Human Right to Peace Larry J. Fisk, Professor Emeritus of Political, Peace and Conflict Studies, Calgary, Alberta < [email protected]>

Even though I had met Canada's renowned "peace and human security Senator" and had experienced him as an outspoken, yet modest, man I will confess to being pleasantly surprised at the extent of the savvy and vision of this well-informed, lucid, sagacious author. Senator Roche has over thirty years of political life in capacities like Chair of the UN Disarmament Committee, Canada's Ambassador for Disarmament and Chair of Canadian Pugwash, enabling a vantage point to make the case for both the reality of a "third generation" right of peace, and its unparalleled significance. At the heart of this instructive and inspiring little book is the argument that "peace" is a universal third generation right, depending in part on the achievement of prior waves of human rights plus the modern interconnectedness of all states. This contemporary inter-dependency is unlike first generation rights like "liberty and equality" which are rights extracted from, or in relation to, the sovereign state alone. Similarly, second generation rights like education, health, or more generally "economic, cultural and social" rights attending societal inequalities, are also devised in relation to the state, or its agencies and fellow citizens. Globalization, with its international understanding, widespread participation, and effective communication, makes possible the universal right of peace. It is both "innovative and addresses a whole swath of new and interconnected challenges". It is an essential right because the horrendous atrocities of wars, genocide, environmental devastation, world-wide hunger, displacement, disease and water shortages and the threat of nuclear annihilation, all make human living deplorable or near impossible for the vast majority in the modern global context. Without peace, it is now clear, the achievements of past rights are a cruel parody of justice. The value of Doug Roche's book is not just the cogent argument for peace as a fundamental right. The book is a succinct history of 20th century Globalization and wars, with particular attention given to 9-11, Afghanistan and Iraq. More than that it is a manual carefully documenting the slow but steady work of the United Nations and providing chapter and verse for United Nations declarations and achievements. Those cognizant of the Canadian Peace Initiative and its attention to education and action for a world fit for children will find a stunning directive in Roche's attention to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. "The Convention", he observes, "is the most universally accepted human rights instrument in history. It uniquely places children at the forefront in the quest for the universal application of human rights." Here we see a commitment by every country in the world except the USA and Somalia, to ensure standards for children's health, education and protection against abuse. Protocols developed in 2002 were signed on against such heinous practices as child soldiering, the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. His chapters on religions and inter-faith dialogue, peace education, and civil society constitute a blueprint for universal action and peaceful living. For those who care deeply about the values and commitments which grow from a considered faith position, Roche argues forcefully for a continuation of those dialogues which have highlighted agreement on human decency, justice, the rights of children, freedom. This Papal Medal winner for his work in disarmament challenges the religious institutions to take the first step in humility and service to engaging the global secular culture. What the world faiths have held sacred in

their moral teachings secular societies, and par excellence the United Nations, have attempted to implement. For Douglas Roche, reconciliation is the highest form of dialogue. Religious tenets and ethics which propound the centrality of human oneness, as the author wisely notes, "has moved from being a kind of abstract, if vaguely interesting, idea to an issue of pressing daily political concern". Such issues as health, education, the environment, crime, terrorism, and corporate Globalization are now part of every one's life. In his concluding two chapters Doug Roche teaches us all that peace education arises in the context of peace as a universal human right. Peace education is a "weapon" to be employed by all citizens everywhere in the task of replacing a culture of violence and war- the culture which presumes violence and war are acceptable means of security-by a culture of peace. The content of peace education includes knowledge of arms control and disarmament mechanisms; the application of human rights, conflict resolution and problem -solving; overcoming environmental degradation, children's rights and gender equality, democratic participation; and listening, leadership and dialogue skills. Similarly, in his chapter on civil society Senator Roche documents the impressive growth of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and their success stories in influencing the sovereign states and the activities of the United Nations in directions of peace and justice. Increasingly, NGOs are often more knowledgeable than government sources. They are capable of employing new technologies like the Internet and email to establish world-wide constituencies for a culture of peace. They are capable of working with governments-as with the "Ottawa Process" of the Landmines Treaty, and the work with governments to establish the International Criminal Court. And they are able to work without or around sovereign states in massing support as in the Hague Appeal for Peace or the millions who protested the ignoble plans and actions of the recent war in Iraq. The new civil societies consist of NGOs and the increasing presence of an understanding of what is required to work to abolish the irrationality of war and the insanity of weapons that can destroy all human life and culture. The new directions reinforce democratic experience and often enable end-runs around recalcitrant governments and their backward-looking policies. The civil society is made possible by the immediate availability of alternative information, as on the Internet, and the highly developed skills of citizens in civil societies and NGOs in communicating a new set of standards, fuelled by the best of age-old religious visions. Doug Roche's illuminating and instructive book will be one to be added to my required reading list for courses in peace and conflict, development and change. His masterful use of UN documents and an appendix of indispensable websites will constitute some new priorities in my personal reading practices. We owe a debt of gratitude to Senator Douglas Roche for his care in describing these subjects and for providing a notion of peace that motivates change in everyday living-it is truly a portrait with teeth. Ordering Info: 260 pages - $24.95. Novalis, 49 Front Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON, Canada M5E 1B3; telephone 1-877-702-7773 or (416) 363-3303; email [email protected] ; web site http://www.novalis.ca ; ISBN 2-89507-409-7 (2003).


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 Hamilton’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 For information please contact: McMaster University, TSH-726 905-525-9140 x24378 1280 Main Street West, [email protected] Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M2. 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. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????

WE THANK THE FOLLOWING FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL FOR THEIR CONRIBUTIONS Anthony and Philo Vayalumkal Hamilton Malayali Samajam Hirsch and Indra Rastogi Jose and Anita Kudiyate Kanwal Shankardass Khursheed and Maroussia Ahmed Lakshman and Saras Das Mani and Sujatha Subramanian McCormack and Wanita Smyth McMaster Student Union Narendar Passi Naresh and Meena Sinha Naresh and Saroj Agarwal Om and Anjana Modi Prem and Nisha Lal

Radhey and Rajni Gupta Raj and Swadesh Sood Nikhil and Bharati Adhya Jay and Rekha Parekh Monolina and Saurav Ray Nidhi and Mukesh Jain Prakash and Sunita Abad Ashok and Nirmala Dalvi Bhawani and Rama Pathak Rama Shankar and Rekha Singh Satindar and Rita Varma Shobha and Ravi Wahi Tilak and Krishna Mehan Sri Gopal and Shanti Mohanty Subhash and Jaya Dighe

Sushil and Shashi Sharma Uma Sud Vishal and Shivani Sud Harish and Connie Jain Kiran and Rupa Jani Naresh and Munmuni Singh East Plains United Church (Burlington) George and Leonor Sorger T. Biswas Rajat and Manju Bhaduri Douglas and Sheila Davies Douglas Scott Nawal and Veena Chopra P.L. Kannappan

?????????????????????????????????????????????????

DONORS West End Physiotherapy Clinic 10 Ewen Rd. Hamilton 905-524-2365 Taj Restaurant, 96 Centennial Parkway South, Stoney Creek 905-573-0825 Bryan Prince Bookseller, 1060 King Street West, Hamilton 905-528-4508


2005 Gandhi Peace Festival Committees and Volunteers Chair: Rama Shankar Singh Co-Chairs: Mark Vorobej (Peace Essay Contest) Graeme MacQueen (Peace Essay Contest) David Jefferess (Peace Essay Contest)

Coordinators: Rob Porter Booklet Editors: Khursheed Ahmed Rama Shankar Singh

Advisory Committee:Raj Sood - President, India-Canada Society Mark Vorobej - Centre for Peace Studies Graeme MacQueen - 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 Nick Adhya – India-Canada Society 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 Binoy and Reeta Prasad

Subhash Dighe James Deahl Rob Porter Raj Sood

Mark Vorobej 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 and Sashi Sharma Ashok and Neema Dalvi Prakash and Sunita Abad Mahendra Joshi Rekha Singh Ranju Chakrabarti

Sumon Chakrabarti Elsa Ahmed Simon Deabreu Natalie Lazier Emily Norgang Woodward Marya Folinsbee Erin Brennan Amina Suhrwardy Tiffany Rickard Jonathon Malatesta Kasia Hladich Mike Rowse Marlene Thomas Diane Therrien Claire Robinson Deborah Jaggard Lauren Alvarado

Nicole Malette Angela Wilkens Jeff Santa Barbara Peter Hopperton Britt Lehmann-Bender Angela Schwartz James Deahl Sam Green

Sarah Weaver Alex Ostrowski Zoe Taylor Dallas Weaver Britney Stewart Elyssia Miller Karen DeGroot

Chelsea Cox

Publicity: 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) CHML Radio - Hamilton Eye on Asia (TV) - (Phone 905-274-4000) Food: Taj Restaurant, Hamilton (905-573-0825) 96 Centennial Parkway North (Hamilton) Dr. Anjana and Om Modi

Writing for Peace Judges:

Anne Pearson Margaret Newton Mark Vorobej Shannon Lane Heather Farrell Tais Lintz Julie Fleming

Sound:

Jordan Abraham Studio J. (Phone: 905 -522-7322)

Photography: Subhash Dighe, 905-524-2365 Jacob Joseph, Images of India, 905-628-2299

Pictures of 2004 Gandhi Peace Festival

Photos courtesy of Subhash Dighe

The 13th Annual Gandhi Peace Festival

2005 Theme:

Breaking the Cycle Of Violence: An Eye for An Eye Makes the Whole World Blind

Programme

Saturday, October 1, 2005 Gathering at Hamilton City Hall 10:00 am (Refreshments and Music) Welcome and Introductions 11:00 am • Dr. Mark Vorobej, Director Centre for Peace Studies (Master of Ceremonies) • Mr. Jay Parekh, President, India-Canada Society Signing of Mayors for Peace Pledge by Mayor Di Ianni Guest Speaker: 11:30 am

• Sulak Sivaraksa, Buddhist scholar and peace activist from Thailand Winners of High School Essay Competetion • Dr. Mark Vorobej – Judging Committee • Dr. Rama Singh, Chair, Gandhi Peace Festival Committee Peace Walk (around downtown Hamilton) Noon

Food, Music and Dance 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm • Live Performances

GANDHI PEACE FESTIVAL - Global Peace and Social Justice

Documents

Transcript of GANDHI PEACE FESTIVAL - Global Peace and Social Justice