On October 6, 2021, World BEYOND War presented the first War Abolisher awards to Peace Boat, Mel Duncan and Save Sinjajevina. This episode brings us into the ceremony where Peace Boat founder Yoshioka Tatsuya, nonviolent defense pioneers Rosemary Tabaki and Mel Duncan and Save Sinjajevina activists Pablo Dominguez, Petra Glomazic, Milan Sekulovic and Persida Jovanovic talk about their inspiring achievements. Peace Boat is introduced by Ann Wright, Mel Duncan is introduced by John Reuwer, and Save Sinjajevina is introduced by Leah Bolger.
Each of these three award recipients represent heroic and unique movements spanning the planet. Peace Boat was founded in Japan in 1983 and has been sailing the oceans of the world with a big and urgent message of coexistence. Mel Duncan‘s organization Nonviolent Peaceforce develops peacekeeping forces in conflict areas like Myanmar and South Sudan to do what military forces can never do: protect vulnerable human beings. Save Sinjajevina is a remarkable new peace movement born of necessity in Montenegro after NATO began conspiring to turn the idyllic pasture grounds of the Sinjajevina mountains into a NATO military base. Some quotes from this episode:
“We have to unite with the people working for action on the climate crisis and also the pandemic and also the fight against poverty. There is no distinction between peace movement or environmental movement or disaster management …” – Yoshioka Tatsuya
“The most important thing [peace activists] bring is our presence … We have everything that we need right here and right now.” – Mel Duncan
“We need the support of progressive forces around the world to prevent our territory of life turning into a territory of death and destruction” – Milan Sekulovic, Save Sinjajevina
The stories behind these three movements are unforgettable. The entire awards ceremony that produced the audio recording for this podcast can also be viewed on World BEYOND War’s YouTube channel.
With live music by flautist and composer Ron Korb. Also including a chat with World BEYOND War’s development director Alex McAdams about the organization’s exciting growth.
World BEYOND War Podcast on iTunes
World BEYOND War Podcast on Spotify
