Art and Culture

Amsterdam, Netherlands - An evening of stories, songs, poems, and food on May 3 enlivened the celebration of May Day, the ancient spring festival of the northern hemisphere; the Purification Azalea Festival of Cheongpyeong, Korea; and Netherlands' national days of honoring the dead and celebrating the liberation from Nazi Germany.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - "Life is the art of meeting" is the theme of the Drawing and Painting Contest launched May 2 as a way of promoting the value of friendship in preparation for a celebration of the UN International Day of Friendship, July 30.

Kiev, Ukraine - A spring art contest for compositions on the theme “The Great Day of Easter” took place in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, on April 20. The project was initiated by the Kiev Center of Families, the Universal Peace Federation, and a grassroots organization of families with many children in the Shevchenko district of Kiev.

Accra, Ghana - An all-day commemoration of Africa Day will showcase African heritage (i.e., food, fashion, art, and entertainment) at the University of Ghana's Legon Botanical Garden in Accra on May 25.

Kiev, Ukraine - The third international children-and-youth choreography festival and contest on the theme “Dancing Beyond Borders-2012” that took place in Kiev on April 6 and 7 was a real pageant of creativity and talents. The initiators of this remarkable event were the Ballet Academy of Ukraine, Universal Peace Federation, center of culture “Sun”, and international charitable foundation “Art Beyond Borders.”

Young Russian musicians and artists traveled to Finland and Sweden for the third annual “Light of the Christmas Star” International Festival and Contest December 9 to 14.

Vienna, Austria - UPF in Austria has established a tradition to invite a country or region of the world to share its Christmas traditions for the annual Christmas event. In this way has audience has enjoyed the Christmas spirit of Russia, Brazil, and Africa during recent years. This year it was the turn of the Nordic countries of northern Europe.

Yekaterinburg, Russia - UPF-Urals helped organize programs at the Ural Center with the Rustaveli Society of Georgia to introduce Russians to the distinctive culture of Georgia, a neighboring nation in the South Caucasus.

San Marino - UPF and the San Marino's Cultural Academy held its annual ceremony awarding its Titan Poetry Prizes on November 26 and 27. Thirty poets from many cities of Italy were honored, and they attended along with their friends. There was also a gathering of 20 young students taught by Ambassador for Peace Renato Piccioni, President of San Marino's Cultural Academy. They received awards as "Pioneers Promoting a Culture of Peace."

Vienna, Austria - UPF-Austria in cooperation with the ensemble Rondo Danube Vienna organized a Russian-Austrian Concert on November 20 featuring works by Russian and Austrian composers, including Johann Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov, P.I. Tchaikowsky

Washington, DC, USA - On a beautiful autumn day, UPF's DC Office presented Japanese tea ceremonies for invited guests from the Washington diplomatic community, friends of UPF, and Ambassadors for Peace. Two tea ceremonies, with an accompanying afternoon lunch and evening dinner, were held on November 10 at the UPF Peace Embassy.

Kabul, Afghanistan - In the midst of confusion and violence, many have fallen prey to the evil wishes of the perpetrators and entrepreneurs of war and feel violent and confused, many times resorting to retaliation and counter-violence. This was the situation on September 21 when the Head of the High Peace Council of Afghanistan was killed by a suicide attacker in his house in the heart of Kabul. The following Day UPF members met in Kabul to commemorate the International Day of Peace with a recitation from the Qur'an, speeches, and a concert of Afghan music.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - UPF-Argentina celebrated the International Day of Peace on September 21 with an artistic, cultural and interreligious program which included awards for the winners of the annual International Poetry Competition, which was organized this year in adherence to the International Year of Youth. The theme of this year's poetry contest was "Global Family: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding."

Bangkok, Thailand - UPF-Thailand organized video clip contest on the theme "Peace is ... what is peace in your mind?" to raise awareness of the UN International Day of Peace. The contest was promoted on university campuses, the mass media, and social networking sites. Prizes were awarded at the International Day of Peace commemoration in Bangkok on September 21.

Hyderabad, India - It is with utmost delight I take the opportunity to attach my poem in commemmoration of the United Nations International Day of Peace, September 21, 2011.