Buenos Aires, Argentina – UPF-Argentina celebrated the International Day of Peace on September 21 with a musical, cultural, and interreligious event at the Peace Embassy in Buenos Aires. Prizes were also awarded in the poetry competition on the theme “Cultures: Values and Integration for Peace,” organized in honor of the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures declared by the United Nations.
The meeting began with a reading of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message about the Day of Peace by journalist Santiago Villareal. After sharing countless declarations of support from different organizations and countries, representatives of various religious traditions offered invocations for peace, including Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Orthodox Christianity, and Unificationism.
The much-anticipated moment was the awarding of prizes in the poetry contest. This second annual poetry contest had broad appeal, attracting 196 submissions, 137 of which were from Argentina and 57 from countries of the Americas, Europe, Oceania, and the Middle East. "Y digo paz" (And I Say Peace) by Zulema Josefina Funes, the winning poem, was read on the occasion.
An emotional moment was the premiere of the song "Somos hermanos" (We Are Brothers/Sisters"), composed by Manrique Zago and brilliantly interpreted by Claudia Rivero and José Luis Beltran. At the end, everyone in the auditorium sang "Himno a la reconciliación" (Hymn of Reconciliation), the musical setting of last year's winner of the poetry contest.
To watch a video of the "Himno a la reconciliacion" with photos of the event, click here.