Read Tony Robinson’s blog on Mexico. Also see links to videos in Montreal, Ottawa, San Diego to Tijuana, and Mexico City
La Marche mondiale de passage à Montréal
World March from San Diego to Tijuana - 3 December 2009
La Marcha Mundial en Mexico City
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World March activities in New York, Washington, and Hollywood
The World March goes to Hollywood
“It’s up to you New York, New York!”
World March in Washington, DC
On Dec. 2nd, 2009, members of the World March Base Team were joined Universal Humanists from New York City, in Washington D.C. They were there to celebrate Martin Luther King at the Lincoln Memorial.
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World March Schedule for December and January
Listed is my quick-look schedule. It could change and may not be entirely accurate. See an earlier post for the November schedule. For details, updates, and other possible activities in other cities go to: http://blog.theworldmarch.org/agenda/
Read this interesting story of trust on the World March as well as the other blogs listed below:
The Malagan Posy Base Team - Liliana Piastra
Other World March blogs:
Silo speaks in Berlin Base Team - Tony Robinson
Madrid and Toledo Base Team - Juha Uski
Toledo Park Base Team - Micky Hirsch
Malaga – light in the middle of the tunnel Base Team - Juha Uski
Watch the videos of the World March in Trieste, Florence, Torino, and Geneva which include various musical presentations.
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Florence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTtWoaOEwxg
Torino : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5xtGBvbqu0
4 November 2009
Phenomenal evening for the World March in Prague (1st part)
Base Team - Isabelle Bourgeois
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Read these interesting World March blogs:
10 November 2009
Goodbye to the Balkans – Ciao Italia!
With a great sense of needing to go back one day with time on my hands, we left the Balkans, crossing the border from Slovenia to Italy on Saturday morning. I realize that there has been………
9 November 2009
Paris has been a party from beginning to end. The welcome couldn’t have been better. The local organizers received us warmly,………..
7 November 2009
My tribute to the Anonymous of the World March
Base Team - Isabelle Bourgeois
What I’d like to share today, is the exemplary generosity of all the people involved and engaged in the success of the March. There are thousands and thousands…
6 November 2009
Read these interesting World March blogs:
6 November 2009
In Hungary, diluvian rain and cold couldn’t put out our fire…
Base Team - Isabelle Bourgeois
5 November 2009
Phenomenal evening for the World March in Prague (1st part)
Base Team - Isabelle Bourgeois
4 November 2009
World March Schedule for November
Listed is my quick-look schedule. It could change and may not be entirely accurate. See an earlier post for the October schedule. For details, updates, and other possible activities in other cities go to: http://blog.theworldmarch.org/agenda/
World March: excerpt of a blog by Tony Robinson travelling through Turkey and Greece.
“The World March’s proposals are to eliminate nuclear weapons and to progressively reduce spending on conventional weapons. With 10% of the 1.5 trillion dollars that were spent last year on military spending we could eradicate poverty from the planet. With 50% we could solve all the world’s problems of hunger, employment and environmental damage. All of this can happen, but we need to create a consciousness of the need to achieve a culture of peace through non-violence and start voting for politicians who will advance this agenda. So the problems of immigrants will go away when we solve the problems of violence and eliminate nuclear weapons and the threat of war.”
Why do you do it?
World March: excerpt of a blog by Luis Silva Garcia
“There is a question that is repeated time and again by friends, family and the many people that we have met in these weeks; “why are you doing this?” “Why are you abandoning the comfort of your daily life and spending a pile of money in doing a journey like this?”
For me, this is an epic journey.
I like to imagine myself as one of the crew on the ships that crossed the Atlantic.
I like to imagine that within 100 years, someone will speak about what we are doing.
I like to imagine that when I’m old, some young people will ask me about it and I’ll tell them with pride.
I like to imagine that it will be useful, even if only a bit, to change this crazy world.
I like to imagine that I can do something interesting with my life.”
“But I’m not only doing this journey because of what I imagine. I also do it for the things that I perceive in going from one country to another. I see that many watch us with indifference, for them we aren’t there. In the look of others I see only curiosity; it seems to be funny for them to see this group of strange people. But in the look of a few I see hope, and I want to interpret that it’s the same sort as mine. Hope in a different world, in a world without violence and in which together we will be able to build it. And on seeing hope in their look, so my own hope grows and I feel strong and radiant. It’s in these moments when I feel profoundly grateful, and I cannot imagine a better place to be than this one. And so the question comes back again and I inquire of the one asking the question, “How is that you’re not marching with us?”
For those interested in the World March events in Korea, Japan, and the Russian Federation read the blogs by Tony Robinson. His blogs are both informative and amusing; it was difficult selecting just the two excerpts presented below:
In Japan: “After this we had to wait around for a couple of hours before the next event which was probably one of the most moving events I will experience on this March.
It was quite simple really, the words “NUCLEAR FREE NOW!” were formed on the ground with candles in little glass jars and it gave a very evocative atmosphere to the event which was accompanied by beautiful singing and music.
Then what was for me the most emotional part was meeting a little old lady who survived the atomic bomb. These people are called Hibakusha in Japan. Rafa explained to her about the World March and how important it was for us to be in Hiroshima and to meet her. Then the most amazing thing happened when she started to say to us “Thank you, oh, Thank you” but with such profound sincerity that it nearly made me cry and I almost couldn’t translate for Rafa! Now I rarely get emotional in real life (although I can cry in a good romantic film), but being here with this little lady, whose hands were suffering from arthritis and whose skin still showed the effects of the radiation, and on top of that she was thanking US, it was too much for me. It still affects me several hours later as I write this blog. Then Rafa held her hand and she came with us and held the World March banner as Rafa spoke to those present. It really was a most humbling moment and I shall never forget it.”
Continued in post below
In Russia: "The security in Russia is incredible. Today we had a couple of meetings which I’ll talk about later but afterwards we decided to go to Red Square and see the Kremlin and St Basil’s Cathedral. So 20 of us walked towards Red Square. As usual, Renata had her rainbow peace flag and was walking proudly with it as always. Then suddenly Horacio realised that we were being followed by 2 security men in furry hats. They caught up to where we were and started talking to Evgeny, our Russian guide and friend from St Petersburg and it became clear that they had a problem with the flag. More than that they had a problem with the World March logo and before we knew it there were 5 secret policemen with us and 3 undercover agents. They spoke with Evgeny and then Juan Carlos (our coordinator in Russia) arrived and the message was clear that logos were not allowed. We had to hide all our logos, take off the badges, turn the jackets inside out, etc. Only then could we proceed to Red Square… This is how I imagine life was in Soviet times. It’s really unthinkable that the Russian system is like this still. Glasnost means openness. What happened to that?
Anyway, after that we made a plot with Montse, 72 and mother of 9. She knows people who know people who know the Mayor of Moscow, so she thought that if she gets arrested with a banner, she can easily get out of it with a few phone calls. So I didn’t want her to go to prison alone so I volunteered to open the banner with her in Red Square. But then we got to Red Square and it was closed. They wouldn’t let us in!! So we couldn’t do our act of civil disobedience in the style of Martin Luther King. Nevertheless we gathered the base team outside St Basil’s and after a few moments of hesitation we took out the big World March banner and took photos, put it away again quickly and no-one did anything! There were no police cars screeching around the corner full of security agents to arrest us and make us martyrs or anything which would have ensured our presence in the world’s media tomorrow… How disappointing!"
The Base Team of the World March has been to Korea, Japan, and is now in the Russian Federation. One day of the Middle East Team is given below (part of a blog by Roberta Ravani ):
The world march today: hope is all around
16 people of Middle East team world march from Spain, Italy, Argentine, Chile, Kosovo, French and Israel shared a very emotional and intense day, taking part to three important events:
- A symbolic act against nuclear warheads Israelian together with Greenpeace
- A meeting in a multi - ethnic school in Kfar Kara
- A march in Bethlem, from Aida Camp to Manger Square, dedicated to the world march.
30 members of both Greenpeace and World March team simulated a nuclear disaster on Armageddon mountain, the legendary location where, according to the Christian tradition, the final great battle between good and evil will take place.
Soon after we moved all together to a multi – ethnic school in Kfar Kara, a little Arabian village in the Israeli territory. The “Bridge over the Wadi” is a coeducational school attended by both Arabian and Israeli students. We realized that in places like this, where people believe and share a common project based on equality, despite of religious and cultural differences, peace could be reality.
In this school an Arabian and an Israeli teacher for every class, carry on the same scholar program teaching the two different religions separately highlighting their common points. Children and teachers welcomed the World March team with tales, songs and games. Children were very curious about us.
The World March has two teams: The Base Team and the Middle East Team. They will meet up in Switzerland. The Base Team is now in India
The Middle East Team began its activities in Tel Aviv with a Fair for Peace and Non-Violence. These activities continue in Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Turkey. Here is a translated excerpt from their visit to Palestine:
“Today we did a tour in the occupied territories, to meet local people who are working in non-violent way to change the situation together with the boys Palestinian Holy Land Trust Association, which is pursuing courses in nonviolence, training future leaders and local tourism policy.
To get to Bethlehem, we had to pass the check point, this experience gives you the absurd sense of being obviously in the right place when it comes to the World March for Peace and Nonviolence!
It 'like walking into a temporary jail, arriving from super modern Jerusalem, full of life and orderly you get into a timeless land where sacred sites are mixed to cruel and inhuman acts, where Christians and Arabs live together in a balanced way ... because have a common goal, to live free in their homeland.”
(Italiano) La Marcia Mondiale gira nei territori occupati in Palestina
Here is an excerpt from a blog by Isabelle Bourgeois on the World March. See her entire message at http://blog.theworldmarch.org/author/isabelle/
“We were up at 3:30 in the morning. The mood still foggy, we went reluctantly into our mini-bus. Geez, why do they make us get up so early? We followed this regime for 10 days and we were cruelly lacking sleep…
Tonight, as I write this, I promise never again to complain in anticipation of a day about which I know nothing. Because October 7, 2010, for me, for us, was a miracle. I just experienced a state of rapture for at least one hour. … What’s a state of rapture? It is a moment of communion with 12,000 children and adolescents in the city of Lucena who have achieved the greatest symbol of peace in the world in a sports stadium! Despite the typhoons and natural disasters that had made the area a disaster zone, they had rehearsed for a week of painstaking and delicate process to make this famous symbol of peace.
Our entire team was moved to tears and the energy of love and hope was so intense that my heart was beating like a cuckoo clock.”
World March Schedule of the Base Team in October.
Not finding a good quick-look schedule, I put this together. It could change and may not be entirely accurate. For details, updates, and other possible activities in other cities go to: http://blog.theworldmarch.org/agenda/
Here is my summary reports based on available data. Tony Roberson’s reports are great, but he has left the March (as planned).
October 2: New Zealand, Wellington: The March began!! Good summary by Tony Robinson: http://blog.theworldmarch.org/2009/10/02/the-world-march-has-started-can-you-all-believe-it/
October 3: Australia, Sidney: Team flew to Sidney. A few problems. Lots of rain! Tony reports: http://blog.theworldmarch.org/2009/10/03/welcome-to-sunny-sydney-not/
October 4: Australia, Sidney: Good day at Bondi Beach Celebration. Tony reports: http://blog.theworldmarch.org/2009/10/04/vamos-a-la-playa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh/
October 5: Philippines, Manila
October 6: Philippines, Manila
Manila welcome the World March (Video)
October 7: Philippines, Manila
October 8: Nepal, Katmandu and Bangladesh, Dhaka (The Team splits)
October 9: , Katmandu and Bangladesh, Dhaka
October 10: , Katmandu and Bangladesh, Dhaka
October 11: , Katmandu and Bangladesh, Dhaka
