Investments

13th Annual Peace Prize Forum comes to Luther

Date 3/15/2001 12:00 AM | Topic: News

The 13th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum "Striving for Peace: Crossing Borders, Challenging Boundaries,"was held at Luther College March 9-10.

Keynote speakers included Morten Rostrup, international president of the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders; Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, human rights activist, member of the board of directors of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, and author of Speak Truth to Power: Human Rights Defenders Who Are Changing Our World; Musimbi Kanyoro, general secretary of the World YWCA; and J. Brian Atwood, president of Citizens International, executive vice president of Citizens Energy Corp., and former administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

On Friday, following a welcome from President Richard S. Torgerson and Geir Lundestad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Dr. Rostrup took the stage for the opening address.

Rostrup spoke of his recent work in Liberia and Guinea and the importance of understanding the mentality of the 2.2 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide.

Rostrup also discussed meanings that "borders" could have, saying that while one definition means "restrictions and limitations," it can also mean "security, hope and protection for those within the right borders."

MSF is doing humanitarian work in over 90 different countries.

"Whenever in the world there is distress, the humanitarian must respond," said Rostrup.

"We can challenge borders and boundaries and demand access [to those in need]."

Following a question and answer session with audience members, the estimated 1,400 attendees at the opening ceremony were then invited to break into "conversation" sections designed to give students a chance to converse with the speakers.

Friday evening's plenary address was given by Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, focusing on the importance of action when dealing with human rights issues.

"The most important thing is to create change," said Kennedy Cuomo.

The latter half of her speech focused on women's rights and presented statistics to show the importance of action in this area. "Sexual assault," said Kennedy Cuomo, "is nothing less than an epidemic."

"Anger well-directed can be a source of revolutionary change," she said.

"We have to be angry enough to speak out against injustices."

Occurring in conjunction with the Peace Prize Forum were the Spring Dance Concert and the Ethnic Arts Festival, both annual events at Luther that were tailored to fit the theme of the Forum.

The dance concert, entitled "Common Sense, Common Ground," included 27 student dancers, all original choreography and music, and an unconventional set meant to, as one of the dancers put it, "challenge the boundaries that exist between an audience and the performers."

An estimated 800 people packed into the Regents' Center gymnasium Friday night for the Ethnic Arts Festival. The arts and crafts bazaar sold jewelry, clothing and other items, while booths around the gym displayed different countries represented at Luther.

The festival's stage, featuring a backdrop of the word "peace" written in more than a dozen different languages, hosted various student presentations including a Norwegian Immigrant Story an African chant, and a Russian Balalaika ensemble.

On Saturday, the seminar sessions, a special worship service, and the final plenary address concluded the 2001 Peace Prize Forum.

Forty-six different sessions were offered and the group of nearly 1,000 registrants could choose to attend three. All were tied to the forum's theme.

Among the seminars, Luther grad Joel Spoonheim led an interactive discussion titled 'Changing the World Even When You're Not in Charge.' A color-coded "power map" helped the participants discover how to change a company's unfair employment practices through identifying those with the most influence.

"The ability to solve problems," advised Spoonheim, "starts with engaging people."

Col. Glenn Weidner, Commandant of the U.S. Army School of the Americas (SOA), conducted a controversial seminar titled 'The Legacy of the School of the Americas: U.S. Training and Education for Latin American Militaries.' SOA was recently reopened under the new name "Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation" (WHISC).

Nearly a dozen protesters from Minneapolis stood outside the seminar holding crosses and candles. Reports of training Latin American soldiers in unethical practices by SOA and its successor, WHISC, prompted a number of groups opposing the school to protest.

Col. Weidner, who has been replaced by a new director at WHISC, presented a history and summary of what SOA did for the U.S. and Latin America. Following his seminar, Col. Weidner crossed the hall to attend a seminar conducted by Concordia College's Professor Stewart Herman, entitled 'Why the School of Americas Should be Closed.'

At Saturday's worship service, the Rev. Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro gave the sermon and 'Bread for the Journey' provided music, including an Alleluia litany from Zimbabwe and a Spanish hymn.

Kanyoro spoke of the role hope plays in the elimination of injustices.

"We (Africans) have suffered much ... every statistic of misery has our name on it," said Kanyoro, a Kenyan. "We are wounded, but we are not crushed."

"The challenge is always to dare to hope," she continued. "Hope is the vision of the continent from which I come."

A final plenary session and ceremony closed the forum at the end of the day.

J. Brian Atwood gave the address, and began by thanking Luther and President Torgerson for running a "wonderful show."

Atwood went on to express optimism at what he had witnessed during the forum. "There is a tremendous desire on the part of people here [to do something],"said Atwood.

Atwood highlighted a number of the most pressing issues of our time, including growing economic gaps, deforestation, diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, global warming, and poverty, which he called "the elephant in the room" that no one is talking about.

Atwood placed the potential for change in the hands of young Americans, saying, "We alone possess the power to lead this world to a better place."

"Your country is sleeping," said Atwood. "What can you do to wake it up?"

Afterwards, students stayed behind to talk to Dr. Rostrup. Many wanted an autograph or photo, others were looking for specific advice on how to get involved with MSF. Some wanted to know what he had gained from the weekend.

"Inspiration," was his immediate response.

"You know, during the [open ceremony] I was asked if I had optimism about the future, and I said yes. Now I have even more,"said Rostrup.

--

Laura S. Riordan
Chips Editor-in-Cheif

[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]