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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| May 22, 2005 |
Departure of Peace Boat’s 49th Global Voyage |
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| Counselor Manisha Gunasekera from the Sri Lankan Embassy giving a warm send off to participants, who will be a part of Peace Boat’s 10th visit to the island |
Underneath a clear blue sky, the 49th Peace Boat voyage departed from Yokohama on May 21st amidst a jovial atmosphere of family and friends wishing the participants well on a 102 day circumnavigation of our globe. The participants were sent-off with inspirational words promoting peace from Ms. Fumiko Amano, an atomic bomb survivor; the Counsellor from the Embassy of Sri Lanka, a port of call that has been deeply affected by the 2005 tsunami/earthquake; Dr. Waqar Abdul Qahar, a? medical doctor and university professor experiencing the vestiges of war in Iraq; Mr. Allen Nelson, a Vietnam War veteran, who urged us not to forget John Lennon’s song “Imagine” lest we forget that war and violence will never bring a world of peace; and Kim Mae Ja and Sung Jeom Mo, from Sakhalin Island, forcibly displaced from Korea during World War II by the Japanese Military. Indeed, peace was the theme of the final farewell as poet and artist Kamau “Pitch Black Gold” performed a free-style rap where participants engaged in shouts of “We love you!” as they threw brightly colored ribbons, decorating the port with colors representing the diversity of our world. |
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| Ichinose Emi, International Director, with Iraqi guests Fadi Sami and Dr. Waqar Abdul Qahar giving a final message to friends and family on the pier |
Between the oldest participant at 91 years of age and the youngest at 3 years of age, the 973 participants onboard—the largest number in Peace Boat’s history—represent a span of generations, ensuring a multitude of experiences that can be shared with each other and with people from around the world. The sense of community will soon be built upon as relationships are nurtured and strengthened as the 49th Peace Boat voyage journeys to 18 countries. From the ports of South-east Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Americas and through the Suez and Panama canals, the participants will engage in cultural, grassroots level exchange with people from all corners of the world. |
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| Tensions rise as the ship begins to pull away |
The 49th voyage will be enhanced by individuals and guest educators who will contribute their experiences and voices to create educational programmes highlighting conflict and its resolution both onboard and at ports of call. Travelling to Southeast Asia we will be exposed to legacies of Japanese military aggression in the region during World War Two. The visit to Sri Lanka will highlight the island nation's ethnic tension and the ongoing peace process as well as the aftermath of the tsunami/earthquake that devastated the region in December 2004. Our journey of discovery will also take us to Jordan, Egypt and the Mediterranean, a crossroads of civilization since ancient times. |
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| Well-wishers and the Yokohama port-area skyline in the background |
The visit to New York will also coincide with the civil society initiated international conference of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) process at the United Nations headquarters. Peace Boat has been serving as the Northeast Asian Regional Secretariat since February 2004 and has been initiating a conflict prevention network with other NGOs in the Northeast Asia. This conference in New York will advocate an increased and more active role of civil society in international peace and security issues. |
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| Ticker tape streaming through the air |
Other themes to be covered include the effects of globalization on Central America, 'First Nation' or indigenous peoples' rights in North America; the situation of the Iraqi people and their need for civilian-led humanitarian efforts to rebuild their country; the protection of Article Nine in Japan’s Constitution, which renounces the sovereign right of the nation to wage war or hold weapons, that is under the threat of revision; and the promotion of peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment. |
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| A tugboat escorts the Peace Boat out of the port of Yokohama on its way to Kobe, Japan, to pick up the remaining participants before embarking for Hong Kong, the first port of call on the 49th voyage |
All of the participants of the 49th Peace Boat voyage will surely be enriched by the alliances and friendships they will build across nations and cultures. They may indeed return as changed people, more enhanced versions of themselves, as they experience the diversity, complexity and interconnectedness of our world.
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