|
|
|
| Workshop - Omar Martinez and Patricio Cabezas
|
 |
| Amnesty International guest speakers Patricio
Cabezas and Omar Martinez during a 3 day peace education workshop |
Argentine guests from Amnesty International (AI)
in Buenos Aires, Patricio Cabezas and Omar Martinez, conducted a three-day
workshop on human rights and peace education. The two young activists
work on human rights education in Argentine schools, and were most
enthusiastic about the opportunity to be able to reach out and connect
with Japanese people of all ages onboard Peace Boat. Omar and Patricio
used creative games and drama activities to convey their messages,
as well as communicate ideas that did not rely heavily on the spoken
work. Peace Boat's Communication Coordinators (CCs) however, were
always on hand for Spanish to Japanese interpreting. The Amnesty International
delegates suggested that resolving problems peacefully in any society
requires three crucial elements: participation, democracy and dialogue.
|
|
 |
| Group workshops and theatres sports by Omar
and Patricio had everyone captivated |
By splitting into five groups and enacting various
hypothetical problem situations, participants were able to identify
different forms of tension, discrimination and dispute within our
society and better understand how to avoid or resolve them. For example,
a waiter in a restaurant throws out a man who begs from a table, thus
illustrating the gap between rich and poor and attitudes of superiority
and different human value. In another case, a person is violently
threatened but onlookers do not come to his aid, thus demonstrating
fear, indifference and insensitivity. Another skit included when a
person with a different appearance to the rest of the group is ostracized,
thus showing prejudice, discrimination and fear of the other. In each
situation, there are at least three parties: perpetrator, victim and
inactive witness. While the group reflected on these situations, Omar
and Patricio analysed these situations to help people understand the
reasons for certain parties' behaviour. For instance, we may join
in acts of discrimination or fail to prevent them out of fear of falling
victims ourselves. Alternatively, we may just be lazy and complacent
and not call upon our inner sense of what is 'right' to change the
status quo, even though we know inside that it is wrong. Over the
course of the workshop, Omar and Patricio made a significant impact
on participants by imparting concepts of equality and fairness through
interactive theatre sports and creative means. The underlying philosophy
was that as individuals, we are responsible through our interactions
with other people in effecting change that will in turn, make our
world a more peaceful place. In any kind of conflict situation, small
or large in scale, we must recognise the other person as a holistic
being who deserves respect and understanding. Amnesty International
Argentina. |
|
| Peace Boat's
40th Voyage index |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
PEACE BOAT is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
