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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| April 4-5, 2004 |
45th Peace Boat Voyage Departs from Tokyo and Kobe, Japan |
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| The Greek Ambassador, H.E. Mr Kyriakos Rodoussakis |
Hundreds of well-wishers crowded the docks in Tokyo and Kobe to cheer farewell to Peace Boat on its 45th voyage around the world. Amongst the families and friends waving goodbye was the Greek ambassador to Japan, H.E. Mr. Kyriakos Rodoussakis, who addressed participants on the theme of the "Ekecheiria" - the ancient Greek tradition of ceasing all hostilities for the duration of the Olympics. Peace Boat will visit the Greek port of Pireaus in May, returning three months later on the opening day of the Athens Olympics, with the objective of appealing for a worldwide "Ekecheiria." |
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| Volunteer staff-member Atsushi MC'ing the send-off in Tokyo |
Boarding TSS The Topaz for this voyage are roughly 740 participants and Peace Boat staff. 60% are female, and just over 40% are in the 50-60 year old range and above, with the second largest age group being the 10-29 year old group at 37%. Coming from all ages and backgrounds mainly in Japan, the youngest participant is a two year old boy named "Hibiki," and the eldest is 93 years old. |
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| Cloudy skies were no damper on the spirits of these young participants embarking on a three-month voyage |
In a voyage lasting 97 days, Peace Boat will call at 15 ports in 14 different countries. Highlights of Peace Boat's port activities include delivering support goods to orphanages in Vietnam, visiting a multicultural housing project in Singapore, learning about the efforts of local NGOs in Cochin, studying the reality of HIV and AIDS in Kenya and meeting with Palestinian refugees in Jordan. Participants will also visit immigrants from all over the world in both Marseille and Las Palmas, witness efforts to protect the precious ecosystem of the Everglades in Florida and hear first-hand about the struggles of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala and First Nations communities in Canada. |
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| Good luck wishes from past and future participants |
Facilitating the onboard program of lectures, workshops and discussion groups will be a host of journalists, educators, musicians, photographers, environmentalists and peace activists from all over the globe, including anti-nuclear specialists, war veterans, hip-hop artists, university professors and a theatre group from Palestine. The Middle East section of the voyage will focus on issues in that region, and participants will have the opportunity to hear two alumni of the onboard International Student program talk about their efforts to build bridges between communities in Palestine and Israel. |
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| Photo opportunity with new friends while leaving Kobe |
Among the different volunteer-education based programs onboard is the "Topaz Station" which will focus on putting independent media ideas into practice, utilising internet, TV, radio and print media to document the travels and experiences of participants by participants. Other projects include using the positive power of soccer to bridge culture and language gaps in Jamaica. |
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