International Peace Day – singing in Cardiff – at the Spice Statues
(we could have called ourselves the “Spice Girls” but a couple of our men turned up! Thank goodness for them though – there were a fair few bass parts needed!)
Today is 21st September 2014 and it is international “peace” day. All the singers who come to my groups have been participating all week in “Peace” singing during a part of their rehearsal time. We signed up to a wonderful web event set up by BBC world services’ Jane Hanson – who created a website where choirs could enroll and sort of pledge to sing peace songs for as little as 5 minutes in the week leading up to world peace day. http://www.peaceoneday.org/get-involved/one-day-one-choir Jane noticed that I had signed up 5 – 6 groups and she emailed me to say thank you. Anyway, I emailed her back to tell her about one of the groups’ Thursday evening rehearsal as we were preparing for our London “Sing for Water” event when we suddenly heard and then saw through the windows – the Nato helicopters going above us carrying the world leaders to their banquet at Cardiff Castle (during Nato summit week). Anyway we all started to sing peace songs in response to this – really knowing that it was futile (and having a bit of a laugh about that fact) – but actually genuinely wanting the leaders to do their jobs in a peace making manner and not a warmongering – “creating jobs in the arms factories” manner. Anyway Jane mentioned some of this on her article in the Daily Mail online…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2761390/From-Cuba-to
I think most of the singers have enjoyed this – I certainly have – and though it could, to some, seem like a bit of a token gesture– I do believe that it has helped us to realize that we do have a “voice” (excuse the pun) in this and that by stating, via song, that we would quite like to have peace as an aim – it can firm up our resolve to somehow create an atmosphere for peace and certainly make us clear that we do not want wars in the world – and violence in our homes and streets. The minimum we got out of our singing was to sing some really beautiful songs – one – “May there be Peace” by Polly Bolton, the other “Ain’t Gonna Study War” by Roxane Smith http://www.harmonyjunky.co.uk/ and the other “One Day” a song about peace by Matisyahu.
Anyway – as an extra and because I had a mini amount of energy left at the end of the week (and I was going into Cardiff anyway for the “People’s Climate March” anyway – (Also worldwide). I decided to see if anyone from my Cardiff and Barry groups wanted to actually get together to sing for peace on “Peace Day” itself – and a very lovely group of around 15 singers from Cardiff and Barry arrived at the Spice statues. Also Sue Lay of Cardiff Singing joined us and lead a lovely Nick Prater song “We Have all the Love” http://www.cardiffsinging.info/Welcome.html . The people who had done the “Sing for Water” event last weekend sang “Nga iwi eh” a Mauri song asking all nations to “Unite across the Pacific Ocean – women rise up and be strong – men be supportive”.
A song I’d like to do next time is another one by Nick Prater (who wrote a huge wealth of songs for Natural Voice choirs – he sadly passed away last year.)The song is “This is My Prayer for Peace” and includes the Arabic word for greeting and peace “Asalaam” as well as the Hebrew word “Shalom” (I need to learn it first!!)
We had some great responses from passers by and the singers really sounded fabulous too with songs in up to 5 part harmony. I just wonder if this small and happy act could have a small knock on effect of positivity? I certainly feel better for doing it!. Jane Hanson of “One Choir One Day” website is hoping that year on year the participating choirs will multiply and multiply to reach a huge no of people singing for peace all over the world for the year 2018 which will mark the centenary of the end of WW1. There are already choirs signed up from all over the world for this year’s and it feels good to know that we have all been singing in the same cause during the same week. Tewolde from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), who I worked closely with when I visited 5 years ago, has also signed up – this is a lovely connection of human beings!
Peace Montage – snippets of different singers singing for peace during the lead up to world peace day.