As in the past years, our activities took place at the exit of the Mont-Royal metro station in Montreal, a strategic location where many people circulate. This year, we organized two major activities, namely the “Porteur de parole” and the “Interactive Theater-Forum”, an activity organized in collaboration with La Collective -Theater of the oppressed which opened a window to us on situations of violence that we experience every day.
Citizens actively participated during the four hours of the event and our activities touched approximately 500 people of different generations and origins. With the Music performance for peace of the artist DomLebo, people passing by were invited to reflect and respond verbally or in writing to the question “What does daily non-violence mean to you”? Relevant reflections were collected on what non-violence means in their everyday lives. These ideas can be found on the website of the Collectif http://paix-21sept.org
This special day was once again an opportunity for IofC to share its experiences with people from diverse backgrounds, to contribute to fostering peace and social harmony and to strengthen partnership with peace organizations. The members of the Collectif 21 septembre are Marie-Gérin-Lajoie Center, Friendship House of Montreal, Initiatives of Change Canada, and Religions for Peace-Québec.
Joseph Vumiliya – Montreal