After a long wait, and many preparations by our counterparts in South America, two of our esteemed Woman Wage Peace activists Angela Scharf and Hyam Tannous, joined director of Women of the Sun, Reem Alhajajra, in a speaking tour across South America, specifically in Argentina and Uruguay.
Following the invitation of Anna Frank Centre in Argentine, the tour took place from the 5th till the 13th of August and included meetings with the Mayor of Buenos Aires, Members of the Argentinian and Uruguayan Parliament, University students, a lecture at the Anna Frank Centre, as well as meetings with several civil society organizations in both Argentina and Uruguay. The delegation had the honor of visiting the northern province of Argentina, Santiago del Estero, where they were greeted by a choir of 100 children singing songs of peace. Their trip culminated in a main event, on the 12th of August, at the Sokka Gakkai Cultural Center with more than 800 participants among students in the Buenos Aires City.
Hyam and Angela also spoke to dozens of media outlets, among them a conversation on Radio Con Vos, an interview on CNN South America, as well as a host show with the Argentina TV Channel. Watch a part of their CNN interview here.
What is happening in Israel/Palestine, especially in Gaza, does not only affect us involved but sends high waves to the entire world. Therefore, it is important to show everyone that it is possible to do things differently, that a peaceful relationship between Israelis and Palestinians is possible, even in such difficult times. As opposed to taking sides, by being “Pro- this” or “Anti- that”, the three women showed the participants in the different activities that the answer is being “pro-Peace”, pro sitting at the negotiations table and pro reaching an agreement that ensures the future of both sides for generations to come, as women, as mums and as societies.
Hector Shalom, the director of the Anna Frank Center in Argentina, a branch of the Dutch Center, accompanied this delegation of Peace throughout the different events and spoke about why they should learn from Women Wage Peace and Women of the Sun. He said: “We invited them because we are concerned about categorical, decisive, and absolute statements that are often empty of content and do not measure how much they harm the people who are working to build peace. We don’t want missiles, we don’t want terrorism, we don’t want famine, we don’t want more hostages, we don’t want to see more women or children walking around hungry or dead; and that is why we are convinced that we must support Women Wage Peace and Women of Sun.”
This tour was deemed a huge success thanks to the fruitful cooperation between Mr. Shalom and members of the South American chapter of Women Wage Peace. Leti, one of our members in Women Wage Peace in Uruguay said: “Reem, Angela and Hyam taught us about peace, about the role of women in political negotiations, about the importance of dialogue, but above all they taught us about dignity and being able to inhabit all our contradictions without renouncing any part of our identity. They also taught us to build bridges even when the wind is blowing against us, to look directly at our own pain and that of the other, and to refuse to accept violence as the inevitable fate for all of us.”
