DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .
An article by Martin Sicard in Pressenza
When we talk about revolution, we often imagine only crowds dramatically—and sometimes violently—flooding the streets, storming symbolic buildings, and so on; but there is a quieter form of revolution that is taking root all over the world, from grassroots movements to initiatives led by certain inspired leaders—and which, of course, is not covered by the mainstream media…
To shed light on all these positive contributions emerging across the globe, in 2009, a quixotic idealist, Rafael de la Rubia, was inspired to propose this seemingly crazy idea: to circle the globe with a World March for Peace and Nonviolence; with the support of Silo and the collaboration of humanist friends from around the world, the 1MM was thus launched with a multicultural team of a dozen people who traveled across different continents, from a symbolic location in New Zealand to Punta de Vacas (Argentina), passing through India under the auspices of Gandhi.
This 93-day journey crossed 97 countries on five continents; it was not so much about physically walking as it was about highlighting, along the way, initiatives promoting peace and nonviolence, or inspiring others to take action in this direction—whether in the fields of culture, education, ecology, or politics—through marches, of course, but also concerts, theme days, and other types of events—both social and cultural.
But how was this accomplished? With what resources? It was carried out entirely independently, without financial support from any institution, without any commercial advertising from multinational corporations, but with occasional collaborations during our events and campaigns depending on the location, so as never to jeopardize our freedom of expression or compromise our positions.
Then came the 2nd and 3rd marches: since that first march had taken place without any major incidents, and with a clear desire to continue spreading these ideals of nonviolence, we considered the possibility of organizing a second one ten years later, in 2019; and so the 2nd March took place, which this time circled the entire globe: starting in Madrid, it returned there 159 days later, after passing through 51 countries and 122 cities. In the meantime, it had inspired a group of women, who took the initiative to organize regional marches in Central and Latin America; we didn’t have to wait ten years for the next one—only five. The third March therefore took place in 2024–2025, starting in Costa Rica (the country that abolished its army by proclaiming world peace) and returning there as well. All these marches followed the same criteria, while adapting part of the initial theme to the specific locations and times.
And today? Here we are!
Given the global situation marked by a proliferation of conflicts—which further complicates travel—and where the economic constraints associated with organizing an international route weighed heavily, it was decided to change the format: a march would be organized in each city, that is, between the symbolic dates of September 21, International Day of Peace, and October 2, International Day of Nonviolence—give or take a day.
To the best of our knowledge, to date, the 4th “In My City” March has taken place in more than 200 cities across various continents, which have organized activities such as marches, human symbols, and cultural events. Among the countries participating are: Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and the Philippines in Asia; Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, and Ecuador in the Americas; Italy, Spain, France, Denmark, and Greece in Europe; Senegal and Benin in Africa…
The goal is to reach 1,000 cities, continuing this effort every year until 2029 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first World March; that is, every year during these days, activities will take place in as many cities as possible around the world. We’ve shifted from a geographic route to organizing as many simultaneous events as possible to send a message to the whole world; we understand, of course, that for this to have an impact, communication is essential…
(article continued in right column)
(Click here for the article in French or click here for the article in Spanish.)
Question for this article:
The World March for Peace and Nonviolence: What is its history and its effects?
(article continued from left column)
What has the World March achieved and continues to facilitate?
On the one hand, opening doors at various levels to convey our approach:
To people who wield influence in their respective circles—whether cultural figures, intellectuals, or politicians—who have received the March’s delegation or participated in events and forums.
Also at the level of international institutions and organizations with which we continue to collaborate, such as Mayors for Peace, the WILPF, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Summit, Peace Boat, the ICAN campaign for the prohibition of nuclear weapons, the “United Religions” Initiative, the Earth Federation, among others, thereby expanding our networks and opportunities…
Education: In schools, we encouraged the creation of workshops, the organization of theme days, and the formation of human symbols of peace and nonviolence; these symbols, also created on many other occasions, served as a playful way to raise awareness about the meaning of peace, on the one hand, and nonviolence, on the other. It was also proposed to embrace an ethical commitment never to use one’s acquired knowledge to harm another human being.
Universities: The experience of the March has significantly fostered encounters with and among universities from different countries and continents, gradually creating relationships and opportunities for collaboration, hence the idea of building an international network of universities for peace and active nonviolence. In the case of Italy, it is worth highlighting the collaboration with the University of Perugia, where a meeting was held bringing together more than 40 university presidents and where a memorandum of understanding is currently being drafted, as well as with the United Nations University for Peace, which was originally headquartered in Costa Rica and is now based in Rome. Universities can play a fundamental role as centers for education, research, and the production of knowledge.
Culture: Openness toward other cultures and between them through concerts and exhibitions featuring artists sharing some of their works. Also, “the simple fact of knowing that there are people elsewhere, all over the planet, who are also working for peace and nonviolence encourages us to continue acting with hope.” Indeed, highlighting actions that generally receive no support and are not covered by the media opens the minds of people who, all too often, believe that their problem with violence is unique to them—as are the possible solutions.
To deepen our understanding of what nonviolence truly means and to apply its methodology in daily life.
Not to mention that the 1st World March led to the creation of Pressenza, the international humanist news agency now active in many countries.
In conclusion, it is important to highlight a key theme, a core concept of this march. This involves encouraging the digital and geographic expansion of any initiative in support of peace and nonviolence: inviting any individual or group to replicate and amplify any action, thanks to the connections made through the march. For example: a choir from City X connects with another to create a network of 1,000 choirs for peace; to facilitate the proliferation of human symbols, a guide has been written in several languages so that it can be replicated anywhere and on any scale.
The idea is to step outside our comfort zone to broaden and amplify the impact of what we do—in terms of scale, number, and locations—by creating these networks of nonviolence. To go beyond calls for peace and pacifism, which demand an end to wars, and move toward establishing a true culture of nonviolence.
So yes, we continue to take action because we believe and feel that the effort is worth it.
https://theworldmarch.org/
.
– – – – – –
If you wish to make a comment on this article, you may write to coordinator@cpnn-world.org with the title “Comment on (name of article)” and we will put your comment on line. Because of the flood of spam, we have discontinued the direct application of comments.
